Howard Reiche passed away in 2022 shortly after his 94th birthday. Seventy years previously he had married into the antique business; his wife, Stevie, was a third generation life-long Maine antique dealer. Reiche and his wife settled estates and held auctions from the 1950s through the 2010s. Most of what they bought, sold, and collected came from the homes of longstanding Maine families.
He was unusually intelligent and possessed a remarkable memory for details; two traits that served him well in the countless times he was pawing through boxes of old paper items. Over the course of several decades he collected an array of historical document collections. He constantly donated Maine historical ephemera to his cousin, serving as the official Maine State Historian and director or Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Reiche’s greatest collecting passion related to the early American patriots, especially signers of the Declaration of Independence.
August 14, 2024
At 6 p.m. on Wed. August 14th t he one-hour extended bidding period begins followed immediately by the 30 Minute Rule. All times in RR Auction guidelines and instructions are stated according to the Eastern (U.S.) time zone.
Bob Eaton CEO, Acquisitions bob.eaton@rrauction.com
Handwritten letter by George Washington to the architect of the United States Capitol, regarding the construction of townhouses on Capitol Hill
1. George Washington Autograph Letter Signed to Architect of the Capitol William Thornton. ALS signed “Go: Washington,” one page, 7.25 x 9, August 28, 1799. Handwritten letter to William Thornton, the architect who designed the United States Capitol. In full: “I would thank you for requesting Mr. Blagden to give me as early notice of the time, and amount, of his next call upon me, as he can, that I may prepare accordingly.” In fine condition, with some faint staining, and a few short fold splits. Accompanied by a vintage press photo of one-time owner Joseph Plummer, a collector of books and Americana, holding the letter.
William Thornton (1759–1828) was an American physician, inventor, painter, and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He was appointed by President George Washington as Architect of the Capitol in 1793, and by Thomas Jefferson as first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office in 1802. The present letter from Washington to Thornton is one of more than thirty recorded in The Papers of George Washington; it relates to the construction of two townhouses on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., designed by George Washington and built by George Blagden. During this period, Thornton was serving as Commissioner of the Federal City, and in that capacity offered advice and official approval for Washington’s plans.
The project had begun in the fall of 1798 with Washington’s purchase of a vacant lot on the west side of North Capitol Street. Inspired by a building he had seen in Philadelphia, Washington described his vision as ‘two houses, united Doors in the center, a Pediment in the Roof and dormer windows on each side of it in front, skylight in the rear’ and ‘three flush stories of Brick, besides Garret room…capable of accommodating between twenty and thirty borders…not costly, but elegantly plain.’ Washington’s builder, George Blagden, who worked as superintendent of stonework and masons at the
Capitol, broke ground in December 1798.
Washington took an active role in overseeing the project, providing detailed specifications for the buildings and sourcing many materials himself in order to reduce costs. In this letter, he inquires about the exact time of Blagden’s next visit, so that he can “prepare accordingly”—in other words, have funds ready to pay him. Washington had secured a loan from the Bank of Alexandria to pay Blagden a $1,000 installment in July, and would pay him $1,000 more, through Thornton, in September.
On November 9, 1799, Washington recorded in his diary: ‘Viewed my building in the Federal City.’ A week before his death, he attempted to purchase plaster for the interior. He fell ill in December, and passed away before seeing the completion of the building in 1800. George Washington’s nephew and heir, Bushrod Washington, finished and furnished the townhouses, operating them as a boarding house for members of Congress. Several prominent early American legislators stayed there, including Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina and William Crawford of Georgia.
The property was consumed by fire when Washington burned during the War of 1812, and the lot and charred remains of the building were purchased for a mere $1,446. The buildings were restored into a larger hotel in the mid-19th century, but razed in the early 20th. Today, there stands a plaque marking their place: ‘Here were the lots acquired on October 3, 1798 by General George Washington and on which he built two brick dwellings from designs by Dr. William Thornton. A dwelling remodeled from the two dwellings was owned and occupied by Admiral Charles Wilkes, the famous explorer.’ From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $2500
Boldly signed 1797 ship’s passport for “the Ship called Minerva,” signed by John Adams and Timothy Pickering
2. John Adams Document Signed as President - Four-Language Passport for the Ship Minerva. Partlyprinted DS as president, one page, 19.5 x 15.5, October 3, 1797. Four-language ship’s paper issued to “Thomas Cutss, Jun’r, master or commander of the Ship called Minerva…lying at present in the port of Ch’ston, bound for Amsterdam and laden with Rice, Sugar, Coffe, Cotton, Logwood& Rum.” Prominently signed at the center by President John Adams and countersigned by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and by Collector James Simons. The original embossed white seal remains affixed to the left side. In fine condition, with some minor edge loss and fold splits. A scarce and sought-after oversized format, boasting a large signature of America’s second president. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $500
Four-language sea letter signed by Jefferson and Madison, issued for the “Brig called Fame”
3. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison Signed Four-Language Ship’s Passport. Partly-printed DS as president, signed “Th: Jefferson” as president and “James Madison” as secretary of state, one page, 20.5 x 16.5, July 11, 1804. Four-language ship’s pass issued to “Lewis McMillan, master or commander of the Brig called Fame…lying at present in the port of Biddeford, bound for St. Vincent and laden with Boards, Plank, Staves, Shingles, Shooks, Bread & flour.” Neatly signed at center in ink by President Thomas Jefferson, and countersigned below by Secretary of State James Madison. The original white paper seal affixed to the left side remains fully intact. In very good to fine condition, with light edge wear, and splitting to the multiple intersecting folds (some reinforced with archival tape on the reverse); both signatures are clean and unaffected. United States ships carried four-language sea letters in the 18th and 19th centuries to show ownership, nationality, cargo, and destination. This example features a most desirable combination of presidents, boasting particularly bold, crisp autographs of Jefferson and Madison From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $500
4. James Madison Signed Check as President. Office of Pay and Deposit of the Bank of Columbia ‘private account’ check, 7 x 2.5, filled out and signed by Madison as president, “James Madison,” payable to Butler & Co. for $353.59, August 9, 1813. In very good to fine condition, with light overall creasing. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder. Starting Bid $300
5. James Madison Document Signed as President. Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 12.5 x 8, November 30, 1814. President Madison appoints William Walker as “a Midshipman in the Navy of the United States.” Signed at the conclusion in ink by President James Madison and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy William Jones. Framed and in fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
6. James Madison and James Monroe Document Signed as President and Secretary of State.
Partly-printed vellum DS, signed “James Madison” as president and “Jas. Monroe” as secretary of state, one page, 10 x 9.5, July 3, 1815. Lower section of a ship’s pass issued to the “Brig Gleaner…To Pass with her Company Passengers Goods and Merchandize without any hinderance seisure or molestation.” Signed at the conclusion by President James Madison and Secretary of State James Monroe. The paper seal affixed to the lower left remains intact. Framed to an overall size of 12.5 x 12. In very good to fine condition, with the upper portion of the document trimmed off, and the handwritten portions of text faded but legible; Madison and Monroe signatures are bold, although the “J” in Madison’s first name is extremely faint. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
7. Andrew Jackson Letter Signed as President. LS as president, one page, 8 x 10, July 9, 1835. Letter to Thomas Mustin, chief clerk of the 5th auditor’s office, in full: “If the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury should be absent from his Office at any time during the present season you are hereby directed to take charge & perform the duties thereof in his room & stead until his return.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Andrew Jackson as president. In fine condition, with heavy overall toning, and an identifying collector’s slip affixed below the signature Starting Bid $200
Van Buren transmits news of the Amistad case to Isabella II of Spain
8. Martin Van Buren Document Signed as President, Regarding the Amistad Trial. Partly-printed DS as president, signed “M. Van Buren,” one page, 8 x 10, February 29, 1840. President Van Buren authorizes and directs “the Secretary of State to affix the seal of the United States to the envelope of a letter to the Queen Regent of Spain of this date.” Neatly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Martin Van Buren. In fine condition.
In his letter, President Van Buren evidently communicated news on the Amistad trial, a case resulting from the rebellion of Africans on board the Spanish schooner La Amistad in 1839. In early 1840, a federal district court found that the transport of the kidnapped Africans across the Atlantic Ocean on the Portuguese slave ship Tecora was in violation of US laws against international slave trade, and as illegally kidnapped people they thus had the right to use force to secure their freedom. The ruling was upheld on appeal in the circuit court, and ultimately upheld again by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841. Isabella II was one of several claimants to ownership of the liberated slaves, and even after resolution of the case, the Spanish government continued to press the United States for compensation. Starting Bid $200
Image larger than actual size.
9. William Henry Harrison Signature. Ink signature, “W. H. & J. S. Harrison, Cincinnati, 10 Jany 1835,” on an off-white 3 x .75 slip. Affixed to a larger backing sheet and in fine condition. Harrison is ostensibly signing on behalf of his son, John Scott Harrison, himself the father of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison; he is the only person to have been both the son and father of American presidents. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
10. Zachary Taylor War-Dated Autograph Endorsement Signed. War-dated autograph endorsement signed “Z. Taylor, Genl, U.S.A. Comdg,” one page, 7.75 x 2.75, October 13, 1847. Clipped from the bottom of a larger document, General Zachary Taylor’s handwritten endorsement: “The Qr. Master will furnish the above.” In very good to fine condition, with overall creasing, and small light stains to the corners. A scarce endorsement from General Taylor that dates to the dusk of the Mexican–American War. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
President Fillmore ratifies the U.S. acquisition of 24 million acres of land from the Upper Dakota Sioux bands
11. Millard Fillmore Document Signed as President, Ratifying a Treaty with the Upper Dakota Sioux. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10.5, February 24, 1853. President Fillmore directs the Secretary of State to affix the Seal of the United States to “a Treaty with certain bands of the Sioux or Dakota Indians, ratified by the Senate of the United States on the 23’d June 1852.” Signed at the conclusion by Millard Fillmore. In fine condition, with faint toning to the folds and edges.
This document relates to the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux of 1851, an agreement between the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Dakota and the U.S. government, which Fillmore ratified a day earlier on February 23, 1853. The treaty, which transferred ownership of much of southern and western Minnesota from the Dakota to the United States, is significant in Minnesota’s history because, along with similar treaties signed that same year, it opened twenty-four million acres of land to immigration. For the Dakota, these treaties marked another step in the process that saw them increasingly marginalized and dismissed from the land that was their home. Starting Bid $200
President Lincoln considers the case of a Maryland volunteer “said to be under sentence of death to be executed on the 25th for desertion”
13. Abraham Lincoln Civil War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed as President to Maj. Gen. Meade on Capital Punishment for an Army Deserter. ALS as president, signed “A. Lincoln,” one page, 7.25 x 8.75, September 21, 1863. Handwritten letter to Major General George Meade, commander of the “Army of the Potomac,” in full: “I am appealed to in behalf John H. Williams, Co. D. 4 Regt. Md. Vols., I Corps who is said to be under sentence of death to be executed on the 25th for desertion. The appeal is made on the ground of unsoundness of mind. Please give me briefly the facts and your views.” In fine condition, with trimmed edges, and overall archival silking to both sides.
This letter is listed in the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 6, by Roy Basler, who notes: ‘The roster of Co. D, Fourth Maryland Volunteers, lists no John H. Williams, but Charles W. Williams who was sentenced to be shot for desertion (Army of the Potomac, General Orders No. 91, September 17, 1863) is listed with the notation ‘Died, September 25, 1863.’’
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln struggled with the challenge of dealing with Union Army deserters. A compassionate leader, he generally showed leniency, understanding the pressures soldiers faced—in March of 1863, he proclaimed a general call of amnesty for the 125,000 Union men then missing from their units, absolving them from punishment in exchange for their return. However, he also recognized the need to maintain discipline, and desertion was considered a capital crime. In all, only 147 Union deserters were executed during the course of the war, and it seems that Williams of the Maryland Fourth was one of these unlucky few. By year’s end, the war-weary Lincoln had largely ended the practice; when commuting a death sentence in January 1864, Lincoln explained that his decision was made ‘not on any merit in the case, but because I am trying to evade the butchering business lately.’ Starting Bid $1000
14. Andrew Johnson Document
Signed as President. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 17 x 14, March 19, 1867. President Johnson appoints Robert R. Congdon as “Collector of the Customs for the District of Georgetown in the State of South Carolina.” Boldly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Andrew Johnson, and countersigned by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch. Affixed to a larger mount and in very good to fine condition, with light toning from prior display. This document dates to just days after Congress overrode Johnson’s veto to pass the Tenure of Office Act, which would play a pivotal role in his impeachment the following year. Starting Bid $200
Rare Mathew Brady portrait of the future American president, signed neatly by the four-star U.S. general
15. U. S. Grant Signed Cabinet Photograph, Pictured in His Four-Star Military Uniform by Mathew BradyPSA NM-MT 8. Exceptionally rare cabinet photo of General U. S. Grant by Mathew Brady, 4.25 x 6.5, depicting the Commanding General of the American Army wearing his four-star military uniform in a handsome three-quarter-length pose, signed neatly in the lower border in fountain pen. The reverse bears a “Brady, Photo. Wash, D.C.” stamp. In fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “NM-MT 8.” Signed Brady portraits of Grant in his military uniform are tremendously rare, and its crisp signature and clear and stately image further accentuate its unique desirability. Starting Bid $300
In 1865, Grant informs “the Com. on Conduct of the War” of his impending arrival in Washington
16. U. S. Grant Civil War-Dated Autograph Letter
Signed to Gen. Halleck on the Committee on the Conduct of the War (1865). Civil War-dated ALS signed “U. S. Grant, Lt. Gen.,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, Head Quarters Armies of the United States letterhead, February 7, 1865. Handwritten telegram to Major General Henry Halleck, sent from his headquarters at City Point, Virginia, marked “Cipher” in the upper left. In full: “I will be in Washington on Thursday or Friday next. Please notify the Com. on Conduct of the War. I will be obliged to you also if you will notify Mr. Washburne.” In fine condition.
The Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War investigated and provided oversight of President Abraham Lincoln’s command of the Union Army in the Civil War. General Grant asks Henry Halleck to inform the committee, and his chief advocate, Congressman Elihu B. Washburne, of his impending arrival in the nation’s capital. On February 11th, Grant appeared before the committee in relation to Benjamin Butler’s earlier failed effort against Fort Fisher and the question of prisoner exchanges with the Confederates. Starting Bid $200
Postal appointment for a former Union officer who fought at Chickamauga
17. U. S. Grant Document Signed as President. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 17.75 x 11.25, March 3, 1871. President Grant appoints H. P. Van Cleve to be “Deputy Postmaster at Saint Anthony’s Falls in the State of Minnesota.” Signed at the conclusion by President Ulysses S. Grant and countersigned by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. The white paper seal affixed at the lower left remains fully intact. In fine condition. Horatio Phillips Van Cleve (1809-1891) served in the Union Army throughout the Civil War, rising from the rank of colonel with the Minnesota Volunteers to general in command at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He saw action at the Battle of Logan’s Cross Roads, participated in the Siege of Corinth, was wounded at Stone’s River, and fought at the Battle of Chickamauga. Starting Bid $200
18. Rutherford B. Hayes Document Signed as President, Recalling a Diplomat from Belgium. Partly-printed DS as president, signed “R. B. Hayes,” one page, 8 x 10, February 1, 1881. President Hayes directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “an envelope containing my letter in reply to the letter of the King of the Belgians, recalling Mr. Delfosse from his mission as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty in Washington.” Signed at the conclusion by Rutherford B. Hayes. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
President-elect
Garfield thanks a Boston composer for “the musical arrangements you so kindly sent”
19. James A. Garfield Letter Signed as President-Elect. LS as president-elect, signed “J. A. Garfield,” one page both sides, 8 x 10.25, personal Mentor, Ohio letterhead, January 15, 1881. Marked “Personal,” a letter to composer and pianist Ernst Perabo, in part: “Your…crystal ballet box, came duly to hand. I need not assure you that your beautiful present so unique both in the emblem and the design is highly appreciated.” In very good condition, with toning, staining, and splitting along the folds. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
20. Grover Cleveland Signed Photograph. Matte-finish 4.25 x 6.5 cabinet photo of Grover Cleveland in profile by B. F. Powelson of Buffalo, signed in brown ink. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $200
President Cleveland approves early legislature to restrict fur seal hunting, a precursor to the Bering Sea Arbitration of 1893
21. Grover Cleveland Document Signed as President, Prohibiting the Hunting of Fur Seals. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8 x 10, Executive Mansion letterhead, April 9, 1894. President Cleveland directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “my proclamation of the Act of Congress approved the 6th instant, to give effect to the award rendered by the Tribunal of Arbitration at Paris under the treaty between the U. S. & Great Britain of Feby 29, 1892.” Signed neatly at the conclusion by Grover Cleveland. In fine condition. This document relates to Cleveland’s signing of Proclamation 364: Prohibiting the Hunting of Fur Seals on April 6, 1894, an act designed to drastically limit the hunting of fur seals by both the United States and Great Britain in and around the Bering Sea. Starting Bid $200
President
Harrison sends thanks to King Kalakaua and his words of condolence after the devastating Apia cyclone that sunk three U.S. Navy
22. Benjamin Harrison Document Signed as President, Replying to a Letter of Condolence from King Kalakaua. Partly-printed DS as president, signed “Benj. Harrison,” one page, 8 x 10, May 17, 1889. President Harrison directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to “an envelope containing my letter addressed to His Majesty, Kalakaua, King of the Sandwich Islands, acknowledging letter of condolence on the Samoan disaster.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Benjamin Harrison. In fine condition.
A fascinating document that relates to a particularly disastrous moment of the First Samoan Civil War, which relates to the conclusion of a prolonged standoff between the United States (supporters of Mata’afa Iosefo) and the German Empire (backers of the Tupua Tamasese dynasty) over control of the Samoan Islands. The standoff ended when the 1889 Apia cyclone of March 15 and 16 destroyed all six warships in the harbor — three U.S. Navy warships (the sloop-of-war USS Vandalia, the screw steamer USS Trenton, and the gunboat USS Nipsic) and three German warships (the gunboats SMS Adler and SMS Eber and the corvette SMS Olga). The lone vessel to escape the harbor and survive the storm was the mediating British cruiser HMS Calliope. Starting Bid $200
warships
23. William McKinley Signed Photograph. Matte-finish 5.5 x 7.5 bust-length photo of William McKinley by Courtney of Canton, Ohio, signed in fountain pen. Mounted to an overall size of 8.5 x 11. In fine condition, with moderate signature contrast against his dark suit. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $200
24. Theodore Roosevelt Signed White House Engraving. Vintage engraving of the North Portico of the White House, 5.25 x 3.75, signed in bold fountain pen by Theodore Roosevelt. Archivally matted and framed with a portrait of Roosevelt to an overall size of 15 x 9.75. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
25. Theodore Roosevelt Document Signed as President. Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15.75 x 19.75, December 26, 1901. President Roosevelt appoints John P. McAdams as a “Second Lieutenant of Infantry in the service of the United States.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by Theodore Roosevelt and countersigned by Secretary of War Elihu Root. The embossed blue War Office seal remains affixed to the lower left. Rolled and in fine condition. Starting Bid $200
26. William H. Taft Signed Photograph. Vintage mattefinish 6.75 x 10.25 Harris & Ewing portrait of Taft in a suit jacket and tie, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, Sincerely yours, “William H. Taft.” Affixed to a slightly larger mount to an overall size of 7.25 x 10.75. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
27. Franklin Roosevelt Signed Photograph. Vintage mattefinish 8 x 10 portrait photo of Franklin D. Roosevelt, signed on the lower border in fountain pen. Blindstamped in the lower right corner attributing the photograph to Pach Bros. In fine condition, with a few unobtrusive surface spots. Starting Bid $200
28. Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as President. TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, November 20, 1939. Letter to Judge Samuel Mandelbaum of the United States District Court of New York, in full: “Just a short note to tell you how nice it was to see you yesterday and to thank you for the picture which you left. I appreciate your thought. My best to you, always.” In fine condition, with faint toning to the fold and edges. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope. Starting Bid $200
Ike writes home to Mamie from London, 1942: “We can always have something happen that will throw us into a storm!”
29. Dwight D. Eisenhower Autograph Letter Signed. World War II–dated ALS signed “Ike,” three pages, 6 x 9, August 16, [1942]. Handwritten letter to his wife Mamie, in full: “Sunday again! The days race by so rapidly that I cannot keep track. But I didn’t come to work this a.m. until 10:00, so I’ve already had my holiday! There’s been a hiatus in our mail receipts. Nothing from you this week—but Butch has had nothing either, so I’m sure it is just been connections somewhere. I hear a number of people saying they’ve had no recent mail. I’m not so busy today as usual. Have one more big conference (at 3:30) then the rest of the day should be quiet. Of course, we can always have something happen that will throw us into a storm!” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Jackie requests early release to check
JFK Jr.’s eyes and allergies: “It’s the pollen season which always brings complications”
30. Jacqueline Kennedy Autograph Letter Signed on John-John’s Medical Checkups. ALS signed “Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,” one page, 4 x 5.75, no date. Handwritten letter to Mr. Reed, in full: “Could I please get John out at school Monday May 7 — at 1:45, to go to the eye doctor — Tuesday at 2:30 to go to the allergy doctor. Sorry — but it’s the pollen season which always brings complications. Thank you so much.” Archivally matted and framed with a wonderful photo of Jackie and JFK Jr. to an overall size of 17.75 x 13.25. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
32. John F. Kennedy Signed Photograph. Vintage semi-glossy 10 x 8 LOOK Magazine photo of John F. Kennedy in conversation with Sue Seay from LOOK Magazine, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “For Sue Seay – with warmest personal regards, John F. Kennedy.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered creasing, and some emulsion irregularity to the woman’s face, visible at an angle. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. The April 26, 1960 issue of LOOK Magazine featured a copiously illustrated seven-page spread titled ‘To meet the elite… all you need is gall” written by Sue Seay (pages 42-48). The offered photograph was reproduced for the issue and was captioned, “JOHN F. KENNEDY. When I introduced myself to the Senator, he said, ‘Sue, why yes, of course.’ He acted as though we’d met before, but we hadn’t. I think he still looks like a Harvard undergraduate, although he has done something different with his hair. It doesn’t fall down on his forehead any longer. His life looked divine. I wish I could wear shocking pink as well as she does. I stayed around Mrs. Kennedy only a short time, because she is too much competition.” Starting Bid $300
“Take
care—get well—Hurry back”
33. Lyndon B. Johnson Autograph Note
Signed as President. Rare ANS as president on an official 4 x 2.25 card embossed with the presidential seal, no date. Handwritten note to Robert Perry in Bethesda Naval Hospital. In full: “To Bob—Sorry to hear of your being in the hospital! Take care—get well—Hurry back—Our best always, Lyndon B. Johnson.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the official White House transmittal slip addressed in type to Perry at the hospital as well as the original envelope for the card bearing the same embossed presidential seal on the flap. Provenance: The Everett Fisher Collection. Starting Bid $200
“You remain a very important & beloved part of our life”—Reagan writes to his former press secretary
34. Ronald Reagan Autograph Letter Signed to His Press Secretary. ALS signed “Ron,” one page, 6.5 x 8.5, personal letterhead, November 1, 1989. Handwritten letter to Nancy Clark Reynolds, his former press secretary and special assistant, in part: “Thank you for the book…Now about my hair! I can’t get over it. Every place I go & almost everyone I meet — especially you gals tell me to have it short that I look much younger this way. Now that’s tempting — do I or don’t I. I must say there is an advantage in the mornings — not having anything to comb.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original hand-addressed envelope, which bears Reagan’s printed franking signature. Starting Bid $200
President Reagan makes a donation to the U.S. Air Force Museum: “I found the enclosed identification card and thought it might serve in place of my lost dog tags”
35. Ronald Reagan Autograph Letter Signed as President, Donating His Military I.D. Card to the U.S. Air Force Museum. ALS as president signed “RR,” one page, 5 x 8, White House letterhead, March 27, 1981. Handwritten draft letter to Royal D. Frey, the curator of the U.S. Air Force Museum, in full: “I’d heard there was some hitch in my overcoat & the photos reaching you. I hope that is all straightened out and you have them now. In moving to Wash. I found the enclosed identification card and thought it might serve in place of my lost dog tags.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by photocopies of related documents and letters. Starting Bid $200
36. Barack Obama Signed 2008 Campaign ‘Yes We Can’ Lithograph by Antar Dayal. Wonderful color 25 x 39.5 lithograph of artist Antar Dayal’s iconic ‘Yes We Can’ poster for the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama, depicting the eventual 44th POTUS against a stars and stripes background, with the lower right featuring Obama’s campaign logo and large red lettering “YES WE CAN,” signed prominently in the lower border in black felt tip by Obama. The poster is also signed in pencil by the poster’s artist. Rolled and in fine condition. Starting Bid $200
37. Barack Obama Signed Magazine. Complete Newsweek magazine from August 23, 2008, signed on the front cover by Barack Obama in black felt tip. In fine condition, with a PSA/DNA authentication label affixed to the lower left corner. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $200
38. Donald Trump Signed Inaugural Ball Ticket. Original 7.5 x 3 gold-bordered ticket to “The 58th Presidential Inaugural Ball” held on January 20, 2017, prominently signed along the bottom in thick black felt tip by Donald Trump. The elegant off-white ticket is gilt-stamped with the seal of the 2017 inauguration and Trump’s memorable campaign slogan: “Make America Great Again.” In very fine condition. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder. Starting Bid $200
39. Donald Trump Signed Photograph. Color satinfinish 10 x 8 photo of President Donald Trump enthusiastically pumping his fist on the White House lawn in June 2017, signed in black felt tip. In very fine condition. Encapsulated in a PSA/ DNA authentication holder. Starting Bid $200
40. Donald Trump Signed ‘Mug Shot’ Plexiglas Print. Color 23 x 23 Plexiglas print of Donald Trump’s mug shot, which was taken at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 24, 2023, after Trump voluntarily surrendered himself to authorities following his indictment on charges of election racketeering and related offenses, signed prominently in black felt tip by Trump. The background of the print features an elaborate mosaic of hundreds of small images of Trump from his presidential administration. In very fine condition, with the lower right bearing an affixed PSA authenticity label. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA.Starting Bid $200
Notables
Declaration of Independence
129. Josiah Bartlett
Autograph Document
Signed. Physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Hampshire (1729-1795) who served as that state’s governor from 1790 to 1794. ADS signed “J. Bartlett,” one page, 7.75 x 2, January 3, 1769. Handwritten pay order issued to “Capt. Judkins Constable,” requesting that he “pay to Lieut. Sam’ll McChord two Shillings and Six pence for his Service as Assessor and it shall be allowed you by us.” Signed at the conclusion by Bartlett on behalf of the “Selectmen of Kingston.” Countersigned below by William Sleeper. In fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
130. Charles Carroll of Carrollton Signed Check. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland (1737-1832) who was the longest-lived among his colleagues. Office of Discount and Deposit check, 6.5 x 2.75, filled out in another hand and signed by Carroll, “Ch. Carroll of Carrollton,” payable to Archbishop Whitfield for $100, January 9, 1830. In fine condition. James Whitfield (born 1770) was an English-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 1828 until his death in 1834. Whitfield is known for hosting the first two provincial councils of American bishops, where policies for running the new American Catholic Church were established. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
131. George Clymer Autograph Letter Signed. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania (1739–1813) who served as the first president of the Philadelphia Bank. ALS signed “Geo. Clymer,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.25 x 9, June 9, 1784. Handwritten letter to John Montgomery, in part: “The description accompanying this is of a tract of land belonging to me in the Path Valley Cumberland County which I am inclined to sell...You will oblige me in learning its value…Your information on this subject under cover to Mr. Fitzsimons will reach me at Princeton.” The integral third page bears Clymer’s handwritten description of said land tract of “Two hundred and sixty five acres.” The letter is affixed by its back left edge to a slightly larger sheet. In fine condition, with writing showing through from opposing sides. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
132. William Ellery Autograph Letter Signed. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island (1727–1820). ALS signed “Wm. Ellery Coll.,” one page, 7 x 8.75, December 7, 1796. Handwritten letter to Ray Greene, district attorney for Warwick, Rhode Island, questioning the status of foreign vessels being repaired in Rhode Island. In part: “I have this day transmitted to the Governor two letters from the British Vice Consul to me respecting certain repairs & alterations made in the French National Brig now in this Port, which he seems to think are not justified by the acknowledged Laws of Nations concerning Neutrality confirmed by the Act of the United States...Permit me from a want of time to refer you to the Governor...You will recollect the case of the Brig Brutus which was repaired & converted into a Ship at Philadelphia, and that of a Schooner Privateer which was repaired at Charleston, both which cases were before the last Circuit Court held here.” Housed in a handsome custom-made full red leather triptych folder. In fine condition, with a seal-related stain to the left edge. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
133. William Floyd Signature. Signer of the Declaration of Independence and a U.S. representative from New York (1734–1821). Scarce ink signature, “Wm. Floyd,” on an off-white 4 x .75 slip, which is affixed to a manuscript letter from his grandson by his first marriage, William Floyd, one page, 7.25 x 5 sheet, March 11, 1876, addressed to Dr. G. W. Vamin, who had requested a letter or document bearing his grandfather’s signature. The grandson tells the doctor that the past 50 years have exhausted his supply and that this is all he has left, noting that the doctor’s request is the third he has received today. This was the Centennial Year and the Revolution and the Declaration of Independence were receiving a lot of attention. In very good to fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
Benjamin Franklin issues a land grant for ‘Iron
Hill’ in 1787
134. Benjamin Franklin Signed Land Grant as President of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council (1787). Manuscript vellum DS, signed “B. Franklin,” one page, 15.25 x 12.75, October 26, 1787. As president of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council, Franklin issues a land grant to Richard Ivers for “a Certain Tract of Land called ‘Iron Hill’ Situate in Green Township Washington County…Containing Two hundred and fifty six Acres and a quarter.” Signed prominently on the left side by Benjamin Franklin, and countersigned below by Charles Biddle as secretary. The upper left retains the original paper state seal of Pennsylvania. In very good condition, with overall creasing, light soiling, loss to the lower left corner, and minor loss along the intersecting folds; Franklin’s signature is clean and unaffected. Accompanied by an engraved portrait bearing a facsimile signature. Franklin issued this document as president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position analogous to the modern position of governor. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $1000
136. Elbridge Gerry Signature. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Massachusetts (1744–1814) who later served as vice president under James Madison. His name entered the language as a result of his support of politically advantageous redistricting, which became known as ‘gerrymandering.’ Ink signature, “E. Gerry,” on an off-white 3.5 x 7.5 sheet clipped from a document, which retains its original off-white seal. In fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
137. John Hancock War-Dated Signature as Massachusetts Governor (1781). Revolutionary Wardated ink signature as governor of Massachusetts, “John Hancock,” on an off-white 11 x 5.75 sheet clipped from a partlyprinted military document dated July 1, 1781, and countersigned by Secretary John Avery. In very good to fine condition, with a fold split, and a small area of paper loss, affecting Hancock’s boldly signed last name. Accompanied by an engraved portrait with a facsimile signature. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
138. Thomas Heyward, Jr. Document Signed. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina (1746-1809) who was taken prisoner by the British during the siege of Charleston and held for about a year. Partly-printed DS, signed “Tho’s Heyward Jun’r,” one page, 12.75 x 7.75, June 14, 1788. Order issued in South Carolina, ordering that Richard Wainwright be compelled to “be and appear before the Justices of the said State, at the Court of Common Pleas… to answer to William Hasell Gibbes…in a plea that he render to him Nine Hundred & fifty two Pounds & Eleven pence half penny Sterling which to him he owes.” Boldly signed in the upper left by Heyward. The white paper seal affixed to the upper left remains intact. In fine condition, with complete archival silking to both sides. Accompanied by the original receipt from Walter R. Benjamin Autographs. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
139. Stephen Hopkins Document Signed as the Colonial Governor of Rhode Island. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island (1707-1785) who served as the colony’s governor in the 1750s and 1760s. Partly-printed DS, signed “Step. Hopkins,” one page, 12.5 x 8, May 12, 1755. As governor of Rhode Island, Stephen Hopkins appoints Israel Sayles as “Captain of the first Company, or Train’d Band, of the Town of Glocester in the County of Providence in the Colony aforesaid…in His Majesty’s Name, George the Second.” Signed at the conclusion by Hopkins, and countersigned by Thomas Ward as secretary. The original paper seal remains affixed to the upper left corner. In very good to fine condition, with some fold splits and edge loss, none of which affects the signature. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
140. Francis Hopkinson Signature. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey (1737–1791) who is also known as the designer of the first official American flag. Revolutionary War–era ink signature as Treasurer of Loans, “F. Hopkinson,” on an off-white 3.25 x 1.25 slip clipped from a document. Nicely matted and framed with an engraved portrait to an overall size of 10 x 13.5. In fine condition. Hopkinson served as treasurer for the Continental Loan Office in Philadelphia from 1778 to 1781. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
Incredibly rare autograph of Thomas Lynch, Jr.—one of the rarest signers of the Declaration of Independence
141. Thomas Lynch, Jr. Signature - One of the Rarest Declaration Signers. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina (1749–1779); his father had served in the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776 but had to return home due to illness. Thomas Lynch, Jr., was chosen to take his father’s place in Congress, where he voted for and signed the Declaration. In 1779, he sailed to St. Eustatius in the West Indies, but his ship was lost at sea and never found. Exceedingly rare ink signature, “Lynch,” on an off-white 1.5 x .5 slip, expertly mounted within a custom-made 8.75 x 11 full morocco presentation folder along with engravings of Lynch and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, gilt-stamped on the front cover: “Thomas Lynch, Jr., One of the Rarest Signers of the Declaration of Independence.” In fine condition.
With the rise of autograph collecting in nineteenthcentury America, one of the first areas of specialization was Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Apart from the Signers’ central role in American history and the unusual significance of their autographs—after all, writing their names is what ensured their immortality—obtaining all 56 represented a goal that, with a little determination, could be achieved by a resourceful collector. It quickly became evident, however, that there were two notorious ‘stoppers’ among the Signers: Button Gwinnett and Thomas Lynch, Jr. It is not entirely clear who is rarer—while Gwinnett was generally thought to be the rarest of all signers, recent studies have proclaimed Lynch as the scarcer of the two. In either case, Lynch is certainly of the utmost rarity and is far and away one of the most desirable early American autographs. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $2500
“I can with pleasure inform you that our house at Morrisania is almost tenable”—
Morris tries to persuade his son to return to New York after the Revolution
142. Lewis Morris Autograph Letters Signed to His Son: “Our house at Morrisania is almost tenable”. Landowner and developer from New York who signed the Declaration of Independence and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress (1726–1798). Unusual double ALS signed twice “L. Morris,” one page both sides, 8 x 13, August 1 and 5, 1785. On both sides of a page, Lewis Morris writes two letters to his son, Lewis Morris, Jr., in South Carolina; the second letter was occasioned by an unexpected delay in the sailing of a ship bound for Charleston. On the front, Morris writes, in part: “I can with pleasure inform you that our house at Morrisania is almost tenable I have a noble crop of corn and every thing looks flourishing. You must prepare Nancey to come. I will just touch on the plan the Morrisania house is large enough for to contain you and all the Elliott family and to have them with us will make me the happiest of men. I have laid out for you a farm near me where you can build it being near my house.”
The second letter, in part: “After writing the Latter the other side the Brig did not sail for Charles Town as was said…two days ago I had conversation with Colonel Wadsworth about a pr. of Horses, they are at Hartford, but by his discription of them I believe they are too much of the race Blood, however he says that he will ship them to Charles Town in about a month from this, and then will order the Capt. to give you the preference, his price is 500 dollars but in the mean time you may depend I will do every thing in my Power. to procure a proper pr. for our friend. I can’t tell you how happy we all are on hearing that your dear little fellow has got over the small pox; Major Edwards has been in Town, we have asked him a Thousand questions about the Boy, and he gives a very favorable account indeed.” Addressed on the integral leaf in another hand. In fine condition, with slightly irregular overall toning. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
143. Robert Morris Signed Stock Certificate for the North American Land Company. Important financier (17341806) who signed the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. Partly-printed DS, signed “Rob’t Morris,” one page, 12.75 x 9.75, October 15, 1795. Stock certificate issued to “James Rees” for three shares in the entire property of the North American Land Company. Signed boldly at the conclusion by Robert Morris as president, and countersigned by the company’s secretary, James Marshall, the brother of Chief Justice and Secretary of State John Marshall. In fine condition. The office of the North American Land Company was located at 230 Market Street, Philadelphia. Morris was eventually bankrupted by land speculations and served a few years in the Prune Street prison until released by the passage of the national bankruptcy law in 1802. Starting Bid $200
144. John Morton Signed Currency. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania (1725–1777) who also chaired the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation. Rare Colonial Pennsylvania engraved bank note for “Two Shillings and Six-pence,” 3.25 x 3, issued as No. 31201, and reading: “According to an Act of General Assembly of Pennsylvania, passed in the Twelfth Year of the Reign of his Majesty George the Third. Dated the Third Day of April Anno Domini 1772.” Signed at the conclusion by John Morton, and countersigned by John Sellers and Charles Humphreys. Printed in Philadelphia by David Hall and William Sellers, with reverse bearing the cautionary message: “To Counterfeit is Death.” In fine condition, with the usual soiling from use. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
A signer of the Declaration and a signer of the Constitution—a significant 1785 Maryland document
145. William Paca and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Autograph Document Signed. Uncommon ADS, signed “Dan of St. Tho’s Jenifer Inten.” and endorsed “Wm. Paca,” one page both sides, 7.5 x 5, March 15, 1785. Handwritten document by Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer as Maryland’s intendant of the revenue, in full: “Ordered, that the Western Shore Treasurer pay to his Excellency William Paca Esq. one hundred & ten pounds three shillings & seven pence current money.” Signed at the conclusion in ink by Jenifer, and endorsed on the reverse by Paca: “Contents received 15 Mar. 1785, Wm. Paca.” In fine condition, with a trivial hole near the bottom edge, affecting Jenifer’s signature. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
146. George Read Autograph Document Signed. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware (1733-1798). ADS, signed “Geo: Reed,” one page, 8 x 3, November 15, 1779. Handwritten legal document calling for “Richard Doudle late of New Castle County Innkepper to answer Hugh Glasford of a Plea of Trespass on the case, Dam’s £150…also to take William Norris late of New Castle County Yeoman to answer Hugh Glasford of a Plea of Trespass on the case, Dam’s £300.” Neatly signed at the conclusion in ink by Reed. In fine condition, with a trivial small hole to the center. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
Content-rich letter from Rush to his wife in the spring of 1777, addressing his military commission as “Joint Physician and Surgeon General,” a “masterpiece” of a letter by George Washington, and the continued push of British soldiers: “We expect every moment to hear of our bay being crowded with transports filled with British and Hessian soldiers”
147. Benjamin Rush War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed on George Washington and British Movements: “Our town is alive with news. The minute guns were fired this morning. It threw the city into confusion.”. Revolutionary War-dated ALS signed “B. Rush,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.25 x 12, April 14, 1777. Addressed from Philadelphia, a handwritten letter to his wife, Julia, in part: “Our town is alive with news. The minute guns were fired this morning. It threw the city into confusion. An express has just arrived who says there are nine Men of War in the river. This Acc’t makes it certain that Phila. is the object of the enemy. We expect every moment to hear of our bay being crowded with transports filled with British and Hessian soldiers…As everything is now turned topsy turvy in town, I fear you will not spend your time agreeably here…Enclosed is an Evening Post. Gen Washington’s letter is a masterpiece. It has raised his character higher than ever in the opinion of Congress and his friends. The Congress have settled my appointment in the Army so as to be perfectly agreeable to me. They have made me Joint Physician and Surgeon General with Dr. Jones of Virginia of the middle department.” In very good to fine condition, with seal-related paper loss near the hinge. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $300
Twice-signed handwritten land deed from the rare New Hampshire signer
148. Matthew Thornton Autograph Document Signed Twice. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Hampshire (1714–1803). Scarce ADS signed twice as “Mathew Thornton,” one page, 7.5 x 12.25, January 19, 1767. Handwritten deed between James Lindsay and William Eayrs for a tract of land containing 40 acres in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Signed at the conclusion by Thornton as a justice of the peace, and countersigned by George Wallace. Thornton has docketed the second integral page and signed at the conclusion, “Mathew Thornton, Jus’e of Peace.” In fine condition, with light toning along the folds. In his 1995 reference History Comes to Life, Kenneth Rendell places Thornton’s autograph material into the ‘rare’ category among the Signers. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
149. William Whipple Autograph Document Signed. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Hampshire (1730-1785), who commanded a brigade of New Hampshire militia at Saratoga in 1777, and then the following year at Rhode Island. ADS signed “Wm: Whipple, Jus: P.,” one page both sides, 7.5 x 12.5, May 30, 1785. Handwritten notarization concerning property in Kittery Point, Maine. Signed at the conclusion by William Whipple. In fine condition, with light toning, and small professional repairs to the folds. Whipple, who had been in ill health for some years, died six months later at the age of 55. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
150. George Wythe Autograph Endorsement Signed. Scholar, jurist, and opponent of slavery (1726-1806) who was the first of the seven Virginia signatories of the Declaration of Independence. AES signed “G. Wythe,” penned at the conclusion of a manuscript legal document regarding the deed of a 120-acre tract of land, three pages, 8 x 12.5, December 16, 1796. Wythe’s handwritten endorsement reads: “The injunction is awarded; the plaintiff giving security in the penalty of one hundred pounds.” In fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
American Politicians and Leaders
152. Patrick Henry Document Signed. Manuscript DS, signed “P. Henry,” one page, 7.25 x 11.75, May 1, 1786. As governor of Virginia, Henry certifies that “John Brown, the person subscribing the foregoing transcript from the records of the General Court, was at the time subscribing & now is Clerk of the said Court; and that full faith & credit ought to be given to all things by him so subscribed.” Signed at the conclusion by Henry; attached is Brown’s true manuscript copy of a document related to a court case. Folded and tipped into Patrick Henry by Moses Coit Tyler. In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining, and some old repairs to fold splits. Starting Bid $200
153. Robert R. Livingston Document Signed. Lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York (1746-1813) known as ‘The Chancellor,’ who was one of the five original drafters of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as US minister to France, negotiating the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Manuscript DS signed “Rob. R. Livingston, President,” one page, 8 x 9.75, January 21, 1797. Letter from the Agricultural Society, addressed to Treasurer Samuel Jones, in part: “Frederick Ult is entitled to the Premium of Thirty Dollars for the best Indian Blankets and to the premium of One Hundred Dollars for the best piece of coating, which said report being confirmed by the Society.” Signed at the conclusion by Robert Livingston. In fine condition, with a few small stains. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
World
Leaders and Politicians
Rare, ultra-early 1777 freedom charter for a Chinese slave
156. Chinese Slave Freedom Charter (1777). Early manuscript DS in Spanish, signed “Juan Antonio Blanco Guerrerro” and “D’a Maria Vaez,” one page, 8.25 x 6, October 8, 1777. Extraordinary, early freedom charter for an Asian slave in America, in full (translated): “Sir Secretary, Don Francisco Lopez de Zuniga, Please grant a freedom letter to Luisa Baez, Chinese, born in my house. I have received 450 pesos, so we consider ourselves as paid and free from all rights, and thus, we declare that the mentioned servant was given to us as part of a dowry with other servants.” In fine condition.
Though it is well known that the enslavement of Asian peoples grew in the Americas during the 1840s, scant records of the practice exist prior to that. One famous story is that of Catarina de San Juan, known as the China Poblana, an Asian slave brought to Mexico through the Spanish East Indies during the 17th century, who was venerated as a popular saint in Puebla de los Ángeles until the Holy Inquisition prohibited open devotion to her. This particular document, likely originating from Cuba, documents the freedom of a Chinese slave in 1777—an exceptionally early example of such a document. Research finds no records of the sales of any similar document granting freedom to a Chinese slave at such an early date. Starting Bid $200
Signed Churchill portrait by Vivienne of London, presented in its original studio folder
157. Winston Churchill Signed Photograph by Vivienne of London. Iconic vintage matte-finish 4 x 5 portrait of Winston Churchill by Vivienne of London, affixed to its original 6.5 x 9 mount, which is signed in fountain pen, “Winston S. Churchill, 1955.” Affixed inside its original studio presentation folder, the reverse of which bears a “Vivienne, 20th Century Studios Limited” copyright stamp. In fine condition, with a hint of faint silvering to the image, and toning from prior display to the mount. Vivienne (1889–1982) was a leading society portrait photographer who began as an assistant to her husband Ernest and their son, Antony. In 1949, Antony, by then making a career photographing actors in Hollywood, married Churchill’s daughter Sarah, an actress. Both families became friends and Vivienne made many portraits of Churchill. This is one of her most enduring images. Starting Bid $300
Prime Minister Churchill directs his full
£10,000 salary to be “paid into the Farm Account”
158. Winston Churchill Typed Letter Signed as Prime Minister. TLS signed “Winston S. Churchill,” one page, 4.75 x 7.5, 10 Downing Street letterhead, February 25, 1953. Letter to A. L. Ball of Lloyds Bank Limited, in part: “You are quite right in assuming that the £10,000 will be paid into the Farm Account in May.” In very fine condition. An interesting letter that finds Churchill transmitting his full £10,000 annual salary as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom into an unknown “Farm Account,” which may relate to his Chartwell country house near Westerham, Kent, an 80-acre property comprised of gardens and parkland. Starting Bid $200
159. Winston Churchill Signed Book - A History of the English Speaking Peoples: Volume I, The Birth of Britain. Signed book: A History of the English Speaking Peoples: Volume I, The Birth of Britain. Second edition. London: Cassell and Company, 1956. Hardcover, 6.5 x 9.75, 416 pages. Signed on the half-title page in fountain pen, “Winston S. Churchill.” The first free end page bears an affixed TLS from Anthony Montague Browne, Churchill’s private secretary, dated April 2, 1963, asking Madame de Miramon for a “copy of one of Sir Winston’s books that I can ask him if he will sign it.” Includes a second TLS from Browne sent to Marquis de Miramon in 1965. Autographic condition: fine. Book condition: Book condition: G+/None, with a cracked front hinge, edgewear, and rubbing the head of the spine. Starting Bid $200
Zhao Ziyang honors the “Founding of the People’s Republic of China”
161. Zhao Ziyang Signed Card Honoring the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. Highranking politician in the People’s Republic of China (1919–2005) who was instrumental in implementing free-market reforms; he was the third premier of the People’s Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1982, and CCP general secretary from 1987 to 1989. Large felt tip signature of Zhao Ziyang on a 6.75 x 4.75 invitation card commemorating the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Inside, bilingual text in English and Chinese reads: “In Celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China, General Office of the State Council of P.R.C. cordially invites you to A Reception on Tuesday, September 25 1984, at 6:00 p.m., at Banquet Hall of the Great Hall of the People.” In very fine condition. Consignor notes that the autograph was obtained at the event, where the premier had given a speech to the assembled foreign and local guests. Starting Bid $300
Remarkable archive from Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, commenting on Palestine, Israel, and World War
II: “I am overcome by the terrible feeling that so far as the Jews are concerned, the Hitlerites have won the war”
160. Chaim Weizmann Archive with (5) Signed Letters on Palestine, Israel, and World War II: “I am overcome by the terrible feeling that so far as the Jews are concerned, the Hitlerites have won the war”. Archive of eight items consisting of seven letters in English and Hebrew (including one ALS) and one typed proclamation, ranging in date from 1914 to 1951 and totaling 20 pages on 19 sheets. Five are signed and one is hand-notated. The letters are written to notable figures Field Marshall Jan Christian Smuts, Moshe Sharett, Walter Ettinghausen, and Israel Zangwill, and are incredibly rich in content, including thoughts of Europe after World War I, the settlement of Jews in Palestine, and secret questions about the congress of Zionists and about the “advancement of our aims in Palestine.”
Two letters to Zangwill are unsigned: one is a retained carbon copy and one is a two-page TLS bearing a stamped signature. The six-page letter to Smuts is also unsigned, but is heavily notated in Weizmann’s hand. A selection of the letters follows:
Two TLSs to Zangwill with outstanding Zionist content, signed “Ch. Weizmann,” each two pages, dated 1914. First, in part: “So far nothing has happened in Russia to ameliorate in the least degree the situation of the Jews, but on the contrary, the laws against us are handled with the greatest possible severity and no relaxation whatsoever…The moral and material distress is beyond description…I am inclined to think with you that at the present historical moment, through which the civilized world is passing, we may hope that the powers, which are going to alter the map of Europe, will find time to consider the fate of 13 millions of Jews, who, no doubt represent a small nation, which has given to the world as much as any other nation.”
Second, in part: “The Palestinian problem…is worthy of consideration, and I would like to emphasize the point, that a settlement of a comparatively small number of Jews—I spoke then of a million—which may be established in Palestine in the course of the next 30 or 40 years.”
Short ALS, written and signed in Hebrew, one page, January 30, 1918, to Sharett, in part: “The times are rough my friend, Moshe, but good times are few and valuable. It seems as if blowing a great horn loud and clear is needed, and only then, maybe, the walls of Jericho will collapse.”
TLS signed by Weizmann and Selig Brodetsky, one page both sides, October 23, 1941, in part: “Our efforts and achievements in Palestine…provide the only lasting solution of the Jewish problem…bring before the British public opinion, as well as before the Jews of this country, the urgency of the Jewish problem and the important part which Palestine can play in its solution through large-scale immigration and colonization under suitable political conditions.”
Heavily-notated typed letter to Smuts, six pages, February 2, 1943, in part: “There is another aspect to the problem which is worth noting: Unconsciously, perhaps, the American public, and even certain quarters in Washington, have been affected by the anti-Semitic virus. The deadly poison of Hitlerism has spread far and wide. The propaganda that this is a ‘Jewish War’ is met not by counter-propaganda, but by a conspiracy of silence regarding the Jewish problem. Whereas the Nazi leaders remember us in every one of their blatant utterances, conversely, the leaders of the democracies, with rare exceptions, try to forget our existence. Often I am overcome by the terrible feeling that so far as the Jews are concerned, the Hitlerites have won the war.”
Typed proclamation, signed in Hebrew as president, dated August 20, 1951, issued for “a special session of the 23rd Zionist Congress for the Jews National Fund (the KKL) Jubilee,” reads, in part (translated): “The KKL is a unique institution in our revival movement of the people and country. A tool of redemption for both the land and the man, an impetus to return land for a nation which is in lack of land and to return to the land the man who works it and revives it with labour, an institution that returned to our young, the Pioneers of Zion and sons, the feeling of whole Hebrew people, with upright bearing and self confident, for their legs are standing on their land. And here the KKL’s special value as an institution which performed greatly, peacefully and with the strength of a great idea, to the fulfillment of the Israeli land reform.” In overall very good to fine condition.
Starting Bid $1000
Old Fritz invites the Marquis de Lafayette to a Prussian military exhibition in 1785
163. Frederick the Great Letter Signed, Inviting the Marquis de Lafayette to a Prussian Military Exhibition. Fascinating LS in French, signed “Frederic,” one page, 7.5 x 9.25, July 1785. Untranslated letter of invitation sent to the Marquis de Lafayette to attend an exhibition of the military maneuvers of the Prussian Army. In fine condition.
Throughout the reign of Frederick II ‘the Great’ of Prussia, the Prussian army conducted parade ground reviews in the summer and realistic combat training exercises in the autumn, with ‘Old Fritz’ often maneuvering between 3045,000 men during these mock battles and campaigns. In 1785, French, British, and American officers were invited to observe the Silesian review and maneuvers, which occurred in August and September. Many of the leading military figures of the Seven Years’ War and the American War of Independence were present. The Marquis de Lafayette attended, as did General Charles Cornwallis and a number of more minor military figures, such as the Duke of York and Albany (the second son of George III), Prince Frederick William of Prussia, British Colonels Abercromby, David Dundas, and Thomas Musgrave, French Generals Duportail and Gouvion, and American Colonel Williams Stephens Smith. Starting Bid $500
“I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time; the sense of bewilderment & confusion that accompanies the removal of someone still so young from this world”
164. King Charles III Autograph Letter Signed, Four Months After Diana’s Death: “I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time”. ALS signed “Charles,” three pages both sides, 4.5 x 7.25, Highgrove House letterhead, December 8, 1997. Lengthy handwritten letter to “Peter,” expressing his sympathy upon the death of a loved one; Charles was likely particularly emotional at the time he wrote the letter, as Princess Diana had tragically passed away just a few months before in August 1997. In part: “I have been thinking so much of you yesterday and today, knowing how deeply you will be affected by yesterday’s tragic news about dear Liz. My heart bleeds for you as I can imagine so well the utter agony and despair you must have gone through during all these heart-rendering months...I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time; the sense of bewilderment & confusion that accompanies the removal of someone still so young from this world. Personally, I believe that there is another dimension beyond this physical one & that we will be amazed to discover it for ourselves when we are eventually—or at a moment—called upon to make that certain journey for ourselves. As it says in the Bible—’Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face.’” In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope, addressed in Charles’s hand with instructions to deliver “by hand.” Starting Bid $200
Exceedingly rare autograph of Edward VI, the ‘Boy King’ who died at age 15
165. King Edward VI Signature. King of England and Ireland 1547 until his death in 1553, who took the throne at the age of nine: during his reign, the realm was governed by a regency council due to his young age. When he fell sick with a terminal illness at age 15, a succession plan was drawn up to prevent the country’s return to Catholicism, resulting in the eventual proclamation of Lady Jane Grey as queen. Large and neat ink signature, “Edward,” on a long off-white 21 x 2 vellum slip cut from the top of a manuscript document. Folded at center and in very good to fine condition, with scattered staining and soiling. Because of his young age and early death, King Edward VI’s autograph takes a place among the rarest of all English royalty. This is just the third Edward VI autograph we have ever offered. Starting Bid $1000
166. Princess Diana and King Charles III Signed Christmas Card (1982). Royal Christmas and New Year’s card from 1982, with the front embossed with the Prince of Wales’s feathers and Order of the Garter motto and the Spencer family arms, measuring 14 x 6 open, featuring an affixed color photo of the royal couple posing with an infant Prince William, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “John, from, Charles and” and “Diana.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed to John Hitchings (1929-2020), who was King Charles’s Land Agent for the Duchy of Cornwall. Starting Bid $200
Magnificent, oversized, autographed royal presentation portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, taken by Antony Armstrong-Jones
169. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (2) Oversized Signed Photogravures. Magnificent pairing of oversized official photogravure portraits, both taken by Antony Armstrong-Jones and printed by Raphael Tuck & Sons of England: a marvelous vintage matte-finish 21 x 27.5 photogravure portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at full length, clad in the Crown Jewels, nicely signed in the lower border in fountain pen, “Elizabeth R, 1959”; and a superb vintage matte-finish 21 x 27.5 photogravure portrait of Prince Philip standing in his decorated uniform, nicely signed in the lower border in fountain pen, “Philip, 1959.” Individually framed to 22.75 x 29. In fine condition, with Elizabeth’s signature a few shades light, but completely legible. A particularly stunning pair of oversized royal presentation portraits, as the photographer—Antony Armstrong-Jones—would become Queen Elizabeth’s brother-in-law one year later when he married Princess Margaret. Starting Bid $200
Magnificent thrice-signed indenture by Queen Elizabeth I
167. Queen Elizabeth I Rare Triple-Signed Document (1562). Vellum manuscript DS, signed three times, “Elizabeth R,” one page, 27 x 22.5, August 24, 1562. An indenture detailing the exchange of lands between the crown and Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, signed three times by Queen Elizabeth I, recording that the Duke will “sell geve and graunte unto our Soveraigne Ladie the Quene All those his Mannors & Lordshippes of Chesworth and Sedgewicke… in the County of Sussex…also all that mannor Lordshipp and Forest of St Leonard and all ground and Soyle of the same Forest And also all those his Parkes of Bewbushe and Shelley,” and related lands and rights, in exchange for lands in royal gift including the “Celle of Sainte Leonard in her county of Norfolk” and associated lands and buildings “neare unto the Citie of Norwich,” Norfolk lands formerly of Wymondham Abbey, lands in Essex (Wigborough, Saltcote, Tollesbury) that were formerly “assigned to the late Ladie Anne of Cleves” and also lands in “Pitchesey” (Pitsea) in the same county, the manor of Dowdike in Lincolnshire (previously of Crowland Abbey), and lands of Newenham Abbey in Devon. The indenture then lists the extensive debts of the Duke to the crown, further detailing that a portion of this debt is discharged by the value of the woodland hereby sold to the crown, and commands the exchequer to produce a new bond for the residue of the debt, being a mere £1823 15s. 5 3/4d. Signed by Queen Elizabeth I at the head of each vellum membrane, additionally signed at the foot by the Lord Treasurer William Paulet, Marquess of Winchester (“Winchester”), the under-treasurer Richard Sackville, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Walter Mildmay. The document retains a substantial fragment of its Great Seal in white wax pendant on original vellum tag. Archivally
mounted and framed to an overall size of 30 x 31; only two of Elizabeth’s signatures are visible within the display, the third on a piece of vellum in the rear. In very good to fine condition, with expected wrinkling and creasing.
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1538–1572), was the head of the powerful Howard family. He was a Privy Councillor, had commanded English forces in Scotland at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign, and was one of the greatest land-owners in the land, with estates centered on Norfolk. The agreement with the crown that is formalized in this document saw enormous tracts of land near Horsham in Sussex—including the 12 square miles of St. Leonard’s Forest—conveyed to the crown. Norfolk gained considerable land in return, primarily former monastic land scattered across four counties, but—and this was probably of greater importance to him—he also saw his overall debt to the crown, which had been more that £6500, reduced by some £4680. The counterpart of this indenture remains in the Exchequer (The National Archives, E 211/39). Less than ten years after this agreement was made, Norfolk was executed for treason for conspiring with Mary, Queen of Scots. His son and heir, Philip, Earl of Arundel, was permitted to inherit most of his estates.
One of the most legendary leaders in world history, Queen Elizabeth oversaw the transformation of England into a modern world power. Her autograph is among the most sought-after of all European royalty, and this is a magnificent document boasting three ideal exemplars of Elizabeth’s famous, flourishing signature. Starting Bid $5000
Religious Figures
“These Jews are not Jews, but devils incarnate who curse our Lord”
171. Martin Luther Autograph Letter Signed: “These Jews are not Jews, but devils incarnate who curse our Lord”. ALS in German, signed “Martinus Luther D,” one page both sides, 8 x 12, [circa September 1, 1543]. An extensive, uncommonly well-preserved letter to Georg Buchholzer, Provost of St. Nikolai in Berlin, regarding the latter’s altercation with the Brandenburgian court preacher Johann Agricola from Eisleben (also known as ‘Magister Eisleben’) about the treatment of the local Jews. Prince Elector Joachim II, who in 1539 had introduced the Reformation to Brandenburg and whose tolerant politics toward Jews enraged the population, had long desired a reconciliation between Luther and his former disciple Agricola, and he must have suspected that Provost Buchholzer was poisoning Luther’s mind against his court preacher. Buchholzer therefore wrote to Luther requesting an interpretation of some Biblical verses by which Agricola justified his pro-Jewish stance, and in his answer Luther insists that Buchholzer has done well to preach against the Jews and shall continue to do so, ignoring the habitual liar Agricola.
In part (translated): “Grace and Peace. My dear Provost! I must be brief with writing, for the sake of my weak head. You are aware that you have no previous association with me, nor I with you, other than that you recently wrote to me asking for an explanation regarding several statements. And even if you were to write me many things about M. Eisleben, how could I believe you alone? For whoever says that you or anyone in Berlin or in all of Brandenburg is inciting me against Eisleben, if he says so unwittingly, may God forgive him, but if he says it knowingly, then he is a roguish liar, as well as M. Eisleben himself has lied frequently, here in Wittenberg. M. Eisleben needs nobody to incite me against him; he himself is much better at that, much better than anyone whom he might suspect of such dealing. He knows that full well….In my opinion, he will give up his life before he gives up his lying.—You have preached against the Jews and fought serious battles over that with the Margrave….And you were quite right to do so. Stand fast and persevere! The words against you which you quoted to me, allegedly protecting the Jews, I will not hope to be true, nor shall I believe that M. Eisleben ever will preach or ever has preached such. I do not yet consider him so deeply fallen. May God prevent him!…For then M. Eisleben would not be the Elector’s preacher, but a true devil, letting his sayings be so shamefully misused to the damnation of all those who associate with Jews. For these Jews are not Jews, but devils incarnate who curse our Lord, who abuse His mother as a
whore and Him as Hebel Vorik and a bastard, this is known for certain. And anyone who is capable of eating or drinking or associating with such a foul mouth is a Christian as well as the devil is a saint….You may show this letter to whomever you wish. I do not know, nor do I care, who wrote the other three letters from Wittenberg to Berlin. You will undoubtedly confess this to be the first letter you ever received from me. For your name and person were previously unknown to me.” The letter bears several corrections in Luther’s own hand. The date of receipt is noted by Buchholzer at the foot of the reverse: “Received by me in Berlin on Wednesday after St Egyd [5 September] anno etc. 43.” In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds and light overall soiling; a beautifully preserved specimen. Accompanied by a handsome custommade quarter leather clamshell case.
Luther had apparently forgotten that several years previously, in late 1539, he had answered a letter of Buchholzer’s inquiring about Catholic rites still in use in Reformed Brandenburg. More notably, although Luther is writing to a fellow scholar, this letter is written in German so that the recipient may show it “to whomever he wishes”—that is to say, to the Elector himself, thus providing Buchholzer with a writ of protection against any suspicion which Joachim may harbor against him. The Hebrew words invoked by Luther, “Hebel Vorik” [vanity and emptiness], are taken from Isaiah 30:7. They were part of a Jewish prayer in which Jews thanked God for having made them different from those peoples who worshipped “Hebel Vorik,” though Luther construed the words as a code for Jesus Christ. Luther’s anti-Judaism had not always been this radical—as a young man he had spoken out judiciously against the traditional defamation of Jews and against all forms of forcible conversion, but he soon grew increasingly bitter, and by 1543 his attitude was one of undisguised loathing. His most notorious antisemitic pamphlet, ‘On the Jews and Their Lies,’ was published only months before the present letter was written. With the same rhetorical skill with which he had previously ridiculed the papacy he now invoked a grotesque abhorrence of Judaism. As an embodiment of his sentiments in his later years, demonstrating how precisely the antisemitic church politics and discourse of the 1540s matched Luther’s instructions, this letter has been quoted or paraphrased by several important biographies of the Reformer (cf. M. Brecht, Luther, vol. 3 [1987], p. 344; most recently: L. Roper, Luther [2016], p. 532 n. 33). Starting Bid $25,000
Activists and Social Leaders
Crystal-clear signed portrait of Montgomery bus boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
174. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rare Signed Photograph. Rare vintage glossy 3.25 x 4.75 photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a sharp suit and tie, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “Best Wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Ken Browne, From Martin L. King.” Reverse (now covered by the frame’s backing) bears the photographer’s credit stamp of Arthur Freeman of Montgomery, Alabama, and a typed collector’s notation indicating that the autograph was received in 1957. Handsomely double-matted and framed to an overall size of 11.75 x 13. In very good to fine condition, with a few creases, two paperclip impressions (one to the top, the other to the upper right edge), surface impressions across King’s forehead from typed notations on the reverse, and somewhat irregular ink adhesion to portions of the signature. Starting Bid $2500
Lifesaving ‘Schutz-Pass’ issued to a Budapest native by Raoul Wallenberg during World War II
176. Raoul Wallenberg Signed Schutz-Pass Document (1944). World War II-dated DS in German and Hungarian, quickly signed by Wallenberg with an ink scribble (as he commonly did on documents of this type), one page, 8 x 13.25, August 30, 1944. Blue and gold two-language SchutzPass issued to “Aurel Fold” of Budapest. Upper left provides his personal information including his 1877 birth date, height, eye, and hair color. Adjacent to his personal information is Spiegel’s signature and affixed photograph. Bottom portion bears printed statements in German and Hungarian, hastily signed in the lower left corner by Wallenberg, and countersigned by Swedish Minister to Budapest, Carl Ivan Danielsson. In very good condition, with creasing and soiling to the front, and complete silking and archival reinforcement to the reverse. A similar example of Wallenberg’s rushed signature can be found in the book Fleeing from the Fuhrer by William Kaczynski and Charmian Brinson. An important reminder of one heroic man’s tireless efforts to outwit the Nazis and save countless lives. Starting Bid $500
“I am one of the Little Rock Nine”—oversized photo of Eckford entering Little Rock Central High School, with a lengthy handwritten remembrance
175. Little Rock Nine: Elizabeth Eckford Signed Oversized Photograph with Handwritten Essay. Large satin-finish 20 x 13.25 photo of Elizabeth Eckford, age 15, being pursued by a mob, with Hazel Massery directly behind, at Little Rock Central High School on the first day of the school year, September 4, 1957, signed below in silver ink by Eckford, who adds an extensive handwritten essay on the historic event, which reads, in part: “I am one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American teens who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by an image of Eckford at the time of signing. Starting Bid $200
Businessmen
178. Jean-Remy Moet Autograph Document Signed. French vintner and merchant seaman (1758–1841) who helped bring the Champagne house of Moët et Chandon to international prominence, having inherited the winery from his grandfather and founder Claude Moët. ADS in French, signed “Moet,” one page, 8.25 x 4.75, October 14, 1787. Handwritten receipt of a delivery to Benard, wine dealer at rue Saint Jean de Veaucaire in Paris, for 50 bottles of ‘well-conditioned’ champagne, including the invoice amount and instructions. In fine condition, with a stain above, but not touching, the signature. Starting Bid $200
Musk signs a photo from the Tesla Cybertruck’s shocking debut
179. Elon Musk Signed Photograph - PSA GEM MINT
10. Color satin-finish 10 x 8 photo of Elon Musk at the infamous unveiling of the Tesla Cybertruck, signed in blue felt tip. In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.”
Forbes reported on the event: “The Cybertruck that rolled onstage late Thursday to a packed hall filled with Tesla fans in suburban Los Angeles is definitely a new spin on the top-selling vehicles in the U.S. that Musk said ‘have been the same for 100 years’… Tesla decided that a very polarizing design, clad in cold-rolled stainless steel, was the right approach. ‘It doesn’t look like anything else,’ Musk said as several members of the Tesla design team scrambled out of the vehicle, dressed in black leather and looking like extras in a Mad Max film. Inspiration for the vehicle’s spare design was to create a mix between a truck and a stealth fighter jet, apparently. ‘We were able to make the skin out of ultra-hard stainless steel. Really hard.”
Franz von Holzhaussen, Tesla’s chief designer, demonstrated how tough that exterior was by hitting the front driver door with a sledgehammer that appeared to do no damage. The vehicle also has glass that Musk said was similarly super-strong, though a demonstration to prove that didn’t go as well. Von Holzhaussen severely damaged both front and rear passenger windows when he threw a hard steel ball at them. ‘We’ll fix it in post,’ Musk quipped, after cursing at the mishap.’ Starting Bid $200
Important Standard Oil stock certificate issued to a
trust organizer, signed by Rockefeller, Flagler, and Bostwick
180. John D. Rockefeller and Henry M. Flagler Signed Standard Oil Trust Stock Certificate. Partly-printed DS signed “John D. Rockefeller” and “H. M. Flagler,” one page, 11.5 x 7.75, December 29, 1882. Stock certificate for 1460 shares in Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Trust issued to Benjamin Brewster, signed at the conclusion by John D. Rockefeller as president, Henry M. Flagler as secretary, and Jabez A. Bostwick as treasurer. The original receipt remains affixed at the left edge. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Rare handwritten letter by luxury trunk-maker Louis Vuitton, penned for the descendent of a founding father: “I have provided you with 9 secondhand trunks in order to reduce the cost of new packaging”
181. Louis Vuitton Autograph Letter Signed to a Founding Father’s Descendent, Sending “Secondhand Trunks”. French fashion designer and businessman (1821–1892) who had been appointed as trunk-maker to Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, and founded the Louis Vuitton brand of luxury leather goods now owned by LVMH. ALS in French, signed “L. Vuitton,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 10.5, July 28, 1873. Handwritten letter to William Few Chrystie, the grandson of U.S. Constitution signer William Few, explaining that a payment of 402 francs for invoiced items had not yet been received and explaining (translated): “I have provided you with 9 secondhand trunks in order to reduce the cost of new packaging for you.“ He also makes reference to “Maison Christofle,” the luxury tableware company, and the facilitation of a payment to them. In very good to fine condition, with some chipping to the edges, not affecting any handwriting.
Accompanied by a small archive of about 25 other receipts and letters sent to Chrystie by various purveyors of luxury goods and objets d’art, including a secretarial letter on Louis Vuitton letterhead, dated August 8, 1873, acknowledging receipt of two checks amounting to 387.50 francs. Other receipts are from wine merchants, carpet warehouses, bootmakers, tailors, galleries, and the like. Starting Bid $1000
Scientists and Inventors
Becquerel records turn-of-the-century discoveries in radioactivity made by the Curies, Rutherford, and himself
183. Henri Becquerel Handwritten Notes on Radioactivity. French physicist (1852–1908) whose experiments with uranium salts led to the discovery of spontaneous radioactivity; for this breakthrough he shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie. Handwritten notes on radioactivity by Henri Becquerel, five pages on three sheets, 9 x 13.75, no date but circa 1903. Significant handwritten notes on radioactivity, chronicling discoveries and work of Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, AndréLouis Debierne, Ernest Rutherford, and himself between November 1899 and January 1903. In part (translated): “Curie and Madame Curie. Nov. 6, 1899. Radioactivity communicated by exposure to Ra[dium] rays. Increases with the weather. Tending towards limit. Activity plate. Induced radioactivity decreases quickly then slowly. Asymptotic law…Feb 17 01 Curie ionized liquids…We also looked for how to contained the weakened uranium chloride crystals removed of these solutions…July 1902. Mr. Rutherford…made an interesting study of the absorption of these Uranium radiations by this block, and which has various reserves, then it mainly attaches to the study of the emanation of Thorium and Radium (noting that the production law…is the same with or without an electric field). He concludes from the absorption that the radiations from Thorium and Radium are identical (effects not as a whole). Dispersion of induced radioactivity. Radiation induced by Tho[rium] loss 1⁄2 in 11 hours. For Radium different curves depending on the preparations… Continued emanation of Thor[rium] and Ra[dium] / Emanation (Dorn and not Curie—not aware of the emanation of the radium).” In very good to fine condition, with various edge tears, primarily along the top edge. Accompanied by two related contemporary newspaper clippings from French and German newspapers. A unique scientific manuscript by a pioneering physicist who lent his name to the SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel (Bq). Starting Bid $200
“The chemistry of fats and oils I am very certain would not interest you”
184. George Washington Carver Autograph Letter Signed on Peanut Oil: “My oils are all built up on what we call a fatty acid base”. ALS signed “G. W. Carver,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute letterhead, July 31, 1934. Handwritten letter to “Mr. Clements,” in part: “You will have no trouble in getting all the peanut oil you want by writing to the Edible Oil Section of the Planters Nut and Chocolate Co., Suffolk, Va. This is where most of my patients get theirs. You could under no circumstance refine it more than it is. This oil would come the nearest to what you want I am sure as you would not become supersaturated so quickly, and have to stop at the risk of bad results… The chemistry of fats and oils I am very certain would not interest you. Even if you had the saponification, and extraction, apparatus to do it with. My oils are all built up on what we call a fatty acid base, using largely the lineolic, lignoceric, and oleic acids, that is the glycerides. In using your oil don’t apply more than the skin will take up.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
185. Thomas Edison Signed Check to His Brother-in-Law. Edison Botanic Research Corporation business check, 8.5 x 3, filled out in another hand and signed by Thomas Edison with his famous ‘umbrella’ signature, “Thos. A. Edison,” countersigned by J. V. Miller as treasurer, who the check is made out to for $80, September 27, 1928. In fine condition. John Vincent Miller (1873-1940) was also Edison’s brother-in-law, the brother of Edison’s second wife, community activist Mina Miller Edison (1865–1947). In fine condition, with blotting to Edison’s bold signature. Starting Bid $200
1929 ‘National Air Tour to Ford Airport’
cover signed by Albert Einstein, with associations to Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and ‘Light’s Golden Jubilee’
187. Albert Einstein Signed ‘Light’s Golden Jubilee’ Air Mail Cover. Uncommon ‘air mail’ envelope with stamped cachet for the “National Air Tour to Ford Airport Oct. 21, 1929,” postmarked at Greenfield, Michigan on October 21, 1929, signed on the reverse in fountain pen, “A. Einstein.” The front of the envelope features an “Edison Celebration Light’s Golden Jubilee” stamp, an affixed 2¢ postage stamp, and ‘golden jubilee’ emblems, the latter of which are also present on the reverse, which also bears an affixed newspaper clipping related to Einstein’s congratulatory radio message to Thomas Edison. In fine condition.
On October 21, 1929, Henry Ford hosted Light’s Golden Jubilee, an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Edison’s invention of the incandescent lamp. As part of the evening’s program, guests listened to an account of Edison’s reenactment of the first successful lighting of his incandescent lamp as it took place in nearby Greenfield Village. Albert Einstein made congratulatory remarks via a radio broadcast from Germany, and Edison shared heartfelt remarks of appreciation. The night concluded with President Hoover formally dedicating The Edison Institute of Technology (Ford’s village and museum complex in Dearborn, Michigan). Starting Bid $500
“Have
been calculating very busily”— Einstein writes to a Unified Field Theory collaborator
186. Albert Einstein Autograph Letter Signed to a Unified Field Theory Collaborator: “Have been calculating very busily”. ALS signed “A. Einstein,” one page, 8.5 x 11, [postmarked November 15, 1928]. Handwritten letter to German mathematician Chaim Herman Muntz, in part (translated): “I am at present in Gatow (directly across from the Kaiser Wilh. Tower and on the Havel, Lemke Estate, chauffeur’s apartment), and have been calculating very busily. I have found the following: [mathematical equations].
1) The solution [mathematical equations] indeed satisfies the field equations.
2) Taking the electric field into account, I have thus far not been able to solve the centrally symmetric case, owing to its complexity. Even solving the variation problem with coordinates fixed before the variation is too complicated for me. But I will keep trying.
3) For the case [mathematical equations] no real centrally symmetric static gravitational solution exists; for the case [mathematical equations] it is indeterminate. It therefore appears to be fairly certain that the invariant is correctly chosen, if there is anything at all true in the whole theory. Everything now depends on the exact solution of the electric problem.” He adds a postscript, in full: “I will stay here for about another week.” In very fine condition, with an ink stain to the upper right blank area. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Einstein’s own hand.
Published as part of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 16: The Berlin Years: Writings & Correspondence,
June 1927-May 1929 (English Translation Supplement), Document 314, p. 305.
Einstein began his correspondence with Einstein in 1927, and in 1928 was writing to him on ‘distant parallelism,’ an extension of Riemannian geometry in which new mathematical objects, called ‘tetrads’ are introduced, which allow for the comparison of the direction of vectors at distant points of the spacetime. This letter relates to those investigations, which Einstein felt to be important as a mathematical attempt at a unified field theory—the incorporation of electromagnetism and gravitation in a single field theory. Although he published a number of papers on the subject from 1928 to 1931, the work is considered inaccurate and not recognized by physicists of today.
During this period Einstein was working closely with colleagues Herman Muntz and Cornelius Lantz on formalizing the ‘Unified Field Theory of Gravitational Force and Electromagnetism.’ Einstein’s article ‘On Unified Field Theory’ was presented on January 10, 1929, and published on January 30, 1929, by the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In the article he discloses the final stages of the development of this theory, and it reveals critical stages in the solution that he presents. The theory tried to achieve one unified formula that would unite the electromagnetic and gravitational fields and present them as different manifestations of a single universal force. At the article’s close, Einstein expresses appreciation for Muntz’s assistance: ‘It is my pleasant duty to thank Dr. H. Müntz for his laboriously precise calculation of the centrally symmetric problem on the basis of Hamilton’s principle the results of his calculation suggested to me the method used here.’ Starting Bid $5000
Incredibly rare autograph of renowned German astronomer Johannes Kepler
Image larger than actual size.
188. Johannes Kepler Rare Autograph Document Signed. German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer (1571-1630) best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. ADS in German, signed “Johan Keppler, Mathematicus Mppria,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 8.25 x 11.5, no date but circa August/September 1628. Kepler authorizes the bearer to attend the Steyr Iron Corporation’s committee hearing scheduled for September 10, 1628, writing (translated): “Power and authority to attend the action of the Iron Company Commission established in Steyr on 10 September of this year 1628.” He signs the second integral leaf beside his fine papered seal, showing Kepler’s arms and initials, “I. K.” In fine to very fine condition.
At the hearing, headed by the Upper Austrian civil servants Johann Spindler and Konstantin Grundemann, it was disclosed to the Corporation’s several hundred creditors that the Corporation had suffered substantial losses which they would have to bear, so as to prevent a municipal bankruptcy (cf. F. X. Pritz, Beschreibung und Geschichte der Stadt Steyer [Linz, 1837], p. 276).
Johannes Kepler was a pivotal figure in the scientific revolution, best known for formulating the laws of planetary motion that laid the groundwork for Newton’s theory of gravitation. His contributions to astronomy and mathematics transformed our understanding of the cosmos, marking him as one of history’s great scientists. Due to the limited number of surviving documents from his time, Kepler’s autograph is extremely rare and highly valued by collectors and historians alike. Starting Bid $5000
Marconi sketches “good tubes” for his wireless telegraphy experiments
189. Guglielmo Marconi Autograph Letter Signed with Sketch of “Good Tubes” for Wireless Experiments. ALS signed “G. Marconi,” five pages two sets of adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, 1889. Handwritten draft of a letter to Dr. J. Erskine Murray, concerning vertical reflector experiments he proposes to carry out at the Haven Hotel wireless station. In the draft, Marconi provides a rough sketch of his new design for “good tubes” which he hopes to have made and tested with signals from Alum Bay. In small part: “As you see the upper plug will have a small prominence which will dip into the filim[en]t. When using such a tube it will of course be necessary to have more thention [sic] on the tapper spring…as we wont ‘have any help from gravity in springing the hammer back.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
190. Max Planck Signed Photograph. Nobel Prize-winning German physicist (1858-1947) who pioneered the understanding of quantum theory. Marvelous and rare vintage 5.75 x 8 portrait photo of Max Planck by the German portrait photographer Wanda von Debschitz-Kunowski, affixed to the original 9.25 x 12 studio mount, which is signed in the lower border in crisp black ink, “Dr. M. Planck.” The mount is also signed by the photographer, whose stamp is present on the reverse. In very good to fine condition, with light silvering to the edges of the image, corner creases, and two old tape stains to the mount. Photographs signed by Planck remain considerably rare, especially examples of this larger size. Starting Bid $200
Eli Whitney fills the U.S. Army’s order for “five
hundred muskets”
191. Eli Whitney Autograph Letter Signed to John C. Calhoun, Filling the Army’s Order for 500 Muskets. Important American inventor (1765–1825) remembered for developing the cotton gin, revolutionizing agriculture in the American South. ALS, one page, 8 x 9.75, October 25, 1822. Handwritten letter to “Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War,” in part: “Herewith inclosed you will receive vouchers for my having made a delivery of five hundred muskets for the use of the U. States, in conformity with my arrangement of the first of August last with the Ordnance Dept: on receipt whereof be pleased to direct a remittance of six thousand five hundred Dollars.” In very good to fine condition, with a small edge chip, and light staining from old tape repairs to fold splits.
On the verge of bankruptcy thanks to litigation concerning his cotton gin invention, Whitney turned to the manufacture of muskets in the late 1790s in hopes of turning a profit. He received a government contract in 1798 to deliver 10,000–15,000 muskets by 1800, but failed to fill the order until 1809. However, Whitney was a champion of interchangeable parts and, demonstrating an improved production process, was able to secure a second contract for 15,000 arms in 1812. Arms manufacture would become Whitney’s primary business for the rest of his life. An outstanding letter connecting one of America’s greatest early inventors to the development of the US Army. Starting Bid $300
Intellectuals
Scarce signed portrait of Sigmund Freud, presented by his daughter Anna to a meritorious Harvard professor of psychiatry and psychoanalysis
193. Sigmund Freud
Signed Photograph (1936)Presented to a Harvard Psychiatrist. Exceptional vintage matte-finish 6.5 x 9 photo of the pioneering psychoanalyst in a near-profile pose, affixed to its original 9 x 12 mount, signed on the mount in fountain pen, “Sigm. Freud, 1936.” In fine condition, with a stain to the bottom border of the mount, very easily matted out if desired.
The consignor notes that this signed photo was presented to Dr. Joseph Jules Michaels by Anna Freud, Sigmund’s sixth and youngest child. Dr. Michaels was a professor of Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis at Harvard University from 1936 until his death in 1966. Dr. Michaels’ extensive research dealt in the causes of delinquency and impulse character disorders. He was the author of more than 90 articles and books in the field. Beginning in 1933, he trained at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow. During WWII, as a major in the Medical Corps, he was chief of neuropsychiatric service at the Newton D. Baker Hospital, later receiving the Legion of Merit. Anna Freud gifted this photo to Michaels in Vienna as the two of them studied dream interpretation together. Starting Bid $1000
Notorious Figures
From the “U.S. Jail, Washington, D.C.,” Guiteau sells his autograph for a dollar, or “$9 per dozen”
198. Charles Guiteau Autograph Letter Signed to Harper’s Weekly, Sent from “U.S. Jail, Washington, D.C”. ALS, two pages, 5 x 8, February 13, 1882. Addressed from “U.S. Jail, Washington, D.C.,” a handwritten letter to Harper’s Weekly in New York, in full: “Should you desire to use this photograph, which is the best one I ever had you can do so. Please announce that they are for sale only by me, or through the trade for $1 with my autograph. They are sold to the trade, with my autograph for $9 per dozen.” Guiteau signs with his initials, “C.G.,” at the close of a postscript: “Please send a copy of Harper’s Weekly…I mean the one containing this photograph should you publish it.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Military
350. USS Constitution 1927 Restoration Hull Wood Bookends. Fantastic pair of bookends fashioned from wood removed from the hull of the USS Constitution during the frigate’s historic 1927 restoration, each measuring approximately 6.75˝ x 7.25˝ x 3.75˝, with one bearing the original bronze plate on the base, reading: “This material was taken from the original hull of the U.S. Frigate Constitution, Keel laid 1794, Rebuilding 1927.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
351. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (3) Autograph Letters Signed. Three ALSs from Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, signed “Joshua L. Chamberlain” or “J. L. Chamberlain,” eight total pages, ranging in size from 5 x 7.5 to 5 x 8, each addressed from Brunswick, Maine, during his tenure as president of Bowdoin College. The earliest handwritten letter, November 16, 1871, requests that a judge look after a young woman, “said to be a ‘smart’ girl in every good sense.” The second, July 27, 1881, written as a letter of recommendation for Captain Augustus L. Smith who “served with fidelity in the war for the Union.” The last letter, September 20, 1883, sent to Maine politician William LeBaron Putnam, regarding “a candidate for the Professorship of Philosophy.” In overall fine condition. From the collection of Howard Reiche. Starting Bid $200
Dour 1863 letter from a Confederate civilian: “I can buy nothing for Confederate Notes. No one wants it…Everything is now looking gloomy enough”
352. Confederate Civilian Letter from December 1863: “I can buy nothing for Confederate Notes…Everything is now looking gloomy”. Civil War-dated handwritten letter from Confederate civilian John H. Allen of Wytheville, Virginia, one page, 7.5 x 12.25, December 25, 1863, addressed to “Col. Jno. McCauley,” in part: “I avail myself of the first opportunity after the raid to write to you. I regret that the enemy done so much damage to your County and R.R. and am sorry that they got off so quietly…I can buy nothing for Confederate Notes. No one wants it…Everything is now looking gloomy enough.” In fine condition, with a tear and small fold splits repaired on the reverse. Starting Bid $200
Handwritten from aboard the USS Hartford, a letter from Farragut one week after the Battle of Mobile Bay, affirming the delivery of over 200 “rebel prisoners”
353. David G. Farragut War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed One Week After the Battle of Mobile Bay, Affirming the Delivery of Over 200 “rebel prisoners”. Civil War-dated ALS signed “D. G. Farragut, Rear Admiral,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, U.S. Flag Ship Hartford letterhead, August 12, 1864. Addressed from Farragut’s flagship, the USS Hartford, anchored off of Mobile Bay, Alabama, a handwritten letter to Lieutenant Henry L. Howison, commander of the USS Bienville, in full: “You will receive onboard the rebel prisoners who will be delivered to you by Lieut. Adams of this vessel, and proceed with them at once to New Orleans and on arrival report to Commodore Palmer who will deliver them to the Provost Marshall as prisoners of war.” A secretarial notation to the bottom area affirms the reception of “209 Rebel Prisoners.” Includes a carte-de-visite 2.25 x 3.5 portrait photo of Farragut in uniform, published by Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
354. Nathan Bedford Forrest Document
Signed. Confederate general (1821-1877) who earned a reputation as the greatest cavalry officer of the Civil War. DS, signed “N. B. Forrest,” one page, 8.25 x 3.5, September 1, 1870. Reverse of a clipped mortgage bond from the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad Company, which states that the company “agrees and binds itself to pay the principal and interest of the within Bond in Gold Coin of the United States.” Signed at the conclusion in crisp black ink by Nathan Bedford Forrest as the company’s president. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“The engagement of the Alabama and Kearsarge is a vindication of your theory of pivots and big shell guns for that class of vessels”
355. Gustavus Fox WarDated Autograph Letter Signed to Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, Discussing the Battle of Cherbourg. Officer of the United States Navy (18211883) who served during the Mexican–American War, and as the first Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War. Civil War-dated ALS signed “G. V. Fox,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, July 30, 1864. Handwritten letter marked “Private” and addressed to Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, in part: “Herewith are some interrogatories for you and the Genl. made on account of the persistent attacks of the papers that the monitors are no use at Charleston and only do what Dupont did with wooden vessels. I think you and the Genl can rectify such stupid assertions but we shall not publish the answer probably until the report of Dec. The engagement of the Alabama and Kearsarge is a vindication of your theory of pivots and big shell guns for that class of vessels.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
356. Joseph Hooker War-Dated Autograph Note Signed. Notorious and aggressive Union general (1814-1879) who distinguished himself at the Battle of Williamsburg in 1862 and as a result was promoted to major general; later that year he led troops into battle at the Second Battle of Bull Run and Antietam. Civil War-dated ANS signed “J. Hooker, Comdg,” one page, 5 x 8.25, February 19, 1862, penned on the reverse of a letter from a woman requesting that her baggage be returned to her and be left “without examination…it contains nothing but my wardrobe.” Hooker forwards his handwritten note to a Provost Marshal General: “Please reply to this… favorably, as circumstances will permit.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“I can never forget my connection with the Army of the Cumberland”
357. O. O. Howard Autograph Letter Signed on the Army of the Cumberland. One-armed Union general (1830–1909) who participated at Gettysburg and commanded the Army of Tennessee during Sherman’s March to the Sea. ALS signed “O. O. Howard, Brig. Gen. U.S.A.,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, Headquarters Department of the Columbia letterhead, August 29, 1874. Handwritten letter to three senior officers, in part: “I can never forget my connection with the Army of the Cumberland…the losses then & since even if, our countrymen forget what the soldiers living & dead have accomplished…our children & children’s children will at least have before them examples of devotion, heroism & constancy that will not fail to impress & influence them.” In very good to fine condition, with some light soiling, and a repaired tear to each page. Starting Bid $200
“If the President will allow me the privilege of earning a subsistence in the U.S. nothing will ever tempt me to expatriation”
358. Joseph E. Johnston Autograph Letter Signed: “If the President will allow me the privilege of earning a subsistence in the U.S. nothing will ever tempt me to expatriation”. US Army officer (1807–1891) who served in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ALS signed “J. E. Johnston,” one page, 5.25 x 8, August 25, 1865. Handwritten letter addressed from Baltimore, in full: “Many thanks for your note in relation to the Mexican Minister. I shall go in a day or two to South Western Virginia — & stop in Washington to see him. I hope that his object is not to invite me to Mexico. If the President will allow me the privilege of earning a subsistence in the U.S. nothing will ever tempt me to expatriation. Please remember me cordially to Mrs. Blair. I know that she has not withheld her pardon from subjugated rebels.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
General Lee endorses a court-martial for a Confederate soldier accused of “Knowingly receiving and entertaining deserters from another Company”
359. Robert E. Lee War-Dated Endorsement of a Confederate Court Martial. Civil War-dated endorsement signature, “R. E. Lee,” penned on the reverse of a manuscript document headed “Charges and Specifications preferred against Captain John McFarland, Company ‘F’ of the 6th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry,” three pages, 7.75 x 12.5, April 29, 1864. Presented for a potential court-martial, the document extends three charges to McFarland: “Knowingly receiving and entertaining deserters from another Company,” soldiers Private Orville Anderson and Sergeant Charles W. Powers, “Not confining deserters from other commands after discovering them to be deserters and not giving notice to the command in which they last served,” and “Conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline.” Lee endorses the document on the reverse, with a secretarial hand adding, “Res: forwarded and trial in Richmond Va recommended. The accused is said to be in Genl Breckinrdige’s command. Some of the witnesses are in this army & if tried in Richmond the suspicion of prejudice will less likely arise.” Also adding endorsements to the reverse are Brigadier General George H. Steuart, Major General Edward Johnson, and Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell, a decidedly rare trio of senior commanders. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Notify the several registered correspondents of public journals that this practice if not stopped will result in their exclusion from this Army”
360. George G. Meade War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed on False Publications: “I should like to know who the correspondent is & where he obtained his information”. Civil War-dated ALS signed “Geo. G. Meade,” one page, 5 x 8.25, September 11, 1863. Addressed from headquarters, a handwritten letter to a general, in part: “The frequent appearance of late in the public journals of articles containing information new to these Hd Qrs & often without any foundation in fact, & in many cases like the present implicating officers in violations of orders and military propriety, render it necessary some action should be taken. You will therefore notify the several registered correspondents of public journals that this practice if not stopped will result in their exclusion from this Army.” In fine condition, with light staining to the left edge, and paper restoration to the top corners. Starting Bid $200
Mosby respectfully declines an invitation to “the Annual Reunion of the Society of the Army of the Potomac”
361. John S. Mosby Autograph Letter Signed on the “Annual Reunion of the Society of the Army of the Potomac”. Fabled Confederate ranger (1833-1916) whose guerrilla band specialized in attacking and disrupting Union supply lines. He earned the nickname ‘The Gray Ghost’ for his clandestine and highly effective attack tactics. ALS signed “Jno. S. Mosby,” one page, 7.75 x 6.75, April 19, 1900. Addressed from San Francisco, a handwritten letter to Col. Horatio C. King, in full: “I have just rec’d your polite invitation to the Annual Reunion of the Society of the Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg Va. on the fifth of May. It w’d give me great pleasure to be present with you, & I regret that I will not be able to be there.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“The President is looking thin, worn & much older, but is cool, resolute & apparently regardless of popularity, in pursuit of his purpose. He is the government.”
362. William Preston War-Dated Autograph
Letter Signed on Jefferson Davis: “The President is looking thin, worn & much older”. Brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War (1816-1887) who served as a Kentucky congressman and as the U.S. Minister to Spain. Civil War-dated ALS signed “W. Preston,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 7.5, May 7, 1863. Addressed from Richmond, a handwritten letter to Confederate general and former American Vice President John C. Breckinridge, in part: “The President is looking thin, worn & much older, but is cool, resolute & apparently regardless of popularity, in pursuit of his purpose. He is the government. He did not touch in his conversation on affairs at Tullahoma, but Mrs. Davis afterward made amends by the way she pitched into Bragg, but not in ‘Jeff’s’ presence.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
363. Robert Gould Shaw Signature - Celebrated Commander of the AllBlack 54th Massachusetts. Union officer (1837-1863) who commanded the all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and was killed in action during his regiment’s famous charge on Fort Wagner; Shaw’s efforts were dramatized in the 1989 Oscar-winning film Glory. Exceedingly rare ink signature, “believe me, very affectionately yours, Robert G. Shaw,” on an off-white 4 x 1 slip affixed to an empty 4.75 x 6.5 photograph album mount. In fine condition. An incredibly scarce and important Civil War autograph from the fabled leader of the 54th Massachusetts. Starting Bid $500
“Spies and Guerillas, murderers under the assumed title of Confederate Soldiers and deserters... should be hung quick”
364. William T. Sherman War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed: “Spies and Guerillas, murderers under the assumed title of Confederate Soldiers and deserters...should be hung quick”. Civil War-dated ALS signed “W. T. Sherman, Maj. Gen. Comd’g,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.75 x 10, Head-Quarters Military Division of the Mississippi letterhead, April 6, 1864. Handwritten letter to Col. Joseph Holt, Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army, insisting that commanders in the field have the authority to carry out executions where necessary, and that “I expect to execute a good many Spies and Guerillas under that Law without bothering the President…We all know that it is very hard for the President to hang Spies even after conviction, when a troop of friends follows the sentences with earnest and ex parte appeals. Spies and Guerillas, murderers under the assumed title of Confederate Soldiers and deserters…should be hung quick, of course after a Record trial.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
A Union soldier writes home about Grant, Meade, and Sedgwick, informing that “gigantic preparations are being put forth to move strong when the time comes”
366. Union Soldier’s Letter Before the Start of the Overland Campaign, with Mentions of Grant, Meade, and Sedgwick: “Gigantic preparations are being put forth”. Civil War-dated ALS from a Union soldier in John Sedgwick’s VI Corps, one page, both sides, 8 x 10, April 24, 1864. Addressed from “Head Quarters, 2nd Brigade,” a handwritten letter from “Will” to his father, written mere days before the start of General Grant’s Overland Campaign, in part: “Gigantic preparations are being put forth to move strong when the time comes…Last Tuesday Lieut. Gen. Grant accompanied by Gen. Meade…reviewed our Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick… During the progress of the review…the Gen. [Grant] made frequent remarks expressive of his satisfaction with the men.” In fine condition, with light toning along the folds. Starting Bid $200
“Look well to your forage –it is the existence of the cavalry”—Stuart sends words of advice and support to General Fitzhugh Lee at the start of the 1864 spring thaw
365. J. E. B. Stuart War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to Fitzhugh Lee, Mentioning General James Longstreet and Discussing Field Logistics and Battle Preparations Days Before the Start of the Overland Campaign . Civil War-dated ALS, four pages on two adjoining sheets, 5 x 8, March 24, 1864. Addressed from “Hd Qrs, Cav. Cops. A. N. Va.,” a handwritten letter to General Fitzhugh Lee that dates to less than two months before Stuart’s fatal wounding at the Battle of Yellow Tavern. In part: “Find out exactly how many regiments or commands Jones has, and how much cavalry Longstreet has put the two in juxtaposition to our cavalry here & contrast the enemy’s forces of cavalry before Longstreet with that here…I am anxious to have your whole command in the field, but entre nous it cannot possibly be subsisted till the grass grows – which after this snow can not be long hence. Look well to your forage – it is the existence of the cavalry…I want your men practiced charging in column, solid and compact…also practice rear squadrons to dismount quickly & deploy to the right & left in a fight. Urge commanders to command their men in action from a Corp’l up to Brigadier.” In fine condition. Accompanied by an unsigned 2.5 x 4 carte-de-visite portrait photo of J. E. B. Stuart in his military uniform. Starting Bid $500
Wilkes classifies
the CSS Alabama as a “Pirate” vessel and orders her seizure if found in
Cuban waters
367. Charles Wilkes War-Dated Letter Signed on the CSS Alabama, a “Pirate” Vessel to Be Seized “if found in Cuban waters”. American naval officer, ship’s captain, and explorer (1798-1877) who led the United States Exploring Expedition and, during the Civil War, commanded USS San Jacinto during the Trent Affair in which he stopped a Royal Mail ship and removed two Confederate diplomats, which almost led to war between the United States and the United Kingdom. Civil War-dated LS, one page both sides, 8 x 12.5, December 21, 1862. A letter of “Conditional Orders” addressed from the “Flag Steamer Wachusett” in Grand Cayman, sent to Commander T. H. Stevens of the U. S. Steamer Sonoma regarding the Confederate raider CSS Alabama, in part: “It is my intention to go to ‘Cienfuegos’ [Cuba] direct as possible…Should the Alabama be at Cienfuegos, you will not suffer her to escape you even in neutral waters, for she is to be received to all intents and purposes as a Pirate.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Congratulations for our Country’s glory”
368. John Ancrum Winslow Autograph Letter Signed - Four Days Before Lee’s Surrender. United States naval officer (1811–1873) who served in the Mexican–American War and the Civil War, remembered as the commander of the USS Kearsarge during her historic 1864 action off Cherbourg, France, with the Confederate sea raider CSS Alabama. Civil War-dated ALS signed “Jno. A. Winslow,” one page, 5 x 7.75, April 5, 1865. Addressed from Roxbury, a handwritten letter from John Ancrum Winslow, in full: “Lt. Com’dr Thornton was ordered about six weeks since to some vessels in the James River fleet. I don’t know her name, but if you address your letter to Washington, care of the Secretary of the Navy, it will reach him. I am very much obliged to you for your flattering remarks. With best wishes & congratulations for our Country’s glory.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Foch
applauds the Allied
“unity of action” that won
World
War I: “If unity creates the strength of a coalition, given overall direction in its efforts... increases the power of this coalition tenfold”
369. Ferdinand Foch Handwritten Speech Draft on World War I: “By this unity of action maintained from the first lines of our front to the rear, the most distant of nations involved in the war quickly take on this sustained pace from which victory emerges”. French military officer (1851–1929) who served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies in the final months of World War I. Unsigned handwritten manuscript by Ferdinand Foch, four pages, 8.5 x 12.5, no date but circa 1918. Foch’s draft of an important speech delivered in Beauvais, discussing the decisive impact of the sole command entrusted to him by the Allied forces. In part (loosely translated): “When I arrived there on March 28 of this year, under the strong German push commencing on March 21, the Somme line gave way, the invasion was once again underway, the invaded populations retreated en masse…on the proposal of the British tasked Gen. F. with taking charge of the management of operations…He launched a formidable attack…the invasion threatens to break up the coalition, by separating the two allies and cutting communications from Paris with the English…By this unity of action maintained from the first lines of our front to the rear, the most distant of nations involved in the war quickly take on this sustained pace from which victory emerges… what does that mean other than that if unity creates the strength of a coalition, given overall direction in its efforts…increases the power of this coalition tenfold. The coalition had its plan of operations as well as its plan for maintaining the armies; all it had to do was apply them actively and the results would not be long in coming. In fact, the war of 1914, far from lasting until the summer of 1919, ended in the fall of 1918, 7 months after the Abbeville agreement. On November 11, Germany signs the armistice which bears the allies without firing a shot at the Rhine.” In good to very good condition, with odd old tape repairs to the once completely torn letter. Starting Bid $200
“You are here in Normandy: this country welcomes you with joy”—France honors CDR John J. Pershing and the heroic efforts of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I
370. John J. Pershing Signed Typed Speech Draft Honoring the Commander of WWI’s American Expeditionary Forces. Typed draft of a speech written in honor of Commander John J. Pershing and the efforts of his American Expeditionary Forces in protecting France during World War I, three pages, 6 x 8, no date, signed on the reverse of the last page in ink, “John J. Pershing.” The speech, which bears several handwritten edits and was drafted by an unidentified French officer or dignitary, begins: “It is the most agreeable duty just at the moment you and your valourous legionaries step on the Land of France to wish you in the name of the ‘Gouvernement de la Republique’ and also in the name of the Department which I have the honour to administer, the most respectful and heartily welcome. In very good to fine condition, with folds, handling wear, and some dampstaining affecting the signature. Starting Bid $200
Rare signed portrait of the Pearl Harbor planner with his family, presented to a German anthropologist in 1938
371. Isoroku Yamamoto Photograph Signed in German and Japanese (1938). Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, known for orchestrating the attack on Pearl Harbor; he was killed in action in April 1943 after American code breakers identified his flight plans. Remarkable vintage matte-finish 4 x 6 portrait photo of Vice Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto seated in his military uniform and surrounded by his family, affixed to the original 7 x 10.75 presentation mount, which is signed and inscribed in fountain pen in both Japanese and German, dated September 2, 1938. In fine condition, with a small stray ink mark on the mount.
Yamamoto presented this photo to the German anthropologist Kurt Stülpner (1901-1980), who researched the death cults of Madagascar (1929) and worked at the Saxon State Research Institute of Anthropology, where the racial politics of the Third Reich was underpinned and developed. In 1935 he received a call from Japan, allied with Germany and Mussolini’s Italy, to teach German language and culture at the Fukuoka Prefectural Shuyukan High School, an elite school where the teaching language was English. In July the German anthropologist left with his young wife for Japan on the steamer Bremen, and left Japan in September 1938, after having received this photo. Starting Bid $300
In May 1811, Napoleon fortifies the port of Cherbourg and swaps marshals after the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro
372. Napoleon Letter Signed to His Chief of Staff (1811). LS in French, signed “Nap,” one page, 7.25 x 9, May 29, 1811. Addressed from Cherbourg, a letter to Major General Louis-Alexandre Berthier, in part (translated): “My Cousin, I am returning your correspondence from Portugal. Make known to the Duke of Ragusa [Auguste de Marmont] who I have named General …Tell him again that he is the master of sending back to France the Generals who do not suit him and of organizing his army in the manner that he will judge it most suitable.” In fine condition, with a clipped upper right corner. Starting Bid $300
373. Napoleon Letter Signed to Minister of the Interior. LS in French, signed “Bonaparte,” one page, 6.25 x 9, First Consul letterhead, December 11, 1802. Letter sent from Saint-Cloud, sent to the Minister of the Interior regarding the payment of a pension and travel expenses. In part (translated): “l ask you, Citizen Minister, to do what is necessary for C. Barial who is due a pension increase and pay him travel expenses for his trip and the sum of 3000 francs and write a letter of recommendation and letting him know that his is free to go home. I salute you.” Handsomely matted and framed with a color portrait to an overall size of 18 x 14.5, with a Goodspeed’s Book Shop label on the reverse. In fine condi-
374. Horatio Nelson: HMS Victory Wooden Artifact. Desirable barrelshaped matchstick holder, measuring approximately 2.25˝ tall and 2˝ in diameter, crafted from wood removed from the bowsprit from Horatio Nelson’s flagship, the HMS Victory. A metal identification plaque on the front reads: “From the Bowsprit of HMS Victory, (Nelson’s Flagship Trafalgar 1805), Purchased 2nd June 1937.” In very good to fine condition, with moderate overall wear including a rough finish and a large chip to the rear. Starting Bid $200
Handwritten 1816 letter from the Duke of Wellington, dealing with territorial disputes in the wake of Napoleon’s downfall
375. Duke of Wellington Autograph Letter Signed. ALS in French, signed “Wellington,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.25 x 9.5, September 15, 1816. Untranslated handwritten letter from the Duke of Wellington, concerning the difficulties linked to the occupation of territories formerly under the dominion of Napoleon, which had come under the control of the occupying troops of the Seventh Coalition. In fine condition, with an old, thin mounting strip along the left edge. A desirable letter from the British commander dating to a significant chapter of European history. Starting Bid $200
Aviation and Space Exploration
Lindbergh writes from Long Barn and discusses the ongoing plans for Minnesota’s Charles A. Lindbergh State Park: “It should be a place where families can go on Saturday and Sunday and where children can enjoy playing in the creek and river”
409. Charles Lindbergh Four-Page
Autograph Letter Signed from England, Written in the Wake of the Kidnapping and Hauptmann Trial. ALS signed “Charles A. Lindbergh,” four pages, 6 x 8, personal Long Barn letterhead, October 30, 1936. Handwritten letter to friend Martin Engstrom, in part: “Dr. Nute, of the Minnesota Historical Society, sent me a number of pictures she took when you showed her over the property. I think you and everyone responsible for the work are to be congratulated on the simplicity and taste which are shown in the pictures. I hope similar discretion will always be used in projects connected with the old farm…You ask if I have any suggestions…First, that the property be left in a simple and natural condition. Second, that the fact of it’s being named after my father be not lost by bringing out too prominently incidents connected with my own life…It should be a place where families can go on Saturday and Sunday and where children can enjoy playing in the creek and river.” In very fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Any article that is satisfactory to the Carnegie Institution is satisfactory to me”
410. Charles Lindbergh Typed Letter Signed. TLS signed “C. A. Lindbergh,” one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, May 26, 1930. Letter to Miss Gladys M. Wrigley, editor for the American Geographical Society, in part: “Lack of time prevents me from checking over proofs but any article that is satisfactory to the Carnegie Institution is satisfactory to me.” In fine condition, with some light corner creasing. Starting Bid $200
The
“Wright Brothers” pay their mechanic, Charles Furnas, the first passenger of an airplane
411. Orville Wright Signed Check as “Wright Brothers” - Paying Mechanic Charles Furnas, the First Airplane Passenger. The Winters National Bank check, 8.25 x 3.25, filled out in the hand of Orville Wright, who signs on behalf of both himself and his brother, “Wright Brothers,” and adds his initials below, “O.W.,” payable to mechanic C. W. Furnas for $12, July 18, 1908. In fine condition, with a cancellation hole touching the word “Wright.” Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder. Charles W. Furnas (1880-1941) was a friend and mechanic for the Wright Brothers, who, on May 14, 1908, became the first passenger to fly aboard an airplane. Starting Bid $200
412. Orville Wright Signed 1924 Federation Aeronautique Internationale License. United States of America
“Annual License,” number 35, issued to William O. Ralph by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale for the year 1924, two pages, measuring 5 x 4 open, signed at the bottom of the left side by Orville Wright as the contest committee chairman. License is filled out in type, authorizing Young for “Nature of Brevet: Hydro-aero,” and bears an affixed 1.5 x 1.5 portrait photo of Ralph. In fine condition, with light handling wear. Starting Bid $200
413. Orville Wright Signed ‘First National Air Mail Week’ Cover. Commemorative cover with a cachet honoring the First National Air Mail Week, 9.5 x 4.25, postmarked at Kitty Hawk on May 19, 1938, signed at the top in fountain pen, “Orville Wright.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
422. Gus Grissom Signed ‘Project Mercury Phase II’ Philatelic Souvenir Booklet. Uncommon “Project Mercury Phase II” philatelic souvenir booklet prepared by Clyde J. Sarzin, measuring 9.5 x 6 open, signed inside in black ink by Gus Grissom. The inside features an image of Grissom and the adjacent page bears his facsimile signature, a 4-cent postage stamp and Port Canaveral cancellation, and printed text: “U.S. Air Force, Captain Virgil I. Grissom, Today Piloted the United States Second Successful Space Capsule, Liberty Bell 7, 21 July 1961, Cape Canaveral, U.S.A.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“This envelope with the private cachet of the United States Envelope Company, was one of twelve autographed personally by the three APOLLO 11 astronauts at the First Day Cover ceremonies for the Moon Stamp in Washington, D. C., on September 9, 1969”
423. Apollo 11 Signed Limited Edition ‘We Came in Peace for All Mankind’ Envelope - One of Twelve Signed Examples. Limited edition FDC with a ‘We Came in Peace for All Mankind’ private cachet from the United States Envelope Co., 9.5 x 4.25, signed in black felt tip by the full Apollo 11 crew: “Neil Armstrong,” “M. Collins,” and “Buzz Aldrin.” The cover is postmarked July 20, 1969, the date of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and September 9, 1969, the issue date for the jumbo-sized commemorative “First Man on the Moon” stamp, which is affixed above. Mounted in its original 14 x 11 presentation frame that bears an image of the front cover of The New York Times with ‘Men Walk on Moon’ headline and a descriptive caption explaining the offered cover and the Apollo 11 signing event: “This envelope with the private cachet of the United States Envelope Company, was one of twelve autographed personally by the three APOLLO 11 astronauts at the First Day Cover ceremonies for the Moon Stamp in Washington, D. C., on September 9, 1969.” Starting Bid $500
Art, Architecture, and Design
Chagall prepares a retrospective of “stained glass windows, tapestries, sculptures, ceramics, engravings”
482. Marc Chagall Typed Letter Signed on 1969 Grand Palais Exhibition. TLS in French, one page, 8.25 x 10.5, La Colline letterhead, September 29, 1969. Letter to Madame A. A. Juviler, in part (translated): “I address myself to you personally, which I do, you know, very rarely, but a large and important exhibition of my work is getting underway at the Grand Palais as well as at the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris, and it would mean a lot that the picture ‘en écountant le coq’ could appear in it...During this retrospective, stained glass windows, tapestries, sculptures, ceramics, engravings will all be equally presented at the Bibliothèque Nationale. The loan on your part would be encouraging for me, and a sign of sympathy that I would particularly appreciate.” In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope. Starting Bid $200
483. Peter Max Limited Edition ‘Mickey Suite’ of (4) Mickey Mouse Serigraphs. Limited edition suite of four color 14 x 16 serigraphs of Mickey Mouse by pop artist Peter Max, entitled ‘Mickey Suite,’ each numbered 128/500 and signed in the lower left in felt tip, “Max.” While each serigraph bears a nearly identical line drawing of the Disney icon, shown in a joyous half-length pose with one hand on his hip and the other extended over Max’s signature, the pieces proffer four unique and vibrant color combinations. The lower right corner of each serigraph bears Peter Max and SOMA blindstamps. In overall very fine condition. Accompanied by a print certification from AMX Art Ltd. Starting Bid $200
484. Peter Max Limited Edition ‘Snow White Suite’ (4) Serigraphs. Limited edition suite of four color 14 x 16 serigraphs of Snow White by pop artist Peter Max, entitled ‘Snow White Suite,’ each numbered 113/500 and signed in the lower right in grease pencil, “Max.” While each serigraph bears a nearly identical line drawing of the Disney icon in a beautiful up-close pose, the pieces proffer four unique and vibrant color combinations. The lower left corner of each serigraph bears “Peter Max 1994” and SOMA blindstamps. In overall very fine condition. Max, along with Disney chairman Michael Eisner, opened the first Disney Art Gallery, where Max premiered his limited editions of fabulous Disney icons such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Snow White. Starting Bid $200
485. Peter Max Limited Edition ‘The Goofy Suite’ (4) Serigraphs. Limited edition suite of four color 14 x 16 serigraphs of Goofy by pop artist Peter Max, entitled ‘The Goofy Suite,’ each numbered 219/500 and signed in the lower left in felt tip, “Max.” While each serigraph bears a nearly identical line drawing of the Disney icon in a friendly up-close pose, the pieces proffer four unique and vibrant color combinations. The lower left corner of each serigraph bears “Peter Max 1994” and SOMA blindstamps. In overall very fine condition. Max, along with Disney chairman Michael Eisner, opened the first Disney Art Gallery, where Max premiered his limited editions of fabulous Disney icons such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Snow White. Starting Bid $200
486. Peter Max Limited Edition ‘Retrospective Suite I’ (4) Serigraphs and (2) Original Mixed Media Drawings. Limited edition suite of four color 11 x 11 serigraphs by pop artist Peter Max, entitled ‘Retrospective Suite I,’ each numbered 73/300 and signed in the lower right in white grease pencil, “Max.” The suite contains vibrantly colored renderings of four of Max’s most iconic works from his career: ‘Liberty Head,’ ‘Better World,’ ‘Zero Megalopolis,’ and ‘Cosmic Runner.’
The lower left corner of each serigraph bears “Peter Max 1994” and SOMA blindstamps. The suite includes two original mixed-media drawings by Peter Max: a 2.75 x 3.75 profile drawing, and a 3.75 x 2.75 drawing entitled ‘Sailing into 1995,’ both of which are signed in black ink, “Max.” Both feature Max’s 1994 copyright stamp and identification numbers, “19271” and “23021,” on the reverse. These two unique works were released with Max’s two Retrospective Suites as part of an exclusive holiday season offer from Neo Pop and limited to only 30 galleries. In overall very fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Remington on his
‘Hands Off’ painting: “It represents an Alaska miner who is hauling ‘grub’ and is beset by starving indians bent on pillaging his sled”
487. Frederic Remington Autograph Letter Signed, Discussing His ‘Hands Off’ Painting. ALS, one page, 4.5 x 9.5, 301 Webster Avenue letterhead, no date. Handwritten letter, in full: “In re- ‘Hands Off’ picture — it represents an Alaska miner who is hauling ‘grub’ and is beset by starving indians bent on pillaging his sled; a frequent happening and not confined to indians either.” Matted and framed with a photo of Remington’s referenced oil painting to an overall size of 11.25 x 20.25. In very good to fine condition, with a stain to the right edge, and an apparent tear to the upper right corner area. Starting Bid $200
488. Andy Warhol Signed Book with Sketch of Campbell’s Soup Can. Signed book: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again). NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. Hardcover with dust jacket, 5.75 x 8.5, 241 pages. Signed and inscribed on the half-title page in black felt tip, “To Burt R., love, Andy Warhol,” who adds a sketch of his classic Campbell’s “Soup” can below and signs again with his signature, “AW.” In very fine condition. The consignor purports that the book derives from the collection of Dinah Shore and that it was inscribed to Burt Reynolds, to whom she was married from 1971 to 1976. Starting Bid $200
Uncommon signed portrait of “Frank Lloyd Wright,” boasting desirable full signature
489. Frank Lloyd Wright Signed Photograph with Rare Full Signature. Vintage matte-finish 7.25 x 10 photo of Frank Lloyd Wright sharpening a pencil, signed in the lower border in fountain pen by the legendary architect. In fine condition, with a small stain in the bottom border. Signed portraits of Wright remain quite scarce and desirable, especially those that feature his rare complete signature. Starting Bid $200
“Enter Tom & Huck”—Mark Twain prepares a stage version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Literature
513. Samuel L. Clemens Handwritten Notes for a Tom Sawyer Stage Adaptation. Unsigned handwritten manuscript notes by Samuel Clemens for a never-performed stage version of ‘Tom Sawyer,’ three pages, 5.5 x 9, no date but circa 1884, offering a treatment for the dramatic scene in which Tom, Huck, and Becky encounter Injun Joe in the cave. The notes read, in part: “Enter Tom & Huck. Find bag. ‘No use now—got to starve.’ Tom says ‘No.’ Examine—money all there. Discover girls asleep. Wake them. Talk. We’ll save you. Gives them his crust & some bats…Devilish face of Joe peeks out—will hive those boys—steals behind boys. Girls see him & scream. Boys jump up & stand paralyzed. Then they jump for the rock & the dodging begins for life & death, the girls looking over. (Maybe Tom trips him.) ‘Now, Huck.’ They fly—Joe pursues, the girls scream.” In fine condition. Housed in a handsome custom-made full morocco presentation portfolio, with gilt-stamped spine and title.
As early as 1875, Clemens had asked his friend William Dean Howells to dramatize the then still-unpublished Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Howells refused, but Clemens pressed ahead, composed a synopsis of his own to secure copyright and subsequently wrote at least some of the play. While these
plans ultimately fell through, in 1883 the author once more attempted to translate his book into a stage success. This time, he managed to complete a dramatic version, and the play was duly copyrighted on February 1, 1884. Although Clemens ‘was so pleased with this piece of work that even before he had finished it he was pondering on the cast which might properly perform it and trying to dictate terms,’ the great theatre manager Augustin Daly did not take long to reject the chance to stage ‘Tom Sawyer,’’ and after this ‘one hears no more about the author’s attempting to dramatize his novel’ (cf. Mark Twain’s Hannibal, Huck, and Tom, ed. Walter Blair, pp. 250-252).
These are three out of a total of 26 pages of working notes for the play, constituting the last three of a ten-page group termed ‘C’ by their editor, Walter Blair. At the time of Blair’s editorial work, the notes were dispersed among several libraries: all but one of this ten-page group (C1-3 and C5-10) were then among the Mark Twain Papers at Bancroft Library, UCA, Berkeley (while C4 rests in Yale University Library). The three pages at hand form a sub-unit that provides a later plan for Act IV, in which Tom and Becky, lost in the cave, encounter Injun Joe. Starting Bid $2500
514. Charles Dickens Filled Out and Signed Check. Coutts & Company bank check, 7 x 3.25, filled out and signed by Charles Dickens, payable to Wages for £14.12.6, December 20, 1861. Dickens has struck through London at the top and replaced it with “Gad’s Hill.” Affixed by its top edge to a 10.5 x 6.25 mount and in very good to fine condition, with overall foxing, affecting only appearance and none of Dickens’ bold handwriting. An attractive signed check dating to the publication year of Great Expectations. Starting Bid $200
515. T. S. Eliot Signed Christmas Card. Handsome Christmas card designed by Barnett Freedman for publisher Faber and Faber in 1950, measuring 8.25 x 6.5 closed, signed beside the printed greeting in fountain pen, “T. S. Eliot.” The card opens to 16.5 x 6.5, revealing the attractive Yuletide engraving designed by Freedman and printed by the Curwen Press. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Hemingway on drinking, money, and writing:
“The reason I didn’t write you about the book is because it is hard enough to write it without writing about it”
517. Ernest Hemingway (4) Letters on Drinking, Money, and Writing: “The reason I didn’t write you about the book is because it is hard enough to write it without writing about it”. Exceptional group of four letters from Hemingway to his close friend Guy Hickok, comprising one ALS, two partial autograph letters, and a one-page TLS. The longest ALS, signed “Ernest,” nine pages on five sheets, May 7, [1931], was written aboard the S.S. Volendam of the Holland-America Line. In part: “When my kidney was being weird had to give up drinking for about 6 weeks but now can drink and have drunk for ever since a year ago last February—I may have made a certain amt. of dough which has all been give away, loaned or spent but I am a son of a bitch if I have become respectable and no later than last winter was forced to sleep all night on the front porch—not being a good size for Pauline to carry up stairs—and on going to church the next morning was supposed to be healed…just because I had bumped into the holy water fount, that I saw the car was standing with the top down and the 3/4 empty bottle very visible (it had been invisible in the dark) in front of the church with the French nameplate to identify it! Don’t want to claim to be a drunk like you but have not become respectable Gros—The reason I didn’t write you about the book is because it is hard enough to write it without writing about it. But listen if you will come down to Madrid you can read it typed…besides which we could see who can drink and who not and see the bullfights—The dope is this…will go to Madrid and work like a bastard on this book until finished—Have 280 some pages done—most to be written over and 1/3 or more to be added—I think you’ll like the damn book.”
He goes on to discuss his travel plans and the repayment of a loan, before discussing an arm injury suffered in Montana: “I couldn’t write then because my arm was still paralyzed. Have only been able to write since 3 weeks. It will be absolutely all right if keep after it. Anyway can shoot, fish and write with it now, but can’t sock anybody.” Here, he sketches a diagram of his arm’s range of motion. Hemingway also provides a sketch of his new home in Key West, pointing out his favorite features, including a “flat roof, see all over town and sea.”
The second, a partial autograph letter in pencil, unsigned,
one page both sides, June 18, [1935], in part: “Listen stupid when you get in a money jam why in hell don’t let me know?… God dammit I was always suspicious of that Syndicate job… Gingrich of Esquire is coming here July 3–6 to fish and I will talk to him about your staff.”
The third, a partial autograph letter in pencil, signed “Ernest” and “E. Hemingway [within his address],” one page, no date, in part: “Address here is E. Hemingway, c/o Captain George D. Kreidt, 1437 S.W. 5th Street, Miami, he brings mail on pilot boat once a week. Just got Mary’s letter last night. Don’t be afraid to cash this check as have 438 in bank by latest statement. Also 1000 coming in on July 1.”
The fourth, a TLS signed in pencil, “Hemingstein,” one page, no date, in part: “It was swell to hear from you and thanks the hell of a lot for sending me the 100 bucks. I appreciate it like hell and know how damned hard it is to get money together in chunks as big as that. It came in damned handy because have been writing on this novel since last March First and during that time make no dough. Had seventy four bucks in my bank account when got your hundred.” At the conclusion, Hemingway jots down his Cuban address: “Address, Hotel Ambos Mundos, Havana—Cuba.”
Also includes three letters in another hand (apparently dictated by Hemingway) as well as one unsigned typed letter, frequently referencing loans between the two. In overall very good to fine condition, with tears to the bottom of the typed letter. A young Ernest Hemingway first met the recipient of these letters, Guy Hickok (addressed here as “Gros”) in the early 1920s when they were both acting as foreign correspondents for North American newspapers in Paris. Hemingway, working for the Toronto Star, began what would become an enduring friendship with the good-natured Hickok, who was on assignment for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Hickok even provided the inspiration for Hemingway’s short story ‘Che Ti Dice La Patria?’ (collected in Men Without Women, 1927). This fabulous correspondence is congenial, unrestrained, and mildly profane, and lends tremendous insight into Hemingway’s life and work. Starting Bid $2500
Superb signed portrait of Maxim Gorky at his writing desk
516. Maxim Gorky Signed Photograph. Important Russian writer (1868–1936) who was a founder of the socialist realism literary method. Vintage matte-finish 3.5 x 5.25 postcard photo of the celebrated writer hard at work, boldly signed in ink in Cyrillic, “M. Gorki, Capri, 26/m 1907.” In fine condition. Gorky moved to Capri in November 1906. He initially planned to stay for a few months but ended up living there for more than seven years, until December 1913. During this Italian period, works written by Gorky include A Confession, The Life of a Useless Man, The Life of Matvei Kozhemyakin, and many more. Starting Bid $300
Movie still production updates for the author of Gone With the Wind: “I think the background of the picture showing Rhett playing poker with the whiskered Federal officers is especially fine”
518. Margaret Mitchell Typed Letter Signed on Gone With the Wind Movie Stills: “Rhett playing poker with the whiskered Federal officers is especially fine”. TLS signed “Margaret Mitchell Marsh,” one page, 6.75 x 10.5, personal letterhead, May 12, 1939. Letter to Marcella Rabwin, in part: “The stills you mailed me on May 8th have just arrived...Of course I found them very exciting. I did not realize that the picture had progressed up to the point of the jail sequence and the Ku Klux raid. From this distance it would seem that the picture is going into the home stretch and it does not seem possible that your organization can have done so much in so short a time. I think the background of the picture showing Rhett playing poker with the whiskered Federal officers is especially fine. Of course I can’t help hoping that he won all their chips in this game! I wish you would thank Mr. Selznick for me for his kindness in sending me these stills. My husband and I enjoy them so very much — probably no one in the world could be as interested as we are.” Cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 12 x 15.75. In fine condition. Starting Bid $300
“Mr. Irving desires me to send you the enclosed dimensions of the Lyceum”
519. Bram Stoker Autograph Letter Signed on Behalf of Henry Irving. ALS signed “Bram Stoker, Acting Manager,” one page, 5 x 8, blindstamped Lyceum Theatre letterhead, March 6, 1886. Handwritten letter to an unidentified gentleman, sent by Bram Stoker on behalf of Henry Irving, in full: “Mr. Irving desires me to send you the enclosed dimensions of the Lyceum with his kind regards.” In fine condition, with a faint stain to the central horizontal fold from an old tape repair on the back. Starting Bid $200
Political musings from Hunter S. Thompson: “The egalitarian haste of the modern american negro will put us all in the grave”
520. Hunter S. Thompson Typed Letter Signed: “The egalitarian haste of the modern american negro will put us all in the grave”. TLS signed in pencil, “Hunter” and “HST,” one page, 8.5 x 11, Time letterhead, September 6, 1958. Letter to Paul Semonin, his childhood friend from Louisville, Kentucky. In part: “The egalitarian haste of the modern american negro will put us all in the grave: all in the same grave, of course, and with only one layer of bodies—so that no one shall be either higher or lower than anyone else in the final worldly reckoning. I trust that this letter will find you in a frenzy of spine-snapping patriotism: and what indeed is this strange and vicious malady which causes all our guilt-riddled, pot-bellied young men to run off to the halls of Montezuma? I suppose you’ll be at Quantico—I was there once and the food was intolerable…But the queers in Washington are predatory as hell and they seem to have a strange hankerin’ for those firm and khaki-flavored young bodies which come pouring in across the Potomac every weekend. I think they’re pushing this ‘democracy’ thing too far when they insist that all of us—men and women alike—have the same sexual tastes.” Thompson adds his initials and address, “57 Perry St., NYC,” in the lower left. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Leon Tolstoy, 19 Mars 1905”—impressive Revolution-era portrait of the Russian writer
521. Leo Tolstoy Signed Photograph, Dating to the Start of the First Russian Revolution. Extremely desirable matte-finish 3.5 x 5.5 postcard photograph of Tolstoy in a formidable half-length pose looking directly into the camera, nicely signed above his image in black ink, “Leon Tolstoy, 19 Mars 1905.” Addressed on the reverse in an unknown hand. In fine condition, with two creases to lower section. An impressive portrait of the esteemed Russian author that dates to the start of the First Russian Revolution. During this period, Tolstoy played a significant role as a moral and intellectual critic, whose advocacy for non-violent resistance and his critique of the Russian Orthodox Church and the state resonated with those disillusioned with the existing order. Starting Bid $500
Animation and Comic Art
Oversized portrait of Disney signing the canine star of Greyfriars Bobby
506. Walt Disney Signed Oversized Photograph. Large vintage matte-finish 14 x 11 photo of Disney offering a fountain pen to a Scottish Skye Terrier, the lead dog for his 1961 film Greyfriars Bobby, prominently signed and inscribed in bold black ink, “To Doris & Eddie & Antoinette & Roberta, Walt Disney.” In very good to fine condition, with creasing across the top, passing through the heads of both Disney and the pooch. Starting Bid $300
“Some nights were dark. Some nights were stormy”— Schulz casts Snoopy as a ‘World Famous Author’
507. Charles Schulz Signed Original Hand-Drawn Peanuts Daily Comic Strip. Original hand-inked three panel Peanuts daily comic strip by Charles Schulz, 20.25 x 6.5, signed and inscribed across the top in black felt tip, “For Cork, with friendship & admiration—Sparky,” and also signed vertically in the last panel with his artist signature, “Schulz.” Dating to July 13, 1991, the comic strip shows Snoopy sitting atop his doghouse, hammering away at his typewriter as he crafts some purple prose: “Some nights were dark. Some nights were stormy. Some shots rang out. Some maids screamed. Some more editors sent rejection slips.” Matted and framed to an overall size of 23.5 x 9.5. In fine condition.
In a daily Peanuts comic strip from July 1965, Snoopy was introduced as a ‘World Famous Author’—which became a recurring character throughout the decades of Schulz’s production of the Peanuts cartoon. Typing atop his doghouse, Snoopy starts many of his stories the same way, with the famous phrase: ‘It was a dark and stormy night.’ Iconic in this role, Snoopy appears with his typewriter on top of his doghouse in the final Peanuts daily comic, and also takes center stage in the final Sunday strip of February 13, 2000. Starting Bid $1000
Music
Beethoven writes to the brother-in-law of Schubert’s friend and collaborator, seeking advice on a house appraisal in Vienna
541. Ludwig van Beethoven Autograph Letter Signed to the Brother-in-Law of Pianist Marie Pachler. Scarce ALS in German, signed “Beethoven,” 4.5 x 7.75, April 22, 1816. Handwritten letter to Anton Pachler, in part (translated): “You can do me a great favor today if you will accompany me in the afternoon to Alsergasse, where the house appraisal will take place. Please kindly let me know in writing where I can pick you up around half past 2 this afternoon. I am still not feeling well, otherwise, I would have visited you long ago.” In very good to fine condition, with overall creasing, and two areas of paper loss to the integral address leaf which have no effect on the letter itself. Accompanied by a carte-de-visite–type portrait of the composer, a contemporary identification slip, and an export certificate from the French Ministry of Culture.
The recipient of the letter, jurist Anton Pachler, was the elder brother of the Graz lawyer Dr. Carl Pachler. The latter’s wife, Marie Leopoldine Pachler (1794-1855), née Koschat, would become particularly esteemed by Beethoven as an interpreter of his piano compositions [cf. Theodor v. Frimmel, BeethovenHandbuch, Vol. II, Leipzig 1926]. Notably, Marie Pachler was a close friend to Franz Schubert; Schubert dedicated his song, ‘An Sylvia,’ to her, and she performed with Schubert in an 1827 charity concert organized by the Graz Music Association.
In April 1816, Beethoven lived “Auf der Seilerstädt” C. No. 1055/56 in the Count Lambert’s house. The residence was first documented on May 15, 1816, by Charles Neate [Rudolf Klein, Beethovenstätten in Österreich, Vienna 1970, p. 89]; according to Smolle [Kurt Smolle, Wohnstätten Ludwig van Beethovens von 1792 bis zu seinem Tode, Munich/Duisburg
1970, p. 50], Beethoven had moved there after March 21, 1815, but possibly only lived there from autumn 1815 [Klein, Beethovenstätten, p. 90]. Aside from summer stays in Baden, the master remained here until the end of April 1817. On April 4, he wrote the two-part canon ‘Ars longa, vita brevis’ (WoO 170) for the departing Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and in the same month, he completed the song cycle ‘An die ferne Geliebte’ op. 98.
Beethoven was in poor health at that time, a fact he acknowledges in this letter and others. ‘I was unwell for some time,’ he wrote to Ferdinand Ries on February 28, ‘the death of my brother [on November 15, 1815] affected my mind and my works’ [KK, p. 350]. On February 2, as the guardian of his nephew Karl, he placed him in the Giannatasio del Rio educational institution. In the following weeks, he was plagued by severe colic, but his health seems to have improved again in May.
Why Beethoven was particularly interested in the house appraisal in Alservorstadt on April 16, where he had found his first Viennese residence in November 1792 at No. 45 Alsergasse (then called Alstergasse), is unknown. According to an entry in his diary, he seemed to be considering buying a house in the suburb at that time: ‘To live and sustain oneself, a house in the suburb, nothing goes with Karl in the countryside’ [Ludwig van Beethoven, Bericht der Zeitgenossen, edited by Albert Leitzmann, Leipzig 1921, Vol. II, p. 258, No. 98]. However, Beethoven did not move until about a year later, from the Sailerstätte to Gärnergasse in the suburb of Landstrasse [Smolle, Wohnstätten, p. 50]. Starting Bid $10000
Coltrane’s final showing with the Miles Davis Quintet
542. John Coltrane Signed Album - Someday My Prince Will Come. Someday My Prince Will Come album by Miles Davis, signed neatly on the back cover in black ballpoint by John Coltrane. In very good to fine condition, with some light soiling and staining, and an ownership notation to upper left corner. The record is included. Starting Bid $200
543. Fletcher Henderson Signed Photograph. American pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer (1897–1952) who was important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential arrangers and bandleaders in jazz history. Vintage semi-glossy 8 x 10 photo of Henderson at the microphone by Maurice of Chicago, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Flash Evans, fine people! Sincerely, Fletcher Henderson.” In very good condition, with two moderately heavy diagonal creases intersecting at Fletcher’s mouth. Flash Evans was a dancer and stand-up comedian of the era. Starting Bid $200
Bird’s best-selling record set, a signed copy of Charlie Parker with Strings from Mercury Records
544. Charlie Parker Signed Mercury Records ‘Charlie Parker with Strings’ Record Set. Hugely desirable Charlie Parker with Strings record set from Mercury Records (C509), signed and inscribed on the inside front cover in bold blue ballpoint, “To Joe, Regards, Charlie Parker.” The set includes three 10-inch 78 RPM vinyl records containing the following songs: ‘Just Friends’ / ‘Everything Happens to Me’ (C-101), ‘East of the Sun’ / ‘You Came Along from Out of Nowhere’ (C-109), and ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’ / ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’ (C-109). The signed sleeve with cover design by David Stone Martin is an original issue of C-509, the second release from Bird’s ‘with Strings’ sessions made for Norman Granz’s labels between 1947 and 1952. These sessions with small string orchestra and rhythm sections were the realization of Parker’s long-held dream to record with strings. They ultimately became the best-selling records of his lifetime. In very good to fine condition, with a crease/crack to the lower left corner of the cover. Accompanied by a 2016 letter of provenance from renowned jazz collector Norman Saks. Starting Bid $500
WWII-dated portrait of Django signed at his La Roulotte club in Paris
545. Django Reinhardt Signed Photograph - Obtained at La Roulotte in 1943. Striking vintage pearl-finish 7 x 9.25 portrait of the legendary jazz guitarist smoking a cigarette by Paris photographer Teddy Piaz, neatly signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “Pour Bob, Django Reinhardt.” In very good condition, with scattered light creasing, two light diagonal bends to the lower left, and silvering to the darker areas of the image. Accompanied by a small original 2.25 x 3 candid snapshot of the doorway of Reinhardt’s club La Roulotte (marked on the reverse “Paris France, 1943, Bob Klaiss”) and a letter of provenance from the former owner, noting that the signed photograph was “given to my father in Paris, France where he met Django at his club, La Roulotte, during WWII in 1943.” Starting Bid $300
“Truly an exceptional set”—
ideal Beatles autographs from late 1963
546. Beatles Signatures (c. 1963) - Superlative Examples. Superlative vintage circa late 1963 ballpoint signatures, “George Harrison,” “Paul McCartney,” “John Lennon,” and “Ringo Starr,” on an off-white 4.5 x 4 album page held within a hardcover autograph album. Other signers include the Everly Brothers, Billy J. Kramer, Billy Fury, John Leyton, Eden Kane, the Temperance Seven, the Chris Barber Jazz Band, and a few others. The autograph album itself has separated at the spine, but the Beatles-signed page is in pristine, very fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from noted Beatles expert Frank Caiazzo, in part: “The signatures date from late 1963 and not only is this an excellent representative example of a set of Beatles autographs from the period, this is truly an exceptional set, as all signatures are beautifully scripted and each is signed as nicely as each band member could have done on the day.” Starting Bid $1000
Beatles autographs signed at the Deauville Hotel on the day of their Ed Sullivan rehearsal
547. Beatles Signatures
Signed at 1964 Ed Sullivan Show Rehearsals. Coveted set of large vintage ballpoint signatures, “John Lennon,” “Paul McCartney,” “George Harrison,” and “Ringo Starr,” on a light blue 7.75 x 5 aerogramme, signed at the Deauville Hotel in Miami on February 15, 1964, their rehearsal day for their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The signatures were obtained by Marie Donaldson, a UK press officer for ABC Television, and sent to her nephew in New Zealand. Inside is a note from Donaldson, in part: “Here at last are the precious autographs I got from The Beatles! You will have read my letter all about the day I spent with them at the T.V. Studios. They are very nice & quite unspoilt by their success.” In very good condition, with moderate overall creasing, folds, and handling wear, and a few unobtrusive corner staple holes. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks and a letter of provenance from the recipient’s nephew. One week after making their famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, broadcast from New York, the Beatles again joined Sullivan—this time at Miami’s Deauville Hotel—for a special live show. A spectacular signature set from a historic moment in Beatles history—their second introduction to the American public. Starting Bid $1000
549. Beatles: George Harrison Signed Album
- Thirty Three & 1/3. American vinyl pressing of the 1976 George Harrison album Thirty Three & 1/3, which has been signed on the front cover in red ballpoint by George Harrison. In fine condition. The record is included. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks. Starting Bid $200
The
Beatles
sign for “Marilyn,” a member of the promo team for their final American tour
548. Beatles Signed Program for a 1966 American Tour Promoter. Scarce original tour book for the Beatles’ 1966 US Tour, 32 pages, 12 x 12, signed and inscribed inside next to their respective images in black ballpoint, “To Marilyn…John Lennon, xxx,” who adds a glowing cross sketch, “To Marilyn, from her cousin in law, Paul McCartney,” “To Marilyn—Love from, George Harrison, xxx, Thank you girl,” who adds a flower sketch, and “To Marilyn, Love Ringo, xxx.” In fine condition, with light handling wear, and several pages partially detached.
Accompanied by a sheet containing images of the recipient, Marilyn Doerfler, posing with each member of the Beatles during their 1966 US Tour, as well as a sheet featuring a photocopy of Doerfler’s obituary, which reads, in part: “As a member of the promotion team for the Fab Four’s American tour in the mid-1960s, Doerfler placed ads in smaller newspapers out-
side the city. She sought swooners to cause a commotion for her English invaders as their counterparts had done for Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra in the decade before. The thenmarried mother of three traveled with John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney across the states from 1964 to 1966. Each day, she interviewed them on tape, then fed her recorded conversations to radio stations by phone. She also penned promotional articles about the rock band for teen magazines. In 1980, she told The Plain Dealer’s Jane Scott that she felt closest to John ‘because he has the best sense of humor. He was always way ahead of the others…I liked George a lot too…He was a softie. He looked serious, but every now and then he’d flash a smile that would warm your heart. Ringo was fun. Paul, though, was the hard nut. The best-looking. The glamour boy. The best showman on stage.’” Starting Bid $1000
“Be
Groovy
— Jimi Hendrix” signature on a BBC canteen napkin
550. Jimi Hendrix Signature - “Be Groovy”. Vintage ballpoint signature, “Be Groovy — Jimi Hendrix,” on an off-white 4 x 2.25 piece of napkin paper. Double-matted with a great color photo of Hendrix with his guitar to an overall size of 11.75 x 17. In fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from a former owner: “I purchased the above item about 30 years ago from the International Record Fair in London. It was purchased from a seller who was selling a recently passed friend’s collection. He told me that the autograph was acquired in the BBC canteen after the Lulu Show on TV, the only available piece of paper was a canteen napkin.” Starting Bid $500
551. Elton John Signed Photograph. Glossy 8 x 10 Rocket Record Company publicity photo of Elton John seated at a table in a serious halflength pose with his hands clasped, signed neatly in the lower border in blue ballpoint. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Peace & Love, Janis Joplin”— rare signed photo of the rock icon at home with her cat, an image used for issue No. 6 of Rolling Stone magazine
552. Janis Joplin Rare Signed Photograph - Same Image Used for Issue No. 6 of Rolling Stone Magazine. Rare glossy 10 x 8 publicity photo of Janis Joplin happily lounging at home with her cat in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, in November 1967, signed nicely in red ballpoint, “Peace & Love, Janis Joplin,” who adds a heart and peace sign. This photo was originally taken by photographer Baron Wolman and used as the front cover image for the historic sixth issue of Rolling Stone magazine, which was published on February 24, 1968. In fine condition, with a small tear in the blank bottom border. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from REAL. Authentic signed photographs of Janis Joplin rarely come to market; we’ve only offered three in the past decade. Starting Bid $1000
Page, Plant, and Bonham sign a French pressing of the classic Led Zeppelin hit ‘Whole Lotta Love’
553. Led Zeppelin Signed 45 RPM Single Record - ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Amazing Atlantic Records (France) 45 RPM record for the Led Zeppelin single ‘Whole Lotta Love / Livin’ Lovin’ Maid (She’s Just a Woman),’ signed on the front cover in blue ballpoint by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Bonham. In fine condition. The record is included. A magnificent signed Led Zeppelin single that boasts an attractive retro design with big letters, bold colors, and a terrific full-band image. ‘Whole Lotta Love’ represents a classic Led Zeppelin song and the group’s first big hit in the United States, where it eventually reached gold status. A must-own rock n’ roll rarity. Starting Bid $500
Choice signed close-up of the reggae legend: “Rasta, Bob Marley”
554. Bob Marley Signed Photograph. Choice vintage glossy 5 x 3.5 snapshot photo of Bob Marley in concert, neatly signed in blue ballpoint, “Rasta, Bob Marley.” The reggae icon is featured in a close-up ‘action’ shot, singing into a stand-up microphone, dreadlocks cascading down his back. In very fine condition, with moderate signature contrast. Starting Bid $500 Image larger than actual size.
Band-signed grunge magazine from April 1993, with Cobain imagery and rare Nirvana’ smiley face’ logo sketch
556. Nirvana Signed Live! Music Review Magazine (April 1993) with Rare ‘Smiley Face Logo’ Sketch. Rare issue of Live! Music Review magazine from April 1993, 19 pages, 8.75 x 11.75, with the front cover featuring an image of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain playing the guitar during a concert, signed in black felt tip, “Kurdt,” “Chris,” and “David,” with one member adding the band’s iconic smiley face logo over Cobain’s shirt. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from REAL. An impressive grunge rock relic dating shortly before the release of Nirvana’s third final studio album, In Utero. The blend of period publication, large signatures, and intense Cobain imagery is further complemented by the rare appearance of Nirvana’s now iconic smiley face logo. Starting Bid $500
“Sorry my marker broke”—In Utero CD signed by four members of Nirvana
555. Nirvana Signed CD - In Utero. In Utero CD by Nirvana, signed on the front cover in black felt tip, “Kurdt, sorry my marker broke,” who signs over a first attempt in blue felt tip, “David,” “Hi there, Krist,” and “Pat.” In fine condition. The CD is included. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from REAL.
Following the breakthrough success of their second full-length album Nevermind, Nirvana released the highly anticipated In Utero in late September of 1993; the record quickly made its way to the top of the Billboard charts and has since sold 15 million albums worldwide. CDs signed by these grunge and alternative rock heroes remain rare and highly sought-after, with this example made all the more desirable due to the booklet’s large, well-spaced autographs, and the addition of a second, albeit layered, autograph from Kurt Cobain. Starting Bid $500
557. Elvis Presley Signed Photograph. Vintage glossy 8 x 10 Wide World press photo of Presley in his military uniform pictured with actress Anita Wood, signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint, “To Louise, from Elvis Presley.” In fine condition, with some scattered light surface marks and creases and a bit of light skipping to portions of the signature and inscription. Presley and Wood dated from 1957 to 1962. Starting Bid $300
558. Prince Original Drawing Study for ‘When Doves Cry’ by Doug Henders. Original painting study of the iconic face seen on the inner sleeve of the ‘Purple Rain’ album and at the end of Prince’s ‘When Doves Cry’ music video, accomplished in spray paint and pencil on 11 x 14 drawing paper by artist Doug Henders, signed with his initials in the lower right corner in pencil, “D.H.” In fine condition.
The Prince Estate is not affiliated, associated, or connected with RR Auction or this auction, nor has it endorsed, authenticated or sponsored the items available for auction. Further, The Prince Estate has not licensed any of its intellectual property to RR Auction. Starting Bid $200
Queen rocks Festhalle Frankfurt as
part of their
globe-trotting
The Works Tour in 1984
559. Queen Signed Large-Format Ticket Stub (Festhalle Frankfurt, September 26, 1984) . Attractive original large-format 6 x 3.5 ticket stub for a Queen concert held at Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, on September 26, 1984, signed on the reverse in black ink by Freddie Mercury, in black felt tip by Brian May and John Deacon, and in red ballpoint by Roger Taylor. This concert ticket was issued as part of Queen’s The Works World Tour. In very good to fine condition, with several heavy vertical folds. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks. Starting Bid $500
Super early, fully signed 1963 Rolling
Stones fan club
card—signed for a fellow musician
560. Rolling Stones Signed Fan Club Promo Card (c. 1963). Fantastic vintage circa 1963 Rolling Stones fan club promo card (the earliest form of a Stones fan club card), 5.25 x 4.5, signed on the reverse in blue ballpoint, “Mick Jagger,” “Brian Jones,” “Keith Richard,” “Charlie Boy,” and “Bill Wyman.” A caption on the reverse lists the address of fan club national secretary Diane Nelson. In fine condition. A hugely desirable example boasting a quintet of very early Stones autographs. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks stating that the autographs were obtained at the Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, Birmingham on August 10, 1963, and a letter of provenance from the recipient, a drummer in the Blue Stars, “a support band for all the visiting artists” on the Ma Regan Circuit in the Birmingham area. Also includes an original 1963 program for a concert showcase headlined by The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, and Little Richard, listing The Rolling Stones as a supporting act, 8 x 10.5, 10 pages, featuring images and band breakdowns, with each member of the Stones given their own brief biography. Starting Bid $300
561. Eddie Van Halen Signed Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar. Attractive cream-colored Peavey EVH Wolfgang Special electric guitar, signed on the body in black felt tip by Eddie Van Halen, who adds “Van Halen, ‘98.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from PSA/DNA, a Peavey hardshell carrying case, and the guitar’s original operating guide. Starting Bid $200
562. The Who Signatures - Obtained in Bristol, England on May 19, 1965. Vintage signatures of The Who on two off-white and light green 4.5 x 4 album pages, with the former signed in red ballpoint by Roger Daltrey, and the latter signed in pencil by Keith Moon and in blue ink and ballpoint by Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. The consignor notes that the autographs were obtained at the Corn Exchange in Bristol, England on May 19, 1965. In fine condition, with a small smudge to Entwistle’s first name. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks. Starting Bid $200
563. The Who: Keith Moon and Pete Townshend Signatures. Vintage ballpoint signatures of Keith Moon and Pete Townshend from The Who, penned on a white 4.25 x 3.25 sheet. The consignor notes that the autographs were obtained at the Coed Eva Community College in Cwmbran, Wales, on January 31, 1966. In fine condition, with intersecting folds. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tracks and by a letter of provenance from the prior owner. Starting Bid $200
Entertainment
697. Humphrey Bogart Signed Photograph. Vintage matte-finish 8 x 10 photo picturing Bogart petting his beloved black Newfoundland, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Jennie, Best wishes, Humphrey Bogart.” In fine condition, with a crease to the lower right corner and a small stain to the upper right. Starting Bid $200
“I suppose I’d better take an ad in the variety ‘Pride of the Yankees’ section”
699. Gary Cooper Autograph Letter Signed on The Pride of the Yankees. ALS in pencil, one page, 8 x 10.5, July 15. Handwritten letter referring to his roles in The Westerner (1940) and The Pride of the Yankees (1942). In full: “I suppose I’d better take an ad in the variety ‘Pride of the Yankees’ section. As far as the hernia, it was apparent in ‘The Westerner’ just after I had to pick up and carry Walter Brennan all over the theater set. Thanks for the note. I’m feeling fine.” In fine condition, with a small hole in the upper blank area. Starting Bid $200
FBI file on their investigation into Charlie Chaplin’s affair with actress Joan Barry— alleging violations of the “White Slave Traffic Act”
698. Charlie Chaplin: FBI File for “White Slave Traffic Act” Investigation. Lengthy carbon copy report prepared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and submitted to the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, 42 pages, 8 x 10,5m November 9, 1943. The header notes: “Title: Charles Spencer Chaplin; Mary Louise Gribble, with aliases: Joan Barry, Joan Berry, Mary Louise Berry, Joan Barratt, Mary L. Barratt, Joanne Berry, JoAnne Berry—Victim. Character of Case: White Slave Traffic Act.”
The synopsis documents the history of Chaplin’s affair with Berry, an aspiring actress, in part: “Charles Spencer Chaplin, Hollywood film comic, met Victim Joan Berry about June of 1941, placed her under contract 3 weeks later to Chaplin Studios and about the same time had sexual intercourse with her, instructed her in dramatics, with the assurance that she would be featured in a picture…in June, 1943, her mother, Gertrude E Berry, filed a civil suit against Chaplin, charging that he was the father of Joan’s yet unborn child. On 10/2/43 Berry gave birth to a baby girl which she claims is the result of intercourse with Chaplin on about 12/23/42. Instant suit still pending and blood tests to be given the baby and Chaplin 4 months after birth of Berry’s child.”
The document goes on to offer extensive background information on Chaplin and his association with Berry, as well as other figures connected to the case, and contains allegations of intoxication, drug use, homosexuality, stalking, and abortion. Other celebrities referenced in the report include J. Paul Getty, Oona O’Neill, Orson Welles, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Paulette Goddard, and Louise Brooks. In overall very good to fine condition, with old tape stains and repairs to the first and last pages. Starting Bid $200
700. Gary Cooper Document Signed for High Noon. Partial DS, eighteen pages, 8.5 x 11, no date but circa 1951. Partial agreement (Article II through IX) between Gary Cooper and Stanley Kramer Productions for the production of an unnamed film, evidently High Noon as the document identifies Stanley E. Kramer as producer, Sam Katz as associate producer, George Glass as director, and Carl Foreman as the writer of the screenplay. Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Gary Cooper. In fine condition. Cooper won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Marshal Will Kane in the classic Western movie, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four. Starting Bid $200
701. Joan Crawford Signed Oversized Photograph by Ruth Harriet Louise. Vintage matte-finish 11 x 14
Ruth Harriet Louise photo of a young Joan Crawford from circa 1927/1928, depicting the Oscar-winning actress lounged in a contemplative pose, clad in a satin gown and wearing jewels and a tiara, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Clarence Bricker, In appreciation of your goodness & kindness, Joan Crawford.” The lower right bears the photography studio blindstamp. In very good to fine condition, with some creasing and silvering to the image, and damage to the upper borders that could be matted out. A considerably early signed oversized photo of the legendary actress. Starting Bid $200
Bing Crosby agrees to act in ‘The Padre’—the working title for the 1944 classic Going My Way
702. Bing Crosby Document Signed for Going My Way. DS, signed “Harry L. Crosby, Bing Crosby,” 34 pages, 8.5 x 13, May 3, 1943. Complex agreement between Bing Crosby, RKO Radio Pictures, and Paramount Pictures by which the actor is “to render his services for Paramount in the following three pictures: (a) ‘The Padre’ in which it is contemplated the Artist’s services will commence on August 16, 1943; (b) The next picture in the series of so-called ‘Road’ pictures with the Artist and Bob Hope…(c) a picture for Paramount now referred to as the ‘Mark Sandrich untitled musical production.’” Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Bing Crosby and countersigned by an RKO secretary; Crosby also initials an amendment to a date on the third page. In fine condition, with the last few pages detached, and some losses to the top of the first page. The first film referenced, “The Padre,” would become Going My Way—a musical drama directed by Leo McCarey about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran. Going My Way was the highest-grossing picture of 1944, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Bing Crosby. Starting Bid $200
DeMille honors Laemmle, “who has blazed a trail around the world in the newest and greatest of the Arts”
704. Cecil B. DeMille Autograph Manuscript SignedA Tribute to Carl Laemmle. AMS signed “Cecil B. deMille,” one vellum page, 7 x 9, December 5, 1927. DeMille praises the efforts of Universal Pictures co-founder Carl Laemmle, in full: “To a real Pioneer, who has blazed a trail around the world in the newest and greatest of the Arts, given happiness to countless millions of his fellow beings and set us an example in courage, independence and singleness of purpose that we are proud to follow.” The place, “Los Angeles,” has been added in another hand. In very good to fine condition, with staining affecting only appearance. A significant note of appreciation from one pioneer of early film to another. Starting Bid $200
Cukor gets permission to direct My Fair Lady—his first Oscar-winning film
703. George Cukor Document Signed for My Fair Lady. DS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, August 10, 1962. Agreement between George Cukor and Metro-GoldwynMayer authorizing the director to pursue “an offer of an outside engagement with Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., namely the photoplay now entitled ‘My Fair Lady,’ which offer if accepted by you would require the rendition of your services for approximately one year commencing January 1, 1963.” Neatly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by George Cukor, and countersigned by an MGM secretary. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
706. Henry Fonda Document Signed for 20th CenturyFox. DS, 31 pages, 8.5 x 11, February 28, 1939. Agreement between Henry Fonda and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation employing the actor to render services “in one (1) motion picture, commencing on February 27, 1939, or upon the day following completion of all the services which the producer may require the artist to render in connection with the producer’s motion picture now tentatively entitled ‘Alexander Graham Bell,’” for compensation of $25,000. Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Henry Fonda, and countersigned by a studio executive and notary. Loosely laid into its original brown paper folder. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
705. Errol Flynn Signed Photograph. Vintage glossy 8 x 10 Warner Bros. publicity photo of Errol Flynn dressed in a handsome suit, signed in fountain pen. In very good condition, with scattered creases and surface marks, some light silvering to darker areas of the image, and some light irregular ink adhesion to signature. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA.
Starting Bid $200
Garbo battles with the IRS over “deductions for wardrobe and travel expenses” required to maintain her celebrity image
707. Greta Garbo Document Signed to IRS. DS, one page, 8 x 10.5, May 28, 1946. Treasury Department document headed “Consent Fixing Period of Limitation Upon Assessment of Income and Profits Tax,” in part: “In pursuance of the provisions of existing Internal Revenue Laws, Greta Garbo, a taxpayer…of Los Angeles, California, and the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue hereby consent and agree as follows: That the amount of any income, excess-profits, or war-profits taxes due under any return (or returns) made by or on behalf of the above-named taxpayer (or taxpayers) for the taxable year ended December 31, 1941…may be assessed at any time on or before June 30, 1947.” Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Greta Garbo, and countersigned by Commissioner of Internal Revenue Joseph Nunan, Jr. Includes a 17-page Treasury Department report submitted to Greta Garbo on August 8, 1946, finding a variety of deficiencies in her tax liability calculations, finding that the “taxpayer has been unable to submit records in support of the deductions for wardrobe and travel expense,” among other issues. Further includes a five-page carbon copy of a protest submitted to the IRS. In overall fine condition. Starting Bid $200
709. Judy Garland Signed Photograph. Vintage glossy 7.25 x 8.5 photo of Garland as a teenager during an MGM studio photoshoot from circa 1937, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “For Sol Handweiger, Sincerely, Judy Garland.” In very good condition, with trimmed edges and overall creasing. Starting Bid $200
‘The
sensational child ‘discovery’ of the year’— stunning Clarence Sinclair Bull portrait photo of Judy Garland as MGM’s newest star
708. Judy Garland Signed Photograph - Remarkably Early Clarence Sinclair Bull Portrait. Incredibly early vintage pearl-finish 8 x 10 Clarence Sinclair Bull photo of 13-year-old actress Judy Garland, signed neatly in fountain pen. The reverse bears Bull’s credit stamp, numbered “B. 1369,” and an affixed MGM promotional caption, which reads: “She’s the ‘Baby Nora Bayes’ of the Screen…Judy Garland, aged twelve, thought her life was ruined when an older sister married and broke up the sister trio which had been unusually successful in big-time vaudeville. Three months later she is being hailed as the sensational child ‘discovery’ of the year, and is under long-term contract to MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, said to be the only player ever signed without the formality of a screen test. Executives heard her sing in a studio office one afternoon, and the next afternoon the contract was signed.” In very fine condition. A remarkably early signed photo of Garland that many believe derives from her first photoshoot with MGM Studios. Starting Bid $200
710. Cary Grant Document Signed for RKO Radio Pictures. DS, 29 pages, 8.5 x 13, September 15, 1948. Agreement between Cary Grant and RKO Radio Pictures, by which the actor is employed to perform his services “in the leading male role in one (1) motion picture to be commenced within a period of seven (7) years,” with a provision allowing him to complete his work “in connection with the motion picture now entitled ‘War Bride Story,’ to be produced by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation” prior to the start of the seven-year timeline. Signed at the conclusion in blue ink by Cary Grant, and countersigned by a vice president of RKO. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
711. Cary Grant Document Signed for RKO Radio Pictures. DS, nineteen pages, 8.5 x 11, October 1, 1947. Agreement between Cary Grant and RKO Radio Pictures, by which the actor is employed to “portray the leading male role of ‘Mr. Blandings’ in a feature photoplay presently entitled ‘Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.’” Signed at the conclusion in blue ink by Cary Grant, and countersigned by a vice president of RKO. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Lovely signed portrait of Audrey Hepburn as an emerging Paramount actress
713. Audrey Hepburn Signed Photograph. Gorgeous vintage glossy 7.75 x 9.75 Paramount Pictures publicity photo of Audrey Hepburn from circa 1952, signed nicely in blue ink. Archivally cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 15.5 x 17.25. In fine condition, with scattered light creasing. In the same year this photo was taken, Hepburn starred in her first significant role in Secret People before being discovered for William Wyler’s Roman Holiday. Starting Bid $300
712. Harvey Revised First Draft Continuity Script. Original brad-bound “Revised First Draft Continuity” script for the 1950 Universal Pictures film Harvey, bound in the original Universal-International Pictures paper wrappers, approximately 150 pages, 8.5 x 11, with numerous annotations inside, including numerous deletions, significant revisions to dialogue, and various other amendments. In fine condition, with expected wear from use. Starting Bid $200
Early MGM personnel record filled out and signed by “Grace Patricia Kelly”
714. Grace Kelly Document Signed - MGM Personnel Record (1952). Early partly-printed DS, signed “Grace P. Kelly,” one page, 8.5 x 11, November 22, [1952]. Important Loew’s Incorporated/M-G-M Pictures personnel record filled out and signed by Kelly, who twice writes out her full legal name (“Grace Patricia Kelly”) and adds her professional name (“Grace Kelly”) plus personal details including her address (“200 East 66th”), parents’ names (“John Brenden Kelly” and “Margaret Major”), birth date (“Nov. 12th 1929”), and emergency contact (“Mrs. John B. Kelly, 3901 Henry Ave., Phila. Pa.”). In fine condition.
In 1952, Kelly inked a seven-year contract with MGM under two conditions: first, that one out of every two years, she had time off to work in the theatre; and second, that she be able to live in New York City at her residence in Manhattan House, at 200 E. 66th Street. She would soon go to Nairobi, Kenya, to begin the production of the film Mogambo, replacing Gene Tierney, who dropped out at the last minute due to personal issues. Kelly later told Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, ‘Mogambo had three things that interested me: John Ford, Clark Gable, and a trip to Africa, with expenses paid. If Mogambo had been made in Arizona, I wouldn’t have done it.’ For her turn as Linda Nordley, Kelly would be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Starting Bid $200
715. Veronica Lake Signed Photograph. Vintage glossy 7.25 x 9 studio portrait photo of Lake from circa 1941-1942, depicting her in a bare-shouldered gown as she poses suggestively on a cushion, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Jack, Good luck, Veronica Lake.” Professionally matted and framed to an overall size of 11.5 x 13.5. In fine condition. A lovely signed photo of the gorgeous leading lady in her prime. Starting Bid $200
716. Bela Lugosi Document Signed for Oh, For a Man!. Early partly-printed DS, signed “Bela Lugosi,” one page, 8.5 x 17, September 9, 1930. Agreement between Lugosi and Fox Film Corporation by which the actor is employed to “render services as such in the role of Frescatti in a photoplay the working title of which is now McFadden #4/’Stolen Thunder.’” Neatly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Bela Lugosi, and countersigned by a Fox Film representative. In fine condition. Directed by Hamilton MacFadden, the blackand-white musical comedy would be released under the title Oh, For a Man! in 1930, with Lugosi playing a goatee-wearing singing teacher. A decidedly early Lugosi document, pre-dating his legendary appearance in Dracula by one year. Starting Bid $200
717. Steve McQueen Signed Photograph. Glossy 8 x 10 photo of Steve McQueen as the title character in the action thriller Bullitt, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, “J. Daniels, Best Wishes, From Steve McQueen.” In very good to fine condition, with surface creasing. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $200
Al Pacino signs on to play Michael Corleone in “The Godfather Sequel”— a landmark Hollywood contract
718. Al Pacino Document Signed for The Godfather Part II - Contract for the Role of Michael Corleone. Important DS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, May 12, 1972. Agreement headed “Re: The Godfather Sequel - Al Pacino,” made between Chal Productions and Francis Ford Coppola Productions for “the loan of Al Pacino’s services as an actor in the the aboveentitled project on the following terms…Picture: ‘The Godfather Sequel,’ Role: ‘Michael Corleone,’ Start Date: To be designated by Coppola Productions…Remuneration: $500,000 for the entire picture.” Boldly signed at the conclusion in black felt tip by Al Pacino. In fine condition. Accompanied by a color 8 x 10 portrait of Pacino as Michael Corleone.
Widely considered to be among the greatest films ever made, The Godfather Part II stars Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, the new Don of the Corleone family, who must protect the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life. Pacino delivers a powerful performance, portraying the character’s transformation into a ruthless and isolated mafia boss. His nuanced acting earned widespread acclaim—including an Oscar nomination—and solidified his status as one of the great actors of his generation. Starting Bid $500
719. Vincent Price Document Signed for Selznick Screen Test.
DS, eleven pages, 8.5 x 11, March 10, 1936. Agreement between Vincent Price and Selznick International Pictures, Inc., in part: “We agree to make or cause to be made a motion picture photographic test or tests of you in or about New York City…In consideration of the foregoing agreement on our part, you hereby grant to us…options to engage and employ you to render your sole and exclusive services to us as a motion picture actor.”
The contract goes on to outline the terms of said options and mutual obligations; attached is a 17-page document headed “Conditions Relating to Employment of an Artist.” Stapled into its original blue paper folder. In fine condition. Accompanied by an unsigned 12-page typed document, dated June 4, 1936, confirming the mutual desire to form a new agreement after the expiration of the signed contract. Starting Bid $200
720. Mack Sennett and Ben Turpin Document Signed. DS, five pages, 8.5 x 13, July 18, 1921. Agreement between ‘King of Comedy’ producer Mack Sennett and cross-eyed actor Ben Turpin, extending the term of an existing agreement and granting additional option periods. Neatly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Mack Sennett and Ben Turpin, and countersigned by two witnesses. In fine condition.
Known for his slapstick performances in silent films, Ben Turpin joined Mack Sennett’s studio in 1917. Together, they created numerous successful comedic shorts, with Sennett’s innovative direction and Turpin’s unique physical comedy making a significant impact on early Hollywood cinema. Starting Bid $200
721. Frank Sinatra Signed Photograph. Vintage glossy 7.5 x 9 seated photo of a young Frank Sinatra at the start of his legendary career, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “Best wishes to Carla — Frank Sinatra.” Archivally matted and framed to an overall size of 11 x 14. In fine condition, with some light crazing in Sinatra’s hair. Starting Bid $200
Streisand approves the script for ‘Yentl,’ signing off on its $14 million budget
722. Barbra Streisand (2) Documents Signed for Yentl, with Working Draft of the Script. Archive of three items related to Yentl, the 1983 musical drama starring, directed, co-written, and co-produced by Barbra Streisand. Includes: two DSs signed “Barbra Streisand,” each one page, 8.5 x 11, [May] 1982, with identical text: “As the producer and director of ‘Yentl,’ I have examined and approved the final draft screenplay for ‘Yentl’ written by Jack Rosenthal and Barbra Streisand and have approved the shooting schedule and the budget which totals Fourteen Million Five Hundred Seventeen Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-One Dollars ($14,517,721). In my professional opinion as a director, the shooting schedule that I have examined is adequate for the production of the picture based on aforesaid screenplay and budget.” Also includes a working draft of the script, with the typed title (“An Untitled Barbra Streisand Film”) struck through and amended to “Yentl” in black felt tip, 167 pages, 8.5 x 11.75, extensively annotated and amended throughout with numerous deletions and revisions to dialogue, presumably in Rosenthal’s hand. In overall fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“I know I’m not a star Mr. Brown”— the young Elizabeth Taylor apologizes for her behavior on the set of National Velvet
723. Elizabeth Taylor (3) Autograph Letters
Signed to National Velvet Director Clarence Brown: “I know I’m not a star”. Three ALSs by the adolescent Elizabeth Taylor to National Velvet director Clarence Brown, all signed “Elizabeth,” circa 1944–1945. The remarkable letters outline the charming relationship between the actress and the director of her first starring role, beginning with a letter of apology for some youthful indiscretions on the set of National Velvet, followed by a grateful letter for his skillful work on the film, and concluding with a gleeful postcard from a Wisconsin fishing trip. Includes:
ALS in pencil, signed “Sincerely, Elizabeth,” four pages on a 5 x 4 folding personal stationery card, no date but circa 1944, during the production of National Velvet. In full (spelling and grammar retained): “I’m sorry I said what I did, this morning, that I didn’t like my green & yello dress, I know now, that I shouldn’t say whether I like anything or not. I’m sorry too, that I spoke to you while you were talking to Miss Revere. Mommy has told me it was wrong. I only did it, because I was in a hurry to talk to you before the hairdresser got me. I though you’d understand, but I promise I’ll never do it again. I know I’m not a star Mr. Brown, it was just our joke when Mr. Boil put the star on my dressingroom, but I tore it up to-day and I don’t want the red carpit anymore, please, don’t think, I think I’m a star the way you said it this morning, makes me never want to be one…P.S. Please excuse the pencil & the way I’ve jumbled up the pages, but I’m in bed and I couldn’t go to sleep until I wrote this.”
ALS signed twice, “Love, Elizabeth,” three pages on a 5 x 4 folding personal stationery card, December 6, 1944. In full: “You know when we were up in Monterey, we bought this blue cashmere sweater for you for an end of the picture preasent, but somehow the picture just never seemed to finish properly, and we never said good-by. But I kept the sweater for you—and now I’de like to give it to you for a thank-you preasent for making me good in ‘Velvet’ and making ‘National Velvet’ such a wonderful picture. When everybody keeps telling me how good I am in Velvet I know it is because you made me that way, because you are such a wonderful director. And I appreciate everything you have done for me and ‘Velvet’…P.S. I like the way you keep doing it over until we get it right, until it feels just right. Oh thank you thank you Mr. Brown for everything.” In closing, Taylor sketches two horses at the bottom of the page.
ALS signed “Love, Elizabeth Taylor,” one page on a 5.5 x 3.5 postcard depicting a scenic drive near Minocqua, Wisconsin, postmarked August 13, 1945. In full: “It is so beautiful up here in Wisconsin and we’re having the most wonderful vacation. We’re catching more fish, and I’m catching great big ones. Wait untill I tell you about them.” In overall fine condition. Also accompanied by an ALS by her mother, Sarah Taylor, expressing her delight at the success of National Velvet and her hopes to work with Brown again. Starting Bid $200
Ultra-early MGM contract signed by the 10-year-old Elizabeth Taylor
724. Elizabeth Taylor Document Signed - Early MGM Contract Signed at Age 10. DS, one page, 8.25 x 11, December 12, 1942. Early agreement between the ten-year-old Elizabeth Taylor and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, acknowledging receipt of “the notice of the exercise of the option above referred.” Nicely signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Elizabeth Taylor, and countersigned by her parents Francis and Sarah. In fine condition.
Taylor had made her screen debut in the Universal Pictures comedy There’s One Born Every Minute, which premiered on June 26, 1942. Following that role, her father’s friend, MGM producer Samuel Marx, arranged for her to audition for a minor part in Lassie Come Home (1943), which required a child actress with an English accent. After a trial contract of three months, she was given a standard seven-year contract in January 1943. She would be cast in her first starring role at the age of 12, when she was chosen to play the lead in National Velvet (1944). Taylor’s adolescence was largely controlled and cultivated by the studio, which transformed her into one of Hollywood’s greatest stars. Starting Bid $200
725. Irving Thalberg (3) Documents Signed. Three DSs, each signed “I. Thalberg,” 8.5 x 11 to 8.5 x 14, dated from 1927 to 1930. Includes: an agreement with Feature Productions for payment to his assistant “for a motion picture story based upon ‘The World’s Illusion’”; an agreement between MGM and Feature Productions relative to the loan of the services of actor John Mack Brown; and a contract between MGM and shipbuilder Fellows & Stewart for the construction of “one fish like hull.” In overall very good to fine condition, with heavy damage to the later document, with old clear tape touching its signature. Starting Bid $200
726. Three Stooges: Howard, Fine, and DeRita (3) Documents Signed. Three DSs, individually signed “Moe Howard,” “Larry Fine,” and “Joe DeRita,” each 8.5 x 11, dated from 1962–1964. All are standard William Morris Agency exclusive management contracts, by which each of the Three Stooges employs the firm as his “sole and exclusive agent in the legitimate theatre industry.” Each is signed at the conclusion in ink by one of the Three Stooges, with Moe Howard also initialing the first page and an attached rider. In overall fine condition. Starting Bid $200
727. Dimitri Tiomkin Document Signed for It’s a Wonderful Life. Academy Award-winning composer (18941979) of over 140 film scores, including High Noon, Giant, and The Old Man and the Sea Partly-printed DS, eight pages, 8.5 x 13, August 1, 1946. Agreement between Dimitri Tiomkin and Liberty Films by which the composer is employed “as a musical director in connection with the motion picture now entitled ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’” Neatly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Tiomkin, and countersigned by a Liberty Films vice president. Stapled into its original blue folder. In fine condition. Accompanied by a salary card for his services on the film. Starting Bid $200
728. Spencer Tracy Document Signed for Inherit the Wind. DS, two pages, 8.5 x 11, December 30, 1958. Agreement between Spencer Tracy, Lomitas Productions, and United Artists “relating to your employment for the role of ‘Henry Drummond’ in connection with the photoplay tentatively entitled ‘Inherit the Wind,’” in which the company guarantees “the payment to you of all sums due you by the Producer.” Signed at the conclusion in blue ballpoint by Spencer Tracy, and countersigned by representatives of Lomitas Productions and United Artists. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
729. Lana Turner’s Signed 1988 Screen Actors Guild Membership Card. Original folding Screen Actors Guild (SAG) membership card with an expiration date of April 30, 1989, 3.5 x 2.5, signed on the reverse in black ink, “Lana Turner.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a “Property from the estate of Lana Turner” tag. Although Turner spent most of the 1970s in semi-retirement, making her final film appearance in 1980, she accepted a much-publicized and lucrative recurring guest role in the television series Falcon Crest in 1982, and made an appearance on The Love Boat in 1985. Starting Bid $200
730. Rudolph Valentino: The Sheik Master File Scene Listing. Interesting, comprehensive scene listing for the 1921 silent film The Sheik, directed by George Melford, starring Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres, 30 pages, 8.5 x 14, documenting the movie’s 690 scenes, 175 subtitles and spoken titles, and eight reels. The first page is stamped “Master File” and “1615” at the head. In very good condition, with the last page detached from the staple, and a tape repair to the upper left corner of the first page. Starting Bid $200
The personal passport of Hollywood legend Raquel Welch
731. Raquel Welch’s Personal Passport. Raquel Welch’s personal United States of America passport, number K365022, issued on March 2, 1979. Passport measures 3.5 x 4.75 and is filled out in type on the description page with her name, birth date, birthplace, and gender, with Welch signing below in black ink, “Raquel Welch Curtis.” Affixed to the adjacent page is her gorgeous 2 x 2 passport photo, signed vertically in black ink, “Raquel Welch Curtis.” The passport includes several visa stamps for England, France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Jamaica, and Barbados, dating between 1979 and 1983. Stapled inside the passport is a “VISA Application Form to Enter Japan,” dated March 19, 1980, which lists Welch’s various personal information, notes that her purpose to travel to Japan as “Guest Presenter, Japanese Academy Awards,” features an affixed glossy photograph of the actress, and is signed at the bottom in a secretarial hand. In fine condition, with expected signs of use.
Provenance: Julien’s Auctions: Bombshell: The Raquel Welch Collection, April 2024. Starting Bid $300
732. Mae West Document Signed for Diamond Lil. DS, two pages, 8 x 13, April 29, 1932. Agreement between Mae West and Mark Linder regarding royalties for a novelization of her 1928 play Diamond Lil, in part: “It is, therefore, agreed between Mae West and Mark Linder that the moneys due or to become due to Mae West from the said novelization of ‘Diamond Lil’ and publication thereof in novel form…shall be paid by The McCaulay Company of New York City to each of the parties hereto in the proportion of eighty per cent (80%) to Mae West and twenty per cent (20%) to Mark Linder.” Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by both West and Linder. Stapled into its original blue paper folder. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
733. Mae West Twice-Signed Document for Diamond Lil. DS, three pages, 8.5 x 13, March 1, 1928. Agreement pertaining to the “play or dramatic work tentatively entitled ‘Diamond Lil,’” in which author Mae West agrees to pay to Mark Linder “one-half (1/2) of moneys which Mae West shall receive or be entitled to, as royalties or other fees or rentals.” Signed on both the second and third pages in fountain pen by West and Linder, and also initialed by both on the first page. Stapled into its original blue paper folder. In fine condition. Diamond Lil was Mae West’s first major Broadway success, and was the basis for her character Lady Lou in her 1933 film She Done Him Wrong. Starting Bid $200
“Here’s hoping he likes ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’”—a virtually nonexistent signed
Universal Pictures
portrait of
James
Whale
734. James Whale Virtually Nonexistent Signed Photograph with “The Bride of Frankenstein” Inscription. Vintage glossy 8 x 10 Universal Pictures publicity portrait of the celebrated horror director, boldly signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Donald Weeks, with best wishes & here’s hoping he likes ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’—James Whale, 1935.” Reverse bears a Roman Freulich/Universal Pictures credit stamp. In fine condition, with scattered small surface creases. Autographs of Whale are extremely rare in any form, and signed photographs of this size and quality are of the utmost desirability—the reference to his classic movie, The Bride of Frankenstein, enhances this example even further.
Roman Freulich (1898-1974) was a Polish-born American photographer, known for his portraits and movie stills. Freulich worked extensively with James Whale and was the stills photographer for Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The classic science fiction horror film Bride of Frankenstein was the sequel to the 1931 film Frankenstein. Both movies starred Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein, and the Bride of Frankenstein also starred Elsa Lanchester in the dual role of Mary Shelley and the titular character at the end of the film. Starting Bid $1000
735. Darryl F. Zanuck’s Hand-Annotated Script for The Three Musketeers. Daryl Zanuck’s hand-annotated script for “The Three Musketeers,” bound in the original Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation paper wrappers, 142 pages, 9.25 x 11.5, dated September 23, 1938, initialed on the front cover in pencil by the producer, “D. Z.” Zanuck makes substantial pencil corrections throughout, with various revisions to dialogue, deletions, check marks, camera directions, and other amendments. In fine condition, with light toning and wear to the paper covers from use. Starting Bid $200
736. Darryl F. Zanuck’s Hand-Annotated Script for Anna and the King of Siam. Daryl Zanuck’s hand-annotated script for “Anna and the King of Siam,” bound in the original Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation paper wrappers, 143 pages, 9.25 x 11.5, dated August 29, 1945, initialed on the front cover in pencil by the producer, “D. Z.” Zanuck makes some pencil corrections throughout, with minor revisions to dialogue, deletions, check marks, plot notes, and other bits of commentary. In fine condition, with expected wear from use. Starting Bid $200
Sports
Gehrig inks the sweet spot of a 1939
New York Yankees team-signed baseball
893. Lou Gehrig and 1939 NY Yankees Signed Baseball. Official Spalding baseball signed in black or brown ink on the sweet spot and side panels by the 1939 New York Yankees team, including: Lou Gehrig, Bump Hadley, George Selkirk, Frank Crosetti, Red Ruffing, Jake Powell, Spud Chandler, Monte Pearson, John Schulte, Bill Knickerbocker, Johnny Murphy, Steve Sundra, Art Fletcher, Paul Schreiber, Steve Sundra, Babe Dahlgren, Joe Gordon, and Wes Ferrell. Also includes clubhouse signatures of Joe DiMaggio (2), Bill Dickey, and Lefty Gomez. In fine condition, with scattered small stains, and all signatures a shade or two light. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. The 1939 New York Yankees team won the World Series after beating the Cincinnati Reds in four games, marking the first time any team had won four consecutive World Series. Starting Bid $300
Hugely desirable
LeBron
James game-used high school uniform from the 2003 Pangos
Dream Classic
894. LeBron James Game-Worn High School Uniform from the 2003 Pangos Dream Classic. Game-used official On Sports / Adidas St. Vincent-St. Mary High School uniform worn during the 2003 Pangos Dream Classic held at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, on January 4, 2003, consisting of James’s white mesh jersey and matching shorts, both XXL, displaying all correct tagging and sewn-on identifiers. The jersey features his number 23 in dark green and gold on the chest and back, with the chest bearing the team nickname, “Irish,” and his name above the number on the back, “James.” Appropriate one-time event wear is discernible and apparent throughout. Accompanied by a Mears letter of opinion and authenticator’s worksheet, evaluating the uniform at a grade of A5, which regards characteristics and game use. Starting Bid $200
Brooklyn Dodgers yearbook for the 1950 season, signed on the cover by the great Jackie Robinson
895. Jackie Robinson Signed 1950 Brooklyn Dodgers Yearbook. Attractive 1950 yearbook for the Brooklyn Dodgers, 48 pages, 8.5 x 11, signed vertically on the front cover in pencil by Jackie Robinson. The yearbook contains stats, biographies, and pictures for all of the Dodger players, a roster that includes Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, and more. In fine condition, with light handling wear. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA. Starting Bid $200
The Babe hits the links: a GEM MINT check made out to St. Albans Golf Club
896. Babe Ruth Filled Out Signed Check to St. Albans Golf Club - PSA GEM MINT 10. Fantastic counter check drawn on the “Chemical Bank & Trust Co., 73 Broadway NYC,” 8.5 x 3.25, boldly filled out and signed by Ruth, “Babe Ruth,” payable to St. Albans Golf Club for $33.43, August 5, 1937. In fine condition, with loss to the upper left corner. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.”
Babe Ruth was an avid golfer who frequented St. Albans Golf Club in Queens, New York, during the off-season and in his retirement. Known for his larger-than-life persona on and off the baseball field, Ruth often played rounds with fellow athletes and celebrities—and St. Albans became one of his favorite retreats, offering a relaxing contrast to the pressures of professional baseball. Ruth’s visits to the club contributed to its fame, attracting fans eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary ‘Sultan of Swat’ in a more leisurely setting.
In 1929, the New York Times reported at length on a Ruthian feat at St. Alban’s: a then-unbelievable drive estimated at 360 yards, described as ‘a shot that rocked golfdom.’ A subsequent revisit to the club, with a tape measure, found that the shot was a mere 325 yards, but the estimator defended his work by saying that he was accounting for the slice. Of the controversy, Ruth said: ‘I’ve had quite a few question me, and my answer has been: ‘If you don’t believe it, I’ll do it again and drive it out of the county.’’ Starting Bid $500
41. John Quincy Adams Signature Starting Bid $200
42. Chester A. Arthur Signed White House Card Starting Bid $200
43. Joe Biden Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
44. Joe Biden Signed Baseball Starting Bid $200
45. Joe Biden Signed Booklet - 2012 Annual Dinner of the White House ... Starting Bid $200
46. George W. Bush Signed Inauguration Invitation Starting Bid $200
47. George W. Bush Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
48. George W. Bush Signed Trading Card Starting Bid $200
49. George W. Bush Signed Book - Decision Points Starting Bid $200
50. George W. Bush Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
51. Jimmy Carter (6) Signed Books
Bid $200
52. Jimmy Carter (3) Signed Books Starting Bid $200
53. Jimmy Carter Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $200
54. Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale Signed Inauguration Invitation Starting Bid $200
55. Bill Clinton Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
56. Bill Clinton Typed Letter Signed as President on His First Inaugu... Starting Bid $200
57.
Starting Bid $200
62. Calvin
Starting Bid $200
Signature Starting Bid $200
Starting Bid $200
72.
Bill Clinton Signed Book - My Life
58. Bill Clinton Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
59. Hillary Clinton Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
60. Calvin Coolidge Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
61. Calvin Coolidge Signed Check
Coolidge
63. Calvin Coolidge Signed Limited Edition Book - The Autobiography o... Starting Bid $200
64. Calvin and Grace Coolidge Signed White House Cards Starting Bid $200
65. Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
66. Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed Ltd. Ed. BookMandate for Change
67. Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
68. Dwight D. Eisenhower (2) Signatures Starting Bid $200
69. Dwight D. Eisenhower (4) Signatures Starting Bid $200
70. Gerald Ford Signed Limited Edition BookPresident John F. Kenne... Starting Bid $200
71. Gerald Ford Signed Photograph Starting Bid $100
U. S. Grant Autograph Letter Signed, Recommending an Officer who ... Starting Bid $200
73. U. S. Grant Civil WarDated Autograph Letter Signed to Gen. Butle... Starting Bid $200
77. [Wiliam Henry Harrison] Presidential Document Reclaiming Land fro... Starting Bid $200
81. Herbert Hoover Signed Limited Edition BookHerbert Hoover: Amer... Starting Bid $200
85. Andrew Johnson Document Signed as President Starting Bid $200
74. U. S. Grant Document Signed as President, Proclaiming an Extradit... Starting Bid $200
78. Rutherford B. Hayes Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
82. Andrew Jackson Document Signed as President Starting Bid $200
75. Warren G. Harding Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
79. Herbert Hoover Typed Letter Signed as President Starting Bid $200
83. Andrew Jackson Lock of Hair with Provenance from Great-Grandson Starting Bid $200
76. Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff Signed Book - The Truths We Hold Starting Bid $200
80. Herbert Hoover Signed Photograph Starting Bid $100
84. Thomas Jefferson's 'Notes on the Establishment of a Money Unit, a... Starting Bid $200
86. Andrew Johnson Impeachment Trial Ticket Stub Starting Bid $200
87. Andrew Johnson (3) Impeachment Trial Ephemera Starting Bid $200
88. Lyndon B. Johnson Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
89. Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, and Hubert H. Humphrey Signed Inaug... Starting Bid $200
93. Abraham Lincoln: Memorial Address by George Bancroft Starting Bid $200
97. James Monroe Document Signed as President Starting Bid $200
101. Richard Nixon Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $200
90. John F. Kennedy Typed Letter Signed as a Massachusetts Congressma... Starting Bid $200
91. John F. Kennedy (2) Campaign Pins and Edward Kennedy Charm Bracel... Starting Bid $200
94. James Madison: Perpetual War, The Policy of Mr. Madison Booklet b... Starting Bid $200
98. James Monroe Document Signed as President Starting Bid $200
102. Richard Nixon Signed Apollo 11 Plaque Print - PSA MINT 9 Starting Bid $200
92. John F. Kennedy Original Wirephoto: "U.S. is determined to defend... Starting Bid $100
95. William McKinley Endorsed Check as President Starting Bid $200
99. James Monroe Document Signed as Secretary of War Starting Bid $200
103. Richard Nixon Signature Starting Bid $200
96. William McKinley Document Signed as President Starting Bid $200
100. James Monroe Signature as President Starting Bid $200
Starting Bid $200
104. Richard Nixon Signed Book - Memoirs (Ltd. Ed.)
105. Barack Obama Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
109. Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed for Lighthouses for the... Starting Bid $200
113. William H. Taft Typed Letter Signed as President Starting Bid $200
106. Ronald and Nancy Reagan Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
110. Franklin D. Roosevelt Signature Starting Bid $200
114. Harry S. Truman Signed One-Dollar Bill'The buck stops here!' Starting Bid $200
107. Eleanor Roosevelt Signed Engraving Starting Bid $200
111. Franklin, Eleanor, and Sara Roosevelt (3) Signed Items Starting Bid $200
115. Harry S. Truman Signed Photograph as President Starting Bid $200
108. Eleanor Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $100
112. Theodore Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed as Assistant Secretary of ... Starting Bid $200
116. Harry S. Truman Signed Inauguration Invitation - "It was a great ... Starting Bid $200
117. Harry S. Truman Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
118. Harry S. Truman Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
119. Donald Trump Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
120. Donald Trump Signed Book - Midas Touch Starting Bid $200
121. Donald Trump Signed 2016 Republican National Convention Pass Starting Bid $200
122. Julia Tyler War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to Secretary of War... Starting Bid $200
125. George Washington: ‘Greatness the Result of Goodness. A Sermon, O... Starting Bid $200
126. Woodrow Wilson Document Signed as President, Sending a Representa... Starting Bid $200
123. Martin Van Buren Signed Free Frank as Secretary of State Starting Bid $200
168. Queen Elizabeth II Document Signed, Pardoning an Unlicensed Motor... Starting Bid $200
124. George Washington: Funeral Oration by Maj. Gen. Henry Lee - "Firs... Starting Bid $200
203. William
172. Pope Benedict XVI Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
200. Adams Express Company Receipt (1865) Starting Bid $100
201. Menachem Begin Signed 'Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty' Booklet (U.... Starting Bid $200
202. David Ben-Gurion Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
Bingham Signed Stock Certificate for the Philadelphia and... Starting Bid $200
204. James G. Blaine Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $100
205. Tony Blair Signed Photograph Starting Bid $100
206. Carter Braxton Signature Starting Bid $200
207. Alexander Brown Document Signed Starting Bid $100
208. Aaron Burr Filled Out and Signed Check Starting Bid $200
212. Camilla, Queen Consort Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $200
209. Aaron Burr Autograph Document Signed Twice Starting Bid $200
213. Vint Cerf Original Sketch of 'Internet ca 1977' Starting Bid $200
210. John C. Calhoun Signed Mailing Envelope Starting Bid $200
214. Samuel Chase Document Signed as Chief Judge of Maryland Starting Bid $200
211. California: Bond for War Indebtedness, Funding "Suppression of In... Starting Bid $100
215. Winston Churchill Original Wirephoto (1954) Starting Bid $100
216. Henry Clews Document Signed Starting Bid $100
217. DeWitt Clinton Document Signed as Mayor of New York City Starting Bid $200
218. James Conning Silver Repair Receipt Starting Bid $100
219. Consolidated Oil Company Stock Certificate Starting Bid $100
220. James Michael Curley Document Signed Starting Bid $100
221. Francois d'Orleans, Prince of Joinville Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $200
222. Charles A. Dana (4) Letters Signed on 13th Amendment and Civil Wa... Starting Bid $200
223. Sidney Dillon Document Signed Starting Bid $100
224. Frederick Douglass Document Signed Starting Bid $200
228. James C. Fargo Signed Stock Certificate Starting Bid $200
232. Charles Ranlett Flint Signature - Founder of IBM Starting Bid $200
236. John W. Gates Document Signed Starting Bid $100
225. Early 20th Century Mills (2) Original Photographs Starting Bid $100
229. Marshall Field III Document Signed Starting Bid $100
233. William Franklin Document Signed Starting Bid $200
237. German Bond: Gemeinschaftsgruppe Deutscher Hypothekenbanken Starting Bid $100
226. Thomas Edison Document Signed - Electric Vehicle Registration (19... Starting Bid $200
230. James Fisk, Jr. Cartede-Visite Photograph Starting Bid $100
234. Peter W. Gallaudet Document Signed Starting Bid $100
238. German Bond: Staatsanleihe von 1922 der Freie Hansestadt Bremen S... Starting Bid $100
925. Jim Thorpe Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
926. Mike Tyson Signed Boxing Glove Starting Bid $200
Dazzy Vance Signature Starting Bid $200
Dazzy Vance, Frank Frisch, and Lefty O'Doul Signatures
Starting Bid $200
Starting Bid $200
929. Arky Vaughan Signature
930. Paul Waner Signature Starting Bid $200
931. Ted Williams Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
932. Ted Williams Signed Photograph Starting Bid $200
933. Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio Signed Photograph
Conditions of Sale
ANYONE EITHER REGISTERING TO BID OR PLACING A BID (“BIDDER”) ACCEPTS THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE AND ENTERS INTO A LEGALLY, BINDING, ENFORCEABLE AGREEMENT WITH R&R AUCTION COMPANY OF MASSACHUSETTS, LLC (“RR AUCTION”) TOGETHER WITH BIDDER, THE “PARTIES”).
This Agreement contains important provisions that control rights and liabilities, and specifically has provisions governing how disputes are handled as well as LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY that can be imposed upon RR Auction, WAIVER OF JURY and ARBITRATION PROVISIONS. This acknowledgement is a material term of these Conditions of Sale and of the consideration under which RR Auction agrees to these terms. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
The following terms and conditions (“Conditions of Sale”) constitute the sole terms and conditions under which RR Auction will offer for sale and sell the property on its website, and/or described in the catalog of items for auction (the “Catalog”). These Conditions of Sale constitute a binding agreement between the Parties with respect to the auction in which Bidder participates (the “Auction”). By bidding at the Auction, whether in person, through an agent or representative, by telephone, facsimile, online, absentee bid, or by any other form of bid or by any other means, Bidder acknowledges the thorough reading and understanding of all of these Conditions of Sale, all descriptions of items in the Catalog, and all matters incorporated herein by reference, and agrees to be fully bound thereby.
Section 1
The Parties1.1 RR Auction and Auction
This Auction is presented by RR Auction, a d/b/a/ of R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC, as identified with the applicable licensing information on the title page of the Catalog or on the www.RRauction.com Internet site. The Auction is conducted under these Conditions of Sale. Announcements and corrections from the podium at live auctions and those made through the Conditions of Sale appearing on the Internet at RRauction.com supersede those in the printed Catalog.
1.2
Bidder
Bidder shall mean the original Bidder on the property offered for sale by RR Auction and not any subsequent owner or other person who may acquire or have acquired an interest therein. If Bidder is an agent, the agency must be disclosed in writing to RR Auction prior to the time of sale, otherwise the benefits of the warranty shall be limited to the agent and not transferable to the undisclosed principal.
The rights granted to Bidder under these Conditions of Sale are personal and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person or entity, whether by operation of law or otherwise without the express written assent of RR Auction. Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey these Conditions of Sale or any of the rights herein, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. No third party may rely on any benefit or right conferred on any Bidder by these Conditions of Sale, and no third party is intended as a beneficiary of these Conditions of Sale.
Bids will not be accepted from minor persons under eighteen (18) years of age without a parent or legal guardian’s written consent containing an acknowledgment of the Conditions of Sale herein and indicating their agreement to be bound thereby on behalf of the Bidder.
All Bidders must meet RR Auction’s qualifications to bid. Any Bidder who is not a client in good standing of RR Auction may be disqualified at RR Auction’s sole option and will not be awarded lots. Such determination may be made by RR Auction in its sole and unlimited discretion, at any time prior to, during, or even after the close of the Auction. RR Auction reserves the right to exclude any person from the Auction.
If an entity places a bid, then the person executing the bid on behalf of the entity agrees to personally guarantee payment for any successful bid and agrees to be bound by these Conditions of Sale in addition to company for whom the Bidder is acting
By accepting the Conditions of Sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment.
Section 2 Bidding Privileges
2.1 In order to place bids, Bidders who have not established an account with RR Auction must either furnish satisfactory credit information (including two collectibles-related business references) or supply additional information if requested, well in advance of the Auction. Bidders who are not members of RRAuction.com should pre-register before the close of the Auction to allow adequate time to contact references. Privileges will be granted at the sole discretion of RR Auction. Additionally, Bidders who have not previously established credit or who wish to bid in excess of their established credit history may be required to provide a cash deposit prior to RR Auction’s acceptance of a bid. Check writing privileges and immediate delivery of merchandise may also be determined by pre-approval of credit based on a combination of criteria: RRAuction.com history, related industry references, bank verification, a credit bureau report and/or a personal guarantee for a corporate or partnership entity in advance of the Auction venue.
2.2 Bidder providing any false or misleading information provided in connection with the registration shall be a material breach of the Conditions of Sale and in addition to any other remedies at law shall excuse RR Auction from performance under these Conditions of Sale, including the right to any refund.
2.2 Bidding privileges may be revoked without notice, for any reason, at the sole discretion of RR Auction .
Section 3
Buyer’s Premium
3.1 The Bidder acknowledges and agrees that a 25% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on all individual lots sold in timed and live Auctions. . For payment other than by cash, delivery will not be made unless and until full payment has been received by RR Auction, i.e., check or wired funds have fully cleared. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, signed by RR Auction, payment in full is due within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date, whichever is earlier. Bidder’s failure to pay any payment in full when due required shall constitute a material breach, and in addition to other damages available under contract or law, at RR Auction’s election, RR Auction may cancel the sale and require full premium still be due along with interest at 1.5% per month from the date of breach, or at the maximum legally allowable rate.
Section 4
Bidding
4.1 Each Bidder’s determination of its bid should be based upon its own examination of the item(s) and independent investigation, rather than the any reliance as to what is represented in the Catalog, online or elsewhere. Bidder affirms that it regards any statements made by RR Auction concerning the item as solely opinion and that Bidder is making its own inspection and independent evaluation of the goods, and is not relying upon any description or statements by RR Auction (including as to quality, authenticity, provenance, ownership, liens existing, on goods legality, or value) in making its determination to bid on or purchase an item. In any purchase or sale, the value of the item(s) is determined by the price. THE BIDDER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS CONCERNING ANY AND ALL PURCHASES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
4.2 RR AUCTION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS IN BIDDING. A Bidder should make certain to bid on the correct lot and that the bid is the maximum (plus the Buyer’s Premium) that the Bidder is willing and able to pay. Since other Bidders (by mail, facsimile, online, and in person) will be present, and since a reoffering could damage the momentum of the sale, once the hammer has fallen and RR Auction has announced the winning Bidder, such Bidder is unconditionally bound to pay for the lot, even if the Bidder has made a mistake.
4.3 All prospective Bidders who examine lots in person prior to the sale shall personally assume all responsibility for any damage they cause in so doing. RR Auction shall have sole discretion in determining the value of the damage caused, which shall be promptly paid by the prospective Bidder.
4.4 Title to any lot remains with Consignor, any secured party of the Consignor, or assignee of Consignor, as the case may be, until the lot is paid for in full by Bidder and Bidder has fully satisfied any outstanding financial obligations to RR Auction (including as it concerns aby other lots). RR Auction reserves the right to require payment in full before delivering any lot to the successful Bidder.
4.5 It is the Bidder’s responsibility and obligation to have the lots fully insured while in their possession. Bidder assumes any and all risk of loss upon the earlier of shipment to Bidder or in Bidder’s possession.
4.6 Bidder grants to RR Auction or its assigns the right to offset any sums due, or found to be due by RR Auction, and to make such offset from any past, subsequent or future consignment, or items acquired by Bidder in possession or control of RR Auction or from any sums due to Bidder by RR Auction. Bidder fur-
ther grants RR Auction a lien consisting of a senior security interest (or purchase money security interest to the extent applicable) in such sums or items to the fullest extent applicable, authorizes RR Auction to file documents concerning the interest, and Bidder agrees to execute any further documents as may be reasonably necessary to grant RR Auction such security interest. Bidder agrees that RR Auction and its assigns shall be a secured party with respect to items bought by Bidder and in the possession of RR Auction, to the extent of the maximum indebtedness, plus all accrued fees and expenses, until the indebtedness is paid.
4.7 By bidding in this sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment. The authorized representative of any corporate Bidder who is present at the sale shall provide RR Auction or its agent, prior to the commencement of the bidding (or at the time of registration), with a statement signed by a principal, director or officer that they he or she personally and unconditionally guarantees any payment due RR Auction.
4.8 RR Auction may at its sole and absolute discretion, make loans or advances to Consignors and/or prospective Bidders.
Section 5 Bidding Options
5.1 Non-Internet bids (including but not limited to in-person, facsimile, phone and mail bids) are treated similarly to floor bids in that they must be on-increment. Any in-person, facsimile, phone, or mail bids that do not conform to a full increment will be rounded up or down to the nearest full increment and this revised amount will be considered Bidder’s high bid.
5.2 When identical bids are submitted, preference is given to the first received. To ensure the greatest accuracy, written bids should be entered on the standard printed bid sheet and be received at RR Auction’s place of business at least twenty-four (24) hours before the Auction start. RR Auction is not responsible for executing mail bids or facsimile bids received on or after the day the first lot is sold, nor Internet bids submitted after the published closing time; nor is RR Auction responsible for proper execution of bids submitted by telephone, mail, facsimile, e-mail, Internet, or in person once the Auction begins.
5.3 In all Auctions, bids on an item must raise the current high bid by at least 10%, or as specified on a per-Auction basis. Bids will be accepted in whole dollar amounts only. No “buy” or “unlimited” bids will be accepted. In a live sale, bids on an item can change at the discretion of RR Auction.
5.4 RR Auction reserves the right to accept or decline any bid. Bids must be for an entire lot and each lot constitutes a separate sale. All bids are per lot unless otherwise announced. Live auction lots will be sold in their numbered sequence unless RR Auction directs otherwise. It is unlawful and illegal for Bidders to collude, pool, or agree with another Bidder to pay less than the fair value for lot(s). For live auctions, RR Auction will have final discretion in the event that any dispute should arise between Bidders. RR Auction will determine the successful Bidder, cancel the sale, or re-offer and resell the lot or lots in dispute. RR Auction will have final discretion to resolve any disputes arising after the sale and in online auctions. If any dispute arises, RR Auction’s sale record is conclusive.
Section 6 Payment
6.1 Subject to fulfillment of all of the Conditions of Sale set forth herein, upon the sooner of (1) the passing of title to the offered lot pursuant to these Conditions of Sale, or (2) possession of the offered lot by the Bidder, Bidder thereupon (a) assumes full risk and responsibility (including without limitation, liability for or damage to frames or glass covering prints, paintings, photos, or other works), and (b) will immediately pay the full purchase price or such part as RR Auction may require. In addition to other remedies available to RR Auction by law, RR Auction reserves the right to impose from the date of sale a late charge of 1.5% per month of the total purchase price if payment is not made in accordance with the conditions set forth herein. All property must be removed from RR Auction’s premises by the Bidder at his/her expense not later than sixty (60) business days following its sale and, if it is not so removed, RR Auction may send the purchased property to a public warehouse for the account, at the risk and expense of the Bidder.
6.2 Payment is due upon closing of the Auction session, or upon presentment of an invoice. RR Auction reserves the right to void an invoice if payment in full is not received within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date. In cases of nonpayment, RR Auction’s election to void a sale does not relieve the Bidder from their obligation to pay RR Auction its fees (seller’s and Buyer’s Premium) on the lot and any other damages pertaining to the lot.
6.3 All sales for total invoices greater than $1,000 are strictly for cash in United States dollars (including U.S. currency, bank wire, cashier checks, eChecks, and bank money orders), and are subject to all reporting requirements.
6.4 All deliveries are subject to good funds; funds being received in RR Auction’s account before delivery of the Purchases; and all payments are subject to a clearing period. RR Auction reserves the right to determine if a check constitutes “good funds”: checks drawn on a U.S. bank are subject to a ten (10) calendar day hold, and ten (10) business days when drawn on an international bank. Clients with pre-arranged credit status may receive immediate credit for payments via e-Check, personal or corporate checks.
6.5 In the event that a Bidder’s payment is dishonored upon presentment(s), Bidder shall pay the maximum statutory processing fee set by applicable state law. If Bidder attempts to pay via check and the financial institution denies the transfer from Bidder’s bank account, or the payment cannot be completed using the selected funding source, Bidder agrees to complete payment.
6.7 If RR Auction refers any unpaid invoice to an attorney for collection, the Bidder agrees to pay and shall be liable for RR Auction’s attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by RR Auction in addition to the invoice amount and interest the greater of 1.5% per month or at the maximum legally allowable rate from date of invoice to collection. If RR Auction assigns collection to its house counsel, such attorney’s time expended on the matter shall be compensated at a rate comparable to the hourly rate of independent attorneys.
6.8 RR Auction shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the Bidder (as well as to the extent it is a consignor any other monies owed or due to Bidder) to secure payment of the Auction invoice. RR Auction is further granted a lien and the right to retain possession of any other property of the Bidder then held by RR Auction or its affiliates to secure payment of any Auction invoice or any other amounts due RR Auction or affiliates from the Bidder. With respect to these lien rights, RR Auction shall have all the rights of a secured creditor, including but not limited to the right of sale. In addition, with respect to payment of the Auction invoice(s), the Bidder waives any and all rights of offset he might otherwise have against RR Auction and the consignor of the merchandise included on the invoice (the Consignor”). If a Bidder owes RR Auction or its affiliates on any account, RR Auction and its affiliates shall have the right to offset such unpaid account by any credit balance due Bidder, and it may secure by possessory lien any unpaid amount by any of the Bidder’s property in their possession.
6.9 All checks, cashiers checks, bank checks, or money orders are payable to R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC. RR Auction clients with an invoice totaling $1,000 or under will have the option to pay by VISA, Mastercard, Discover or Paypal. All Paypal payments must be sent to FinanceDepartment@ rrauction.com. Authorize.net, a third-party service provider contracted by RR Auction for processing on-line payments, charges a nonrefundable service fee of 3%, which will be added to your final invoice should you pay by credit/debit card.
Section 7 Sales Tax
RR Auction is a remote seller and we are now required to collect Sales/Use Tax from our bidders. The states that we have nexus in we will be required to collect and remit sales tax on your behalf. Each state has different requirements to meet nexus. When RR Auction has achieved a certain monetary and/or invoice threshold in each state we will apply sales tax to your total invoice. The states that are affected are: ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OKLAHOMA, PENNSYLVANIA,RHODE ISLAND, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN
If we have not achieved nexus in a particular state it is still your responsibility to pay sales tax on your purchases.
The sales tax rate is determined by the State, Country, and City where purchases are shipped to. If you decide to pick up your purchases at our New Hampshire location you will not be required to pay sales tax. The State of New Hampshire does not have a general sales and use tax. All purchases picked up at our Massachusetts location will be taxed at the current rate of 6.25%.
If you have a resale number please email Sue@RRAuction.com or fax to (603) 732-4288 a copy of your state resale certificate and you will be exempt from paying sales tax.
Section 8
Delivery; Shipping; and Handling Charges
Bidder is liable for shipping and handling and providing accurate information as to shipping or delivery locations and arranging for such. RR Auction is unable to combine purchases from other auctions or affiliates into one package for shipping purposes. Lots won will be shipped in a commercially reasonable time after payment in good funds for the merchandise and the shipping fees is received or credit extended, except when third-party shipment occurs. Bidder agrees that
service and handling charges related to shipping items which are not pre-paid may be charged to a credit card on file with RR Auction.
Successful international Bidders shall provide written shipping instructions, including specified Customs declarations, to RR Auction for any lots to be delivered outside of the United States. NOTE: Declaration value shall be the item’(s) hammer price and RR Auction shall use the correct harmonized code for the lot. Domestic Bidders on lots designated for third-party shipment must designate the common carrier, accept risk of loss, and prepay shipping costs.
Section 9
Title
Title shall not pass to the successful Bidder until all invoices of Bidder (including those pertaining to the item(s) at issue) and amounts owed to RR Auction are paid in full. It is the responsibility of the Bidder to provide adequate insurance coverage for the items once they have been delivered to a common carrier or third-party shipper.
Section 10
Rights Reserved
RR Auction reserves the right, at any time before, during or after an auction has ended to: withdraw any lot before or at the time of the Auction, cancel any bid, and/or to postpone the Auction of all or any lots or parts thereof, for any reason. RR Auction shall not be liable to any Bidder in the event of such withdrawal, cancellation, or postponement under any circumstances. RR Auction reserves the right to refuse to accept bids from anyone at any time.
Section 11
Conducting the Auction
11.1 RR Auction reserves the right to postpone the Auction or any session thereof for a reasonable period of time for any reason whatsoever, and no Bidder or prospective Bidder shall have any claim as a result thereof, including consequential damages.
11.2 RR Auction’s Discretion: RR Auction shall determine opening bids and bidding increments. RR Auction has the right in its absolute discretion to reject any bid in the event of dispute between Bidders or if RR Auction has doubt as to the validity of any bid, to advance the bidding at its absolute discretion and to determine the successful Bidder in the event of a dispute between Bidders, to continue the bidding or to reoffer and resell the lot in question. In the event of a dispute after the sale, RR Auctions record of final sale shall be conclusive. RR Auction also may reject any bid if RR Auction decides either that any bid is below the reserve of the lot or article or that an advance is insufficient. Unless otherwise announced by RR Auction at the time of sale, no lots may be divided for the purpose of sale.
11.3 Reserves
Lots may be subject to a reserve which is the confidential minimum price below which the lot will not be sold. Consignors may not bid on their own lots or property. RR Auction may, from time to time, bid on items that it does not own. RR Auction may execute bids consecutively or otherwise up to one bid increment below the reserve.
11.4
Off-Site Bidding
Bidding by telephone, facsimile, online, or absentee bidding (advance written bids submitted by mail) are offered solely as a convenience and permitted subject to advance arrangements, availability, and RR Auction’s approval which shall be exercised at RR Auction’s sole discretion. Neither RR Auction nor its agents or employees shall be held liable for the failure to execute bids or for errors relating to any transmission or execution thereof. In order to be considered for off-site bidding in any manner, Bidders must comply with all of these Conditions of Sale and the terms contained on the Registration Form.
11.5 Estimate Prices:
In addition to descriptive information, each item in the Catalog sometimes includes a price range which reflects opinion as to the price expected at auction (the “Estimate Prices”). In other instances, Estimate Prices can be obtained by calling RR Auction at (603) 732-4280. The Estimate Prices are based upon various factors including prices recently paid at auction for comparable property, condition, rarity, quality, history and provenance. Estimate Prices are prepared well in advance of the sale and subject to revision. Estimates do not include the Buyer’s Premium or sales tax (see under separate heading).
11.6 Owned or Guaranteed Property:
RR Auction generally offers property consigned by others for sale at public auction; in very limited occasion, lots are offered that are the property of RR Auction.
11.7 Before the Auction:
Bidder may attend pre-sale viewing for all of RR Auction’s auctions at no charge. All property to be auctioned is usually on view for several days prior to the sale. Bidder is encouraged to examine lots thoroughly. Bidder may also request condition reports (see below). RR Auction’s staff are available at viewings and by appointment.
11.8 Maximum Bids In All Auctions:
To maximize Bidder’s chance of winning, RR Auction strongly encourages the use of maximum bids. RR Auction will then bid for Bidder until the lot reaches Bidder’s specified maximum. Maximum bids are strictly confidential. Placing arbitrary, non-incremental bids on lots with prior maximum bids may result in these lots being sold for less than 10% above the under Bidder’s bid.
11.9 Successful Bids:
The fall of RR Auction’s hammer indicates the final bid. RR Auction will record the paddle number of the Bidder. If Bidder’s salesroom or absentee bid is successful, Bidder will be notified after the sale by mailed or emailed invoice.
11.10 Unsold Lots:
If a lot does not reach the reserve, it is bought-in. In other words, it remains unsold and is returned to the Consignor. RR Auction has the right to sell certain unsold items after the close of the Auction. Such lots shall be considered sold during the Auction and all these Terms and Conditions shall apply to such sales including but not limited to the Buyer’s Premium, return rights, and disclaimers.
11.11 Bidding in Timed Auction:
Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right.
The auctioneer may also execute a bid on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve.
To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids.
Any Bidder may bid on any lot prior to 6 pm EST/EDT. At that time, an extended bidding period goes into effect. If Bidder has not bid on a lot before 6 pm EST/ EDT, Bidder may not bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. Only those Bidders who have placed bids on a lot before 6 pm EST/EDT will be allowed to bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the only Bidder on a lot at 6 pm EST/ EDT, that lot is awarded to Bidder. During the extended bidding period, a lot will remain open only to those who bid on that lot prior to 6 pm EST/EDT. All lots WITHOUT an opening bid at 6 pm EST/EDT will remain OPEN to ALL Bidders until 7 pm EST/EDT or until they receive their first bid. These lots will close immediately upon receipt of a bid or at 7 pm EST/EDT, whichever comes first. For all lots that are active after 7 pm EST/EDT, bidding will remain open until 30 minutes pass without a bid being placed on THAT lot (the “30 Minute Rule”).
The 30 Minute Rule is applied on a PER LOT BASIS; each lot in the Auction closes individually based on bidding activity after 7 pm EST/EDT. On a PER LOT BASIS, the 30 minute timer will reset each time a bid is placed after 7 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the high Bidder, raising Bidder’s maximum bid will NOT reset the timer. RR Auction reserves the right to close the Auction at any time at its sole discretion.
11.12 Bidding - Internet Live Auction:
Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right.
To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids.
During live internet or live auction, property is auctioned in consecutive numerical order, as it appears in the catalog. The auctioneer will accept bids from those present in the salesroom or absentee bidders participating by telephone,
internet or by written bid left with RR Auction in advance of the auction. The auctioneer may also execute a bid or bids (successively or otherwise) on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve. All auctions for lots are with reserve unless specifically stated otherwise.
During live Auctions, internet bids can be placed in real time through one or more of the following Third Party services: www.liveauctioneers.com, www.invaluable. com and www.icollector.com. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids. RR Auction treats any third-party site bids as floor or telephone bids. Floor bids and telephone bids are always considered first over third party sites bids, and floor bids are considered earlier than telephone bids. All RR Auction lots purchased through the third-party sites carry an additional Buyer’s Premium.
11.13 Miscellaneous:
Agreements between Bidders and Consignors to effectuate a non-sale of an item at Auction, inhibit bidding on a consigned item to enter into a private sale agreement for said item, or to utilize RR Auction’s Auction to obtain sales for non-selling consigned items subsequent to the Auction, are strictly prohibited. If a subsequent sale of a previously consigned item occurs in violation of this provision, RR Auction reserves the right to charge Bidder the applicable Buyer’s Premium and Consignor a Seller’s Commission as determined for each auction venue and by the terms of the seller’s agreement.
Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions qualifies Bidder as a client who has consented to be contacted by RR Auction in the future. In conformity with ”donot-call” regulations promulgated by the Federal or State regulatory agencies, participation by the Bidder is affirmative consent to being contacted at the phone number shown in his application and this consent shall remain in effect until it is revoked in writing. RR Auction may from time to time contact Bidder concerning sale, purchase, and auction opportunities available.
11.14 Rules of Construction: RR Auction presents properties in a number of collectible fields, and as such, specific venues have promulgated supplemental Terms and Conditions. Nothing herein shall be construed to waive the general Conditions of Sale by these additional rules and shall be construed to give force and effect to the rules in their entirety.
Section 12
RR Auction’s Remedies
Failure of the Bidder to comply with any of these Conditions of Sale or the terms of the Registration Form is an event of material breach or default. In such event, RR Auction may, in addition to any other available remedies specifically including the right to hold the defaulting Bidder liable for the Purchase Price or to charge and collect from the defaulting Bidder’s credit or debit accounts as provided for elsewhere herein: (a) cancel the sale, retaining any payment made by the Bidder as damages (the Bidder understands and acknowledges that RR Auction will be substantially damaged should such default occur, and that damages under subpart (a) are necessary to compensate RR Auction for such damages); (b) resell the property without reserve at public auction or privately; (c) charge the Bidder interest on the Purchase Price at the rate of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month or the highest allowable interest rate; (d) take any other action that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or appropriate to preserve and protect RR Auction’s rights and remedies. Should RR Auction resell the property, the original defaulting Bidder shall be liable for the payment of any deficiency in the purchase price and all costs and expenses associated there with, including but not limited to warehousing, sales-related expenses, reasonable attorney fees and court costs, commissions, incidental damages and any other charges due hereunder which were not collected or collectable. In the event that such Bidder is the successful Bidder on more than one lot and pays less than the purchase price for the total lots purchased, RR Auction shall apply the payment received to such lot or lots that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. If RR Auction does not exercise such discretion, the lots to which the payment shall be applied will be in descending order from the highest purchase price to the lowest. Any Bidder failing to comply with these Conditions of Sale shall be deemed to have granted RR Auction a security interest in, and RR Auction may retain as collateral such security for such Bidder’s obligations to RR Auction, any Bidder’s property in RR Auction’s possession or to which title has not yet passed to Bidder. RR Auction shall have the benefit of all rights of a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) as adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Section 13 Warranties
13.1 RR Auction does not provide any warranties to Bidders, whether expressed or implied, beyond those expressly provided in these Conditions of Sale. All property and lots are sold ”as is” and “where is”. By way of illustration rather than limitation, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to merchantability or fitness for intended use, condition of the property (including any condition report), correctness of description, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, importance, exhibition, relevance, attribution, source, provenance, date, authorship, condition, culture, genuineness, value, or period of the property. Additionally, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to whether the Bidder acquires rights in copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property (including exhibition or reproduction rights) related to the item, or whether the property is subject to any limitations or other rights. RR Auction does not make any representation or warranty as to title.
13.2 All descriptions, photographs, illustrations, and terminology including but not limited to words describing condition (including any condition reports requested by Bidder, see also Terminology), authorship, period, culture, source, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, provenance, importance, exhibition, and relevance, used in the Catalog, bill of sale, invoice, or anywhere else, represent a good faith effort made by RR Auction to fairly represent the lots and property offered for sale as to origin, date, condition, and other information contained therein; they are statements of opinion only. They are not representations or warranties and Bidder agrees and acknowledges that he or she shall not rely on them in determining whether or not to bid or for what price. Price estimates (which are determined well in advance of the Auction and are therefore subject to revision) and condition reports are provided solely as a convenience to Bidders and are not intended nor shall they be relied on by Bidders as statements, representations or warranties of actual value or predictions of final bid prices.
13.3 Bidders are accorded the opportunity to inspect the lots and to otherwise satisfy themselves as to the nature and sufficiency of each lot prior to bidding, and RR Auction urges Bidders to avail themselves accordingly.
13.4 All lots sold by RR Auction are accompanied by an Auction Certificate (“AC”). On any lot presented with an AC issued by RR Auction, the certification is only as to its attribution to the person or entity described or to the lot’s usage and only as explicitly stated therein (the “AC”), to the exclusion of any other warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to those pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. The AC inures only to the original Bidder (as shown in RR Auction’s records). Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey the AC and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void.
Section 14
Firearms
RR Auction complies with all Federal and State rules and regulations relating to the purchasing, registration and shipping of firearms. A Bidder is required to provide appropriate documents and the payment of associated fees, if any. Bidder is responsible for providing a shipping address that is suitable for the receipt of a firearm.
Section 15
Unauthorized Statements
Under no circumstances is any employee, agent or representative of RR Auction authorized by RR Auction to modify, amend, waive or contradict any of these Conditions of Sale, any term or condition set forth on a registration form, any warranty or limitation or exclusion of warranty, any term or condition in either the Registration Form or these Terms and Conditions regarding payment requirements, including but not limited to due date, manner of payment, and what constitutes payment in full, or any other term or condition contained in any documents issued by RR Auction unless such modification, amendment, waiver or contradiction is contained in a writing signed by all parties. Any statements, oral or written, made by employees, agents or representatives of RR Auction to Bidder, including statements regarding specific lots, even if such employee, agent or representative represents that such statement is authorized, unless reduced to a writing signed Bidder and by an authorized officer of RR Auction by all parties, are statements of personal opinion only and are not binding on RR Auction, and under no circumstances shall be relied upon by Bidder as a statement, representation or warranty of RR Auction.
Section 16
Bidder’s Remedies
16.1 Except as stated expressly herein, Bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy related to or pertaining to items it bids upon, views, or purchases from RR Auction, and any claims by Bidder related to authenticity, ownership, condition, title or value, shall be against Consignor only.
16.2 This section sets forth the sole and exclusive remedies of Bidder as against
RR Auction (inclusive of its affiliates, officers, managers, employees or agents), or in any way arising out of, related to, or in connection with these Conditions of Sale, , and is expressly in lieu of any other rights or remedies which might be available to Bidder by law. Time is of the essence with respect to these procedures.
16.3 Title to Items
The Bidder hereby accepts the benefit of the Consignor’s warranty of title and any other representations and warranties made by the Consignor for the Bidder’s benefit. In the event that Bidder demonstrates in writing, satisfactory to the sole discretion of RR Auction, that there was a breach of the Consignor’s warranty of title concerning a lot purchased by Bidder, RR Auction may make demand upon the Consignor to pay to Bidder the Purchase Price (including any premiums, taxes, or other amounts paid or due to RR Auction). Should the Consignor not pay the Purchase Price to Bidder within thirty days after such demand (if any made), RR Auction may disclose the identity of the Consignor to Bidder and may assign to Bidder all or some of RR Auction’s rights against the Consignor with respect to such lot or property. Upon such disclosure and/or assignment, all responsibility and liability of RR Auction, if any, with respect to said lot or item shall automatically terminate related to or arising from these Conditions of Sale or such transaction operating as a complete waiver and general release by Bidder as to RR Auction and its agents, contractors, and affiliates, as to any and all claims concerning or related to the item, if any . RR Auction shall be entitled to retain the premiums and other amounts paid to RR Auction by Consignor only. The rights and remedies provided herein are for the original Bidder only and they may not be assigned or relied upon by any transferee or assignee under any circumstances.
16.4 Authenticity Challenge Process
(1) If Bidder wishes to dispute or challenge the Authenticity of the lot or item (including asserting that it is incorrect), Bidder must adhere to the following procedure: Within 30 days of the Auction Date, Bidder must present written evidence to RR Auction, that the lot is not authentic as determined by a known expert in the field (and one recognized by RR Auction within its discretion) and send the physical item or lot at issue to RR Auction along with all evidence relied upon by Bidder for contesting the Authenticity. (“Authenticity Challenge Process”) “Authenticity” shall mean a gross discrepancy in the between the description, genuiness, or attribution of the item as represented by RR Auction in the Catalog or at the auction, and the item. If RR Auction concurs that the lot is not Authentic as was represented (it is sole discretion), Bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy as against RR Auction (inclusive of its affiliates, agents, employees, and contractors) shall be a refund of the purchase price of the subject item paid by Bidder, with no other costs, liabilities or amounts recoverable by Bidder. If RR Auction does not agree with the assertion by Bidder, then the Parties shall follow the dispute resolution procedures of these Conditions of Sale. Strict adherence to the Authenticity Challenge Process is a condition of standing for Bidder to initiate suit or claim.
(2) So long as Bidder has complied with the Authenticity Challenge Process, any claim, suit or action, by Bidder concerning an AC or Certification of Authenticity, or related to the authenticity of the item must, without any exception, be brought within one (1) year of Auction Date and is subject to the other limitations and conditions stated in the Conditions of Sale.
16.5 Other Issues. Any dispute or claim by Bidder against RR Auction (or its affiliates, directors, employees, officers, agents, or contractors)) other than Authenticity, concerning any item or lot bid upon, or purchased, including value, title, condition, bidding process, or description must be asserted (if at all) in the following manner:
(1) If the description of any lot in the Catalog is materially or grossly incorrect (e.g., gross cataloging error), or there is any other gross material issue pertaining to the item or lot, the item or lot may be returned if returned within five (5) calendar days of receipt, and received by RR Auction no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the Auction Date with explanation in writing.. If there is any discrepancy between the description in the Catalog and a certificate of auction, then the description in the certificate of auction (“Lot Challenge Process”). This paragraph shall constitute Bidder’s sole right with respect to the return of items, and no refunds shall be given for any items not returned to and received by RR Auction within the period of time stated herein or not materially or grossly in deviation from the description. Such a refund is subject to RR Auction’s sole discretionary review, and any request for refund must be made concurrently with returning the physical item or lot to RR Auction. Any item not returned within said frame will constitute acceptance of the item and a waiver and release of any and all claims by Bidder pertaining to the item other than with respect to authenticity; and
(2) Provided that the Bidder has engaged in the Lot Challenge Process, any
claim concerning such must be brought no later than one (1) year of the Auction Date for the item or lot at issue and is subject to the other limitations and conditions stated in the Conditions of Sale.
NO RETURN OR REFUND OF ANY AUCTION LOT WILL BE CONSIDERED OR PROVIDED EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE AND BIDDERS OR AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY LAW. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH SUCH SHALL BE A COMPLETE DEFENSE TO ANY CLAIMS BY BIDDER RELATED TO THE CONDITIONS OF SALE, ANY AUCTION OR BID.
16.6 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. For any and all claims by Bidder arising out of or related to this Agreement, Bidder’s viewing, bid, or purchase of items, or any agreement between the Parties, or otherwise, Bidder agrees that to the fullest extent such can be limited under the law, Bidder shall have no right to recover and hereby waives any and all rights to recover from against RR Auction or its affiliates, directors, employees, officers, agents, or contractors, consequential or indirect damages, lost profits damages, punitive, exemplary, statutory (or multiplier damages), physical or emotional distress damages, general or special damages of any kind (beyond amounts actually paid by Bidder for item(s) at issue), and in the event of recovery of any damages whatsoever, such shall be limited by the amounts actually paid by Bidder to RR Auction for the item(s) at issue in such claim, or if no money was paid to RR Auction by Bidder for items at issue, or there items are at issue, the amount of $150.00.
Section 17
RR Auction’s Additional Services
For Bidders who do not remove purchased property from RR Auction’s premises, RR Auction, in its sole discretion and solely as a service and accommodation to Bidders, may arrange to have purchased lots packed, insured and forwarded at the sole request, expense, and risk of Bidder. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for acts or omissions in such packing or shipping by RR Auction or other packers and carriers, whether or not recommended by RR Auction. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for damage to frames, glass or other breakable items. Where RR Auction arranges and bills for such services via invoice, RR Auction will include an administration charge.
Section 18
Headings
Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret the substantive sections to which they refer.
Section 19
Entire Agreement
Except to the extent Bidder is also a consignor (in which case the terms of the consignment agreement shall also govern), these Conditions of Sale constitute the entire agreement between the Parties together with the terms and conditions contained in the auction Registration Form. They may not be amended, modified or superseded except in a signed writing executed by all parties. No oral or written statement by anyone employed by RR Auction or acting as agent or representative of RR Auction may amend, modify, waive or supersede the terms herein unless such amendment, waiver or modification is contained in a writing signed by all parties.
If any section of these Conditions of Sale or any term or provision of any section is held to be invalid, void, or unenforceable by any court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction, the remaining parts of the agreement and remainder of the sections or terms and provisions of the section and all sections shall continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way.
Section 20 Governing Law and Enforcement
20.1 The Parties agree that all agreements between the Parties including but not limited to these Conditions of Sale are entered into in Boston, Massachusetts, no matter where Bidder is situated and no matter by what means or where Bidder was informed of the Auction and regardless of whether catalogs, materials, or other communications were received by Bidder in another location.
20.2 The Parties agree that these Conditions of Sale, any other related agreement(s), along with all claims between the Parties, including those arising out of or related to such are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard for its conflict of laws principles. The Parties agree that any dispute between the Parties, including but not limited to those related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale, or related to or arising out of any other related agreement(s) shall be submitted to confidential binding arbitration (the ”Arbitration”) before a single Arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association
(the “AAA”) The Parties agree that the Arbitration shall be conducted pursuant to the commercial rules of the AAA in Boston, Massachusetts, unless the Consumer Arbitration Rules apply, in which case, such rules and venue will govern. In the event that the Parties cannot agree on the selection of the Arbitrator, then the Arbitrator shall be selected by the AAA. The prevailing Party in the Arbitration shall also recover all of its related fees and costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the Arbitration, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, if RR Auction prevails, such recovery, in addition to all remedies available at agreement or law, shall include the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. Federal arbitration law, including the Federal Arbitration Act apply to this agreement to arbitrate and its related provisions. The arbitration and all related proceedings shall be held strictly confidential and all documents and discovery shall be held confidential and not used, published or disclosed publically or to anyone outside the Parties or expert consultants or counsel who shall agree to hold such confidential.
20.3 The Parties consent to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as exclusive jurisdiction and venue for all claims between the Parties except as provided specifically herein and may seek confirmation of the decision in the Arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act in any Court of competent jurisdiction, including the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. To the extent such is necessary under the law, RR Auction may enforce the Arbitration award against Bidder and any related Party in any court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as RR Auction consenting to jurisdiction or venue in any location outside of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
THE PARTIES MAY NOT BRING CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OTHER AS A CLASS OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLAIMED CLASS, OR IN A REPRESENTATIVE ACTION UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED. UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED, THE CLAIMS AGAINST EACH OF THE OTHER CANNOT BE CONSOLIDATED OR JOINED WITH MORE THAN ONE ADDITIONAL PERSON OR ENTITIES’ CLAIMS. NO INJUNCTIVE OR DECLATORY RELIEF SOUGHT BY BIDDER IF ANY, CAN AFFECT OR BE ORDERED TO AFFECT ANY OTHER BIDDERS OR PERSONS.
20.4 Except as provided specifically in these Conditions of Sale in Bidder’s Remedies against RR Auction (along with its affiliates, directors, agents, officers, employees, and contractors) for any dispute, claim, cause of action related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale or any other related agreement(s), brought by Bidder must be brought within the earlier of the Auction Date as it pertains to the item(s) at issue or no later than one (1) year of the acts, omissions or circumstances occurred giving rise to the alleged claim, without exception. This provision is intended as a full, complete and absolute bar to and release of any claims by Bidder initiated after one (1) year of such acts, omissions or circumstances. The Parties agree further that these waiver provisions are intended to be binding in the event of any dispute, specifically including but not limited to third party claims and cross-actions brought by Bidder. These provisions are consideration for the execution of these Conditions of Sale.
20.5 To the fullest extent under applicable law and except as specifically stated herein Bidder hereby holds harmless, releases and discharges RR Auction and its agents, officer’s directors, affiliates, successors, and assigns from any and all claims, liabilities, obligations, promises, agreements, damages, causes of action, suits, demands, losses, debts, and expenses of any nature whatsoever, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected existing prior to these Conditions of Sale. Bidder agrees to the Conditions of Sale and upon each instance that Bidder participates in any auction, bids, or otherwise agrees to such terms and reaffirms this release as of the date of so participating or agreeing unless Bidder otherwise provides clear written notice to RR Auction prior to so bidding.
20.6 The Bidder hereby agrees that RR Auction shall be entitled to present these Conditions of Sale to a court in any jurisdiction other than set forth in this paragraph as conclusive evidence of the Parties agreement, and the Parties further agree that the court shall immediately dismiss any action filed in such jurisdiction.
20.7
Liquidated Damages for Specific Breaches
In the event that Bidder provides false information in connection with registering for bidding, fails to correct or update information or breaches the Conditions of Sale by failing to pay the purchase price when due after becoming the winning bidder, as liquidated damages associated with such breaches, R&R may obtain from Bidder the greater of (1) 150% the reserve of the item (if any); (2) the amount bidder bid; or (3), the full amount that bidder would have otherwise paid. Bidder will also be liable for an additional 20% of such amount to account for additional administrative costs, shipping, additional advertising, and other damages and liabilities fees that are difficult to calculate on an item-by-item basis.
20.8 Indemnity. Bidder agrees to defend, indemnify, hold harmless RR Auction
(along with its officers, directors, agents, contractors, and affiliates) from and against any and all claims, costs, fees, damages, and liabilities arising out of or related to these Conditions of Sale, view of items, or lots, bidding, or participation in any auction by RR Auction, and/or or in any way connected to any item you viewed, bid upon or purchased through RR Auction.
Section 21: State-by-State Law Issues
This Auction is being conducted in and the sale shall take place in the State of Massachusetts. Notwithstanding, the foregoing, should these terms and conditions violate the law of any State should that state’s law be found to govern, or any provision herein determined to be invalid, the clause itself and the remainder of the Agreement shall be valid to the fullest extent allowed. Also, to the extent other states law apply to any transaction arising out of the Agreement (without admitting such), RR Auction states:
For Residents of California:
SALE OF AUTOGRAPHED COLLECTIBLES: AS REQUIRED BY LAW, A DEALER WHO SELLS TO A CONSUMER ANY COLLECTIBLE DESCRIBED AS BEING AUTOGRAPHED MUST PROVIDE A WRITTEN EXPRESS WARRANTY AT THE TIME OF SALE. THIS DEALER MAY BE SURETY BONDED OR OTHERWISE INSURED TO ENSURE THE AUTHENTICITY OF ANY AUTOGRAPHED COLLECTIBLE SOLD BY THIS DEALER.
A written express warranty is provided with each autographed collectible, as required by law. This dealer may be surety bonded or otherwise insured to ensure the authenticity of any autographed collectible sold by this dealer.
Section 22
Glossary of Condition terms
Information provided to prospective Bidders with respect of any lot, including any pre-sale estimate, whether written or oral, and information in any catalogue, condition or other report, commentary or valuation, is not a representation of fact but rather a statement of opinion held by RR Auction.
Use of the following terms constitutes an opinion as follows:
VERY FINE describes an item believed to be in virtually flawless condition, and is used sparingly for items of exceptionally attractive appearance.
FINE is the most common statement of condition, and applies to most items that we offer. It describes items that we believe to show expected handling wear, generally acceptable random flaws (such as light creases, small bends, etc.), and an overall appearance that is pleasing to the majority of collectors.
VERY GOOD describes an item that we believe exhibits more moderate flaws (such as toning, light staining, professional reinforcements or repairs, etc.). Most collectors would be comfortable with items in very good condition, and this would be the expected condition for many formats (early presidential documents, for example).
GOOD describes an item which we believe to have obvious visible flaws, including heavy wear, missing portions, or repairs that affect appearance; generally items in this condition are offered only if an item is otherwise believed to be exceedingly rare or important.
Bidder may call and request further details and information about RR Auction’s opinions concerning any item via phone or email which shall provided in RR Auction’s discretion.
Certificate of Auction, Certificate of Authenticity and Goods Acquired:
Bidder warrants that Bidder (and its agents, assigns, successors, and affiliates) shall not purposely deface, destroy, dismember, cut-up into parts the item or Lot purchased at auction from RR Auction and in the event such shall occur whether purposefully or accidently, Bidder (and its agents, assigns, successors, and affiliates) shall refrain from advertising, promoting, or marketing the item as having been purchased from RR Auction and shall in no event display, expressly claim, or imply that the item was certified or auctioned in such state by RR Auction. As liquidated damages for such breach, Bidder agrees to be liable to RR Auction for the greater of the amount of three (3) times the hammer price of the item along with all other fees and costs as otherwise provided in this Terms of Sale.
