Top Audubon 1st Edition Octavo Bird Prints

 by Ron Flynn 

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Of all original Audubon prints, the 1st edition octavo bird prints are the most popular and widely collected. When the collector has a choice among many octavo bird editions, most prefer to own prints from the 1st edition, rather than later editions. This is analogous to collecting old or rare books. With 500 different bird species in the octavo editions, it would seem there would be something of interest for any collector.

However, even with 500 different bird prints to choose from, they are by no means priced equally in the marketplace. In every set of 500, there is only one print of each bird species. It is estimated that a little more than 1100 1st edition sets were issued. The overall rarity of the edition, and its individual prints, is not great. Many of the 500 different prints retail for $100.00 or less. On the other hand, a few of the individual prints retail for nearly $4000.00 each.

It is the attractiveness of the bird species itself and its overall popularity that accounts for the wide differences in prices among the 500 prints. Birds like the Robin, Bluebird, and Cardinal (just to name a few) are attractive and well known all over the country. There are birds with strong regional popularity like the Flamingo, Pelicans, Herons and Cranes. On the other hand, birds such as the Sooty Tern and Black Tern aren't all that attractive or popular, and prices for their prints are very low.

Dealers and advanced collectors refer to the prices for various prints and/or the individual prints themselves as being in different "tiers". Think of "tiers" as meaning price groups. The most popular prints of the 500, because of supply and demand, will have the highest prices. The most popular or highest priced prints are called “upper tier”. The least popular and least expensive prints of the 500 are called “lower tier”. Yes, there are prints that fall in between, but they are not important for this discussion. There are no set standard dollar amounts that divide or define various price groups or tiers. A simple example might be that all prints priced at around  $1000.00 or more would be called upper tier. Prints priced below around $250.00 would definitely be called lower tier. 

Dealers’ prices for individual prints will vary widely across the country, due to factors such as: print condition, dealer overhead and markup, as well as regional demand. It is not that important to dwell on the different tiers and their price structure. However, do remember upper tier and lower tier. Upper tier prints are popular and higher priced, but demand is also high, and they sell quickly. Lower tier prints aren't so popular and their prices are low, so demand is also low and a dealer may have them in inventory for 4-5 years or more before they sell. Some would classify the upper tier prints as fine art prints, but call the lower tier prints as merely collectibles.

In the table below, I have listed and ranked the top 50 1st edition octavo bird prints based on popularity, supply and demand and ultimately retail price. From my surveys and tracking of dealers’ retail prices, these 50 prints have minimum retail prices of $1000.00 or more, and all would be called upper tier prints. Thus, only 10% of the 500 prints in the set would be upper tier. There are only another 30 or so prints with minimum retail prices between $500.00 and $1000.00. What is extremely important to note is that well over 400, of the total 500 different prints, would be considered lower tier prints. For collectors, this means that the vast majority of original 1st edition Audubon octavo bird prints are still affordable and collectible. However, if you ever decide to sell any of your Audubon 1st edition octavo bird prints, you are likely to hear from dealers that “I’m only interested in buying upper tier prints, and I don’t want to see any lower tier prints.” Retail prices will rise and fall over the years, but the prints listed below will likely always be upper tier.

  

RANK*

Plate #

NAME

1

369

GREAT BLUE HERON

2

375

AMERICAN FLAMINGO

3

362

ROSEATE SPOONBILL

4

374

SNOWY HERON

5

373

LOUISIANA HERON

6

278

CAROLINA PARROT/PARAKEET

7

287

WILD TURKEY

8

385

MALLARD DUCK

9

288

WILD TURKEY (FEMALE)

10

256

IVORY BILLED WOODPECKER

11

285

PASSENGER PIGEON

12

422

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

13

391

WOOD DUCK

14

423

BROWN PELICAN

15

203

CARDINAL

16

28

SNOWY OWL

17

368

GREAT WHITE HERON

18

372

BLUE HERON

19

257

PILEATED WOODPECKER

20

395

CANVAS BACK DUCK

21

217

BALTIMORE ORIOLE

22

142

AMERICAN ROBIN

23

134

COMMON BLUEBIRD

24

313

WHOOPING CRANE

25

231

BLUE JAY

26

384

AMERICAN SWAN

27

364

YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON

28

382

TRUMPETER SWAN

29

314

WHOOPING CRANE (YOUNG)

30

370

AMERICAN WHITE EGRET

31

371

REDDISH EGRET

32

476

GREAT NORTH DIVER LOON

33

19

ICELAND or GYR FALCON

34

253

RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

35

361

WOOD IBIS

36

181

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH

37

169

PAINTED BUNTING

38

286

CAROLINA TURTLE DOVE

39

359

SCARLET IBIS

40

355

LONG BILLED CURLEW

41

251

MANGO HUMMINGBIRD

42

255

BELTED KINGFISHER

43

271

RED HEADED WOODPECLER

44

252

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD

45

367

GREEN HERON

46

424

BROWN PELICAN (YOUNG)

47

14

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE

48

15

FISH HAWK or OSPREY

49

464

COMMON OR ARCTIC PUFFIN

50

376

CANADA GOOSE

*Source – www.audubonprices.com

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Copyright © 2009 by Ron Flynn

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