In 1972 a special limited edition of 250 numbered, complete folios of John James Audubon's original 435 plates were printed in the Netherlands at Amsterdam. They were sold by subscription in complete sets only; subscribers could choose to receive the prints bound or unbound. These are multi-color offset press reproductions of an original complete folio which was purchased in 1839 by the Teyler's Museum in Haarlem, Holland. Each print is full-sized at 25 by 39 inches, and the paper was specially manufactured in the traditional way using 100% unbleached cotton rags. The paper mill G. Schut & Zonen (founded 1625) specially marked the paper with the Audubon watermark.
The Havell edition was expensive at the time of publication and this has not changed. Possibly the last complete copy which will ever appear on the market sold for a staggering $8,802,500 in a sale in New York in March 2000. Currently, the increasingly rare individual plates from this edition, when they do appear, generally sell for between $5,000 and $175,000 depending on the image. The quality of the Amsterdam Audubon plates is apparent to any discerning collector and it is becoming ever clearer that they offer the most attractive alternative to the Havell edition plates, given the later's spiraling prices.
We are pleased to have over 90% of this outstanding collection on hand. For more information on specific prints, please email us at info@oldschoolhouseantiquemall.com, or call us at (337) 826-3580.
