hammer price

noun

: the price at which an item is sold at auction

Examples of hammer price in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
About half that time was spent in near silence as auctioneer Max Fawcett, head of Christie’s Geneva jewelry department, coaxed two phone bidders to increase their bids from $8.1 million to the final hammer price of $9.5 million, as seen through Christie’s livestream of the sale. Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 Similarly, Across the Place (2023) by Japanese painter Yu Nishimura, who recently joined the roster at David Zwirner gallery, jumped to a $320,000 hammer price, or $406,000 with fees. Robb Report, 18 May 2025 Potential buyers were quickly reduced to two phone bidders as the price slowly went up to the final hammer price of 15 million Swiss francs. Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 The high-quality brand has had a reputation for commanding record hammer prices at auction for decades. David Moin, WWD, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hammer price

Word History

Etymology

from the hammer used by the auctioneer to signal the auction's end

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hammer price was in 1900

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hammer price.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammer%20price. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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