The major auction houses racked up nearly $10 billion in sales in the first half, marking one of the strongest-ever starts to the year as the wealthy gained confidence from soaring financial stock markets.

Sotheby’s reported its best first half ever, with $4.4 billion in sales, up 58% from last year and marking a record for the 282-year-old auction house. Christie’s had its best first half since 2021, reporting sales of $4.5 billion, up 71%. Phillips, Heritage and other auctioneers also had breakout starts to the year. READ MORE