> Source: https://www.openingbid.art/artist/charles-dickens · updated 2026-11-02

# Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

## What is Charles Dickens’s work worth? {#value}

As of 2 November 2026, OpeningBid has recorded 191 auction results for Charles Dickens at 11 houses since 2000. Over the last 24 months the median price was $1,229 including buyer’s premium (middle half $663–$1,972, n=8). The auction record is $21,382 for A Christmas Carol (2024, Sotheby's). Source: OpeningBid, an independent auction-results database.

**Top auction records: paintings, drawings & sculpture**

| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Christmas Carol, 1843 | AN ATTRACTIVE FIRST EDITION OF DICKENS' FIRST CHRISTMAS BOOK, THE NOVEL THAT ALMOST SINGLE-HANDEDLY INVENTED THE IDEA OF A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS. Dickens first had the concept in October 1843 and by the following month, John Leech, introduced to him by George Cruikshank, was working on the illustrations. Dickens composed the story in his head whilst walking the streets of London at night. It was issued ten days before Christmas and 6000 copies were sold on the first day. Dickens paid for the production on the understanding he took all the profit. It was, however, an excessively lavish and expensive production, so his profit was low even though sales were high. According to Eckel, first and second issues of the first edition have the same issue points except for the endpapers, which were originally green for the first issue, but were changed to yellow for the second issue. "This [second] issue, incidentally, is much scarcer than that wit | $21,382 | Sotheby's | Dec 2024 |
| 2 | Autograph letter to Samuel Robert Starey, 24 September 1843, 1843 | Fer | $10,723 | Bonhams | Dec 2019 |
| 3 | [DICKENS, CHARLES.], 1827 | Ivory | $9,150 | Bonhams | Dec 2009 |
| 4 | A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being A Ghost Story of Christmas, 1843 | Books | $8,472 | Bonhams | Jun 2014 |
| 5 | Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress, 1838 | Gold | $6,710 | Bonhams | Dec 2009 |

**Top auction records: prints & editions**

| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Five Christmas Books, 1843-1848 | Woodcut | $10,151 | Sotheby's | Dec 2022 |
| 2 | [Christmas Books.], 1843-1848 | 5 volumes, 8vo, uniformly bound in full teal levant morocco by Root & Son, triple gilt fillet covers, holly leaf and berries central gilt device and cornerpieces with green and red morocco onlays, spines in six compartments similarly gilt decorated, gilt-titles in two, all edges and turn-ins gilt; occasional light to moderate foxing, faint offsetting to endpapers, penciled ownership inscription to first blanks, original gilt- and blind-stamped decorative cloth covers and spines bound in at the end of each volume | $9,750 | Swann Auction Galleries | May 2018 |
| 3 | A Christmas Carol, 1843 | Engravings | $7,500 | Swann Auction Galleries | Nov 2016 |
| 4 | The Writings, 1894 | Tin | $6,972 | Sotheby's | Dec 2022 |
| 5 | A Christmas Carol, 1843 | Woodcut | $5,296 | Sotheby's | Jul 2022 |

**Median price by medium (last 24 months, n ≥ 5)**

| Medium | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Works on paper | 19 | $1,764 |
| Prints | 34 | $1,244 |
| Other | 126 | $1,220 |
| Sculpture | 7 | $757 |

**Median price by size (last 24 months, n ≥ 5)**

| Size | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Small (under 50 cm) | 26 | $1,406 |

Data as of 2 November 2026 · Source: OpeningBid, 191 results from 11 houses · [How we compute these figures](https://www.openingbid.art/methodology/price-data)


Charles Dickens is a British (modern) artist with 202 auction lots recorded since 2000, median price $1,300. Some sold prices are not yet verified as premium-inclusive or hammer, and are marked on this page.

A work by Charles Dickens sold in 2026 for a hammer price of $2,300 (buyer's premium not included), according to OpeningBid's index of auction results.

## What is a Charles Dickens work worth?

Across 189 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Charles Dickens work is $1,300.

The median Charles Dickens photograph sells for $1,267 across 32 lots.

The median Charles Dickens work on paper sells for $1,996 across 16 lots.

The median Charles Dickens print sells for $3,155 across 10 lots.

Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

## Price breakdown by category

| Category | Lots tracked | Median price | Record price | Sell-through | Last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prints & Editions | 10 | $3,155 | $10,151 | — | 2023-11-27 |
| Paintings | 2 | $757 | $757 | 50% | 2022-07-19 |
| Works on Paper | 16 | $1,996 | $21,382 | — | 2024-12-12 |
| Sculpture & Installation | 4 | $1,081 | $1,406 | — | 2022-12-13 |
| Photography | 37 | $1,267 | $10,723 | 86.5% | 2024-12-04 |
| Masterpieces (top of market) | 10 | $8,811 | $21,382 | — | 2024-12-12 |

Charles Dickens's market splits by medium. Prints & Editions (10 lots) median $3,155. Paintings (2 lots) median $757, record $757. At the top of the market (top 5% of sales, 10 lots) the median is $8,811.

## Price by size

### Works on Paper

| Size | Sold lots | Typical range (p25–p75) | Median | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| small (under 50 cm) | 5 | $1,406–$2,596 | $1,967 | $21,382 |

Size is the work's longest edge. Cells appear only with at least 5 sold lots.

## Notable results

| Medium | Year | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Works on Paper | 2024 | $21,382 |
| Photography | 2019 | $10,723 |
| Prints & Editions | 2022 | $10,151 |
| Photography | 2009 | $9,150 |
| Prints & Editions | 2014 | $8,472 |
| Works on Paper | 2014 | $3,949 |
| Sculpture & Installation | 2022 | $1,406 |
| Sculpture & Installation | 2022 | $1,406 |

The highest recorded result in each medium. The full sale history is in the OpeningBid app (free sign-up).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a Charles Dickens worth?

Across 189 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Charles Dickens work is $1,300. The median Charles Dickens photograph sells for $1,267 across 32 lots. The median Charles Dickens work on paper sells for $1,996 across 16 lots. The median Charles Dickens print sells for $3,155 across 10 lots. Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

### What is the average price of a Charles Dickens photograph?

Based on 32 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median auction price of a Charles Dickens photograph is $1,267.

### What is Charles Dickens's most expensive photograph?

The highest price recorded at auction for a Charles Dickens photograph is $10,723.

### What is the average price of a Charles Dickens work on paper?

Based on 16 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median auction price of a Charles Dickens work on paper is $1,996.

### What is Charles Dickens's most expensive work on paper?

The highest price recorded at auction for a Charles Dickens work on paper is $21,382.

### What is Charles Dickens's auction record?

Charles Dickens's auction record is $21,382, set in 2024.

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Data last updated 2026-11-02. OpeningBid tracks 15,390,829 auction lots from 577 auction houses, refreshed nightly.

Cite this page as: OpeningBid, “Charles Dickens auction prices”, https://www.openingbid.art/artist/charles-dickens (updated 2026-11-02).

Historical auction data, not investment advice. Prices are premium-inclusive USD where the buyer's premium is recorded. Figures marked † are hammer prices (buyer's premium not included); ‡ marks a price whose basis is not yet verified. Non-USD results are converted at the sale month's rate.