Amazing flop: No bidders for Strauss' first prints in the Dorotheum!

Amazing flop: No bidders for Strauss' first prints in the Dorotheum!

Dorotheum, Wien, Österreich - On June 26, 2025, an auction took place in Dorotheum in the sign of Johann Strauss' 200th birthday. However, the sale of first prints from the music collection of Hubert Marischka, an important theater director and member of an artist dynasty, was disappointing. Despite a starting price of 14,000 euros and an impressive offer of 812 pieces of music, there were no buyers for the valuable collection. According to vienna.at there was no interest in the bundle.

The collection included 383 First prints by Johann Strauss, together with his father's works and the brothers Josef and Eduard Strauss. The pieces were laid between 1830 and 1887 and come from renowned publishers such as P. Marchetti, C. & T. Haslinger and A. Cranz. The range of first printing was remarkable, including partly two to three variants of individual works, but the condition varied greatly from severe damage to almost unused specimens.

valuable collection

Hubert Marischka (1882-1959) was not only an actor and operetta singer, but also a director and screenwriter. In addition to the first prints by ten invoices from the 1930s of the Vienna Antiquariat Plaschka and relevant correspondence, his music collection is characterized by the acquisition of the Strauss Erst prints. This interesting history surrounding the collection is documented by Dorotheum and suggests the rich cultural heritage of the Strauss family.

According to the Dorotheum expert Matthias Louis, the collection is a significant testimony to Viennese music history. Johann Strauss is considered one of the most influential composers of his time, and with around 500 works he has shaped the music scene sustainably. Despite the failed sale, the collection remains an important part of the cultural heritage of Austria.

conclusion about the auction

The auction in the Dorotheum on June 26, 2025 was intended as a venerable occasion, but the lack of prospective customers raise questions about the market acceptance of such historical collections. The unsatisfactory outcome will give both collectors and experts to think and could persuade involved actors to think again about the marketing of cultural assets.