Chartres auctioneers Lelièvre, Maiche & Paris began the year by handing out charts with franc-euro conversions and reducing their weekly uncatalogued ventes courantes from 450 to 250 lots, expecting bidding to be much slower in the new currency.
But Jean-Pierre Lelièvre says those fears have proved misplaced. “After 10 minutes the rhythm was back to normal” he reports, adding that the main problem is “lack of concentration from the auctioneer, as it’s easy to lapse back into francs!”
Lelièvre – who sold a Märklin four-coach SK800 for a double-estimate €3700 (£2300) on January 20 – has one criticism of the euro, though: it hasn’t been adopted by all of his European clientèle. “When are the English going to start using it?” he wonders.
Somewhat aptly, the top price at the first sale of the year in Louviers, Normandy, on January 27 was an impressive €10,200 (£6400) for this
2ft 3in (68cm) troubadour-style bronze group, right, by Théodore Gechter (1796-1844) entitled Jeanne d’Arc boutant l’anglais hors de France, which translates freely as ‘Joan of Arc booting the English out of France’. Auctioneer Emmanuel Prunier has invested in a new electronic francs/euros converter-board but says reaction to the new currency has been “impeccable”, with bidding unaffected and proceeding at the same pace. “We must forget the franc once and for all!” he insists.
François Tajan was just as upbeat after his first sale in euros at Drouot. “It sparks things up a bit!” he chuckles. “It creates the illusion of paying less. People aren’t fully aware of how much they’re spending!”
Francly, my dear, we don’t give a damn!
French take the Euro in their stride. Will the Brits be left behind? The euro, all Fr6.56 of it, appears to be making a smooth entry into French salerooms.
