LIVE LOTS 17,750,525 HOUSES 866 UNSOLD RECORDED 4,679,484 UPDATED NIGHTLY
TheBasis.Art

1879–1955

Einstein, Albert. 1879-1955.

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172results on record
68%sell-through
$11,875median result (USD, incl. premium; 99% observed, 1% estimated from hammer)
$1,283,538record in our coverage

Drawn from 172 recorded results (138 sold · 34 passed) across 6 auction houses, 1999–2026. 8 upcoming lots on the ledger. What we cover

Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 99% observed, 1% estimated from hammer method · log scale

$8.8K$18K$26K1999: $3.2K median, 1 sold2000: $4.2K median, 1 sold2009: $3.2K median, 1 sold2013: $23K median, 5 sold2014: $18K median, 23 sold2015: $5.9K median, 2 sold2016: $15K median, 11 sold2017: $8.1K median, 7 sold2018: $7.5K median, 6 sold2019: $6.6K median, 6 sold2020: $7.4K median, 9 sold2021: $11K median, 21 sold2022: $21K median, 6 sold2023: $21K median, 7 sold2024: $19K median, 15 sold2025: $9.3K median, 5 sold2026: $33K median, 11 sold199920052011201720232026

Where does a value land in this market?

$

The same figure also answers the seller's question: which house clears a work like this, and for how much — expected proceeds by house, from the sell-through the rest of this page is built on.

$12K$230$1.3M

Every sold result for this market, low to high (log scale) — the dashed line is the median. Enter a value to see where it lands.

By medium where medium is recorded or stated in the catalog line

MediumResultsSell-throughMedian result (USD)
other 117 70% $14,450
photography 14 67% $17,500
works on paper 8 50% $10,200
prints 3 100% $8,669

Medium is recorded for 142 of 172 results (83%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.

Compared with Darwin Einstein, Albert. 1879-1955. Darwin

$8.8K$18K$26K1998: $7.4K median2012: $1.2K median2013: $1.4K median2014: $3.2K median2015: $12K median2016: $8.0K median2017: $3.1K median2018: $4.8K median2019: $9.2K median2020: $5.7K median2021: $7.7K median2022: $5.0K median2023: $7.8K median2024: $6.5K median2025: $8.2K median2026: $5.1K median1999: $3.2K median2000: $4.2K median2009: $3.2K median2013: $23K median2014: $18K median2015: $5.9K median2016: $15K median2017: $8.1K median2018: $7.5K median2019: $6.6K median2020: $7.4K median2021: $11K median2022: $21K median2023: $21K median2024: $19K median2025: $9.3K median2026: $33K median19982005201220192026
MetricEinstein, Albert. 1879-1955.Darwin
Median result$11,875$5,120
Record price $1,283,538 $500,075
Results on record172246
Years active at auction 1999–2026 1998–2026

Related artists: DarwinShakespeare, William. 1564-1616.Dickens, Charles. 1812-1870.Hemingway, Ernest. 1899-1961.

Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method

76/ 100
  • Sell-through68%
  • Meets estimate76%
  • Market depth172 results

How readily and near-estimate this market clears — sell-through, estimate reliability, and depth, blended into one score. "Meets estimate" is the share of sold lots hammering at or above the low estimate, over catalogs that print a real appraisal: a house whose printed low is a starting bid would meet its estimate on every lot, so those lots are excluded from this term only — their prices and outcomes still count in the other two. Method →

Where this artist sells best

HouseResultsSell-throughMedianvs. estimate
Christie's 103 79% $17,937 —
Bonhams 45 62% $6,125 0.91×
Sotheby's 20 50% $9,236 0.92×
Ketterer Kunst 5 — $7,361 —
Kestenbaum & Company 2 100% $25,000 1.22×
Hermitage Fine Art 1 0% — —

The same artist across every house we cover — hammer-vs-estimate side by side. A dash in the estimate column can mean withheld rather than unpublished: the house publishes no hammer price, or its printed low is a starting bid rather than an appraisal. Method →

Prices realized 184 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 34 passed lots

DateLotMediumvs. estimateEstimate USDResult USD, incl. premiumHouse
80 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass
2019·12 einstein proclaims the success of his unified field theory $15,000–$25,000 Sotheby's
2019·12 the world as i see it. new york: coice-friede, 1934, [with] a typed letter signed by elsa einstein, 15 november 1934 $4,000–$6,000 Sotheby's
2019·12 typed letter signed to commandant a. bly, princeton, new jersey, january 15, 1936 $4,000–$6,000 Sotheby's
2019·12 [EINSTEIN, ALBERT. 1879-1955]; AND ELSA EINSTEIN. 1. TYCKO, AARON, photographer. 2 gelatin silver print portraits of Albert Einstein, 8 x 10 inches, signed ("Tycko / LA") at lower right corner. $4,000–$6,000 Bonhams
2019·12 Bemerkung uber periodische Schwankungen der Mondlange, welche bisher nach der Newtonsche Mechanik nicht erklarbar schienen. [Offprint from:] Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften XXI. XXII. XXIII, 1919. Berlin: Reichsdruckerei, 1919. $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2019·12 Untersuchungen ueber die Theorie der "Brownschen Bewegung." Leipzig, Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft. 1922. $1,500–$2,500 Bonhams
2019·12 Kritisches zu einer von Hrn. De Sitter gegebenen Losung der Gravitationsgleichungen. [Offprint from]: Sitzungsberichte der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, XII. Berlin, 1918. Berlin: Reichsdruckerei, 1918. $5,000–$7,000 Bonhams
2019·12 Carbon Copy of a Letter to William Farrington ANNOTATED AND DIAGRAMMED in ink and pencil by Einstein describing in mathematical detail the action of force on the earth's crust, $12,000–$18,000 Bonhams
2019·11 Typed Letter Signed, written in $3,000–$5,000 Kestenbaum & Company
2019·07 [EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)]. $18,715–$24,953 Christie's
2019·07 [EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)]. $2,495–$3,743 Christie's
2019·06 einstein, albert | typed letter signed to commandant a. bly, princeton, new jersey, january 15, 1936 $4,000–$6,000 Sotheby's
2019·06 einstein, albert | autograph letter signed, one side addressed to wife mileva maric, the other to his sons hans albert and eduard, 5 december, 1919. $15,000–$20,000 Sotheby's
2018·12 einstein, albert | autograph letter signed ("a. einstein") to jacob billikopf, [princeton?], 30 september 1936 $4,000–$6,000 Sotheby's
2018·11 and Ilya Ehrenburg (1891-1967).Photo, CULVER PICTURES, INC (NY),a label the reverse $341–$454 Hermitage Fine Art
2018·06 (Theoretical physicist and Noble Prize winner, 1879-1955). Typed Letter Signed, on embossed personal letterhead, written in English to David Fischer. * With: Accompanying envelope. $20,000–$30,000 Kestenbaum & Company
2018·06 Autograph Letter Signed ("A. Einstein") in German, 1 p, 4to, n.p. 16 March, 1955, to Frank G. Back discussing eclipses and atmospheric light, $5,000–$8,000 Bonhams
2018·06 Autograph Letter Signed ("A. Einstein") in German, 2 pp, $5,000–$8,000 Bonhams
2018·06 Photograph Signed ("A. Einstein"), 5 x 7 inch gelatin silver print $2,000–$3,000 Bonhams
2018·06 Typed Letter Signed ("A. Einstein") in German, 1 p, 4to, Princeton, N.J. 8 October, 1952, $3,000–$4,000 Bonhams
2018·06 Passport Photograph Signed ("Albert Einstein, 30. V. 35, Bermuda") 2 3/8 x 2 3/8 in, Bermuda, 30 May, 1935. $8,000–$12,000 Bonhams
2017·12 Original etching, a portrait of Albert Einstein by Hermann Struck, $7,000–$10,000 Bonhams
2017·12 Generalization of Gravitational Theory. [Princeton]: Princeton University Press, 1953. $1,500–$2,500 Bonhams
2017·12 typed letter signed ("a. einstein"), to alton chapple, 23 february 1954 $2,015–$2,687 Sotheby's
2017·12 fine autograph letter and photograph, both signed ("a. einstein" and "albert einstein"), and inscribed to the violin maker and restorer oswald a. schilbach, 22 july 1934 $20,152–$26,869 Sotheby's
2017·12 autograph note on a postcard, signed ("a. einstein"), to federico ronin $2,015–$2,687 Sotheby's
2017·12 typed letter signed ("a. einstein"), to alton r. chapple,  on the necessity for moral courage by the individual, 18 february 1949 $6,717–$9,404 Sotheby's
2017·07 [EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)]. $6,437–$10,300 Christie's
2017·03 Generalization of Gravitational Theory. [Princeton]: Princeton University Press, 1953. $2,000–$3,000 Bonhams
2016·12 Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1916. $80,000–$120,000 Bonhams
2016·12 Zur einheitlichen Feldtheorie. Berlin: Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften, in Kommission bei Walter de Gruyter, 1929. $600–$900 Bonhams
2016·12 Typed Letter Signed ("A. Einstein"), 1 p, 4to, $2,000–$3,000 Bonhams
2016·12 Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist. Evanston, Illinois: Library of Living Philosophers, 1949. $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2016·12 Photograph Signed ("Albert Einstein"), $5,000–$8,000 Bonhams
2016·12 EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955). Photograph signed (‘Albert Einstein/1938’). $15,164–$22,746 Christie's
2016·11 typed letter signed ("a. einstein"), to axel frey samoie in stockholm, about foucault's pendulum, with an autograph annotation $3,741–$4,988 Sotheby's
2016·07 [EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)]. $19,914–$26,552 Christie's
2016·07 [EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)]. $6,638–$10,621 Christie's
2016·07 [Albert EINSTEIN (1879-1955)]. $53,104–$79,657 Christie's
2016·06 Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist. Edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp. Evanston: Library of Living Philosophers, 1949. $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2015·12 Typed Manuscript with Annotations, 2 pp, 4to, Brooklyn, December 22, 1934, being the text of an address by Einstein delivered to the Brooklyn Jewish Center, $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2015·09 Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie [The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity]. Leipzig: Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1916. $4,000–$6,000 Bonhams
2015·09 A group of material related to Albert Einstein and the family of Adolph Stern, 1929-1932, Caputh, Germany and Los Angeles, California, comprising: $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2015·06 A group of material related to Albert Einstein and the family of Adolph Stern, 1929-1932, Caputh, Germany and Los Angeles, California, comprising: $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2014·10 23 articles authored or co-authored by Einstein, published in Annalen der Physik. Vierte Folge. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1902-16. $1,500–$2,000 Bonhams
2014·10 14 articles published in Annalen der Physik. Vierte Folge. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1906-12. $800–$1,200 Bonhams
2014·10 "Eine neue Bestimmung der Moleküldimensionen" [and] "Zur Theorie der Brownschen Bewegung," in $1,000–$1,500 Bonhams
2014·10 "Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie." In: Annalen der Physik, Vierte Folge, Band 49, 1916, pp 769-822. $2,000–$3,000 Bonhams
2014·06 "Über einem die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt" [On a heuristic viewpoint concerning the production and transformation of light]. $12,000–$18,000 Bonhams
2014·06 Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie [The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity]. Leipzig: Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1916. $5,000–$8,000 Bonhams
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [c.1950] $25,122–$33,497 Unsold listing Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'A.E.') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 19 September 1953 $10,049–$15,073 Christie's
2014·05 Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, 112 Mercer Street, Princeton, 9 July 1952 $6,699–$10,049 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, Princeton, 4 December 1949 $6,699–$10,049 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 18 March 1947 $13,399–$20,098 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'A.E.') to Cornelius Lanczos, Princeton, 19 June 1943 $6,699–$10,049 Christie's
2014·05 Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, 112 Mercer Street, Princeton, 21 April 1942 $5,024–$8,374 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'A.E.') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 21 March 1942 $41,871–$58,619 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., n.d. [1940] $8,374–$13,399 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 23 January 1940 In German. In green ink, two pages, 280 x 216mm, including six scientific equations $11,724–$16,748 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 9 October 1937 $8,374–$13,399 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 29 September 1937 In German. One page, 288 x 215mm, including six scientific formulae, on lightweight paper $8,374–$13,399 Christie's
2014·05 Three typed letters with signatures excised to Cornelius Lanczos, Old Lyme, CT, and Princeton, 23 September 1935, 24 January and 14 February 1938 $1,675–$2,512 Christie's
2014·05 Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 14 September 1935 $6,699–$10,049 Christie's
2014·05 Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 11 September 1935 $6,699–$10,049 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [c.1950] $25,122–$33,497 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [c.1950] $16,748–$25,122 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [c.1950] $16,748–$25,122 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript signed (at conclusion, 'A. Einstein'), 'Einheitliche Feldtheorie von Gravitation und Elektrizität' [Unified Field Theory of Gravitation and Electricity], [Berlin, before 14 June 1928] $100,490–$150,735 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'A.E.') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 24 February 1955 $13,399–$20,098 Unsold listing Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [March 1950 - early April 1951] $25,122–$33,497 Unsold listing Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [January 1951] $33,497–$50,245 Christie's
2014·05 Autograph manuscript of scientific calculations, n.d. [c.1950] $25,122–$33,497 Unsold listing Christie's
2014·05 Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, 112 Mercer Street, Princeton, 14 February 1955 $8,374–$13,399 Christie's
2013·12 STANDEN, ANTHONY. Science is a Sacred Cow. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, Inc., 1950. $4,000–$6,000 Bonhams
2013·06 The Holy Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, [c.1930]. $1,500–$2,500 Bonhams
2013·06 SCHILPP, PAUL ARTHUR, EDITOR. Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist. Evanston: The Library of Living Philosophers, 1949. $3,000–$5,000 Bonhams
2013·06 fine autograph manuscript signed ("a. einstein"), apparently working notes for his 1938 article "on a generalization of kaluza's theory of electricity" $15,449–$23,174 Sotheby's
2013·06 two hand-prints of einstein's left and right hands, both signed and dated by him ("a. einstein 9.iv.30") $15,449–$23,174 Sotheby's
2012·06 1. Teoriya otnositel'nosti. [Theory of Relativity.] Berlin: "Slovo," 1922. $500–$800 Bonhams
2009·05 Die Grundlage. 1916 $3,374–$3,374 Ketterer Kunst
2007·03 lettre autographe signée [à elizabeth von windgenstein][vienne], 15 mars 1930 $2,670–$4,005 Sotheby's
2000·05 Albert Einstein (1879-1955) $1,482–$2,223 Christie's
1999·11 Albert Einstein (1879-1955) $2,908–$3,554 Christie's

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