Christie's and Sotheby's reported combined year-end sales growth in 2025, reversing a two-year contraction in the global auction market. Private treaty sales—transactions conducted outside public auction format—rose approximately 30% year-over-year at both houses, accounting for nearly $4.2 billion in aggregate volume. The shift reflects continued allocator preference for off-market liquidity in art, jewelry, and collectible wine during periods of equity volatility.
Public auction totals at Christie's climbed 12% in the fourth quarter, driven by trophy lots in post-war and contemporary categories. Sotheby's reported similar momentum, with jewelry auctions in Geneva and Hong Kong posting sell-through rates above 83%, up from 71% in the prior year. A Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 perpetual calendar sold for $6.2 million in Geneva in November, establishing a new benchmark for the reference outside of major spring sales. Watches as a category contributed $580 million to Sotheby's annual total, a 19% increase over 2024.
The rebound matters because it signals allocator confidence in hard-asset liquidity during a year when equity indices delivered uneven returns and geopolitical risk premiums widened. Private sales volume—typically a lagging indicator of ultra-high-net-worth sentiment—suggests family offices are rotating into portable, discreet stores of value. Wine auctions saw similar patterns, with rare Burgundy lots from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti clearing at 110-130% of high estimates throughout the second half. The dynamic mirrors 2011-2012 behavior, when sovereign debt concerns in Europe drove a 40% increase in private art transactions.
This also represents a structural change in how auction houses monetize client relationships. Private treaty commissions typically range from 8-12%, compared to 15-25% on hammer prices in public sales. The volume surge indicates both houses are willing to compress margin in exchange for transaction velocity and client stickiness. Christie's noted that 42% of private buyers in 2025 were first-time clients, many introduced through wealth advisors rather than traditional collector channels.
Operators should track first-quarter 2026 results from Richemont and LVMH, expected in late March and mid-April respectively, for read-throughs on European luxury goods sentiment. Watch whether auction house private sales maintain velocity or revert to historical 15-18% of total volume. The Tefaf Maastricht fair in mid-March will offer early signals on dealer inventory levels and pricing discipline. Any acceleration in deaccessioning by US museums—a function of endowment performance—would indicate whether institutional sellers are chasing the momentum.
The private sales mix at both houses is now structurally higher than pre-pandemic levels, and neither company has indicated plans to rebalance toward public auction emphasis. That persistence suggests the model is working.