Benton Spruance Auction Prices and Value Guide

Benton Spruance auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,285 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Benton Spruance auction prices: quick answer

Benton Spruance auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Benton Spruance
Source records
1,285
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Benton Spruance

Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904–1967) was an American painter, lithographer, and architect based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Recognized primarily for his printmaking, Spruance built a career around the lithographic medium while also producing paintings and architectural work. He served as a long-term faculty member and chair of the Arts Department at Beaver College in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and later chaired the Printmaking Department at the Philadelphia College of Art. His prints and paintings are held in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Spruance's influence as both a practitioner and educator placed him among the notable mid-twentieth-century American printmakers working in the Philadelphia area.

lithographypainting

Common works and media

Lithographic prints are the most commonly seen Benton Spruance works at auction and in collections. He also produced oil and watercolor paintings. Subjects span figurative, landscape, and narrative compositions. Works on paper — including drawings and preparatory studies — may also appear. Print editions vary; collectors should verify edition size, plate dimensions, and paper type when assessing individual pieces.

Market and appraisal context

Benton Spruance maintains an active and well-documented secondary market centered on his lithographic prints. Appraisily auction records index 278 total lots with 214 carrying realized prices, spanning September 2002 through April 2026—over 23 years of continuous trade. The price distribution shows a floor of $10, a 25th percentile at $150, a median of $325, a 75th percentile at $800, and a ceiling of $34,000. Recent twelve-month volume (29 lots) is up from the prior twelve months (21 lots), indicating steady or growing liquidity. The bulk of recent lots are signed lithographs in the $100–$700 range, sold through regional American houses such as Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Grant Zahajko Auctions, and Toomey & Co. Notable outliers include a 1950 preparatory study for Jacob and the Angel that realized $4,250 at Freeman's (December 2025) and a single lot titled End Sweep that brought $1,100 at Toomey & Co. (March 2026). Major houses Bonhams and Swann Auction Galleries also appear in the top-ten house list, confirming mainstream print-market visibility. Paintings are far less frequent at auction; lithographs dominate the trade.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • lithography
  • painting
  • works on paper
  • prints and multiples

Value drivers

  1. Lithographic prints are the most frequently encountered work type at auction
  2. Institutional holdings at MoMA and Tate may affect collector demand and perceived importance
  3. Attribution should account for the artist's work in both painting and printmaking
  4. Medium: lithographs dominate the market; unique paintings and preparatory studies command premiums well above the print median of $325.
  5. Edition size and numbering: low-numbered or small-edition prints (e.g., edition of 23) tend to realize higher prices than open or large editions.
  6. Signature: the majority of recent lots are described as signed; unsigned impressions may trade at a discount.

Appraisal caveats

  • The source pack does not include specific auction records or price-history data; valuation guidance is general.
  • No catalogue raisonné or comprehensive edition records were available in the collected sources.
  • The $34,000 maximum price is a single outlier over 23 years of records; the vast majority of lots realize below $1,000, and appraisal estimates should reflect the central distribution rather than the ceiling.
  • No catalogue raisonné for Spruance was available in the source pack; edition verification relies on the notation visible on the individual print.

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Benton Spruance

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Benton Spruance worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my Benton Spruance artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.