Coverage of the Sotheby's Sale: Great Minds Quote Alike

It's a little like being caught wearing the same dress as someone else at the party:

Carol Vogel and I led our stories about Sotheby's Imp/Mod auction with the identical Tobias Meyer quote, "It's a new world." Although Carol didn't say so, he meant "a new world record," not that a breakout price for Feininger was a world-shattering (or even an auctionworld-shattering) event.

There's only one way to start this story? I guess I fell for the obvious. Carol's version was not yet posted online when I posted mine (and not for a long time afterwards; I kept looking). I'm in no way accusing her of copying. It was just the obvious way to begin.

But one thing you will never catch CultureGrrl saying is this:

The sale totaled $278.5 million, just under its high estimate of $295.8 million.

The estimate is a prediction of hammer price. The $278.5 million was hammer price plus buyers premium. Apples to oranges.

I gave you apples to apples: "Hammer total was $246.75 million, against an estimate of $218.7-295.8 million." In other words, the total for the sale was not "just under its high estimate." It was actually closer to the low estimate.

And Carol didn't bring you that scintillating coverage from the vantage point of the computer screen. Alas, Christie's Imp/Mod sale tonight will not be broadcast live, although the auction house does plan eventually to add evening sales to its recently introduced web-based service, whereby clients around the world can watch auctions and bid online (but only after registering credit information and downloading software). With Christopher Burge at the podium, tonight would have made for some lively in-home entertainment.

Did I mention yesterday's post-sale kiss shot round the world?

I won't.

UPDATE: Oh, no! Marion Maneker of the NY Sun was also wearing the same dress! We've got to get a new word wardrobe.