AMESBURY, MASS. — John McInnis needed four days, May 4-7, to sell an enormous single-owner collection. Leading the sale at $49,600, and the first item sold on day one, was “Tahitians on the Beach,” a circa 1925 work by Maxim Kopf (American/Austrian, 1892-1958) who traveled extensively through the Pacific islands. The sale was organized so that the first lot sold each day was likely to be the highest priced item of the day — a strategy known in the auction business as “front loading” — and it worked. The second day was led by a circa 1880 copper merino ram weathervane that earned $24,800, and the third day a pair of ancient Roman marble herms, 62 inches tall, had the highest price of the day: $29,760. The same was true of day four, as the day’s first lot, a 1770 funerary ring, brought $26,400. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium; watch for a full report in an upcoming issue.