The most often asked question by Audubon art collector's is probably an inquiry into the value of one of their prints.   Of the hundreds of contacts along these lines, most turn out to be 'false alarms' with the print being a copy, usually of little value.    Given the wide circulation of Audubon facsimile images over more than 100 years, this is not surprising.   For example, one estimate of the Northwestern Mutual Life calendar prints had their distribution at over 20 million!    Certainly, there are a lot more copies than originals out there.

However, periodically - routinely even- collectors do find the authentic prints, through one channel or another, and want to know the value for a Havell print.   Ron Flynn publishes a well-researched price guide reflecting eBay realized prices and Dealer asking prices.    These guides provide wholesale-to-retail ranges for individual prints in  fair-to-excellent condition.    Realized prices are often discounted 15-20% from retail.

There are also several benchmark sales of Havell prints which have set the standard to judge all other sales by.  By far, the most interesting are the Christie's auctions of complete and partial sets of Audubon's large-format prints.  Typically, these are fine to pristine copies.

In 1992, the University of Edinburgh sold a complete folio, for $4.07 million.   A record-breaking $8.8 million was paid for the so-called Fox-Bute folio, in March of 2000.   And, in December 2005, the Providence Athanaeum copy of Audubon's masterpiece, was sold for $5.6 million.    At those prices, the average price per double-elephant print is from  $9300 to over $20,000!   However, this figure is misleading.    There is no such thing as an 'average' print.   In reality, there are individual images which garner much higher prices, while most of the smaller prints can still be purchased for $5000, or less.  

In June, 2004, the Sachsen-Meiningen set was sold plate-by-plate, at auction.   Of the 424 plates offered, 317 sold for a record $5.5 million (unsold lots were sold later).  A unique feature of this set was it's outstanding condition and coloring, in unbound state.   Record-setting highlights for this auction were:
American flamingo, Plate 431, $197,900
Snowy Owl, Plate 121 at $186,700
Roseate Spoonbill, Plate 321, $175,500
American White Pelican, Plate 311, $175,500
Snowy Heron, or White Egret, Plate 242, $153,100
Fish Hawk, or Osprey, Plate 81, sold for $141,900
Trumpeter Swan, Plate 406, $119,500
Common American Swan, Plate 411, $119,500
Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, $119,500
Iceland or Jer Falcon, Plate 366, $119,500

Prior to the sale of the Sachsen-Meiningen set, previous by-plate sales record for a set of Audubon DEF prints was set in 1987, when 435 prints sold for $1.9 million.   

These data serve to demonstrate that original Audubon/Havell art continues to appreciate in value, at a healthy pace.   Two effects of this appreciation are, first, to reduce the availability of original Audubon's to the middle class of collector's.  The other effect is to drive up the secondary market for Audubon facsimilies, such as the Amsterdam edition of DEF prints.

 

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