Remarkable Rarities
Live Auction
|
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
|
www.RRAuction.com
How to participate Bid in person
Tuesday, September 25 at 1:00 pm EST
The auction will be held at WeWork, 200 Portland St, Boston, MA 02114 and starts promptly at 1:00 pm EST. Please notify by email Bobby Eaton (Bobby@RRAuction.com), if you are planning to attend the auction.
Bid by internet
Bidding will be available through www.RRAuction.com and www.Invaluable.com.
Pre-live bidding: Auction opens Thursday, September 13 and ends Monday, September 24 at 12:00 pm EST.
Live bidding: Begins Tuesday, September 25 at 1:00 pm EST.
Bid by phone
Schedule a phone call during the live auction by contacting Sue Recks at 603-732-4280. You may also call to leave absentee bids if unable to attend.
Bid by email
You can email your bids to Sue Recks (Sue@RRAuction.com). Please list lot numbers and maximum bids. Include your name, address, and phone number as well as a statement confirming that you accept the terms and conditions of the auction.
Auction Preview
Friday, September 21 and Monday, September 24
To attend the preview, please contact Bobby Livingston (Bobby.Livingston@RRAuction.com)
REMARKABLE RARITIES Live auction September 25th
Once a year, RR Auction gathers together the best of the best – items so superlative, so historic, so unique, they belong in a class by themselves. We call this our Remarkable Rarities auction. The 2018 Remarkable Rarities collection features autographs and artifacts relating to the greatest minds of history – the founders who created a new nation of United States; the presidents who lead that country for more than two centuries; scientists, inventors and technology visionaries who explained our existing universe and then expanded it; artists and musicians who left indelible marks on their craft. Each museum-quality piece deserves special recognition, but here are some highlighted items being offered: Lot 3027: Significant find – An original Apple I Computer (see our feature section, pg. 42) More exciting offerings relating to Apple and Steve Jobs – autographs, a signed Macintosh Plus, several items from Apple’s pivotal 1982 year: Lots 3028, 3029, 3030, 3031, 3032, 3033. Lot 3001: Incredible Declaration of Independence Signers Collection Lot 3004: Very scarce dual-signed 1796 correspondence by Martha Washington, franked by George Lot 3014: Historic display signed by JFK and the Apollo 11 Moonwalkers Lot 3021: Unique Amelia Earhart “Friendship Chair” from first cross-Atlantic passenger voyage Lot 3024: From space exploration’s first landmark event: Apollo 11 lunar surface flown American flag Lot 3026: Groundbreaking ‘Analytical Engine’-referencing 1868 ALS by Charles Babbage Lot 3034: First appearance of Superman: Siegel and Shuster ‘The Reign of the Superman’ 1933 fanzine Lot 3039: Captivating Marilyn Monroe oversized signed photo Lot 3050: Royal fashion icon Princess Diana’s “Gulf Tour” fabric swatch archive Lot 3051: Beethoven’s masterpiece, the Missa Solemnis, seeks subscribers in his 1823 signed letter Lot 3052: Highly-sought Gibson Epiphone Telecaster-style electric guitar signed by three Beatles
Bob Eaton CEO, Acquisitions bob.eaton@rrauction.com
Jon Siefken Consignment Director jon.siefken@RRAuction.com
Kevin Lessard Shipping Executive kevin.lessard@rrauction.com
Carla Eaton Owner, Auctioneer carla.eaton@rrauction.com
Louis Bollman Director of Sports Auctions louis.bollman@RRAuction.com
Bill White Lead Autograph Appraiser bill.white@rrauction.com
Bobby Livingston Executive Vice President, Public Relations bobby.livingston@rrauction.com
Joseph DelGrippo Director of Sports Auctions joseph.delgrippo@RRAauction.com
Dan McCarthy Writer, Researcher dan.mccarthy@rrauction.com
Tricia Eaton Chief Marketing Officer tricia.eaton@rrauction.com
Evan Mugford Writer evan.mugford@rrauction.com
Fiona Lenaire Administration Support Representative fiona.lenaire@rrauction.com
Sue Recks Customer Service Executive sue.recks@rrauction.com
Bobby Eaton VP, Business Development Auctioneer, MA/Lic. #3214 bobby.eaton@rrauction.com Hans Laaspere Chief Operating Officer hans.laaspere@rrauction.com Mandy Eaton-Casey Finance Manager amanda.casey@rrauction.com Elizebeth Otto Consignment Director elizebeth.otto@rrauction.com
Kathleen Palmer Marketing and Content Director kathleen.palmer@rrauction.com Linda Hernandez Quality Control, Consignor Services Manager linda.hernandez@rrauction.com Robert S. Eaton Sr. 1940–2001
Sarina Carlo Creative Director sarina.carlo@rrauction.com Sylvia Nassy Accounts Payable sylvia.nassy@rrauction.com
To view the full description and additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
2 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
An incredible collection of Declaration Signers— 55 of America’s founding fathers
3001 Declaration of Independence Signers Collection Starting Bid $25,000
An amazing, near-complete set of autographs of Signers of the Declaration of Independence, featuring 55 of the 56 legendary founders who signed America’s most famous document, plus the Pennsylvania politician who engrossed it on parchment. Only Button Gwinnett—the notoriously difficult and supremely valuable Georgia signer—is absent. This set features a full complement of the rare, uncommon, and sought-after signers, including Thomas Lynch, Jr. and Arthur Middleton of South Carolina, Joseph Hewes and John Penn of North Carolina, Thomas Nelson, Jr. of Virginia, George Taylor and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams and John Hancock of Massachusetts, and Lyman Hall of Georgia. Most significantly, many of these come in interesting or desirable formats, such as war-dated documents or letters with intriguing content. CONTINUED TO PAGE 4
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 3
To view the full description and additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
4 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Particularly noteworthy items are: an extremely rare ink signature of Thomas Lynch, Jr.; a 1781 Continental Congress document signed by Arthur Middleton; a 1775 petition to join the Continental Army signed by George Taylor; a 1779 autograph receipt by Lyman Hall; a rare 1761 ALS by Francis Lewis; an early 1762 endorsement by John Hancock; and a 1786 land grant by Benjamin Franklin. The collection rates in overall very good condition. A complete set of Declaration signers represents the pinnacle of American autograph collecting, and this superb offering very nearly accomplishes the feat.
This historic collection includes: New Hampshire • Josiah Bartlett - Signature • William Whipple - ADS • Matthew Thornton - ADS Massachusetts • John Adams - Signature • Samuel Adams - Signature • John Hancock - AES • Robert Treat Paine - DS • Elbridge Gerry - ALS Rhode Island • Stephen Hopkins - Signature • William Ellery - ALS Connecticut • Samuel Huntington - AES • Roger Sherman - War-dated DS • William Williams - DS • Oliver Wolcott - Signature New York • Lewis Morris - DS • Philip Livingston - LS • Francis Lewis - ALS • William Floyd - DS
New Jersey • Abraham Clark - ADS • John Hart - Currency • Francis Hopkinson - Signature • Richard Stockton - ADS • John Witherspoon - DS Pennsylvania • George Clymer - Check • Benjamin Franklin - DS • Robert Morris - DS • John Morton - Currency • Benjamin Rush - ALS • George Ross - DS • James Smith - ADS • James Wilson - War-dated DS • George Taylor - DS Delaware • George Read - AES • Caesar Rodney - ADS • Thomas McKean - DS Maryland • Charles Carroll - Partial ALS • Samuel Chase - War-dated ALS • Thomas Stone - ADS • William Paca - DS
Virginia • Richard Henry Lee - Partial ADS • Francis Lightfoot Lee - ALS • Carter Braxton - ALS • Benjamin Harrison and George Wythe - DS • Thomas Jefferson - DS (also signed by James Madison) • Thomas Nelson, Jr. - DS North Carolina • William Hooper - War-dated DS • John Penn - Endorsement • Joseph Hewes - War-dated DS South Carolina • Edward Rutledge - Signature • Arthur Middleton - War-dated DS • Thomas Lynch, Jr. - Signature • Thomas Heyward, Jr. - Signature Georgia • Lyman Hall - War-dated ADS • George Walton - DS Other • Timothy Matlack (the Declaration’s engrosser) - War-dated DS
To view the full description and additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 5
6 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Historic 1804 certificate “relative to the Estate of Alexander Hamilton, deceased” 3002 Alexander Hamilton Estate Document Starting Bid $300 Significant partly-printed document concerning the estate of Alexander Hamilton, one page, 6.5 x 5.75, November 29, 1804. Marked as certificate “No. 145,” in full: “Certificate to Rufus King for a Share in the Trust intended in a certain Writing of this date, relative to the Estate of Alexander Hamilton, deceased; and this Certificate to be assignable, and to be receivable on Sales of the Estate by Trustees, as a payment of Two Hundred Dollars: the Dividends, however, if any, which may have been paid on the Share, being first deducted.” Signed at the conclusion by trustees Gouverneur Morris, Rufus King, Egbert Benson, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., and Charles Wilkes. Mounted, matted, and framed with engraved portraits of Hamilton and King, as well as a descriptive caption, to an overall size of 24.5 x 15.25. In fine condition. Hamilton died on July 12, 1804, after being mortally wounded in his legendary and dramatic duel with rival politician Aaron Burr. He left a complicated will with many large bequests for which there existed insufficient assets. A group of his friends— Gouverneur Morris, Rufus King, Egbert Benson, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., and Charles Wilkes—established a trust, aimed not only at conserving the estate, but enlarging it to support his family. Shares were issued to the legatees, debtors, and trustees of the estate. Ultimately, the shares were paid off, and each and every one of Hamilton’s bequests were complied with. The men who signed this certificate were not only Hamilton’s friends, but important political leaders themselves: Gouverneur Morris signed the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, and delivered Hamilton’s eulogy; Rufus King signed the Constitution and was a senator, and pleaded with Hamilton to decline the tragic duel; Egbert Benson attended New York’s Constitutional Convention and served in Congress; Oliver Wolcott, Jr., succeeded Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury; and Charles Wilkes was Hamilton’s longtime friend and president of the Bank of New York. Together, these men were able to save the Hamilton family from catastrophic financial ruin following their friend’s death. A scarce and highly desirable early American document.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 7
“Of the two brothers who emigrated to this Country in the year 1657, during the troubles of that day, that John Washington, from whom we are descended, was the eldest�
8 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Retired to Mount Vernon, Washington writes his nephew on ancestry and agriculture 3003 George Washington Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $2,500 Marvelous ALS signed “Go: Washington,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.75 x 9.75, October 3, 1798. Written from Mount Vernon, a finely penned letter to his nephew Colonel William Augustine Washington, in part: “Your letter of the 27th. of July has remained unacknowledged ‘till now, that I embrace the opportunity afforded by General Lee’s return, to do it. To a person not in the habit of sending regularly to the Post Office, nearest to them, it is almost useless to write by the mail; and with very few exceptions, addressing letters by private hands, is almost as bad, very few people paying much attention to them; which, with the shifting of hands, rubbing in the pocket, and sometimes idle curiosity to know the contents, are great lets to a safe conveyance, in that way. With respect to the proposed contract for corn, as my primary object is to be certain of getting it, I will agree to divide the freight from your landing to mine (at this place) equally with you; although it would make the corn come all the higher to me; as neither land, or water transportation, would be more to my mill (where it will be chiefly wanted) than it would be to the warehouses, or Wharves in Alexandria. March being a windy month, often cold & disagreeable; about the middle of April would be better, and I would agree to receive it at that time. If with these alterations, from the proposals contained in my letter of the 26th of June last, you incline to enter into a contract upon the terms therein mentioned, for five hundred Barrels of corn, annually, I am ready to close the contract, to be binding for, and during our lives. Your answer to this point would be agreeable, as Gen’l. Lee is desirous of entering into a contract with me for the same quantity of corn (500 Bar’ls); and on a/c of the payments, it would be very convenient for me to make it; but from the uncertainty of its fulfillment, on his part, I feel no disposition to enter into one with him.
I thank you for the old documents you sent me, respecting the family of our ancestors, but I am possessed of Papers which prove beyond a doubt, that of the two brothers who emigrated to this Country in the year 1657, during the troubles of that day, that John Washington, from whom we are descended, was the eldest. The Pedigree from him, I have, and I believe very correct; but the descendants of Lawrence, in a regular course, I have not been able to trace. All those of our name, in and about Chotanck, are from the latter. John, was the Grandfather of my father and Uncle, and Great grand father to Warner and me. He left two sons, Lawrence & John; the former, who was the eldest, was the father of my father, uncle, and Aunt Willis. Mrs. Hayward must have been a daughter of the first Lawrence, & thence became the cousin of the second Lawrence, & John. We all unite in best wishes for you & family, and I am your sincere friend and Affectionate Uncle.” Professionally inlaid into a slightly larger sheet. In fine condition. On July 13, 1798, Washington readily accepted President Adams’ commission to lead the United States Army in the burgeoning Quasi War with France. The high-ranking post demanded little of Washington who, while happily ensconced at his home in Mont Vernon, entrusted the lion’s share of his duties to inspector general of the Army, Alexander Hamilton. Given the flexibility of his post, and barring the emergence of a French invasion, Washington once again settled into retirement as a private citizen, content with overseeing renovations to his mansion and the myriad operations of his five farms and sprawling 7,400-acre estate. Concerning Washington’s ancestry, and according to biographer D. S. Freeman, the man ‘knew scarcely anything… all he remembered at sixty was that in youth he had been told the family had come from one of the Northern Counties of England. He was not sure whether it was Lancashire or Yorkshire or a region still farther North.’ The extent of his genealogical knowledge uncertain, Washington was, at the very least, capable of tracing his lineage back to that of his great-great-grandfather, Lawrence Washington.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 9
10 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Written by Martha and franked by George—a remarkable dual Washington autograph 3004 Martha Washington and George Washington Autograph Letter Signed and Free Frank Starting Bid $2,500 Exceedingly rare ALS by First Lady Martha Washington, retaining its original free-franked address panel by President George Washington: ALS signed “M. Washington,” one page, 7.5 x 9, April 10, 1796. Letter to Catharine Brown in Chestnut Hill, Virginia, written from Philadelphia. In full: “I will with pleasure take your Daughter down with me when I visit Mount Vernon; and leave her, as you desire, in the Federal City with Mr. Scott. As it is possible, however, that you may be mistaken as to the time this may happen; it is but right I should inform you, that it not only depends upon the length of the present session of Congress, but upon other business which the President may have after it rises; that you may decide how far the time may suit your purposes. The first, according to the opinions of the members themselves, will not happen before June at soonest;—and the second depends upon circumstances which cannot at this moment be foreseen.—I hope however it will be soon after the Congress rises.” The integral address leaf is addressed in George Washington’s hand to “Mrs. Catharine Brown, Chestnut Hill, Virginia,” and franked by the president in the lower left, “Post Office in Alexandria, President, U.S.” In fine condition, with soiling and professional repairs to seal-related paper loss on the integral address leaf.
Although the relationship between the Washingtons and Catharine Brown appears to be little documented, it is alluded to in an advertisement for a runaway slave published on July 29, 1812. In it, a thirty-dollar reward is offered for a ‘Negro Woman named Hannah’ who ‘ran away from Chestnut hill, the residence of Mrs. Catharine Brown, in Fairfax County.’ As to her whereabouts, the ad suggests that she may be ‘among the Negroes left free by Gen. Washington.’ In his will, George Washington famously made provisions for his slaves to be freed following the death of Martha Washington. In December 1800, Martha signed a deed of manumission for her deceased husband’s slaves, and they finally became free on January 1, 1801. Catharine Brown’s slave was likely already acquainted with those of George Washington, and sought refuge among them upon running away.
“It not only depends upon the length of the present session of Congress, but upon other business which the President may have after it rises”
The bulk of this remarkable letter refers to the scheduling and circumstances surrounding the first session of the Fourth United States Congress, which lasted from December 7, 1795, to June 1, 1796. The key achievements of the Fourth Congress were the ratification of the Jay Treaty to establish peace with Great Britain, and the ratification of Pinckney’s Treaty to establish relations with Spain. Later in 1796, President Washington would publish his iconic ‘Farewell Address,’ a classic pronouncement of American values. An absolutely spectacular letter pairing the autographs of George and Martha Washington—the first such example we have ever encountered.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 11
“We cannot all think alike in this world” 3005 John Adams Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000 ALS as president, one page, 8 x 10, August 15, 1798. Letter to Dr. Samuel Holten of Danvers. In full: “Your letter of 17th of July never reached me till since my return home inclosed is an answer to the address, which is very kind and handsome: and the more agreeable as the Representative of the Town, seems by your account to entertain different sentiments. We cannot all think alike in this world. I rejoice to find you in so good health and spirits.” In a postscript he adds, “Dr. Tufts and Family are very well.” Silked on the reverse and in fine condition, with expert repairs to small areas of paper loss. Holten was an old friend of Adams who had been a zealous Massachusetts patriot during the Revolution, holding a number of public offices over the years and serving on committees of the Provincial and Continental Congresses that dealt with the medical affairs of the military. While Adams was Federalist, Holten was a staunch Anti-Federalist and, as a delegate to the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention of 1788, had strongly opposed the adoption of the Constitution. This letter clearly demonstrates Adams’s ability to set partisan differences aside and embrace the opinions of others, a quality that characterized his public career. Overall, this is an exceedingly desirable autograph letter as president boasting a prominent signature and appealing content that embodies Adams’s political philosophy.
12 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Jefferson requests an innovative new spinner to be delivered by sea, noting “the enemy have not yet had time to spread their privateers on our coast” 3006 Thomas Jefferson Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000 War-dated ALS signed “Th: Jefferson,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, July 2, 1812. Written from Monticello, a letter to David Gelston, in part (grammar and spelling retained): “I received yesterday your favor of the 26. and lose no time in replying to it. if a conveyance by a coasting vessel to Norfolk or Richmond can be found it is so much the simplest that I should prefer it, notwithstand’g the risk brought on by the war. but the enemy have not yet had time to spread their privateers on our coast, nor have their ships of war as yet had time to catch our swift sailing…boats to arm them as London and be able to take every thing in-shore. I think therefore there is but little danger as yet. I do not know who is the correspondent of Gibson & Jefferson at Norfolk. I know they have one there, whom the master of the vessel will readily find out & receive his freight & other charges on the delivery of the box. Mr. Herrick writes me he paid 3. D. for cartage of it to Hudson, and as there have doubtless been some small expences at N. York, of wharfage, drayage, storage etc. I take the liberty of inclosing you a 5. D. bill of Washington currency, not doubting it can be changed with you, out of which I wish Mr. Herrick to receive his 3. D. and for which I have desired him to get some friend to call on you; so that you may not have any trouble of remittance to him. should a conveyance by water become desperate, I am told there is a line of conveyance from N. York to Philadelphia through Amboy & Burlington for heavy packages, & at Philadelphia mr John Vaughan would receive it for me. but such a complicated line, renders the conveyance by sea preferable if practicable. no insurance is necessary as the loss of the machine, not of it’s price is the only thing regarded. the clothing establishment of my family is suspended till I get it. I return you abundant thanks for your kind attention to this and apologies for the trouble.” In fine condition, with a few light stains.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 13
Appointment for peace commissioners following the Second Barbary War 3007 James Madison and James Monroe Signed Document Starting Bid $1,000 Manuscript DS, signed “James Madison” as president and “Jas. Monroe” as secretary of state, one page, 10.25 x 16.25, August 4, 1816. Appointment for William Shaler and Isaac Chauncey to participate in peace negotiations with the Dey of Algiers in the aftermath of the Second Barbary War, naming them “Commissioners of the United States of America, with authority to meet a Commissioner or Commissioners having like authority from the Dey and Regency of Algiers, and with him or them to negotiate and conclude a settlements of the subsisting differences, and an annulment of the Eighteenth Article of the Treaty concluded on the thirtieth day of June one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, between the United States and the Regency of Algiers, transmitting the article or articles which may be entered into for this purpose, for the ratification of the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States.” Boldly signed at the conclusion by President Madison and countersigned by Secretary of State Monroe. The embossed white paper seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. In fine condition, with professional repairs and reinforcements to small areas of paper loss and intersecting folds. William Shaler and Stephen Decatur had negotiated an end to the Second Barbary War in a peace treaty signed on June 30, 1815. However, Dey Omar Agha of Algeria repudiated the agreement, refused to accept the terms of peace that had been ratified by the Congress of Vienna, and threatened the lives of all Christian inhabitants of Algiers. By this appointment, Shaler and Isaac Chauncey were named as commissioners to settle the dispute. While they were in Algiers to negotiate, on August 27, 1816, a combined Anglo-Dutch squadron under Lord Exmouth bombarded the harbor, further weakening the Dey. This made Shaler and Chauncey’s charge easier: they successfully re-negotiated terms of the peace in December 1816, modifying only Article 18 of the previous treaty in order to give the United States no advantage over other nations in Algerian ports. The only other concession allowed to the Dey was a certificate stating that he had signed the treaty under compulsion. Interestingly, due to an oversight, final action on the renewed treaty was not taken until 1822, when the Senate approved its ratification.
14 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Johnson on his own impeachment— “Washington had his Arnold, Jefferson, Burr, Caesar his Brutus”
3008 Andrew Johnson Signed Document Starting Bid $200
Handwritten manuscript in pencil by Andrew Johnson, unsigned, one page both sides, 5.25 x 8.25, no date but circa 1874. The manuscript, likely written as a speech draft, is headed “Debt of the State,” and reads, in part: “Agriculturalists and mechanics are somewhat interested in high taxes…Debt of the U. S…ample for the purposes of the people. President to be elected by the people and the election of Senators to be taken from the Legislature. Reference to myself I hope will not be indelicate. Betrayed by the Legislature and defeated. Washington had his Arnold, Jefferson, Burr, Caesar his Brutus &c. (The ladies God bless them &c). I am ambitious and would not be worthy of myself. Granges, Registration of Commerce between the states &c. Agriculture, Mechanics and labor constitute the foundation rock upon which the whole structure of Government rests. Distinguished men who have been farmers and mechanics & Adam and the great father…I would rather…upon governments the dust of the field &c…I had hoped that the baneful planet of fire and blood have been chased away &c Glory to God in the highest.” In very good condition, with staining and toning, not affecting readability.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 15
“‘Constitution with Slavery’ or ‘Constitution without Slavery.’ Let the voters all go to the polls—let that question be settled by a fair expression of the popular voice”
16 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Pierce weighs in on ‘Bleeding’ Kansas 3009 Franklin Pierce Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000 ALS, four pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.75 x 10, December 1, 1857. Letter to Sidney Webster, his former private White House secretary, on the subjects of the Constitution and statehood for Kansas, written nine months after leaving office. In part: “I regret exceedingly to observe that Kansas is still to be made the subject of agitation and sectional wrangling. I have not seen the Constitution recently adopted by the Convention of that Territory nor any reliable statement of its leading provisions, except in respect to the article, to be submitted to the determination of the popular judgement and will. That, as I understand it, presents the sole and only question, which has caused serious disturbance and agitation in and out of the Territory and it seems to me to be presented in a distinct and unexceptionable form. ‘Constitution with Slavery’ or ‘Constitution without Slavery.’ Let the voters all go to the polls—let that question be settled by a fair expression of the popular voice and all others will be easily and satisfactorily disposed of because the real cause of controversy will no longer exist. It is vain to say, that citizens of the Territory cannot conscientiously cast a ballot expressive of the opinion one way or the other, indicated above, because they would thereby give their sanction to articles, which they could not in fact approve. It often occurs that members of Legislative bodies find themselves constrained by a sense of public duty to vote for appropriation bills and other bills important to the state or county, which eschew provisions repugnant to their known and firmly established opinions. But in the case of the Kansas constitution the voter would not be required to go even this length. His vote w’d not necessarily imply approbation beyond the point specifically submitted. He would barely say, if Kansas is to be admitted into the Union as a state under this Constitution, I prefer that it come in with or without slavery as his honest judgement might determine. It is, in my opinion, the imperative duty of the citizens of Kansas to go to the polls and pass upon this question. Its final determination is now completely within their power. They can settle it at once & definitively. If they decline to do so, it will manifest not merely a want of patriotism, but will demonstrate, that what they desire is agitation, not peace. If an opportunity shall not be afforded for a full & deliberate expression of the popular will, unembarrassed by fraud or violence on either side, I have no doubt that Congress will refuse admission under the Constitution as they ought to do. I shall visit the Powhatan tomorrow and probably sail on Saturday the 5th inst. I was extremely sorry that Genl. Cushing did not meet me…I will write you again upon our final departure.”
In fine condition, with minor smudges to a few words of text. Pierce’s efforts to lead the nation during his presidency were hindered by divisions within his party. Nonetheless, he reformed the Civil Service, the Departments of the Interior and Treasury; and oversaw the territorial expansion of the United States, most notably in completing the Gadsden Purchase, through which the U.S. obtained modern-day Arizona and southern New Mexico from Mexico, and which was strongly advocated by his Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. However, it was also territorial expansion and its relation to the issue of slavery that undermined Pierce’s presidency, specifically the Kansas-Nebraska Act, whose passage on May 30, 1854, contributed to the rise of the Republican Party. The legislation, drafted by Pierce and Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, opened Kansans to settlement while allowing popular sovereignty to determine whether Kansas would allow slavery. This led both pro- and anti-slavery advocates to settle in Kansas for the sole purpose of casting their ballots on the matter. The resulting violence, such as that famously perpetrated by John Brown, was dubbed ‘Bleeding Kansas’ and helped further divide both the Democratic Party and the entire nation, propelling it toward civil war. In January 1856, Free-Staters called for a convention in Topeka, Kansas, in an attempt to reconcile the differences between the abolitionists and the pro-slavery factions. The resulting Topeka Constitution was short lived. From September to November 1857, a second constitutional convention of pro-slavery delegates was held in Lecompton. The resulting Lecompton Constitution was presented to voters on December 21 with a special article through which they could allow or disallow slavery. However, the “constitution without slavery” allowed Kansans to keep slaves they already owned leading Free-Staters to boycott the vote, as Pierce discusses in this letter. Therefore, the “constitution with slavery” won by a large margin and further fueled the national debate. Ultimately, the Lecompton Constitution was supplanted by a third and then a fourth and final constitution, the Wyandotte Constitution, which declared Kansas a free state and allowed its admission to the Union in January 1861. Because of the political discord that marked Pierce’s presidency, the Democratic Party failed to nominate him for reelection. After leaving Washington, he briefly returned to his native New Hampshire before setting off on a three-year tour of Europe (aboard the Powhatan, mentioned in this letter) and the Bahamas. From afar he managed to stay abreast of American affairs and maintained an extensive correspondence with Webster, a New Hampshire native who, after graduating from Yale University and Harvard Law School, became President Pierce’s private secretary.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 17
Curry’s dramatic portrayal of abolitionist John Brown 3010 John Steuart Curry Signed Lithograph Starting Bid $500 Desirable circa 1939 lithograph entitled ‘John Brown,’ 13.25 x 18.5, signed in the lower border in pencil, “John Steuart Curry.” The magnificent lithograph features the great abolitionist John Brown during the unrest of ‘Bleeding Kanasas,’ with flaring eyes and windwhipped beard, radiating moral outrage as a tornado whirls in the background; a slave is seen in the lower left corner. The image is derived from one of Curry’s studies for his ‘Tragic Prelude’ mural commissioned for the rotunda of the Kansas State Capitol. Curry’s interpretation of John Brown and the antislavery movement in Kansas Territory before the Civil War is considered one of his finest murals. In fine condition. HISTORY John Steuart Curry (1897– 1946) was an American painter known for his portrayals of Kansas, and with Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood has been hailed as one of the three great American Regionalism artists of the 20th century. A superb piece from an iconic American artist.
18 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
The first proclamation of Roosevelt as commander-in-chief “The President of the United States has been struck down; a crime not only against the Chief Magistrate, but against every law-abiding and liberty-loving citizen” 3011 Theodore Roosevelt 1901 Signed Proclamation Upon McKinley’s Death Starting Bid $1,000 Significant DS as president, one black-bordered page, 8.25 x 13.25, September 14, 1901. Official proclamation issued upon the death of President William McKinley, in full: “A terrible bereavement has befallen our people. The President of the United States has been struck down; a crime not only against the Chief Magistrate, but against every law-abiding and liberty-loving citizen. President McKinley crowned a life of largest love for his fellow men, of earnest endeavor for their welfare, by a death of Christian fortitude; and both the way in which he lived his life and the way in which, in the supreme hour of trial, he met his death will remain forever a precious heritage of our people. It is meet that we as a nation express our abiding love and reverence for his life, our deep sorrow for his untimely death. Now, Therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do appoint Thursday next, September 19, the day in which the body of the dead President will be laid in its last earthly resting place, as a day of mourning and prayer throughout the United States. I earnestly recommend all the people to assemble on that day in their respective places of divine worship, there to bow down in submission to the will of Almighty God, and to pay out of full hearts the homage of love and reverence to the memory of the great and good President, whose death has so sorely smitten the nation.” Signed at the conclusion by President Roosevelt. In fine condition, with a short edge tear and light stain to the upper left corner. On September 5, 1901, President William McKinley was shot by an anarchist’s bullet at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Roosevelt, at the time attending a luncheon on Lake Champlain, rushed to the aid of the president, who, in the immediate days after the shooting, showed signs of recovery. Assured that the president would live, Roosevelt ventured into the Adirondacks for a family camping trip and a hike of Mount Major. On September 13, a runner brought Roosevelt the news that McKinley was quickly fading. After a series of perilous wagon rides, Roosevelt reached North Creek Station early the next morning, and was promptly handed a telegram confirming the death of McKinley. Roosevelt traveled on to Buffalo and the house of Ansley Wilcox, the location he would that afternoon take the Oath of Office. Immediately following the swearingin, Roosevelt held a brief cabinet meeting in the Wilcox library and then proceeded to the morning room to issue this, his first presidential proclamation.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 19
20 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
“Brains are no substitute for judgement”— Truman agrees with Acheson on the Bay of Pigs fiasco 3012 Harry S. Truman Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $200 ALS signed “Harry,” one page both sides, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, May 13, 1961. Letter to his former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, in full: “I’m sitting here this Saturday morning at eleven o’clock wondering what you may be doing at the same time maybe two hours later by that God awful mixed up time under which we have to live. You know it took about fifty or sixty years to arrange the time zones and now they mean not a thing. Maybe we should have a rod in our back yards with a couple of poles on each side of it, pointing to true north, if such there is, so we may be able to tell when it is noon by old sol. But I’m thinking of you, noon or one of two o’clock. I’ve been reading Attlee’s book and his opinions of some of his associates are as frank as I’d like to be about some of mine! Your statement about Iran, Central America and Cuba please me no end. You are as right as rain on ‘Brains are no substitute for judgement.’ Sorry Washington is so depressed. I’m to be there May 27th & 28th. We must have a go around for the benefit of both of us. The autographed and inscribed copy of your book came and I’ve read it again, and believe it or not so has the ‘Boss.’ There has not been a better one on the people of your and my time. Sometimes I wish I’d gone back (if I could) and sometimes I wish I’d taken the appointment as Senator from Missouri a short time ago. But, I’m glad now that it didn’t happen in either case. Tell Alice her picture still hangs in my reception room right outside the door to the private office and hundreds of customers have commented on it favorably. Hope Alice will
take it as a high compliment from the clod hoppers who come to see me. Their comments are worth more than Churchill’s and all the modern artists, in my opinion.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by a typescript of a letter written to Truman by Acheson on May 3, 1961, as well as a newspaper article portraying one of Alice Acheson’s paintings, ‘Bus Queue,’ displayed in the Truman Library. Writing just weeks after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, Acheson had provided Truman with a candid evaluation of the state of things in Washington. The typescript of his letter reads, in part: “Why we ever engaged in this asinine Cuban adventure, I cannot imagine. Before I left it was mentioned to me and I told my informants how you and I had turned down similar suggestions for Iran and Guatemala and why. I thought that this Cuban idea had been put aside, as it should have been...So far as I can make out the mere inertia of the Eisenhower plan carried it into execution. All that the present administration did was to take out of it those elements of strength essential to its success. Brains are no substitute for judgment. Kennedy has, abroad at least, lost a very large part of the almost fanatical admiration which his youth and good looks has inspired.” In Truman’s reply, he echoes the idea that “Brains are no substitute for judgement,” and mentions that he sometimes wishes he were back in Washington. Notably, Truman generally declined to comment publicly on matters of national security, leaving only his private letters to reveal his opinion on matters like the Bay of Pigs or Cuban Missile Crisis. While Truman would not return to Washington, President Kennedy did take on Dean Acheson as a special advisor, specifically during the Cuban Missile Crisis—gaining some of the experience and judgment that the administration may have lacked early on. A fantastic piece of correspondence between important American statesmen.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 21
Ike edits “A Balance Sheet on Bombing” and “Negotiations: Hopes and Realities”—articles on America’s policy in Vietnam 3013 Dwight D. Eisenhower Hand-Edited ‘ Balance Sheet on Bombing’ and ‘Negotiations: Hopes and Realities’ Manuscripts Starting Bid $500 Two hand-edited typed manuscripts for articles entitled “A Balance Sheet on Bombing” and “Negotiations: Hopes and Realities,” comprising 18 pages, 8.5 x 11, dated 1967–1968. Eisenhower makes various corrections, emendations, and deletions throughout the texts, amounting to more than 90 words in his hand. In overall fine condition. The first is entitled “A Balance Sheet on Bombing,” ten pages, marked “Confidential (Eyes only)” and “Draft 12/7/67.” Eisenhower’s changes amount to over 30 words in his hand. Headed, “Statement of the Special Committee on Bombing Policy of the Citizens Committee for Peace with Freedom in Vietnam,” the piece begins (Eisenhower’s handwritten notations in italics): “Our bombing policy in Vietnam is the subject of considerable controversy. There are calls here and abroad for an extended suspension of our bombing of North Vietnam or for a permanent cessation. U.S. opinion is divided. Some people hold that our bombing is a great obstacle to negotiations and to ending the war. Others contend that we should increase our bombing of the North and ‘get the whole thing over with.’ Still others, and probably the largest group, generally approve the policy of concentrating our bombing on the enemy’s war-making capacity.” The article continues: “In our judgment, those who favor ‘unleashing’ our air power misunderstand the basic and limited objectives of our effort. We do not seek to destroy North Vietnam or China. We seek to assist a free people to resist subjugation... We are demonstrating that the cost of aggression is too high, that cheap victories in predatory action are not possible and never will be. The enemy, on the other hand, is waging unlimited war on the ground, on his own terms and on terrain of his own choosing. He goes South; we do not invade the North. This places us in a disadvantageous position, and is a frustrating price to pay in order to reduce the risk of a general war in Asia.”
22 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
The remainder of the article, more sparsely annotated by Eisenhower, contains the “balance sheet” of pros and cons prepared by the committee: pieces entitled “The Case for an Extended Bombing Pause” and “The Case Against an Extended Bombing Pause,” intended to be printed side-by-side in columns. Eisenhower’s most substantial edit to these sections comes in the “Case Against,” in which he deletes the line, “Conventional bombs will not win the war. Nuclear bombs would lose the peace,” and makes an addition at the end of the sentence, “Our goal is not military victory but peace with freedom for South Vietnam.”
To view additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
The second is entitled “Negotiations: Hopes and Realities,” eight pages, 8.5 x 11, marked “Confidential” and “First Draft 4/10/68.” Eisenhower’s changes amount to over 60 words in his hand. The piece begins (Eisenhower’s handwritten notations in italics): “The United States welcomes negotiations which offer a hope of peace with freedom and honor in Vietnam. We do not and probably cannot require an advance guarantee but we should insist on a reasonable hope that the negotiations will be productive. We should not be deceived by rhetoric. It is not how Hanoi says something; it is what it says. And, more importantly, does. Negotiations will be desirable if they lead to a mutual de-escalation of the conflict, and if they advance the prospect of achieving our minimum objectives. They will be dangerous and undesirable if they develop into a long drawn-out sequence of meaningless round-table discussions while our fighting men continue to pay, under worse conditions than at present, a high daily toll of death and disability.” His most substantial edits come on page four, in which he revises much of a paragraph: “We must unceasingly make it clear to Hanoi that we do not seek nor will we accept a face-saving peace or a camouflaged surrender. The consequence of such a defeat would be that the United States is ‘writing off’ South Asia for the foreseeable future. Possibly, as a more isolated and less influential nation we could survive such a catastrophe—but…should be clear as to these serious, if not fatal, consequences which have been deliberately obscured by the loud and sometimes persuasive advocates of retreat and withdrawal. Moreover, these advocates faced up to the fact that our withdrawal, in defeat, would mean the almost immediate massacre of possibly hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese who have stood by our side. On moral grounds alone, this cannot be permitted.” The article closes: “America must not expect too much to flow from a resolution of the conflict in Vietnam…We live in a world of great historical forces which are anti-pathetic to each other. There is no early prospect for world peace in the traditional sense. There is conflict in today’s world and conflict—political, economic or even military—will unquestionably continue at various levels and in various places for the foreseeable future. Our basic continuing objective is to hold such conflict within the bounds that permit the survival of mankind. That is why we, the most powerful nation in the history of the world, adhere to our generous and far-sighted doctrine—the willingness to fight a limited conflict, with limited means, at limited risk for limited objectives. The success or failure of that doctrine may well be decisive in shaping not only the destiny of South Vietnam and of Southeast Asia but of the entire world.”
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 23
President Kennedy’s goal of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth”— and six of the men to achieve it 3014 John F. Kennedy and Moonwalkers Signed Display Starting Bid $1,000 An extraordinary display representing the birth and success of America’s space program, including a significant TLS by President John F. Kennedy and a souvenir typescript of his famous 1961 speech announcing America’s goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade, signed by six Apollo moonwalkers to represent each successful lunar landing mission. The TLS is one page, 6 x 8, White House letterhead, June 6, 1961. Kennedy thanks Indiana Democratic Committeeman Alexander Campbell for his “generous comments on my message to the Congress of urgent national needs.” Kennedy crosses out “Mr. Campbell” in the salutation and writes “Alex.” Two weeks earlier, on May 25, 1961, Kennedy delivered his ‘Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs,’ in which he made space exploration a national priority: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” The souvenir typescript is an excerpt of the space-related content of JFK’s historic May 25th message, one page, 7.75 x 10.5, and includes the above quote, continuing: “No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” The typescript is signed in black ballpoint by six moonwalkers, most adding their mission, flight assignment, and lunar landing date and location: “Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 LMP, Tranquility Base, July 20, 1969”; “Alan Bean, LMP Apollo 12, Ocean of Storms, 19 November, 1969”; “Edgar Mitchell, LMP, Fra Mauro, Feb. 5, 1971”; “Dave Scott, CDR Apollo 15, 1971, Hadley-Apennine”; “Charles M. Duke, Jr., LMP, April 20, 1972, Descartes Highlands”; and “Gene Cernan, CDR Apollo XVII, Dec. 1972, Valley of Taurus Littrow.” The letter and typescript are handsomely suede-matted and framed together with two images and a caption to an overall size of 26 x 18. In fine condition. We are aware of no other JFK letters referencing this historic speech to have been sold at auction, and the combination with his most famous goal-setting quote, signed by six of the heroic astronauts who achieved it, is singularly unique and most desirable.
24 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act 3015 Lyndon B. Johnson Civil Rights Act Signing Pen Starting Bid $500 Historic dipping pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 (H.R. 7152), presented to influential labor leader George Meany. The official ‘bill signer’ Esterbrook pen measures 6.25˝ long and features a black plastic grip with a Lucite handle imprinted with “The President—The White House.” The pen is mounted, triple-matted, and framed with a descriptive plaque and an image of the bill signing ceremony to an overall size of 18.75 x 22; in the image, Meany, standing to the right of Martin Luther King, Jr., is seen just after receiving his pen from the president. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original typed descriptive slip: “One of the pens used by the President, July 2, 1964, in signing H.R. 7152, An Act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.” Additionally includes a letter of provenance from the granddaughter of George Meany, in part: “My maternal grandfather was George Meany, an American labor leader for 57 years and the first president of the AFL-CIO (1955–1979). In 1960 my grandfather and Martin Luther King, Jr. began a yearlong mission to align the goals of America’s two most powerful and progressive groups, the AFL-CIO and The Civil Rights Movement. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law The Civil Rights Act which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. After signing that historic bill, President Johnson handed one of the pens used to my grandfather who was standing directly behind him and next to Dr. King. That pen had been in my mother’s possession since my grandfather’s death in 1980. I acquired it at the time of my mother’s death.”
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 25
“The majority of diseases from wines originate from the development of special fermenting agents of which sugar is a favorite constituent” 3016 Louis Pasteur Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $300 Superb ALS in French, signed “L. Pasteur,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, June 25, 1863. Letter to Monsieur Terrel des Chines, in full (translated): “I have read with great interest your letter and the printed article which you were kind enough to send me. It would give me much satisfaction to be able to raise the difficulties which you have submitted to me but I only have study projects on these subjects. For a long time now I have wished to involve myself in all the questions appertaining to the manufacture and improvement of wines and I have no doubt that one day, perhaps soon, I shall give myself up to it entirely. I have already done some isolated research. The only thing I regard as well established and which results from the body of my published and some of my unpublished works is that the majority of diseases from wines originate from the development of special fermenting agents of which sugar is a favorite constituent. From this certain scientific premise you can deduce henceforth many consequences. For my own part I cannot conveniently do so without undertaking new experiments. You will understand, sir, that I have to be more circumspect than anyone else in these matters. I can scarcely talk about it even in a personal letter, without having anything to offer other than preconceived ideas.” In fine condition, with small repairs to fold splits. Pasteur engaged in the study of fermentation as the director of scientific studies at Ecole Normale, leading to the 1865 patent and invention of ‘pasteurization’—an important heating treatment which eliminates unwanted and potentially harmful microorganisms in beverages like beer, milk, and wine.
26 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Ismay inherits shares of the White Star Line
3017 Titanic: J. Bruce Ismay Signed Document Starting Bid $500 Chairman and managing director of the White Star Line (1862– 1937). He came to rather negative international attention as the highest-ranking White Star official among the survivors, for reportedly deserting the ship while women and children were still on board. Rare manuscript DS, signed “J. Bruce Ismay,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 9.75 x 15.25, January 9, 1900. Indenture in which heirs Mary Leslie and Margaret Ismay appoint Joseph Bruce Ismay [J. Bruce Ismay] and James Hainsworth Ismay to be trustees of the will of the late Luke Bruce, the maternal grandfather of J. Bruce Ismay. The document outlines the history of Luke Bruce’s will and estate, noting that he was a “Shipowner” and that the “trusts of the said Will now consist of and are represented by ten Shares in the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company Limited and Five hundred Shares in the Asiatic Steam Navigation Company Limited.” Neatly signed and sealed at the conclusion by the parties involved: Mary Leslie, Margaret Ismay, J. Bruce Ismay, and James H. Ismay. Also signed multiple times by witnesses. Includes a large vellum document marked “Probate of the Will of Mr. Luke Bruce, Dated the 9th June 1874,” one page, 27 x 20.5, featuring an extract of the “Last Will and Testament” of
Luke Bruce. The will names J. Bruce Ismay specifically, “I give to my Grandson Joseph Bruce Ismay my Watch, Jewellery and the Silver Salver presented to me by my friends,” while the bulk of his fortune was to be placed in the trust. A document from Her Majesty’s Probate Court certifying the will is attached at the bottom, and an impressive embossed paper seal is suspended from the large document. In overall fine condition. A superb, historic document signed by J. Bruce Ismay, whose family was rooted in the shipping industry: his paternal grandfather, Thomas Ismay, was the founder of the White Star Line; and his maternal grandfather, Luke Bruce, was a noted shipowner. In this document, Luke Bruce’s daughters, Mary Leslie and Margaret Ismay, name Margaret’s sons James and J. Bruce as trustees of the Bruce family trust, which held shares of the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company and Asiatic Steam Navigation Company. Most notably, the “Oceanic Steam Navigation Company Limited” was the formal name of the White Star Line, of which J. Bruce Ismay had become chairman in 1899 after the death of his father. Inheriting additional shares of the line via his grandfather’s trust would have afforded Ismay even greater control over the company; he also served as chairman of the Asiatic Steam Navigation Company. A beautiful and important Titanic-related piece.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 27
To view additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
28 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Graham Bell and the Aerial Experiment Association take flight
3018 Alexander Graham Bell and The Aerial Experiment Association Photograph Collection Starting Bid $2,500 Significant collection of 25 vintage silver gelatin prints portraying Alexander Graham Bell and his fellow members of the Aerial Experiment Association (including Glenn Curtiss, Frederick Walker Baldwin, J. A. Douglas McCurdy, Thomas Selfridge, and others) along with their aerodrome aircraft, ranging in size from 3.75 x 3 to 6.5 x 4.75. After experimenting with tetrahedral kites since 1898, Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel Gardiner Bell decided to form the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA). The AEA was officially founded at the Halifax Hotel in Nova Scotia on October 1, 1907, its purpose being to construct ‘a practical flying aerodrome or flying machine driven through the air by its own power and carrying a man.’ The experiments started near Bell’s home at Beinn Bhreagh, near Baddeck, Nova Scotia. In February 1908, the AEA moved to Hammondsport, New York, a village on the south end of Keuka Lake, one of the state’s so-called ‘Finger Lakes.’ Key members of the association individually contributed to the designs of the ‘aerodromes’—the most successful of which may have been Glenn H. Curtiss’s June Bug, which won the Scientific American Cup, the first aeronautical prize awarded in the United States, for making a public flight of over one kilometer on July 4, 1908.
The subjects of the photographs are the members of the AEA, Drome No. 1: Selfridge’s Red Wing, Drome No. 2: Baldwin’s White Wing, Drome No. 3: Curtiss’s June Bug, Drome No. 3A: Curtiss’s June Bug (now called ‘The Loon’), and Drome No. 4: McCurdy’s Silver Dart. Also includes: two later cardstock photos signed in blue ink by J. A. Douglas McCurdy; as well as an extremely rare souvenir volume of 31 enlarged photographs illustrating the work of the Aerial Experiment Association, issued on April 12, 1909, marked “A. W. McCurdy” on the front. Also includes: two later cardstock photos signed in blue ink by J. A. Douglas McCurdy; as well as an extremely rare souvenir volume of 31 enlarged photographs illustrating the work of the Aerial Experiment Association, issued on April 12, 1909, marked “A. W. McCurdy” on the front. The paperback brad-bound volume has an eight-page typewritten appendix at the front. When the AEA was disbanded in 1909, this souvenir volume was offered to all the surviving members: Mabel Gardiner Bell, Alexander Graham Bell, Glenn Curtiss, J. A. Douglas McCurdy, and F. W. Baldwin—it is likely that only four or five volumes were ever published. In addition to the AEA’s aerodromes, the volume notably depicts and discusses Alexander Graham Bell’s “Kite Cygnet I” and “Cygnet II,” which had extremely unorthodox designs using tetrahedral cells as wings—Graham Bell first tested the design as a kite, and then built a powered version as the AEA’s ‘Drome No. 5.’ In overall fine condition. Provenance: Thomas G. Foxworth Aeronautical Collection.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 29
30 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Fifty historic Wright Bros. photographs from the collection of William Preston Mayfield, ‘the Mathew Brady of the Air Age’
3019 Wright Brothers Photograph Collection of William Preston Mayfield Starting Bid $2,500 Extraordinary personal album of great early aviation photographer William Preston Mayfield, ‘the Mathew Brady of the Air Age,’ containing 50 vintage gelatin silver photographs, printed circa 1930s, relating to Wilbur and Orville Wright. The photographs show Wright planes in flight and on the ground—including the Model A, Model B, Model E, Model L, a hydroplane, and others—as well as students and instructors at the Wright Flying School at Simms Station in Dayton, Ohio. The photos measure approximately 9.5 x 7.5 and are affixed on both sides of the pages held within the 13 x 10.5 hardcover leather album, many with Mayfield’s handwritten captions below, identifying them with dates between 1909 and 1917. A “Mayfield Photos Inc.” label is affixed to the front pastedown. In very good to fine condition, with edgewear and scuffing to exterior. This personal album was compiled by, and formerly in the collection of, William Preston Mayfield (1896–1974), the ‘court photographer’ to the Wright Brothers. The album descended
to Marvin Christian, who began working with Mayfield in 1954 (when the album had already been printed) and subsequently purchased the contents of his studio in 1967. Christian later published a book about Mayfield’s photographic endeavors, ‘William Preston Mayfield Photographer - Six Decades of Image Making,’ in which he wrote: ‘After five years working experience with Bill Mayfield and a number of years operating my own commercial photo studio I returned to purchase Mayfield’s studio equipment and bill’s entire collection of over 100,000 photographs, glass plates and negatives in 1967. There were many evenings we would get together in the studio and he would help sort the files and relate background stories about the photographs. Occasionally we would come across an old note on a piece of scrap paper that might read ‘need three prints for O. W. [Orville Wright].’ A few times I had to cringe as he would come across a glass plate, look at it carefully, and then slam it against the trash barrel shattering it into hundreds of pieces and say something like, ’That S.O.B. never paid me for that shot!’’ The contents of this historic album were exhibited as part of the touring museum exhibition that marked the 100th anniversary of the Wrights’ first flight, ‘Orville & Wilbur: The Wright Brothers’ Legacy,’ put on at the Dayton Art Institute, Virginia Air & Space Center, and Western Canada Aviation Museum in 2003–2004.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 31
“It is a question of whether man will ever be able to soar like a bird”
32 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Orville on flying technologies in 1915 3020 Orville Wright Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000 TLS, four pages, 8.5 x 11, The Wright Company letterhead, April 7, 1915. Letter to Frederick Eppelsheimer of the New York Herald, discussing the possibility of using a pendulum to stabilize aircraft, mentioning the death of his brother Wilbur, and referencing fellow aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss. In part: “Some time ago I noticed an account in the Herald of a report of a committee of some organization representing different scientific and engineering societies, in which account the committee was reported to have found the pendulum not a proper thing for stabilizing purposes. I thought the report, if correctly represented in the Herald, very amusing. Usually when men of high standing in one line of science undertake to pass upon something in another line which they are entirely unacquainted, they fall into ridiculous errors. I believe the pendulum is in itself an almost perfect device for preserving lateral balance. I have flown by the hour with such a device, a good deal of the time in winds of fifteen to twenty miles, yet I was unable to detect any case in which the pendulum did not give the proper direction in the operation of the machine. The only troubles we had with the device was in the electrical mechanism between the pendulum and the aeroplane controls. It has now been over a year since I have done any flying with the device, but I now have a machine at our flying field so equipped that when the weather becomes suitable and I have the time, I expect to resume the experiments. The pendulum shows exactly the proper bank the machine should take in making a turn. In this respect it is very far ahead of a machine that is manually controlled, because the pendulum operates in slight changes of angle, which the aviator is not able to feel. I note what you say in regard to soaring and hovering flight. A flying machine would only be able to hover in one spot when flying in a strong wind. I had hoped to resume the soaring experiments before this time, but since my brother’s death, legal and other business matters have prevented me from doing so. It is a question of whether man will ever be able to soar like a bird, on account of his greater spread of wings. It is evident that a bird with a wing spread of only five or six feet can circle in a space not more than a fifth or a sixth of that which would be required for a man-carrying flying machine. The diameter of the circles would be approximately in the ratio of the wing spread. The birds soar by taking advantage
of the rising trends of air. These rising trends are usually in the nature of whirlwinds, although they are not necessarily so violent as the whirlwinds which we see pick up dust or leaves on the ground. If the diameter of the whirl was sufficient so that a man could keep within it continuously, he would have no trouble in remaining aloft for at least a considerable space of time without the expenditure of power. But the soaring bird in this respect has the advantage. It not only could keep within the area of those trends in which a man could fly, but it could also keep within much smaller whirls. Although it is not an uncommon occurrence to fly into a trend of air that suddenly lifts the machine up 50 or 100 feet in a few seconds, yet I believe I never had but one experience in flying with a power machine in which the machine was was held up for any considerable length of time. That was while flying at Montgomery, Alabama in 1910. I had made a flight to a height of about 3,000 feet and was descending at a rather rapid rate with the power turned to its lowest, when at a height of about 1,500 feet, I got into a rising trend of air which stopped all progress downward, although I pointed the machine downward as steep as I considered safe. I flew this way without being able to decrease my height for a space of five minutes, until finally I began to become frightened. In making the descent I circled over the flying field and it was probably for this reason that I remained so long in this rising trend of air. Had I descended in a straight-away course, I probably would have been out of it in a minute or less. Of course, at the time I was too surprised and astonished to think of that. This whirl probably had a diameter of one-half mile or more, and as the day happened to be a very calm one, it took considerable time for it to cross the field. The conditions met with in this case were certainly unusual. I have never met with anything like this in all of my flying about Dayton. I think that either you or Mr. Stiles told me the last time I met you together in the Manhattan, that Curtiss had adopted the single acting aileron system of control in his school machines. It seems that he has had to abandon it and now is back to the old style of control again in all of the machines at San Diego. This in spite of the fact that in his affidavits in the present suit against the Curtiss Aeroplane Company, he states that he not only is not building machines to operate in the old style, excepting those ordered by the United States Government, but that he did not intend to build any more of that type.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a small matte-finish portrait of Eppelsheimer, marked on the reverse, “1918 passport to France.”
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 33
34 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
One of the four ‘Friendship’ chairs, flown across the Atlantic with Amelia Earhart in 1928 3021 Amelia Earhart 1928 Transatlantic ‘Friendship’ Chair Starting Bid $1,000 Amazing upholstered leather and rattan chair once installed as seating aboard the Fokker F.VIIb/3m, NX4204 aircraft known as the ‘Friendship,’ the plane that carried Amelia Earhart as a passenger during her historic transatlantic flight in June 1928, making her the first woman to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean in an aircraft. The chair measures approximately 20.25 x 37.5 x 28, and features an engraved plaque to back of top rail: “Friendship, Trans Atlantic Plane, Amelia Earhart, 1927, Donald Woodward.” In very good condition, with wear from age and use, including a tear to the leather at the top of the back cushion. The first known owner of the ‘Friendship’ chair was Donald Woodward of Le Roy, New York and Palm Beach, Florida. An heir to the Jell-O Company and president of the food and pharmaceuticals company Kemp and Lane Corporation, Woodward, among his various business dealings, held a great interest in aviation and later built a small private airport in his hometown. In 1927, Woodward purchased Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s newly outfitted Dutch Fokker aircraft for $62,000, with the intention of leasing the plane to socialite Amy Phipps Guest, who promptly named the aircraft ‘Friendship.’ When Guest’s plan of a transoceanic journey was ruled out by her family, she made sure another female candidate, one with experience as a pilot, was selected. On June 17, 1928, the 30-year-old aviatrix Amelia Earhart joined pilot Wilmer Stultz and copilot/mechanic Louis Gordon as a passenger (the ‘aircraft commander’ according to Guest) aboard the ‘Friendship’ as they made the 20-hour transatlantic flight from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, over to Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales. In an interview conducted soon after the landing, Earhart hinted at her eventual solo flight in 1932, suggesting that ‘maybe someday I’ll try it alone.’ In the hours immediately following Earhart’s landing in Wales, the orange-and-gold, float-equipped, three-engine monoplane
was flown to Southampton, England where Woodward began modifying the Friendship as a sightseeing plane for his new airport back in Le Roy, which opened in October 1928. The ‘Friendship’ was ultimately sold to an Argentinean businessman the following spring, but before the transaction was completed, Woodward removed the aircraft’s four leather seats, keeping them as souvenirs. To each he attached small brass plaques engraved with his name, the name of the plane, Amelia Earhart’s name, and the date 1927; although Earhart’s flight was in June 1928, Woodward engraved the plaques with 1927, likely in reference to the year he bought the plane from Admiral Byrd. Accompanied by a copy of Wings Over LeRoy: A History of the Donald Woodward Airport by Brian J. Duddy, which features an image of one of the four passenger seats from the Friendship, as well as an image of Earhart in the Friendship’s doorway, a matching chair seen behind her; two newspaper articles relating to the auction and subsequent donation of another ‘Friendship’ chair to the Le Roy House Museum; a souvenir program for the opening of the Donald Woodward Airport from October 12-14, 1928; and a miscellany of paperwork, photographs, and newspaper printouts relating to the town of Le Roy, New York, the Earhart connection, and the legacy of the Woodward family. Earhart visited the ‘Friendship’ at the Donald Woodward Airport in January 1929—just seven months after the transatlantic flight—and was reportedly pleased with her historic plane’s home, saying, ‘We need more airports like this.’ She further took time to pose for pictures and sign autographs for the Le Roy locals. The chair is also accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance that tracks its ownership for the past 91 years. The timeline is as follows: 1. Donald Woodward purchases the ‘Friendship’ in 1927 2. Woodward removes the chairs and gifts one to his friend and business partner Stewart James Johnston in 1929 3. Johnston and his wife Marge retain the chair until the mid-1950’s, and then present it to their eldest son, Stewart Luther Johnston, and his wife, Linda A. Johnston 4. The Johnston’s give the chair to their daughter and son-in law, the chair’s current owners, Mary L. Tilton and Douglas R. Tilton, Sr., in 1990
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 35
36 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Name patches from the ‘flight-worn’ light blue NASA suits of Grissom and White, paired with a notoriously rare red-numbered crew-signed photo 3023 Apollo 1 Signed Photograph and Flight Suit Patches Starting Bid $1,000 Extremely rare color semi-glossy official red-numbered NASA photo, trimmed to a size of 9.75 x 7.5, signed and inscribed in black felt tip by White, “To Joyce—Thanks for all your help at KSC—with best wishes, Edward H. White II,” and signed in black felt tip, “Gus Grissom” and “Roger B. Chaffee.” This is paired with a one-of-a-kind set of two leather NASA identification tags from White’s and Grissom’s flight suits worn during trips to and from the Kennedy Space Center, both of which are moderately to heavily worn. Unlike all other Apollo missions, flight-worn materials from Apollo 1 are manifestly nonexistent; as the personal name patches from their earthly flight suits, these are essentially the closest possible surrogates extant. The signed photo and leather patches are attractively suede-matted and framed together with an Apollo 1 commemorative patch and a printed caption to an overall size of 23.25 x 18.25. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Joyce Abrams, who served as the crew quarters attendant for the astronauts, in part: “The two leather uniform name patches for the Apollo 1 astronauts… are the original patches from the astronauts’ flight suits which were worn by them while flying into and out of Kennedy Space Center during Pres. John F. Kennedy’s Man to the Moon program.” Aforementioned trimming and a few scattered creases to photo, not detracting from the overall appearance, otherwise fine condition. This is easily considered the rarest of all Apollo crew signed portraits, few ‘red-numbered’ examples are known to exist; combined with the unique personally-worn name patches from the astronauts’ NASA flight suits, this is an absolutely remarkable display.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 37
Carried to the lunar surface on Apollo 11’s LM ‘Eagle’
3024 Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Flown American Flag Starting Bid $1,000
Extremely desirable flown mid-sized American flag carried to the lunar surface on Apollo 11 mission, 12 x 7.5, accompanied by a handwritten letter of provenance from former NASA Production Control Engineer William R. Whipkey, in full: “This American flag (12˝ x 7 1/2˝) was flown on Apollo 11 to the lunar surface aboard Lunar Module #5, ‘Eagle.’ This flag was given to me by the crew upon their return, and has been in my possession ever since.” In fine condition, with folds, a light stain to the bottom, and a few small areas of fabric loss to the top. Among his other duties, Whipkey was responsible for purchasing the items that were carried on the Apollo missions, including flags foreign and domestic. A skilled woodworker, Whipkey also created many displays and presentation pieces for the astronauts using flown materials, and often received flown items in return as tokens of their appreciation. A highly sought-after flown American flag carried to the moon during man’s first voyage to the lunar surface.
38 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Crisp signature of the influential genius
3025 Isaac Newton Signature Starting Bid $1,000 English physicist, mathematician, and astronomer (1643– 1727), widely regarded as the most influential figure in the history of science, whose ideas and discoveries, including calculus, the laws of gravitation and motion, and observations on the nature of light and optics, earned him a place among the most profound geniuses in the history of mankind. Exceedingly rare and highly sought-after ink signature, “Is. Newton,” on an off-white 1.75 x .5 slip. Beautifully mounted, double-matted, and framed with a plaque and portrait to an overall size of 14.75 x 11.5. In fine condition. A superb example of this extremely desirable scientific signature.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 39
40 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
“The absorbing demands of the Analytical Engine put it out of my power to leave London” 3026 Charles Babbage Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000
Pioneering British mathematician and mechanical engineer (1791–1871) whose Difference Engine and Analytical Engine are generally acknowledged as the first programmable computers. Important ALS signed “C. Babbage,” one page, 4.5 x 7, May 19, 1868. Letter to “Mr. Waugh,” in full: “Many thanks for your kind invitation to Oxford. The state of my health and the absorbing demands of the Analytical Engine put it out of my power to leave London even for a few days.” In fine condition, with two old tape stains to the left edge. Babbage first proposed the Analytical Engine in 1837, envisioning it as a mechanical general-purpose computer programmed by punch cards, incorporating an arithmetic logic unit, control flow in the form of conditional branching and loops, and integrated memory. Despite years of attempts—as evidenced in this letter, written more than thirty years after the Analytical Engine’s conception—Babbage was never able to actually complete the unit, largely due to the extraordinary complexity of the machine, conflicts with his chief engineer, and woefully inadequate funding. Nevertheless, Babbage’s Analytical Engine stands as an enormously innovative, important first step in the history of modern computing. To our knowledge, this is the only letter directly mentioning the Analytical Engine that exists in private hands.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 41
Un-used Prototype Area
Original Apple PROMS with “Woz Monitor” AMI Parallel Interface Adapter (6820) White ceramic MOS 6502 microprocessor
42 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Original “Big Blue” capacitors
Original Power Supply Regulators
Original Apple Cassette Interface Card
The ‘Invaluable’ Apple-1: The computer that started it all
3027 Apple I Computer Starting Bid $50,000 An amazing, fully functional later production ‘Byte Shop’–style Apple-1 computer (also commonly known as the Apple I, or Apple Computer 1), complete with all components and accessories required for operation. The set includes: • original Apple-1 board • original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI) • original Apple-1 Operation Manual • two original Apple Cassette Interface manuals • a period surplus ASCII keyboard • a period ‘open frame’ Sanyo 4205 video monitor • a new period-style power supply with original Apple-1 power cable and connector • period cassette interface cables This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original, operational state in June 2018 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of it running and functioning is available upon request. A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluates the current condition of the unit as 8.5/10. The most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system was operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.
The Apple-1 was originally conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists, their initial market being Palo Alto’s Homebrew Computer Club. Seeking a larger audience, Jobs approached Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer stores in the world. Aiming to elevate the computer beyond the realm of the hobbyist, Terrell agreed to purchase 50 Apple-1 computers, but only if they were fully assembled. The Apple-1 thus became one of the first ‘personal’ computers which did not require soldering by the end user. All together, over a span of about ten months, Jobs and Wozniak produced about 200 Apple-1 computers and sold 175 of them. The later production ‘Byte Shop’–style of this Apple-1 is indicated by discrete component dates which match other known Apple-1 boards of similar vintage, assembled and sold by Apple in the fall of 1976 and early 1977. On the left side, the board is marked: “Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976.” Unlike many of the known Apple-1 boards, this unit has not had any modifications to the physical board, and the prototype area is clean and unused. The Apple-1 is not only a marvel of early computing ingenuity, but the product that launched what is today one of the most valuable and successful companies in the world. Please reference our companion catalog for additional details. Online bidding for Lot 3027 is only available on Invaluable.com. You can also schedule a phone call during the live auction by contacting Sue Recks at 603-732-4280.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 43
Jobs graduates from Homestead High School, 1972 3028 Steve Jobs Yearbook Starting Bid $200 Scarce hardcover 1972 Pegasus yearbook from Steve Jobs’ senior year at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California, 8.75 x 11.25, 201 pages. Jobs is pictured as a member of the graduating senior class on page 24; Chrisann Brennan, Jobs’ girlfriend and the mother of his first child, is pictured as a junior on page 47; and Bill Fernandez, a close friend of Jobs and Apple employee No. 4, is pictured as a senior on page 19. The book bears multiple signatures and inscriptions to the original owner, but is not signed by Jobs; faculty signers include Carol Hughes (Steve Jobs’s high school counselor), Phil Sedgley (Dean of Boys), Warren Bryld (Homestead High principal), and John ‘Bill’ George (Homestead High vice principal). Includes the rare Pegasus 1972 Supplement that was given to student body card holders a few months after graduation. In fine condition.
Steve Jobs–signed Time Magazine cover from 1982 3029 Steve Jobs Signed Time Magazine Cover Starting Bid $1,000 Rare magazine cover featuring Steve Jobs removed from the February 15, 1982 issue of Time, 8.25 x 10.75, beautifully signed in the lower left in black ink, “steve jobs.” The cover story, “Striking It Rich,” portrays “Steven Jobs of Apple Computer” as one of “America’s Risk Takers.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered light creasing, a central horizontal mailing fold, and a light paperclip impression to the top edge. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services, and a letter of provenance from the consignor. The Time article described the nation’s upstart tech entrepreneurs whose firms were beginning to meet with massive success—Apple went public with an IPO in 1980, and had grown dramatically by 1982. At the end of the year, it was rumored that Jobs was under consideration as a finalist for Time’s ‘Man of the Year’—instead, Time named ‘The Computer’ as its ‘Machine of the Year.’ A superior signed piece rooted in the beginnings of Steve Jobs’s much-publicized success.
44 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Exceedingly rare Jobs-signed 1982 Apple annual report 3030 Steve Jobs Signed Annual Report Starting Bid $1,000 Exceptional Apple Computer, Inc. annual report for 1982, 32 pages, 8.5 x 11, signed and inscribed on the front cover in ink, “Mark—Thanks for caring. Your great! steve jobs.” The cover has additionally been inscribed by various other Apple employees, with sentiments like: “As good a ‘graphic design’ job as I’ve ever seen,” “To an original Apple ‘spirit,’ may your designs live on forever!!,” and “Thank you for helping to make Apple’s graphic image the best!” In fine condition. The consignor notes that he worked as a design consultant for Apple Computer for over five years, and was honored with an Apple ‘Hero’ award shortly after this report was released; this annual report is said to have been Steve Jobs’s favorite, and it won many awards nationally for its content and graphic design. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/ DNA and Beckett Authentication Services, and a letter of provenance from the consignor. This historic report, which details Apple’s second year as a public company, describes the success of the Apple II and Apple III personal computers. It also presents a forward-looking concept for their business as personal computing expands. Moreover, this report embodies Apple’s human-centric values—the cover prominently features a quote from President John F. Kennedy: “Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.” Inside, it is made clear that Apple’s dedicated and creative employees are the driving force behind its innovation. The successful report had an immediate positive impact in the financial world—Apple stock more than quadrupled between mid-1982 and mid-1983. In later years, Jobs was a notoriously difficult signer—not the result of a holier-than-thou attitude, but because he didn’t like to take sole credit for all that Apple had accomplished. This remarkable early annual report, featuring Jobs’s modest signature alongside those of his colleagues, is the ultimate testament to his character and genius.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 45
Rare 1982 program signed by the ‘computer whiz’ of Cupertino, “steven jobs” 3031 Steve Jobs Signed Program Starting Bid $1,000 Superb program for the 1982 American Academy of Achievement ‘Banquet of the Golden Plate’ award ceremony, 8.5 x 11, eight pages, boldly signed on the front cover in blue ballpoint by two of the honorees, “steven jobs,” and “Herschel Walker, #34.” Also signed inside by Gerald Coffee, James Dozier, Gordon Fullerton, Bobby Inman, Paul MacCready, Reuben Mattus, and Ralph Sampson. Inside the program, Jobs is described as “Co-Founder/Chairman of Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, Calif.— spotlighted recently on Time’s cover as the remarkable 26-year-old ‘computer whiz’ who helped launch his company…in his parents’ garage only six years ago.” In fine to very fine condition. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/ DNA and Beckett Authentication Services, and a letter of provenance from the consignor. A Washington Post article about the event published on July 13, 1982, describes the Academy of Achievement as a ‘kind of walking, talking People magazine,’ dedicated to inspiring America’s youth with the stories of great achievement in a variety of fields. This diversity is evidenced by the signatures on this unique program—from football stars to computer whizzes to ice cream executives, the Academy welcomed high achievers from any aspect of American life. The article goes on to take note of Jobs’s speech at the ceremony: ‘Steven Jobs, from Silicon Valley, Calif., threw off his jacket and told a rapt audience of 340 teen-agers: ‘You might want to go to Paris and be a poet, or go to a Third World country. I strongly suggest that one. Go see lepers with their hands falling off. Or fall in love with two people at the same time…And don’t walk away from Zen Buddhists—sit down and buy them lunch and talk.’ Jobs is the 26-year-old guru godfather of Apple Computers. To a lot of the kids present, he was the real hero.’
46 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Apple’s iconic ‘1984’ Super Bowl ad— two versions from the art director’s personal collection 3032 Apple Computer’s ‘1984’ Superbowl Ad Betamax Tape Starting Bid $1,000 A first state Betamax videotape of two versions of the iconic ‘1984’ Apple Computer ad directed by Ridley Scott, which famously aired on CBS during the broadcast of Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. The tape derives from the personal collection of the ad’s art director, Brent Thomas, and is signed by him three times: once on the tape’s label in black felt tip, “Brent’s”; once on the tape’s spine in white; and once on the case’s plastic cover (heavily rubbed). Both the tape and case bear Chiat/Day labels with typed descriptions of the contents: “Apple Computer, ‘1984’ :60 & :30, Dub from Editel edit of 9/28/83.” Both spots are preceded by title cards with flashing “Not For Air” notices. In fine condition, with rubbing and cracking to the plastic label cover on the tape’s case. Accompanied by a USB drive with direct transfers of both ads, as well as a letter of provenance noting the tape’s origin from Brent Thomas’s estate. Inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas, and Lee Clow of the Chiat/Day advertising agency, the ad features an athletic heroine in bright red shorts and a white tank top with a Macintosh on the front. Wielding a sledgehammer, she sprints through a droning and lifeless meeting, twirls, and hurls the hammer at a big screen broadcasting a ‘Big Brother’ speech, blowing it up. As the explosion echoes, the screen reads: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’” Shot in dark, blue-gray hues meant to invoke IBM’s ‘Big Blue,’ the ad anticipates Apple’s disruption of the personal computing industry. The commercial’s social and political overtones held a particular resonance in the mid-1980s, as the United States and Soviet Union were still engaged in an ideological Cold War. The ad was an immediate sensation, and it has subsequently been called a watershed moment in advertising history. It would go on to win the 1984 Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Film Festival, and be added to the Hall of Fame of the Clio Awards in 1995, the same year that Ad Age named it ‘the best commercial ever made.’ In a March 1984 interview with the New York Times, Brent Thomas discussed the now-iconic ad, saying that Apple had wanted something to ‘stop America in its tracks, to make people think about computers, to make them think about Macintosh.’ With about $3.5 million worth of Macintoshes sold in the weeks after the advertisement ran, Thomas judged the effort ‘absolutely successful,’ adding: ‘We also set out to smash the old canard that the computer will enslave us…We did not say the computer will set us free—I have no idea how it will work out. This was strictly a marketing position.’
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 47
48 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Steve Jobs and nine members of the Macintosh team 3033 Steve Jobs and Nine Team Members Signed Macintosh Plus Computer Starting Bid $2,500 Amazing original Apple Macintosh Plus 1Mb personal computer, serial no. F84525GM0001A, signed on the bottom of the beige-colored case in black felt tip by Steve Jobs along with nine key members of Apple’s Macintosh team: Andy Hertzfeld, Patti Kenyon, Guy L. ‘Bud’ Tribble, Joanna R. Hoffman, Steve Capps, Larry Kenyon, Mike Boich, Brian Howard, and Guy Kawasaki. Complete with its original mouse and keyboard. In fine condition. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services, and a letter of provenance from the consignor.
Photos credited to Robert Holmgren
These signatures were obtained in person by Silicon Valley photographer Robert Holmgren, who in 1988 used this Macintosh Plus as a prop in a photo shoot in advance of the Macintosh five-year anniversary, with much of the original Macintosh team. At that shoot, he asked those present to sign the underside of the computer. Though Steve Jobs was not present at the session, Holmgren photographed him in 1993 and obtained his signature at that time; Kawasaki also signed at a later date. Many of these signatures are also famously found in embossed versions molded inside the hard plastic case, the result of a 1982 ‘signing party’ of the original Macintosh team who, like artists, desired to sign their work. Introduced in 1986, the Macintosh Plus was the third computer in the iconic Macintosh line. An improvement over the Macintosh 512K, it shipped with 1MB of RAM standard, and was expandable up to 4MB. It also included an external SCSI peripheral bus and several smaller improvements over its predecessors. Although the Macintosh Plus was soon overshadowed by the release of the Macintosh SE and the Macintosh II in 1987, it remained in production as a less expensive alternative until 1990—making it the longestproduced Macintosh ever. Featuring an important roster of key figures in the development of the Macintosh—including Jobs as Apple’s founder, Hertzfeld as an important software designer, and Kawasaki as an influential marketer—this is a supremely rare and immensely desirable signed example of a classic computer.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 49
The origin of a ‘Superman’— Siegel and Shuster join forces in the early 1930s fanzine, Science Fiction
3034 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster ‘Reign of Superman’ 1933 Fanzine Starting Bid $2,500 Fantastically rare set of the first four issues of Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization, Volume 1, a mimeographed science fiction fanzine self-published by Superman creator Jerry Siegel in late 1932 and early 1933. The lot is highlighted by the presence of issue No. 3 from January 1933, which features the short story ‘The Reign of the Superman,’ written by Siegel (under the pseudonym Herbert S. Fine) and illustrated by Joe Shuster; the 11-page tale marks the duo’s first published use of the name Superman, a superhero they would more famously introduce in June 1938’s Action Comics #1. Issue No. 3 consists of 22 pages, 8.5 x 11, stapled, with missing front cover, the last two pages detached, and page 19 printed upside-down. The contents of the issue: The Reign of the Superman by Herbert S. Fine (pgs. 4-14, with tremendous illustrations by Shuster); About Amelia Reynolds Long by by legendary future sci-fi writer and agent Forrest J. Ackerman (pg. 14); The Dream Dimension [Part 3 of 3] by Eugene I. Frank (pgs. 15-18); and Science Fiction News, with last page
50 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
listing books sold at the Smith Book Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts (pgs. 18-19). The opening contents page lists “Jerome Siegel” as editor and “Joe Shuster” as art editor and illustrator. Issue No. 1, October 1932, 22 pages, 9 x 12, stapled, with missing front cover, and first two pages and last page detached. The contents: The Dream Dimension [Part 1 of 3] by Eugene I. Frank; Biography of Ed Earl Repp; The Green Plane by Carl Mann; Their Clean Record by Leon N. Franklin; and Snaring the Master by Herbert S. Fine; reverse of the back page annotated in blue pencil with the address of the Smith Book Company. Issue No. 2 (errantly marked as “Number One”), November 1932, 24 pages, 9 x 12, stapled, with final three pages detached. The contents: Gods of the Nebulae by Hugh Langley; Super Science Satire by Forrest J. Ackerman; The Dream Dimension [Part 2 of 3] by Eugene I. Frank; and Editor’s Televisor; reverse of the back page annotated in blue pencil with the address of the Smith Book Company. The “Coming Next Month!!!” section on page 17 advertises Siegel and Shuster’s landmark ‘Superman’ story: “Herbert S. Fine returns with a smashing short story Reign of the Superman.”
Issue No. 4, 1933, 22 pages, 8.5 x 11, stapled. The contents: Dimension Doom [Part 1 of 2] by Raymond A. Palmer; New Forces in Literature by David H. Keller; and Vandals from Pluto by Bernard J. Kenton; an opening page contains the first printed image of King Kong with a short review for the 1933 film. In overall very good to fine condition, with toning, chips and tears to edges, and some pages partially detached. Siegel and Shuster bonded over a love of science and adventure fiction while attending Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Already contributors to the weekly school newspaper, The Glenville Torch, the shy 18-yearolds used the school’s mimeograph to produce an ambitious fanzine called Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization. Their efforts resulted in only five issues, but the lead story in the third publication, The Reign of the Superman, would serve as the springboard for their most popular and influential character. Originally written by Siegel in 1932, The Reign of the Superman told the story of a vagrant named Bill Dunn who, in exchange for ‘a real meal and a new suit,’ participates in an experiment that grants him telepathic powers. Intoxicated with his newfound abilities, Dunn seeks to take over the world, killing the chemist who created the formula. The story ends with his temporary powers worn away, and Dunn realizing that he will soon be forced to return to the bread line a forgotten man.
To view additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
Siegel reconceived the character of Superman a year later, changing him from a bald villain (not unlike Lex Luthor) to a capewearing hero with an alter ego—Shuster modeled the superhero after Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., and his bespectacled alter ego, Clark Kent, on a combination of Harold Lloyd and himself. Unable to develop their idea into a comic strip, the duo found jobs at National Allied Publications (later to become DC Comics) in 1935, and debuted their Superman character in the first issue of Action Comics in June 1938. Research indicates that no more than 50 copies of Siegel and Shuster’s Science Fiction fanzines were printed for distribution, and that the last auction to offer the coveted No. 3 issue occurred in 2010. Siegel and Shuster’s Science Fiction fanzine represents the very earliest incarnation of the Superman saga and looms as a veritable museum-quality artifact from the nascency of the comic book industry—a significant, essential work of the utmost desirability.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 51
Howard Hughes loans Jean Harlow to MGM 3035 Howard Hughes and Louis B. Mayer Signed Document Starting Bid $200 DS, signed “Howard R. Hughes, pres.,” two pages, 8.5 x 11, November 11, 1930. Agreement by which Hughes’s Caddo Company loans Jean Harlow to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to appear in the classic crime film The Secret Six. In part: “This is to confirm our understanding of the arrangement we have made to loan you the exclusive services of Miss Jean Harlow…to play the part known as ‘ingenue lead’ in the photoplay entitled ‘Secret Six.’” The document outlines the terms and schedule for the agreement. Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by both Hughes and Louis B. Mayer. Includes a TLS by Arthur M. Landau, December 18, 1930, agreeing to “extend the starting date on the services of Miss Jean Harlow in your production ‘Secret Six’ from November 25, 1930, to December 15, 1930.” In fine condition. Hughes ‘discovered’ Harlow in 1929, signing her to a five-year, $100-per-week contract. She made her first major appearance in Hughes’s aviation epic “Hell’s Angels,” which brought her into the international limelight. In 1931, she came to even greater prominence with her “ingenue” role as Anne Courtland in “The Secret Six,” which co-starred the likes of Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, and Clark Gable. Capitalizing on the success brought by the newfound blonde bombshell, MGM purchased Harlow’s contract from Hughes in 1932 for $30,000—she soon became one of the studio’s biggest stars.
Garbo stars as Anna Karenina 3036 Greta Garbo Signed Document Starting Bid $200 DS, one page, 8.5 x 11, Law Offices of Laurence W. Beilenson letterhead, March 11, 1935. Document submitted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in full: “In consideration of your having postponed the starting date of ‘Anna Karenina’ from March 11th to March 18th, at my request, it is agreed that wherever the date ‘May 15, 1935’ is used in the contract between us, dated October 22, 1934, said date shall be changed to read ‘May 22, 1935.’” Boldly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Garbo. In fine condition. Having once played Anna Karenina in the 1927 film “Love,” Garbo reprised the role in MGM’s lavish 1935 adaptation of the classic Tolstoy novel. The film opened at New York’s Capitol Theatre on August 30, 1935, and Garbo’s powerful acting earned wide praise; Graham Greene noted that ‘it is Greta Garbo’s personality which ‘makes’ this film, which fills the mould of the neat respectful adaptation with some kind of sense of the greatness of the novel.’ Garbo’s portrayal of Anna Karenina remains one of her most acclaimed and memorable roles.
52 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Garland grants a perpetual license to her likeness for “The Wizard of Oz” 3037 Judy Garland Signed Document Starting Bid $300 DS, one page, 8.5 x 11, June 12, 1939. Document submitted to Loew’s Incorporated, in part: “I agree, with respect to the results and proceeds of my services in your photoplay now entitled ‘The Wizard of Oz’ that...you… shall have the right…perpetually and without limit as to time, to use my name, photograph, likeness and/or the reproduction of my voice and sound effects in connection with any advertising and/or commercial tie-ups and/ or for any other commercial purposes provided that such tieups or commercial uses refer to said photoplay now entitled ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and/or include the use of scenes or reproductions of scenes from said photoplay and/or representations of the character portrayed by me in said photoplay.” Neatly signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by the 17-year-old Judy Garland, and countersigned by her mother, “Mrs. Ethel M. Garland.” In fine condition, with light intersecting folds. This important document dates to two months before the official release of “The Wizard of Oz,” which made its Hollywood premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on August 15, 1939. Garland’s iconic portrayal of Dorothy Gale stands as one of the most famous and beloved roles in the history of cinema. A remarkable and supremely desirable document associated with the marketing and commercialization of this truly classic film.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 53
Rare letter from “Norma Jeane” dating to the month she began her modeling career 3038 Marilyn Monroe Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $1,000 ALS in pencil signed “Norma Jeane,” two pages, 5.25 x 8.25, postmarked January 17, 1945. Letter to her legal guardian, Grace (McKee) Goddard, in full (spelling and grammar retained): “Well Jimmie is here now, he arrived in San Francisco about three weeks ago and will be here about a week or so more. Last week Jimmie and I were at Big Bear for eight days, we had a wonderful time and met a lot of wonderful people. Thank you so much for sending the book of Business English, and for the Encyclopedia. I didn’t have an Encyclopedia and I really did need one so I am most grateful to you. Aunt Ana gave me a dictionary yesterday so I was very happy about that although I had a dictionary, it was simply falling apart. I recieved a letter from Berniece recently and she and Paris have moved to Oak Ridge, Tenn. They are both working for Eastman Co. Her address is W. V. 39, Room 123, Oak Ridge, Tenn. I will have to make this rather short because I have so many things to do so I shall write to you soon again. Thank you again, dear.” Monroe adds a brief postscript: “Give Daddy and Bebe my love.” In fine condition, with light stains to the left edge of the first page, and opening-related tears to the mailing envelope. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed by Monroe who incorporates her signature into return address field, “Mrs. J. E. Dougherty.” At the age of 17, Norma Jeane Doughtery worked 10-hour days at the Radioplane Company in Burbank, California, a World War II defense plant that tasked her with checking and spraying parachutes. She was the wife of James “Jimmie” Dougherty, a young United States merchant seaman assigned overseas, and she lived with his parents during his deployment. In June 1944, Army photographer David Conover arrived at Radioplane to snap morale-boosting pictures of female workers for the First Motion Picture Unit. He discovered the bubbly redhead and took several photos of her holding a propeller; the images and resulting attention spurred Jeane to quit her job from the factory in January 1945, and, not long after, sign on with the Blue Book Modeling Agency. By the fall of the following year, Norma Jeane had become Marilyn Monroe, newly divorced and on the payroll at 20th Century Fox.
54 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Glamorous oversized “Marilyn” portrait inscribed to her beloved choreographer and confidant Jack Cole 3039 Marilyn Monroe Oversized Signed Photograph Starting Bid $2,500 Gorgeous vintage mattefinish 11 x 14 photo of Monroe in a low-cut dress and diamond jewelry reclining on a pillow, circa 1953, signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint to choreographer Jack Cole, “Jack—you certainly can—and I’m not mad! Marilyn.” In fine condition, with some scuffing to the background, a few small creases, and old mounting remnant on the reverse. Provenance: Sotheby’s, 1979; The Jack Cole Collection of Books and Pictures on The Dance, part of lot 107. A long-time choreographer, Cole worked with the likes of Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. Cole was responsible for helping Marilyn develop her onscreen personality, and coached her in her role as Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Normally very difficult and demanding, Cole was much more patient when working with the actress, going over her work time and time again. In Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, Cole avoided placing too much stress on Marilyn, using his dancers to help carry the number and create one of her most iconic performances. In all Cole worked on five of Monroe’s pictures, with this lovely portrait a sign of the legendary actress’s great love and respect for his help.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 55
Monumental portrait inscribed to War and Peace director King Vidor 3040 Audrey Hepburn Oversized Signed Photograph Starting Bid $1,000 Magnificent oversized vintage matte-finish 15.5 x 19.5 close-up portrait of Hepburn captured circa 1956 by War and Peace cinematographer Jack Cardiff, beautifully signed and inscribed in fountain by Hepburn to the film’s director King Vidor, “For my King, with love and and love, Audrey.” Attractively archivally double-matted and framed to an overall size of 26 x 30. In fine condition. Directed by King Vidor, the 1956 film War and Peace, adapted from Leo Tolstoy iconic novel, starred Audrey Hepburn in the leading role as Natasha Rostova. The acclaimed film earned Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Cinematography (Color), and Best Costume Design (Color). It won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film, and Hepburn and Vidor both received Golden Globe nominations for their individual contributions. As a mammoth, sharp portrait of the iconic Hollywood star inscribed to her great director, this is an absolutely unique, one-of-a-kind piece of entertainment history.
56 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
James “Rack” Dean, a 17-year-old junior at Fairmount High School
3042 James Dean Signed Yearbook Starting Bid $300 Rare softcover 1948 Black and Gold yearbook from James Dean’s junior year at Fairmount High School in Fairmount, Indiana, 8.25 x 10.75, signed on the back ‘Autographs’ page in blue ballpoint, “Jim Dean, ‘Rack.’” In addition to his junior class portrait, Dean is pictured as a member of the speech department, the 4-H Club, the ‘F’ Club, as a player on the school’s basketball team (“Jim Dean, who made a fine showing on the second team last year and as guard this year on the first. Should be a regular next year”), and as a member of the Junior Class Play, which performed the three-act comedy ‘Our
Hearts Were Young and Gay,’ with Dean cast in the role of the bespectacled Otis Skinner. Although he is not in the group photo, Dean is also listed as a member of the baseball team. In very good to fine condition, with moderate handling wear to the detached cover; interior pages, including the signed page, are fine. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA. Dean earned the nickname “Rack” for helping his uncle rack up the balls at a local pool hall. Signed by Dean as an overachieving 17-year-old, this splendid yearbook offers an uncommon glimpse into the formative high school years of one of Hollywood’s most iconic and tragic stars.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 57
Remarkable Hawaii Five-O archive, including Lord’s badge and pilot script
3043 Jack Lord’s Personal Hawaii Five-O Badge, Pilot Script, and Signed Photos Starting Bid $500 A one-of-a-kind Jack Lord/Hawaii Five-O collection, comprising a Hawaii Five-O badge with TLS from Lord, Lord’s personal Hawaii Five-O pilot script, and six signed photographs of Lord and fellow Hawaii Five-O cast members: The “State of Hawaii, Investigator, Five-O Unit” badge is displayed with a TLS from Lord transmitting it for a charity auction on CBS Television Network letterhead, November 10, 1972. In part: “I am sending you my very own McGarrett badge for your auction because I believe in your cause. The Chief of Police from Singapore was through Honolulu recently and requested one of these badges. We considered his request but decided that if we gave him one, we would set a dangerous precedent. So you see they are extremely rare. Other than two that were donated to the American Cancer Society fund raising and one or two other worthy causes, no one has ever received them from us, here or on the mainland.” Attractively matted together and framed to an overall size of 15 x 16.5. The letter is in very good condition, with overall toning and scattered creases and soiling; the badge is in fine condition. According to the consignor, there are only five of these badges known to exist. Jack Lord’s personally-owned script for the pilot of Hawaii Five-O by Leonard Freeman, entitled “Five-O,” 102 pages, dated June 16, 1967, signed on the cover in thick black felt tip, “Jack Lord.” The episode, released under the title ‘Cocoon,’ was the first of 279 episodes to air during the show’s twelve-season run. The script has many colored revision pages, and includes a “’Five-O’ Pilot Production Crew List.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining to the cover. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from executors of the estate of Jack Lord. Provenance: Bonhams, June 2011. The collection of five 8 x 10 signed photographs includes three of Jack Lord (two inscribed), one of Zulu (ins), one of James MacArthur (ins), and one of Kam Fong (ins). In overall fine condition. A remarkable assemblage from one of the classic television shows of the 1960s–70s, which has experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to its current CBS reboot. An absolutely fantastic Hawaii Five-O collection.
58 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Test-fired bullets from Bonnie and Clyde’s guns 3044 Bonnie and Clyde Ballistics Investigation Bullets Starting Bid $300 Test cartridges fired by forensic ballistician Merle A. Gill used in the Union Station Massacre and Red Crown Tavern shootout investigations of 1933. This is a small, hand-made wooden case (1 3/8˝ x 13 1/2˝ x 5 1/2˝) that has four internal trays containing 63 handgun and rifle cartridges, most of which have been fired, and their recovered bullets placed backwards into the case so that the rifling patterns are visible. Most of the cartridges are .45 ACP, and all are numbered (over 40 Model 1911 pistols were taken from the gang’s cabin at the Red Crown). Also present are a number of fired .30-06 cases (unfortunately the notes painted onto them have faded to illegibility, however they were probably fired from the captured BARs taken at the Red Crown), and six unfired rounds of .32 S&W. A typed note affixed inside the case’s lid reads, in part: “These bullets and cartridge cases were test-fired from guns used by Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in a battle with law enforcement agents…near Platte City, Missouri, July, 1933. The guns were tested for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Union Station massacre of June 17th, 1933 at Kansas City, Missouri. Merle A. Gill, Laboratory, K.C. Mo.” The case’s hinged lid is crudely secured with a screw. The most interesting items in the collection are: two unfired .45 ACP cartridges (one labeled “BUCK BARROW”, the other labeled “CLYDE BARROW”); one unfired .44 Special labeled “BUCK BARROW”; one fired .44 Special with recovered bullet and small paper note that reads, “Buck Barrow / 8-1-33 / 44 S&W Gill / #7457 for FBI”; and a fired .38 Special with recovered bullet and small paper note that reads, “Barrow Guns / 8-1-33 / 38 S&W / 303576 / Tested for FBI / Gill.” These notes were rolled up and inserted within the casings. Merle A. Gill was a Kansas City ballistician who conducted the ballistic portion of the FBI’s investigation into the Union Station Massacre, in which several FBI agents and KC Police were killed or wounded during the botched rescue of Frank ‘Jelly’ Nash. A few weeks later, the Barrow Gang passed through an already jumpy Kansas City, and were spotted at the Red Crown Tavern and Cabins in nearby Platte County, MO. Heightened suspicions led to a posse and eventual gun battle—one of the fiercest the Barrow Gang ever fought. It was at the Red Crown that Buck Barrow received his grievous head wound, and Blanche was wounded in the face. An immense cache of weapons, abandoned during their successful escape from the posse, were taken out of the Gang’s cabins, and it was from these guns that Gill made this sample case, apparently to see if the Barrow Gang had anything to do with the massacre in Kansas City a few weeks previously. Gill’s ballistic investigations for the FBI (investigations that J. Edgar Hoover was not pleased to have in the hands of a non-FBI employee) are mentioned in ‘The Life and Death of Pretty Boy Floyd’ by Jeffery S. King (1998). This is a spectacular piece of gangster history, dating to an early period of forensic investigation techniques.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 59
Mint twice-signed “Alphonse Capone” interest note—the gangster demands $45 in “gold coin”
3045 Al Capone Twice-Signed Document Starting Bid $900 Extraordinary partly-printed DS, signed twice, “Alphonse Capone,” one page, 8.75 x 3, November 18, 1926. An interest note for “Loan No. 6223,” in part: “Due to the order of Ourselves…$45.00 in gold coin of the United States of America of the present standard of weight and fineness, on the 18th day of May A.D. 1927 without grace, at the office of Lawndale National Bank in the City of Chicago…with interest after maturity until paid, at the rate of seven percent, per annum, being for an installment of interest on our principal and note No. 5. being of even date herewith for the sum of $1500.00.” Signed at the conclusion by Al Capone, his mother Theresa Capone, and his wife Mae Capone, and also endorsed on the reverse by all three. Encapsulated in a plastic PSA/DNA authentication and grading holder, evaluating the autograph on the front of the document as “MINT 9.” In fine to very fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity and grading from PSA/DNA. None of these Al Capone bank documents have come on the market for twenty years, and in the past, single Capone signatures have sold for between $16,000 and $25,000. This item—a twice-signed example boasting a PSA/DNA certified “MINT 9” autograph, and enhanced by the signatures of two members of the Capone family—stands as a very rare document indeed. Capone rose to prominence throughout the 1920s, making a name for himself as a leader of the Chicago underworld. Increasingly implicated in the corruption of political, law enforcement, and labor officials, he was convicted of income tax evasion in 1931 and sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment, serving part of his sentence on Alcatraz. His autograph is scarce in any format, and this remarkable twice-signed document would be the ‘kingpin’ of any collection of 20th-century Americana.
60 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Disputes over the “first and second volumes of the History of the Russian Revolution”
3046 Leon Trotsky Typed Letter Signed Starting Bid $200 TLS in German, signed “L. Trotsky,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 11, January 18, 1931. Letter to a publisher concerning the contract and delivery time for the manuscript of his work History of the Russian Revolution. In part (translated): “The contract signed by you undoubtedly states that the payment of $2500 will follow after delivery of the first volume of the Manuscript and not after delivery of the complete Manuscript, as you now arbitrarily maintain and is contrary to your agreement…You explained that I could deliver the Manuscripts to you in one or two years, that it would not matter to you; you only wanted to be assured that you and no one else would receive the Manuscripts…If one sees an offense in the delay of the delivery against the contract, I believe that your publishing house is guilty of an even larger offense towards the Author… Your publishing house stated: ‘Our main reason for wanting the ms. sent here chapter by chapter is the urgency of advance
publicity.’ Accordingly, I had to arrange my entire work not at the beginning of the book, but with those chapters suitable for Newspapers…But you have neglected to even undertake the translation, and after delivery of the entire Manuscript…you raised the question of postponing the foreign publications so that you could gain time to fulfill your neglected obligation… The literary work, especially under very exclusive conditions, does not allow by far to fix a term as to publishing under normal conditions… The first and second volumes of the History of the Russian Revolution cannot appear simultaneously. The German publisher, so as to please you, will bring out the first volume in April (instead of February) and the second volume in October… But if you state in your cable: ‘delivery complete manuscript necessary to maintain validity contract,’ I cannot interpret it any differently but take it that you yourself do not want to comply with the contract, which means that you are trying to postpone your payments until after delivery of the first volume under pretexts that I cannot accept.” In fine condition, with a small tear to the right edge, and slight paper loss to the upper right corner.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 61
62 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Frank Lloyd Wright prepares affordable pre-fab modern housing, “one of his most valuable contributions to the life of our time” 3047 Frank Lloyd Wright Archive Starting Bid $300 Large compilation of Frank Lloyd Wright–related materials from the collection of Christian Science Monitor reporter Bernice Stevens Decker, highlighted by a typed draft of an article by Decker which has been extensively hand-corrected by Wright, and a TLS by Wright. Other materials include letters from Wright’s secretaries, various small publications, magazines, and newspaper clippings. The remarkable hand-edited typescript draft of Decker’s article is four pages, 8.5 x 11, written from Taliesin (“Spring Green, Wis.”), undated but published in the November 3, 1950 issue of The Christian Science Monitor. The draft has been extensively edited by Wright, with approximately 100 handwritten notations and textual corrections in his hand. The article was published following an exclusive interview with Wright on his latest work on inexpensive pre-fabricated housing. In part (Wright’s handwritten notations shown in italics): “Hope for the family that wants a low cost house that the members can build themselves is about to come off the drafting boards at Taliesin, home and workshop of Frank Lloyd Wright, world-famous Architect. Elimination of the need of any skilled labor or costly materials in the actual building process and the proper and efficient use of available materials everywhere will mean a $4,500 house equivalent to one costing $12,000 today. Mr. Wright, who is now perfecting plans which will make such low cost building possible on a large scale, predicts that plans will be ready for practical application next Spring. The same principles are already being used in his building of moderately priced homes… The houses are constructed entirely of especially designed pre-cast concrete blocks, re-inforced at both horizontal and vertical joints with small metal rods…The possibility of owning a minimum cost Wright-designed house will be welcome news to many people. For some 56 years Mr. Wright has been startling the world with his advanced designs. His low, free flowing Prairie houses that seem to grow out of the landscape around Chicago built just at the turn of the century, are still considered modern by today’s standards…Most of his most ardent admirers and supporters of his architectural work and advanced ideas have been those who felt they could no afford Mr. Wright’s work. To this group in particular his entry into the
low-cost housing field will soon be regarded as one of his most valuable contributions to the life of our time…Anyone who visits the great drafting room at Taliesin sees this quotation carved on the wall, ‘What a man does, that he has.’ It is the principle behind the production of these new Usonian houses, and also the basis on which the Taliesin Fellowship is founded to produce and serve a natural Architecture.” Includes a cover letter signed by Wright’s secretary Eugene Masselink, September 20, 1950: “Mr. Wright has made a few notations on your story and it has his approval.” Also includes a carbon copy of a re-edited typed version of the draft, incorporating Wright’s changes. The TLS is signed “FLLW,” one page, 11 x 8.5, Taliesin letterhead, July 30, 1957, to Bernice Stevens Decker, in full: “You are welcome. So far as we know Sunday August 10th would be convenient for us—just let us know if you can come up then or what other date is preferable.” Additional items include: two other TLSs by Wright’s secretary Eugene Masselink, three carbon copies of letters sent by Decker to Wright, several letters sent to Decker by editors and associates, several printed announcements and brochures, press releases, two typed transcripts of a conversation between Wright and author Carl Sandburg on WTTW-TV (with a glossy 10 x 8 photo of Sandburg, signed and inscribed in fountain pen to Decker by Sandburg), twelve pages of Decker’s notes taken while interviewing Wright, a number of press photos of Wright, and numerous newspaper clippings and magazines. An itemized inventory list is available online at RRAuction. com. The archive is contained within two large custom-made clamshell cases, foxed on the exterior, with a somewhat musty overall odor. In overall very good to fine condition.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 63
Rockwell sends one of his paintbrushes ...along with an original drawing 3048 Norman Rockwell Original Sketch and Brush Starting Bid $300 Original felt tip sketch by Norman Rockwell on an off-white 8.75 x 11 sheet, depicting a dog with an open tin can tied to its tail, signed and inscribed above, “My best wishes to Selwyn G. Gamble, cordially, Norman Rockwell.” Taped to the lower portion of the sheet is a Series 197 paintbrush, with a notation by Rockwell below, “Thanks for the brush, here’s one of mine.” Cloth-matted and framed with an engraved plaque and a print of Rockwell’s ‘Triple Self-Portrait’ to an overall size of 24.25 x 16.5. In fine condition, with some toning from the tape and toning under the brush. A wonderful pairing of items from one of America’s greatest artists.
64 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Hemingway handwrites an early outline for his classic bullfighting guidebook, Death in the Afternoon 3049 Ernest Hemingway ‘Death in the Afternoon’ Manuscript Outline Starting Bid $300 Unsigned manuscript outline for ‘Death in the Afternoon,’ written in pencil by Hemingway on an off-white 2.75 x 5.25 sheet, no date but circa 1925. The brief outline is headed “D in A,” and reads, in full: “Two boys—same town—same age—play bull in streets—one killed—Sargossa incident—one becomes Matador—other Revolutionist—girl, careers—Matador takes girl—cowards / ring / final bury of.” Included is an ALS from friend and fellow novelist John Dos Passos, signed “Dos,” one page, 7.75 x 11, no date but circa 1932. In part: “Hem—just finished Death in the Afternoon, rereading it slowly (and th[anks] for sending it)—don’t let anybody say it isn’t a magnificent classic p[iece] of work—at least dont believe ‘em if [they] say it. If there are any periodicals [you] want scorched with yours etc [or] letters send me the review and [I’ll] open up with what artillery I can get. You can even have your old lady…Five or six old ladies wouldn’t hur[t]…When I’d finished the last chapter [I had] to look at the photographs—which [are] damn fine photographs—and what I’d [be] reading made ‘em look like a lot of su--. Never saw a photograph look so fine [in] my life. Makes me feel better about the profession of woodfellows.” A postscript reads: “Thought I’[d] better send this century—Haven’t the…” Also included is an early carbon typescript of the first page of Hemingway’s draft for Death in the Afternoon, 8.5 x 12, in part: “At the first bullfight I ever went to I expected to be horrified and perhaps sickened by what I had been told would happen to the horses. Everything I had read about the bull ring insisted on that point; most people who wrote of it condemned bullfighting outright as a stupid brutal business but even those that spoke well of it as an exhibition of skill and as a spectacle deplored the use of the horses and were apologetic about the whole thing. The killing of the horses in the ring was considered indefensible. I suppose, from a modern moral point of view, that is, a Christian point of view, the whole bullfight is indefensible; there is certainly much cruelty, there is always danger, either sought or unlooked for, and there is always death and I should not try to defend it now, only to tell honestly the things I have found true about it.” In overall very good condition, with creasing to the Hemingway outline; toning, foxing, and paper loss to the draft page; and paper loss to the Dos Passos letter, affecting some of its text. After witnessing his first bullfight at the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain in 1923, Hemingway recounted his experience in an article for the Toronto Star Weekly entitled ‘Bullfighting Is Not a Sport—It is a Tragedy.’ That article, and Hemingway’s subsequent return trips to the festival, served as the inspiration for his now classic 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, as well as the nonfiction guidebook Death in the Afternoon. Published by Scribner’s in 1932, the work examines the history of bullfighting, the cowardice and bravery of its participants, and the tragic and aesthetic elements that Hemingway posited made bullfighting ‘a decadent art in every way.’ A terrific handwritten manuscript relating to a contest Hemingway both popularized and romanticized throughout his career. According to the writer: ‘There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.’
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 65
To view the full additional images, please visit www.RRAuction.com
66 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Dress fabrics and designs for Princess Diana’s 1986 “Gulf Tour” 3050 Princess Diana Dress Fabric Archive Starting Bid $5,000 Comprehensive archive of fabric samples and related paperwork for Princess Diana’s 1986 ‘Gulf Tour,’ originating from the shop of David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the famous designers of Princess Diana’s wedding dress. The Emanuels also designed more than 100 different outfits for Diana for special occasions and for when she traveled abroad. Includes: An Emanuel folder marked “The ‘Gulf’ Tour 1986, Daywear Fabrics,” containing over 200 fabric swatches of various sizes stapled to 46 sheets, many of which are marked, “Silk Fabrics, Daywear.” These include many different colors and patterns, including floral prints, paisley, stripes, polka dots, pinstripes, solids, and abstract patterns. An additional page marked “Silk Fabrics” has hand-drawn sketches of colorful “candy stripe” fabric samples that are “soon to be available.” An Emanuel folder marked “The ‘Gulf’ Tour 1986, Evening Wear Fabrics,” containing 30 fabric swatches stapled to 8 sheets, many of which are marked, “Silk Fabrics, Eveningwear.” These are predominately more conservative solids and moire patterns, as well as gold-pinstriped silks. An Emanuel folder marked “The ‘Gulf’ Tour 1986, Day & Evening Wear Designs,” containing five original hand-drawn pencil outfit designs: a full burqa, marked “H.R.H. The Princess of Wales, Visit to Saudi Arabia, Nov. 1986, Reserve Outfit”; outfit “No. 6,” a “navy and white stripe coat over white faconné dress”; outfit “No. 11,” a dramatic evening dress in “black and white silk duchess satin”; outfit “No. 12,” a slim evening dress of “purple faconné with diamanté buttons”; and outfit “No. 13,” a slim fitting evening dress in “white silk crepe embroidered with bugle beads and tiny crystals and diamanté.” Additionally includes 12 photocopies of original designs, each affixed with its associated fabric sample and stapled to a descriptive cover sheet. Additional ephemera includes: a TLS from Diana’s lady-in-waiting, Anne Beckwith-Smith, to Elizabeth Emanuel, June 2, 1986, requesting designs for the tour of the Gulf: “Certain special requirements concerning dress need to be observed and I am writing to ask if it would be possible to submit to The Princess of Wales a few sketches for day and evening wear from which Her Royal Highness could select items for this tour. Their Royal highnesses will be visiting Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia…In all cases modesty is the order of the day”; an original color photograph showing Diana choosing from the designs and fabrics with the Emanuels; and interesting copies of the Emanuel invoices, which describe the dresses in great detail—despite her royal status, Diana still had to pay for her own clothing. In overall fine condition. In November 1986, Princess Diana and Prince Charles made a six-day tour of the Arabian Gulf states. In Saudi Arabia, she was famously invited to King Fahd’s palace—a rare honor for a member of her gender—although she was not allowed to dine with the men. Princess Diana tried to conform to local customs by wearing concealing clothes, but still exposed her neck and left her head uncovered—notably, she did not have to wear the “Reserve Outfit” burqa depicted in this archive. At evening banquets, she appeared in the long-sleeved demure dresses made especially for the tour. A remarkable, comprehensive archive from the famously stylish royal.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 67
Beethoven’s invitation for subscription of the ‘Missa solemnis’ to King Frederick Augustus of Saxony
3051 Ludwig van Beethoven Signed Letter Starting Bid $10,000
Partial LS in German, signed “Ludwig van Beethoven,” one page, 7.5 x 3, July 23, 1823. The closing lines of a letter to King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, in part (translated): “then the same would be able to predict the best of success for his fame as well as for his benefit.” Attractively mounted, matted, and framed to an overall size of 12 x 7.75. In very good condition, with a trimmed top edge, light creasing to the right side, and three blocks of light toning. As may be inferred from the date, this must be the invitation to the King of Saxony for subscription of the ‘Missa solemnis,’ which was sent to Hans Heinrich Count Könneritz in Dresden on July 25, 1823. During Beethoven’s lifetime, the Missa Solemnis was widely considered his masterpiece. It was this piece to which he dedicated the most time and intense effort, working on it over the course of four years from 1819 to 1823. In 1823, he invited the most important European courts to subscribe to the Missa solemnis; although most of these solicitations were unsuccessful, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony indeed subscribed. Structured as a mass in five movements, the Missa solemnis stands as one of Beethoven’s supreme achievements. A superb Beethoven autograph related to the funding of a musical masterpiece.
68 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Gibson Epiphone Telecaster signed by Paul, George, and Ringo
3052 Beatles: McCartney, Harrison, and Starr Signed Guitar Starting Bid $2,500
Extremely rare and desirable Gibson Epiphone Telecaster-style electric guitar with a natural finish, signed on the white pickguard in blue felt tip, “George Harrison,” and on the body in blue felt tip, “Paul McCartney” and “Ringo,” who adds a star after his name. In fine condition, with restored inner pickup. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from PSA/DNA, REAL, JSA, Beckett Authentication Services, and Beatles expert Frank Caiazzo, noting that all of the signatures were obtained by renowned New York-based in-person autograph specialist John Brennan: the McCartney signature was obtained at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Cleveland on October 5, 2002; the Harrison signature at the JFK International Airport on May 17, 1997; and the Starr signature at New York’s Peninsula Hotel on July 31, 2001. Guitars signed by these three members of the Beatles are extremely rare and highly sought after by collectors. From The John Brennan In-person Autograph Collection.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 69
Extremely desirable oversized Jimi Hendrix Experience signatures, signed backstage at the Koln Sporthalle in ‘69 3053 Jimi Hendrix Experience Signatures Starting Bid $1,000 Extremely desirable set of three bold ballpoint signatures of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Stay Groovy, Stay free, Jimi Hendrix,” “Best wishes to everyone in Holland, all the best, Noel Redding,” and “My Very Best Witches To You All, We Miss You! Mitch, X,” on individual off-white 8.75 x 11.5 sheets of Jimi Hendrix Experience Fan Club stationery, with lower border listing fan club address as “Waverstraat 83—Amsterdam Nieuw Zuid—Holland.” In overall fine condition, with a bit of trivial creasing, and a very small tear to the right edge of the Hendrix sheet (far from and in no way affecting the signature). Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Caesar Glebbeek and a certificate of authenticity from Tracks, stating that the autographs were obtained backstage at the Koln Sporthalle in Germany on January 13, 1969. The signatures were obtained by noted Jimi Hendrix archivist and biographer Caesar Glebbeek at the Sporsthalle in Koln, Germany, on January 13, 1969. Caesar is the founder of the Jimi Hendrix Information Center in Amsterdam, co-author of the Hendrix biography Electric Gypsy, and long recognized as a premier Hendrix expert. He also ran the Continental Jimi Hendrix Fan Club circa August 1967 through July 1971, from where these printed letterheads originate. Caesar mentioned that before the concert he ventured backstage and asked for Gerry Stickells (Jimi’s road manager), who brought him to the dressing rooms where Jimi, Mitch, and Noel were. There, the band chatted, mingled, and signed various items for him. A review of Jimi and the Experience’s concert in Koln by Wolfgang Jansen appeared in a local newspaper, headlined: ‘Jimi raged about at the Sporthalle like a torero’ and ‘5,000 fans stamped like bulls.’ Jansen observed: ‘About 5,000 fans screamed their throats hoarse last Monday evening during a one hour non-stop show by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. ‘Jimi, Jimi,’ the Sporthalle roared and the thunderous applause would not come to an end. No doubt this was the hottest and at the same time the loudest show that the ‘Halle’ in Koln had experienced in its existence. Psychedelic king Jimi Hendrix and his Experience provided an evening of superlatives, one in which the Rhine district would not forget very quickly.’
70 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
“Everybody’s looking 4 the ladder / Everybody want salvation of the soul” 3054 Prince Handwritten Lyrics for ‘The Ladder’ Starting Bid $500 Handwritten lyrics in pencil for “The Ladder” by Prince, unsigned, one page, 8 x 10.5, no date. The lyrics read, in full: “Once upon a time in the land of Sinaplenty / there lived a king who didn’t deserve 2 be / He knew not from where he came nor where he was going / He never once said thank never please. / Now this king he had a subject named Electra / Who loved him with a passion uncontested / For him each day she had a smile but it didn’t matter / The King was looking 4 the ladder. / Everybody’s looking 4 the ladder / Everybody want salvation of the soul / The steps u take are no easy road / But the reward is great 4 those who wanna go / A feeling of self-worth will caress u / The size of the whole wide world will decrease / The love of God’s creation will undress u / And time spent alone my friend will cease / Everybody’s looking 4 the answer / How the story started and how it will end / But what’s the use in half-a story half-a dream / U have 2 climb all the steps in between.” In fine condition. Prince recorded the initial tracking for ‘The Ladder’ song on December 23, 1984, at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, and it became the eighth track on his seventh studio album, Around the World in a Day. The lyrics written here are a fairly exacting rendition of the song as recorded. This is one of the many songs in Prince’s canon to carry an overt religious message, in the vein of ‘Controversy,’ in which he recites the Lord’s Prayer, and ‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ which opens with a preacher’s sermon on the afterlife. Simply superb handwritten lyrics from the popular music icon.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 71
Madonna on her David Letterman appearance—“If I were Andrew Dice Clay or Snoop Doggy Dog no one would have given a f—!” 3055 Madonna Autograph Letter Signed Starting Bid $200 ALS, one page, 8.5 x 13, no date but circa May 1994. Update letter written for ICON, the quarterly publication of the Official Madonna Fan Club, in full (spelling and grammar retained): “Hello fellow revolutionaries, I’m sitting in my castle on the hill (the striped one that annoys everyone) and I’m admiring my rose garden. Everyone should have a rose garden. They have a real calming affect, plus they’re beautiful to look at. I wish I could meet someone that fit’s this description. I’m sort of in the middle of working on my next album, l’ve written everything with 3 very talented young guys—David Hall, Dallas Austin and Babyface, and now I’m waiting to start recording. I’m taking advantage of a few weeks off by attending the play-off games. I’m a little obsessed with basketball. (this also seems to annoy everyone) I can’t help it if I know how to have fun. and speaking of having fun can everyone please get over the fact that I went on t.v., smoked a cigar, said the f-word a few times, and made David Lettermen look stupid. I actually had a very good time, thought it was one of my better performances and proved once again how sexist the world we live in really is. If I were Andrew Dice Clay or Snoop Doggy Dog no one would have given a f—! In this country you are not allowed to be a girl, look good, have a point of view and have a good time all at once. need I say more? O.K I’ll lighten up. Have you tried the Snackwell fat free chocolate cookies? They’re simply de-lish! O.K gotta go watch the Knicks play the bulls. Speak the truth and shame the devil!” Includes a copy of the letter as it appeared in vol. 4, issue 3 of ICON. In fine condition. In February of 1994, Madonna began the recording process for her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories. Hoping to soften her image following the release of her controversial Sex book and Erotica album in 1992, Madonna explored lyrical themes of love, sorrow, and romance, collaborated with songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, R&B producers Dallas Austin, Dave ‘Jam’ Hall, and Babyface, and worked with Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk on the album’s titular track. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Charts, was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 38th Grammy Awards, and has since sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide. In contrast to the toned-down Bedtime Stories, Madonna still enjoyed the occasional evocative headline—that spring she famously courted eccentric NBA star Dennis Rodman, and her profanity-laced March 31st appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman proved to be the season’s most censored and talked-about episode.
72 www.RRAuction.com | (603) 732-4280
Fully signed Nirvana sheet music for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ 3056 Nirvana Signed ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Sheet Music Starting Bid $500 Immensely rare and sought-after Virgin Music sheet music for the Nirvana song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ seven pages, 9 x 12, prominently signed on the front cover in blue felt tip, “Kurt,” “David,” and “Krist.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by an image of in-person autograph specialist John Brennan and Cobain during the time of signing, as well as full letters of authenticity from REAL and Beckett Authentication Services. According to Kathleen Hanna of the punk band Bikini Kill, the title ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was inspired by deodorant worn by her bandmate Tobi Vail, whom Cobain was then dating. After a long night of drinking, Hanna and Cobain crashed at the latter’s hotel room in August 1990. As Cobain slept, Hanna amused herself by scrawling ‘Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit’ on the motel room wall, inferring that Vail had marked Cobain with her scent. Unaware of the deodorant brand, Cobain interpreted Hanna’s motel graffiti as a revolutionary slogan. The composition of the song, which Cobain revealed in a 1994 Rolling Stone interview, is rooted in the Boston rock scene: ‘I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band—or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.’ The release of Nevermind and ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ helped power the Seattle grunge trio into the rock and roll mainstream by the close of 1991. Brennan first met Nirvana in January 1992, in the lobby of NBC when they were at the Thursday music rehearsal for a “Saturday Night Live” performance. After that, he followed them everywhere, before they were famous. “I just knew.” He met them a total of 8-12 times. “In just under two years, it was all over.” He followed them all of 1992 and 1993. Less than four months before Cobain’s tragic April 5, 1994 suicide, Brennan obtained the autographs on this incredible sheet music on December 11, 1993 at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. From The John Brennan In-person Autograph Collection.
Remarkable Rarities | September 25, 2018 73
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”). 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 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. This acknowledgement is a material term of these Conditions of Sale and of the consideration under which RR Auction agrees to these terms. 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 (“RRauction.com”). 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. 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’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. By accepting the Conditions of Sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment. Credit: In order to place bids, Bidders who have not established credit 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. Credit will be granted at the 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 their social security number, or the last four digits thereof, so a credit check may be performed 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. Buyer’s Premium: The Bidder acknowledges and agrees that a 22.5% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on all individual lots sold in timed Auctions (the “Buyer’s Timed Premium”), and a 25% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on live Auctions (the “Buyer’s Live Premium,” together with the Buyer’s Timed Premium, the “Buyer’s Premium”). 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 later. All purchases delivered to Massachusetts are subject to applicable Massachusetts sales tax unless the purchaser possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption number. Pennsylvania sales or use tax may be due in connection with the purchase and delivery of tangible personal property to Pennsylvania individuals and businesses.The purchaser is required to file a use tax return if tax is due in connection with the purchase and delivery in the Commonwealth. This notice is required pursuant to the provisions of the Tax Reform Code of 1971. 72 P.S. § 7213.2. Bidding: Each Bidder’s determination of its bid should be based upon its own examination of the item(s), rather than the strict reliance as to what is represented in the Catalog, online or elsewhere. In any purchase or sale, the value of the item(s) is determined by the price. THE BIDDER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS OF VALUATION CONCERNING ANY AND ALL PURCHASES. 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 re-offering 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. 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. 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. RR Auction reserves the right to require payment in full before delivering any lot to the successful Bidder. 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 once the lot(s) is in Bidder’s possession. 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 further grants RR Auction a purchase money security interest in such sums or items to the extent applicable, and agrees to execute such 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 expenses, until the indebtedness is paid. 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. RR Auction may at its sole and absolute discretion, make loans or advances to Consignors and/or prospective Bidders. In the event of a successful challenge to the title to any goods purchased pursuant to these Conditions of Sale and the exclusive remedies provided herein, RR Auction agrees to reimburse any Bidder in an amount equal to the successful bid price actually paid by Bidder at auction plus any Buyer’s Premium actually paid, in full and complete satisfaction of all claims, which once tendered by RR Auction, relieves and releases RR Auction from any responsibility whatsoever to the Bidder, even if the instrument is not cashed or is returned. Bidding Options: 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.
When identical mail or facsimile 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. 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. 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. Payment: 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 thirty (30) 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. 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. All sales 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.
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. In all circumstances, the Auction House prefers payment by Bank Wire transfer. 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. If RR Auction refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the Bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by RR Auction. 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. RR Auction shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the 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. All checks, cashiers checks, bank checks, or money orders are payable to R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC. Delivery; Shipping; and Handling Charges: Bidder is liable for shipping and handling. 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.
Title: Title shall not pass to the successful Bidder until all invoices 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. Rights Reserved: RR Auction reserves the right to withdraw any lot before or at the time of the Auction, 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 or postponement under any circumstances. RR Auction reserves the right to refuse to accept bids from anyone. Conducting the Auction: 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. 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 Auction’s 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. 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. 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. 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 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 sub-part (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 property in RR Auction’s possession owned by such 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. Warranties: 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 or other intellectual property (including exhibition or reproduction rights) or whether the property is subject to any limitations or other rights. RR Auction does not make any representation or warranty as to title. 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.
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. 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 “Certification of Authenticity”), to the exclusion of any other warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to those pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. The Certification of Authenticity inures only to the original Bidder (as shown in RR Auction’s records). Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey the Certification of Authenticity, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. The Certification of Authenticity is valid from date of the Auction in which Bidder was awarded the lot (the “Auction Date”) until five (5) years after the Auction Date, without exception. 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. Limitation of Damages: In the event that RR Auction is prevented for any reason from delivering any property to Bidder, or Bidder is otherwise dissatisfied with the performance of RR Auction, the liability, if any, of RR Auction, shall be limited to, and shall not exceed, the amount actually paid for the property by Bidder. In no event shall RR Auction be liable for incidental, special, indirect, exemplary or consequential damages of any kind, including but not limited to loss of profits, value of investment or opportunity cost. 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 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. Bidder’s Remedies: Under no circumstance will RR Auction incur liability to a Bid-
der in excess of the purchase price actually paid. This section sets forth the sole and exclusive remedies of Bidder in conformity with the Warranties and Limitation of Damages provisions of these Conditions of Sale, and is expressly in lieu of any other rights or remedies which might be available to Bidder by law. 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, in 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 shall 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, RR Auction shall disclose the identity of the Consignor to Bidder and assign to Bidder all of RR Auction’s rights against the Consignor with respect to such lot or property. Upon such disclosure and assignment, all responsibility and liability, if any, of RR Auction with respect to said lot or property shall automatically terminate. RR Auction shall be entitled to retain the premiums and other amounts paid to RR Auction - this remedy is as to the 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. If Bidder wishes to challenge the AC within the period of the Certification of Authenticity, Bidder must present written evidence that the lot is not authentic as determined by a known expert in the field. If RR Auction agrees that the lot is not as represented, Bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be a refund of their purchase price, with no other costs, liabilities or amounts recoverable. If RR Auction does not agree with the claim by Bidder, then the Parties shall follow the dispute resolution procedures of these Conditions of Sale. Any such challenge concerning an AC or Certification of Authenticity must, without any exception, be brought within one (1) year of Bidder’s notice to RR Auction of Bidder’s contention that the lot was not authentic, or six (6) years from the Auction Date, whichever is sooner. If the description of any lot in the Catalog is materially incorrect (e.g., gross cataloging error), the lot is returnable 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. If there is any discrepancy between the description in the Catalog and the AC, then the description in the AC shall control. 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. NO RETURN OR REFUND OF ANY AUCTION LOT WILL BE CONSIDERED EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE. 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 pack-
ers 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. Headings: Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret the substantive sections to which they refer. Entire Agreement: These Conditions of Sale constitute the entire agreement between the parties together with the terms and conditions contained in the 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 of competent jurisdiction, the remaining sections or terms and provisions of a section shall continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way. Governing Law and Enforcement The Parties agree that any 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. The Parties agree that these Conditions of Sale, and any other related agreement(s) are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard for its conflict of laws principles. The Parties agree that any dispute 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 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 be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the Arbitration, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. The Parties agree that Bidder shall have no right to recover consequential or indirect damages, or lost profits damages. The Parties consent to the enforcement of the decision in the Arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act in either the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Except as provided in Bidder’s Remedies with regard to the Certification of Authenticity, any dispute, claim, cause of action related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale or any other agreement(s) between the Parties must be brought within one (1) year of the acts, omissions or circumstances giving rise to
the alleged claim, without exceptions. This provision is intended as a full, complete and absolute release of any claims after one (1) year of such acts, omissions or circumstances. The Parties agree further that these waiver provisions are intended to be binding on all parties in the event of any dispute, specifically including but not limited to third party claims and cross-actions brought by either RR Auction or Bidder. These provisions are consideration for the execution of these Conditions of Sale.
Maximum Bids – 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, nonincremental bids on lots with prior maximum bids may result in these lots being sold for less than 10% above the under Bidder’s bid.
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.
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.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration related to or arising out of any Auction of an item sold for less than $10,000. This right shall relate to the individual item price, such that RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration for items that in the aggregate exceed $10,000. The prevailing Party in such a proceeding shall be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the proceeding, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. This right of enforcement is unique to RR Auction, and these Conditions of Sale are a waiver by the Bidder of any right to enforcement or adjudication outside of an Arbitration.
CONDUCT OF AUCTION 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). 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. 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.
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. Bidding—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. 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. 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 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.
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 “do-not-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. 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.
GLOSSARY OF CONDITION TERMS FOR DECADES, RR AUCTION HAS LED THE INDUSTRY IN PROVIDING AN ACCURATE AND DETAILED CONDITION STATEMENT FOR EACH ITEM THAT WE SELL. STARTING IN 2016 WE’VE DECIDED TO TAKE A FRESH APPROACH TO DESCRIBING EACH ITEM’S CONDITION. As our website and catalog images continually improve, and bidders can see obvious details from those excellent images, we’ve decided to simplify things, using the same terminology to describe an item’s overall condition (on an ascending scale of 1 to 4: good, very good, fine, very fine), but only adding specific details, if any, that would not be obvious from the illustration. VERY FINE describes an item in virtually flawless condition, and is used sparingly for items of exceptionally attractive appearance.
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.
FINE is the most common statement of condition, and applies to most items that we offer. It describes items that 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.
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.
GOOD describes an item with 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 exceedingly rare or important.
VERY GOOD describes an item that 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).
Of course we’re more than happy to provide more in-depth information about any item via phone or email. We hope this new system will make for easier reading and a more pleasant bidding experience.
Your collection is invited INTERESTED IN YOUR OWN FEATURE CATALOG? RR Auction has helped many individuals and families share cherished collections built over the course of a lifetime. We honor the collector’s passion by offering these items to others who consider them just as significant.
Thank you and your team for putting together such a great auction…As I continue my evolution in wisdom of life, I am happy to realize that it is who I am—not what I have—that defines me.”
WANT TO LEARN MORE? Contact us today to see about your own specialty auction or featured section.
Tom Gregory sold his collection with RR in 2016
Tom Gregory
Sell@RRAuction.com
|
(800) 937-3880
|
www.RRAuction.com
WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING CONSIGNMENTS FOR MANY OF OUR EXCITING 2018 SALES
E.
LE
RA R
.
T. 1976 ES
REMARKA
B
MARVELS OF MODERN MUSIC JOHN F. KENNEDY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SPORTS
www.RRAuction.com
|
(603) 732-4280
|
Boston, Massachusetts