Phyllis Yes, 'Smoking Woman' and 'Languid' Etchings, c. 1978-1979

The valuation of Phyllis Yes’s prints requires triangulating her strong primary/retail gallery pricing with the secondary auction results of her Pacific Northwest academic peers, as her auction track record is notably thin. This scarcity is typical for institutionally collected professors whose works are often held in private collections or donated rather than actively flipped. Primary market listings for small, unique works by Yes—such as the 'Toast Series #5'—adjust to an established value of approximately $160 at retail. Conversely, at regional auctions, prints by her direct contemporaries, such as Portland academic printmaker George Johanson, command between $80 for less commercial subjects and $275 for top-tier lithographs. Fay Jones, another prominent regional female artist, sees small prints successfully estimate and trade in the $160-$320 range. Applying this hierarchy to the subject trio, a single vintage Phyllis Yes etching from her pivotal 1978-1979 era would conservatively carry an auction value of $100-$150. Offered as a unified lot of three—and bolstered by the rarity of the Artist's Proof (A/P) designations—the collection warrants a fair market auction estimate of $300 to $500. This valuation presumes a regional sale in the Pacific Northwest, where her academic and institutional standing is most acutely recognized.