Christina Geiger
Head of Department | Books & Manuscripts
Christina Geiger began her career as a Books specialist at Christie’s New York in 2000 and worked at Christie’s East and Rockefeller Center over a banner two years which included several landmark sales. She then spent four years at a specialty books and manuscripts auction house in California before returning to the East Coast in 2006 where she became Director of the New York Books & Manuscripts department for a leading international auction house. She became the principal specialist for both the highest-grossing single-owner sale in that department’s history, American Experience: 1630-1890 at $4 million; and the highest-grossing printed book, the 1476 Aristotle de Animalibus on vellum at $940K. Since rejoining Christie’s in 2016, notable sales in New York have included the world record-holding copies of both Newton’s Principia and Shakespeare’s First Folio, the Portland set of Audubon’s Birds of America, the Einstein “God Letter,” and the Columbus Letter sold in 2023.
She headed the auction sales of the Private Collection of William S. Reese, the late, renowned Americanist of New Haven. The Reese sales totaled over $20 million across multiple auctions in 2022 and 2023. She has also taken leadership roles in the auctions of the Martin Greene Library of Russian America and Polar Exploration; Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Books from the Collection of Elaine and Alexandre Rosenberg; the Exceptional Literature Collection of Theodore B. Baum; Valuable and Important Books and Manuscripts from the Library of Edward R. Leahy; and Part One of the Magnificent Library of Norman Bobins.
While Christina finds the exhilaration of auction strategy and achievement to be deeply satisfying, she also relies on steady involvement with bookish not-for-profits to balance her business life. She is a past Council Member of the Bibliographical Society of America (2012-2016), a special event auctioneer for the Center for Book Arts, and an active member of the Grolier Club, America’s oldest and largest society for bibliophiles. She is a past Council Member of both the Bibliographical Society of America (2012-2016) and past Council Member and Secretary of the Grolier Club. She is a current board member of the Book Club of California.
She headed the auction sales of the Private Collection of William S. Reese, the late, renowned Americanist of New Haven. The Reese sales totaled over $20 million across multiple auctions in 2022 and 2023. She has also taken leadership roles in the auctions of the Martin Greene Library of Russian America and Polar Exploration; Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Books from the Collection of Elaine and Alexandre Rosenberg; the Exceptional Literature Collection of Theodore B. Baum; Valuable and Important Books and Manuscripts from the Library of Edward R. Leahy; and Part One of the Magnificent Library of Norman Bobins.
While Christina finds the exhilaration of auction strategy and achievement to be deeply satisfying, she also relies on steady involvement with bookish not-for-profits to balance her business life. She is a past Council Member of the Bibliographical Society of America (2012-2016), a special event auctioneer for the Center for Book Arts, and an active member of the Grolier Club, America’s oldest and largest society for bibliophiles. She is a past Council Member of both the Bibliographical Society of America (2012-2016) and past Council Member and Secretary of the Grolier Club. She is a current board member of the Book Club of California.
