Christies - rare books and roaring debates

I've had a few days to marinate on our Christies visit. I was so excited to go mostly because I have seen Christies portrayed in so many movies. It's always viewed as this mythic place - filled with artifacts and treasures. It is that, of course, but it's also a place to separate 'the men from the boys'.

The people who go to Christies are people of status - as we've discussed. That lead to my asking the question "do you need an invitation to come to an auction?" and when the answer was that Christies' auctions were all open to the public, I was quite shocked. It seemed so counter intuitive to me. Isn't Christies where the intelligent and rich and esteemed people come to flex their muscles and satisfy their appetites for their preferred curiosities? Why would some 'normal' person come inside?

This point of view, I suppose, fuels the legend that is Christies. It feels so unattainable. But, it looked no different from any of the prestigious libraries and places we've visited thus far. And those places don't feel unattainable at all - they are places of education and as such give off an open feeling. Maybe that's what separates Christies - it's not an educational atmosphere as much as a financial one. A rich one.

All in all - I loved going to Christies because it gave me a chance to see a landmark in New York that I've long wanted to see. The rare book collection was great to see - that inscribed printing of A Christmas Carol was spectacular. But I really took in what everyone was saying about Christies in terms of the sheer amount of dollars that pass through it and the unethical aspects of it. I really had never thought about that previously. I just thought the whole thing was pretty kick ass. I now see all sides of the argument - and it's complicated. Really complicated.