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RR Auction: Fine Autographs and Artifacts

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Lot 109 - Franklin D. Roosevelt Typed Letter Signed for Lighthouses for the Blind TLS, one page, 8.5 x 11, Committee for Lighthouses for the Blind letterhead, June 21, 1921. Letter to William J. Sharp, in full: “I have not replied previously to your letter of June 1, because it crossed in the mail one I had written you under date of May 31. The Post Office authorities have returned my letter, which was mistakenly addressed to Loraine, Ohio. I regret deeply the delay in reaching you with this letter which I am now inclosing. There is very great question as to the advisibility of starting an intensive campaign at this time of the year. The Executive Committee feels that to do so would be a mistake, and except in those states where state chairmen feel that they can best go ahead now and finish the task, we are planning to post-pone high-pressure activity until Fall. The amount tentatively allocated to Ohio, on the basis of contributions in recent national campaigns of general appeal, is $162,500. We are asking all state chairmen who decide to postpone their campaigns until Fall to try to raise from three to five per cent of their quotas quietly and with no organization expense, in order that the actual work of the Lighthouses for the Blind may not have to stop or be seriously impaired before the Fall campaign. Please let me have your decision as to when Ohio's $162,500 can best be raised, and inform me what kind of cooperation you would like to have from national headquarters.” In fine condition. Among his many charitable and philanthropic activities at this time, FDR headed a $2 million fund drive for Lighthouses for the Blind.

Estim. 300 - 500 USD

Lot 125 - George Washington: ‘Greatness the Result of Goodness. A Sermon, Occasioned by the Death of George Washington’ Pamphlet by Samuel West Rare pamphlet entitled “Greatness the Result of Goodness. A Sermon, Occasioned by the Death of George Washington, Late Commander in Chief of the Armies, and First President, of the United States of America, Who Died December 14, 1799, aged 68.,” by Samuel West, D.D. pastor of the church in Hollis Street, Boston. Printed by Manning & Loring of Boston, Massachusetts (1800), 5.25 x 8.75, 38 pages (originally bound with 40 pages; the last two pages are no longer present), containing West’s opening sermon and a section entitled “The Legacy of the Father of His Country. Address of George Washington, on Declining Being Considered a Candidate for the Presidency of the United States,” which he delivered on September 17, 1796. West’s sermon begins: “UNDER the deep impression of that great event which has clad a nation in mourn­ing, you will feel the propriety of my addressing you, in the words of David, on the death of the General of the armies of Israel, 2d Samuel, iii. 38. ‘A GREAT MAN IS FALLEN.’ The start of Washington’s address: “THE period for a new election of a citizen, to administer the executive government of the United States, being not far distant, and the time actually arrived, when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person, who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those, out of whom a choice is to be made.” In very good condition, with wear and folds to the edges, some light spotting, and a missing lower right corner to cover, which also bears an affixed label.

Estim. 400 - 600 USD

Lot 126 - Woodrow Wilson Document Signed as President, Sending a Representative to London’s Safety of Life at Sea Conference, a Response to the Sinking of the RMS Titanic Uncommon DS as president, one page, 10.25 x 14, December 23, 1913. President Wilson appoints James Hamilton Lewis of Illinois as “a Commissioner to represent the United States at the International Maritime Conference to be held at London, November 13, 1913, in accordance with the provisions of the ‘Joint Resolution Proposing an international maritime conference,’ approved June 28, 1913.” Signed neatly at the conclusion by Woodrow Wilson, and countersigned by John B. Moore as acting secretary of state. The document retains its original large wafer seal. In very good to fine condition, with light creasing and wrinkling, and a small hole to the top center. The first International Conference for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) assembled in London from November 23, 1913 to January 20, 1914, in reaction to the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic. The conference was comprised of more than 100 representatives from a variety of maritime countries, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. To address the complicated safety issues, the conference work was divided among six committees: 1. radiotelegraphy, 2. navigation safety, 3. certificates, 4. construction, 5. revision. 6. lifesaving appliances. Each committee was made up of one or more delegates from each of the participating countries. After an unrelenting seven weeks, 13 countries signed the 1914 SOLAS Convention on January 20, 1914. It was ratified by only five nations, though: Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. Many countries, including the United States, suspended ratification efforts due to the commencement of World War I. As a result, the 1914 SOLAS Convention never did come into force as intended on July 1, 1915.

Estim. 200 - 400 USD

Lot 132 - William Ellery Autograph Letter Signed Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Rhode Island (1727-1820). ALS signed “Wm. Ellery Coll.,” one page, 7 x 8.75, December 7, 1796. Handwritten letter to Ray Greene, district attorney for Warwick, Rhode Island, questioning the status of foreign vessels being repaired in Rhode Island. In full: "I have this day transmitted to the Governor two letters from the British Vice Consul to me respecting certain repairs & alterations made in the French National Brig now in this Port, which he seems to think are not justified by the acknowledged Laws of Nations concerning Neutrality confirmed by the Act of the United States of the 5th of June 1794, with my answer to his first Letter, and a Report of the Surveyor of the Port. Permit me from a want of time to refer you to the Governor for all the information I have on this subject, who may wish to consult you on this occasion. You will recollect the case of the Brig Brutus which was repaired & converted into a Ship at Philadelphia, and that of a Schooner Privateer which was repaired at Charleston, both which cases were before the last Circuit Court held here." Housed in a handsome custom-made full red leather triptych folder. In fine condition, with a seal-related stain to the left edge. In the 1790s, Britain and France were at war, and in 1793, Washington issued a neutrality proclamation, warning Americans not to aid either side. In 1794, America signed Jay's Treaty with Britain, which settled some pre-Revolutionary issues, and in 1796, Washington's Farewell Address urged Americans to stay away from foreign entanglements. Because of America's neutral stance, the British consul was understandably upset that an American port would repair a French vessel.

Estim. 600 - 800 USD

Lot 141 - Thomas Lynch, Jr. Signature - One of the Rarest Declaration Signers Signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina (1749-1779); his father had served in the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1776 but had to return home due to illness. Thomas Lynch, Jr., was chosen to take his father's place in Congress, where he voted for and signed the Declaration. In 1779, he sailed to St. Eustatius in the West Indies, but his ship was lost at sea and never found. Exceedingly rare ink signature, "Lynch,” on an off-white 1.5 x .5 slip, expertly mounted within a custom-made 8.75 x 11 full morocco presentation folder along with engravings of Lynch and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, gilt-stamped on the front cover: "Thomas Lynch, Jr., One of the Rarest Signers of the Declaration of Independence." In fine condition. With the rise of autograph collecting in nineteenth-century America, one of the first areas of specialization was Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Apart from the Signers' central role in American history and the unusual significance of their autographs—after all, writing their names is what ensured their immortality—obtaining all 56 represented a goal that, with a little determination, could be achieved by a resourceful collector. It quickly became evident, however, that there were two notorious ‘stoppers’ among the Signers: Button Gwinnett and Thomas Lynch, Jr. It is not entirely clear who is rarer—while Gwinnett was generally thought to be the rarest of all signers, recent studies have proclaimed Lynch as the scarcer of the two. In either case, Lynch is certainly of the utmost rarity and is far and away one of the most desirable early American autographs.

Estim. 20 000 - 30 000 USD

Lot 142 - Lewis Morris Autograph Letters Signed to His Son: "Our house at Morrisania is almost tenable" Landowner and developer from New York who signed the Declaration of Independence and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress (1726-1798). Unusual double ALS signed twice "L. Morris," one page both sides, 8 x 13, August 1 and 5, 1785. On both sides of a page, Lewis Morris writes two letters to his son, Lewis Morris, Jr., in South Carolina; the second letter was occasioned by an unexpected delay in the sailing of a ship bound for Charleston. On the front, Morris writes, in part: "I just come to Town and going again but hearing of a Brig that sails for Charles Town to-morrow I set down to acknowledge the receipt of your affectionate Letter...This much about the Horses I have wrote to several people in Jersey and when they inform me of a fine pr. I will set out to look at them...How do you do to live in Charles Town this weather I hope this will be the last Summer you will spend in that hot country. I can with pleasure inform you that our house at Morrisania is almost tenable I have a noble crop of corn and every thing looks flourishing. You must prepare Nancey to come. I will just touch on the plan the Morrisania house is large enough for to contain you and all the Elliott family and to have them with us will make me the happiest of men. I have laid out for you a farm near me where you can build it being near my house." The second letter, in part: "After writing the Latter the other side the Brig did not sail for Charles Town as was said...two days ago I had conversation with Colonel Wadsworth about a pr. of Horses, they are at Hartford, but by his discription of them I believe they are too much of the race Blood, however he says that he will ship them to Charles Town in about a month from this, and then will order the Capt. to give you the preference, his price is 500 dollars but in the mean time you may depend I will do every thing in my Power. to procure a proper pr. for our friend. I can't tell you how happy we all are on hearing that your dear little fellow has got over the small pox; Major Edwards has been in Town, we have asked him a Thousand questions about the Boy, and he gives a very favorable account indeed." Addressed on the integral leaf in another hand. In fine condition, with slightly irregular overall toning. Lewis Morris's son, Lewis Morris, Jr., served as aide to General Nathanael Greene in South Carolina during the Revolution and ultimately settled there, marrying Ann B. 'Nancy' Elliot and taking up residence in Charleston—much to the dismay of his father, who here expresses the northerner's prejudice about weather in the South. The couple withstood the old Signer's persuasions and remained in Charleston, where the younger Morris served five terms in the South Carolina legislature and was elected lieutenant governor in 1794.

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 147 - Benjamin Rush War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed on George Washington and British Movements: "Our town is alive with news. The minute guns were fired this morning. It threw the city into confusion." Revolutionary War-dated ALS signed “B. Rush,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.25 x 12, April 14, 1777. Addressed from Philadelphia, a handwritten letter to his wife, Julia, in part: “I am sorry to inform you that I could not get a single fish, nor an ounce of fresh meat in market this morning owing to their both being all bought up before Azariah came to town. I am glad to hear that our new Levee behaves so well. I think the less Molly and he dispute about politicks the better. Such disputes especially among ignorant people generally confirm predjudices and increase Obstinacy. Perhaps by a different course of behavior to him he may be induced to refuse to be exchanged, and may continue with us as long as we want him. Our town is alive with news. The minute guns were fired this morning. It threw the city into confusion. An express has just arrived who says there are nine Men of War in the river. This Acc't makes it certain that Phila. is the object of the enemy. We expect every moment to hear of our bay being crowded with transports filled with British and Hessian soldiers. Major General Lincoln (a Massachusetts Bay man), was surprised and taken prisoner a few nights ago near Bound Brook in New Jersey together with 200 men by a party of the enemy. Our brother came to town last night. He positively sets off early tomorrow morning to Mr. Bartrams...agreeable to his duty and our mother's orders. As everything is now turned topsy turvy in town, I fear you will not spend your time agreeably here. I think you had better set off tomorrow morning for Grame Park. It will not however do to spend a week there, as I know not how soon Gen'l Howe’s progress up the Delaware may make it necessary to fly with you to Maryland. Suppose you leave Mrs. Pamper at Capt. Allison's and call for her in a day or two. I fear I shall not be able to come for you. I enter upon the care of a military hospital tomorrow, and shall have a hundred things to do that are important to ourselves as well as the public. Enclosed is an Evening Post. Gen Washington's letter is a masterpiece. It has raised his character higher than ever in the opinion of Congress and his friends. The Congress have settled my appointment in the Army so as to be perfectly agreeable to me. They have made me Joint Physician and Surgeon General with Dr. Jones of Virginia of the middle department. You may depend upon my care and tenderness in conducting you to Mr. Halls as soon as the danger is more imminent. Much love to our brother and sister.” Rush adds a postscript: “Keep up the spirits of our brother and sister. All is for the best and all will end well...The counsels of Heaven must be fulfilled. ‘Clouds and darkness are before him, but righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.’” In very good to fine condition, with seal-related paper loss near the hinge.

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 USD

Lot 160 - Chaim Weizmann Archive with (5) Signed Letters on Palestine, Israel, and World War II: “I am overcome by the terrible feeling that so far as the Jews are concerned, the Hitlerites have won the war” Jewish chemist and statesman (1874-1952) who helped secure the Balfour Declaration of 1917, served as President of the World Zionist Organization, and became the first President of Israel. Archive of eight items consisting of seven letters in English and Hebrew (including one ALS) and one typed proclamation, ranging in date from 1914 to 1951 and totaling 20 pages on 19 sheets. Five are signed and one is hand-notated. The letters are written to notable figures Field Marshall Jan Christian Smuts, Moshe Sharett, Walter Ettinghausen, and Israel Zangwill, and are incredibly rich in content, including thoughts of Europe after World War I, the settlement of Jews in Palestine, and secret questions about the congress of Zionists and about the “advancement of our aims in Palestine.” Two letters to Zangwill are unsigned: one is a retained carbon copy and one is a two-page TLS bearing a stamped signature. The six-page letter to Smuts is also unsigned, but is heavily notated in Weizmann's hand. A selection of the letters follows: Two TLSs to Zangwill with outstanding Zionist content, signed "Ch. Weizmann," each two pages, dated 1914. First, in part: "So far nothing has happened in Russia to ameliorate in the least degree the situation of the Jews, but on the contrary, the laws against us are handled with the greatest possible severity and no relaxation whatsoever...The moral and material distress is beyond description...I am inclined to think with you that at the present historical moment, through which the civilized world is passing, we may hope that the powers, which are going to alter the map of Europe, will find time to consider the fate of 13 millions of Jews, who, no doubt represent a small nation, which has given to the world as much as any other nation." Second, in part: "The Palestinian problem...is worthy of consideration, and I would like to emphasize the point, that a settlement of a comparatively small number of Jews—I spoke then of a million—which may be established in Palestine in the course of the next 30 or 40 years." Short ALS, written and signed in Hebrew, one page, January 30, 1918, to Sharett, in part: “The times are rough my friend, Moshe, but good times are few and valuable. It seems as if blowing a great horn loud and clear is needed, and only then, maybe, the walls of Jericho will collapse.” TLS signed by Weizmann and Selig Brodetsky, one page both sides, October 23, 1941, in part: "Our efforts and achievements in Palestine...provide the only lasting solution of the Jewish problem...bring before the British public opinion, as well as before the Jews of this country, the urgency of the Jewish problem and the important part which Palestine can play in its solution through large-scale immigration and colonization under suitable political conditions." Heavily-notated typed letter to Smuts, six pages, February 2, 1943, in part: “There is another aspect to the problem which is worth noting: Unconsciously, perhaps, the American public, and even certain quarters in Washington, have been affected by the anti-Semitic virus. The deadly poison of Hitlerism has spread far and wide. The propaganda that this is a ‘Jewish War’ is met not by counter-propaganda, but by a conspiracy of silence regarding the Jewish problem. Whereas the Nazi leaders remember us in every one of their blatant utterances, conversely, the leaders of the democracies, with rare exceptions, try to forget our existence. Often I am overcome by the terrible feeling that so far as the Jews are concerned, the Hitlerites have won the war.” Typed proclamation, signed in Hebrew as president, dated August 20, 1951, issued for “a special session of the 23rd Zionist Congress for the Jews National Fund (the KKL) Jubilee," reads, in part (translated): “The KKL is a unique institution in our revival movement of the people and country. A tool of redemption for both the land and the man, an impetus to return land for a nation which is in lack of land and to return to the land the man who works it and revives it with labour, an institution that returned to our young, the Pioneers of Zion and sons, the feeling of whole Hebrew people, with upright bearing and self confident, for their legs are standing on their land. And here the KKL’s special value as an institution which performed greatly, peacefully and with the strength of a great idea, to the fulfillment of the Israeli land reform.” Retained carbon copy of a neatly penned two-page ALS, in English, dated October 19, 1914, to Zangwill, in part: “My plans are based naturally on one cardinal assumption...that the allies will win...I am afraid I don’t share your optimism that a change for the better in Russia may take place after the war. At present the

Estim. 12 000 - 15 000 USD

Lot 163 - Frederick the Great Letter Signed, Inviting the Marquis de Lafayette to a Prussian Military Exhibition Fascinating LS in French, signed “Frederic,” one page, 7.5 x 9.25, July 1785. Untranslated letter of invitation sent to the Marquis de Lafayette to attend an exhibition of the military maneuvers of the Prussian Army. Invitations like this were also dispatched to other European military leaders including General Cornwallis. In fine condition. Throughout the reign of Frederick II ‘the Great’ of Prussia, the Prussian army conducted parade ground reviews in the summer and realistic combat training exercises in the autumn, with ‘Old Fritz’ often maneuvering between 30-45,000 men during these mock battles and campaigns. In 1785, French, British, and American officers were invited to observe the Silesian review and maneuvers, which occurred in August and September. Many of the leading military figures of the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence were present. The Marquis de Lafayette attended, as did General Charles Cornwallis and a number of more minor military figures, such as the Duke of York and Albany (the second son of George III), Prince Frederick William of Prussia, British Colonels Abercromby, David Dundas, and Thomas Musgrave, French Generals Duportail and Gouvion, and American Colonel Williams Stephens Smith. Lafayette traveled through Cassel on his way to attend the 1785 review and, in a letter to General George Washington, he recalled meeting with his ‘Hessian friends’ and portrayed the meeting as cordial: ‘I told them they were very fine fellows; they returned thanks and compliments. Ancient foes can meet with pleasure; which, however, I think, must be greater on the side that fought a successful cause.’ By contrast, Lafayette's former foe, Charles Cornwallis, was reportedly downcast throughout the proceedings in Prussia. Cornwallis, perhaps still prickling from Yorktown, recalled: ‘My reception in Silesia was not flattering; there was a most market preference for La Fayette; whether it proceeded from the King's knowing more of France, and liking better to talk about it, I know not.’

Estim. 5 000 - 6 000 USD

Lot 164 - King Charles III Autograph Letter Signed, Four Months After Diana's Death: "I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time" ALS signed “Charles,” three pages both sides, 4.5 x 7.25, Highgrove House letterhead, December 8, 1997. Lengthy handwritten letter to "Peter," expressing his sympathy upon the death of a loved one; Charles was likely particularly emotional at the time he wrote the letter, as Princess Diana had tragically passed away just a few months before in August 1997. In part: "I have been thinking so much of you yesterday and today, knowing how deeply you will be affected by yesterday’s tragic news about dear Liz. My heart bleeds for you as I can imagine so well the utter agony and despair you must have gone through during all these heart-rendering months that you have known about Liz’s illness. All of us who know you—and are so fond you both—have felt the agony in a far lesser way of course, but have longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation. I often think that that is the worst part of all—being unable to help in any constructive way except to say constant prayers in the background & to try and surround you both with love & affection & concern. I can so well imagine the unbearable emptiness you must feel at this time; the sense of bewilderment & confusion that accompanies the removal of someone still so young from this world. Personally, I believe that there is another dimension beyond this physical one & that we will be amazed to discover it for ourselves when we are eventually—or at a moment—called upon to make that certain journey for ourselves. As it says in the Bible—'Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face.' I can’t tell you how pleased & happy I am to have known Liz. She was such a great life-enhancer. We shall all have such special memories of her but, above all, Peter, we mind about you & you are so very much in my thoughts and prayers at this most anguishing of times. I thought you might just find a very small speck of comfort from this short piece of profoundly wise verse by William Blake and, together with this, I enclose a few 'Highgrove things' as a token of immense, affectionate sympathy." In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope, addressed in Charles's hand with instructions to deliver "by hand."

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 USD

Lot 166 - Princess Diana and King Charles III Signed Christmas Card (1982) Royal Christmas and New Year's card from 1982, with the front embossed with the Prince of Wales’s feathers and Order of the Garter motto and the Spencer family arms, measuring 14 x 6 open, featuring an affixed color photo of the royal couple posing with an infant Prince William, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “John, from, Charles and" and "Diana." In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed to John Hitchings (1929-2020), who was King Charles’s Land Agent for the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate that was established in 1337 and which funds the public, charitable, and private activities of the Prince of Wales and his family. The Land Steward is the public face of the Duchy and is responsible for all aspects of Duchy property and land management. John Hitchings first became a Land Steward for the Duchy of Cornwall in 1959. At that time, King Charles, then Prince of Wales, was still a minor and Hitchings initially worked for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip who temporarily represented the Duchy. Hitchings established a Central District office that managed over 75,000 acres, including large areas of Dartmoor and the South West Foreshore. During his time at the Duchy, he and his wife Christina attended the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana and he managed many Royal visits. King Charles was described as being very ‘hands-on’ and involved in the running of the Duchy and Hitchings had regular contact over the years. For his service, he was awarded ‘Member of The Victorian Order’ (MVO) & then ‘Lieutenant of The Victorian Order’ (LVO).'

Estim. 800 - 1 200 USD

Lot 167 - Queen Elizabeth I Rare Triple-Signed Document (1562) Vellum manuscript DS, signed three times, “Elizabeth R,” one page, 27 x 22.5, August 24, 1562. An indenture detailing the exchange of lands between the crown and Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, signed three times by Queen Elizabeth I, recording that the Duke will “sell geve and graunte unto our Soveraigne Ladie the Quene All those his Mannors & Lordshippes of Chesworth and Sedgewicke...in the County of Sussex...also all that mannor Lordshipp and Forest of St Leonard and all ground and Soyle of the same Forest And also all those his Parkes of Bewbushe and Shelley,” and related lands and rights, in exchange for lands in royal gift including the “Celle of Sainte Leonard in her county of Norfolk” and associated lands and buildings “neare unto the Citie of Norwich,” Norfolk lands formerly of Wymondham Abbey, lands in Essex (Wigborough, Saltcote, Tollesbury) that were formerly “assigned to the late Ladie Anne of Cleves” and also lands in “Pitchesey” (Pitsea) in the same county, the manor of Dowdike in Lincolnshire (previously of Crowland Abbey), and lands of Newenham Abbey in Devon. The indenture then lists the extensive debts of the Duke to the crown, further detailing that a portion of this debt is discharged by the value of the woodland hereby sold to the crown, and commands the exchequer to produce a new bond for the residue of the debt, being a mere £1823 15s. 5 3/4d. Signed by Queen Elizabeth I at the head of each vellum membrane, additionally signed at the foot by the Lord Treasurer William Paulet, Marquess of Winchester ("Winchester"), the under-treasurer Richard Sackville, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Walter Mildmay. The document retains a substantial fragment of its Great Seal in white wax pendant on original vellum tag. Archivally mounted and framed to an overall size of 30 x 31; only two of Elizabeth’s signatures are visible within the display, the third on a piece of vellum in the rear. In very good to fine condition, with expected wrinkling and creasing. Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (1538-1572), was the head of the powerful Howard family. He was a Privy Councillor, had commanded English forces in Scotland at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign, and was one of the greatest land-owners in the land, with estates centered on Norfolk. The agreement with the crown that is formalized in this document saw enormous tracts of land near Horsham in Sussex—including the 12 square miles of St. Leonard’s Forest—conveyed to the crown. Norfolk gained considerable land in return, primarily former monastic land scattered across four counties, but—and this was probably of greater importance to him—he also saw his overall debt to the crown, which had been more that £6500, reduced by some £4680. The counterpart of this indenture remains in the Exchequer (The National Archives, E 211/39). Less than ten years after this agreement was made, Norfolk was executed for treason for conspiring with Mary, Queen of Scots. His son and heir, Philip, Earl of Arundel, was permitted to inherit most of his estates. One of the most legendary leaders in world history, Queen Elizabeth oversaw the transformation of England into a modern world power. Her autograph is among the most sought-after of all European royalty, and this is a magnificent document boasting three ideal exemplars of Elizabeth's famous, flourishing signature.

Estim. 50 000 - 60 000 USD

Lot 171 - Martin Luther Autograph Letter Signed: "These Jews are not Jews, but devils incarnate who curse our Lord" ALS in German, signed “Martinus Luther D,” one page both sides, 8 x 12, [circa September 1, 1543]. An extensive, uncommonly well-preserved letter to Georg Buchholzer, Provost of St. Nikolai in Berlin, regarding the latter’s altercation with the Brandenburgian court preacher Johann Agricola from Eisleben (also known as ‘Magister Eisleben’) about the treatment of the local Jews. Prince Elector Joachim II, who in 1539 had introduced the Reformation to Brandenburg and whose tolerant politics toward Jews enraged the population, had long desired a reconciliation between Luther and his former disciple Agricola, and he must have suspected that Provost Buchholzer was poisoning Luther’s mind against his court preacher. Buchholzer therefore wrote to Luther requesting an interpretation of some Biblical verses by which Agricola justified his pro-Jewish stance, and in his answer Luther insists that Buchholzer has done well to preach against the Jews and shall continue to do so, ignoring the habitual liar Agricola. In part (translated): “Grace and Peace. My dear Provost! I must be brief with writing, for the sake of my weak head. You are aware that you have no previous association with me, nor I with you, other than that you recently wrote to me asking for an explanation regarding several statements. And even if you were to write me many things about M. Eisleben, how could I believe you alone? For whoever says that you or anyone in Berlin or in all of Brandenburg is inciting me against Eisleben, if he says so unwittingly, may God forgive him, but if he says it knowingly, then he is a roguish liar, as well as M. Eisleben himself has lied frequently, here in Wittenberg. M. Eisleben needs nobody to incite me against him; he himself is much better at that, much better than anyone whom he might suspect of such dealing. He knows that full well....In my opinion, he will give up his life before he gives up his lying.—You have preached against the Jews and fought serious battles over that with the Margrave....And you were quite right to do so. Stand fast and persevere! The words against you which you quoted to me, allegedly protecting the Jews, I will not hope to be true, nor shall I believe that M. Eisleben ever will preach or ever has preached such. I do not yet consider him so deeply fallen. May God prevent him!...For then M. Eisleben would not be the Elector’s preacher, but a true devil, letting his sayings be so shamefully misused to the damnation of all those who associate with Jews. For these Jews are not Jews, but devils incarnate who curse our Lord, who abuse His mother as a whore and Him as Hebel Vorik and a bastard, this is known for certain. And anyone who is capable of eating or drinking or associating with such a foul mouth is a Christian as well as the devil is a saint....You may show this letter to whomever you wish. I do not know, nor do I care, who wrote the other three letters from Wittenberg to Berlin. You will undoubtedly confess this to be the first letter you ever received from me. For your name and person were previously unknown to me.” The letter bears several corrections in Luther’s own hand. The date of receipt is noted by Buchholzer at the foot of the reverse: “Received by me in Berlin on Wednesday after St Egyd [5 September] anno etc. 43.” In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds and light overall soiling; a beautifully preserved specimen. Accompanied by a handsome custom-made quarter leather clamshell case. Luther had apparently forgotten that several years previously, in late 1539, he had answered a letter of Buchholzer’s inquiring about Catholic rites still in use in Reformed Brandenburg. More notably, although Luther is writing to a fellow scholar, this letter is written in German so that the recipient may show it “to whomever he wishes”—that is to say, to the Elector himself, thus providing Buchholzer with a writ of protection against any suspicion which Joachim may harbor against him. The Hebrew words invoked by Luther, “Hebel Vorik” [vanity and emptiness], are taken from Isaiah 30:7. They were part of a Jewish prayer in which Jews thanked God for having made them different from those peoples who worshipped “Hebel Vorik,” though Luther construed the words as a code for Jesus Christ. Luther’s anti-Judaism had not always been this radical—as a young man he had spoken out judiciously against the traditional defamation of Jews and against all forms of forcible conversion, but he soon grew increasingly bitter, and by 1543 his attitude was one of undisguised loathing. His most notorious antisemitic pamphlet, ‘On the Jews and Their Lies,’ was published only months before the present letter was written. With the same rhetorical skill with which he had previously ridiculed the papacy he now invoked a grotesque abhorrence of Judaism

Estim. 250 000 - 300 000 USD

Lot 175 - Little Rock Nine: Elizabeth Eckford Signed Oversized Photograph with Handwritten Essay Large satin-finish 20 x 13.25 photo of Elizabeth Eckford, age 15, being pursued by a mob, with Hazel Massery directly behind, at Little Rock Central High School on the first day of the school year, September 4, 1957, signed below in silver ink by Eckford, who adds an extensive handwritten essay on the historic event: “I am one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American teens who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. The integration came as a result of Brown versus Board of Education decided by the nation's highest court in 1954. My ordeal was captured by press photographers on the morning of September 4, 1957. As I walked toward the school I saw Arkansas National Guard soldiers surrounding the grounds. They opened up and made space for white students to pass through. When I approached the soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder to bar me. I walked further and stopped where I could see another sidewalk leading to the school. This time the state troops crossed rifles to block me. The crowd across the street was angrily shouting. Ahead I saw the main entrance in the middle of that two block expanse. Now a soldier directed me to go across the street where the demonstrators were. When I stepped out into the street an angry mob started following and screaming insults. Photographers were in front of me walking backwards. Someone yelled 'Get a rope. Drag her over to the tree! Let's hang her!' Other voices cursed and threatened. I looked for help. When I approached an elderly woman who had a kind face, she spat on me. The mob followed me to the bus stop where two middle-aged white reporters tried to comfort me, saying don't let them see you cry. When one reporter embraced me across my shoulder, the crowd's anger rose increased fury.” In very fine condition. Accompanied by an image of Eckford at the time of signing.

Estim. 1 500 - 2 000 USD

Lot 176 - Raoul Wallenberg Signed Schutz-Pass Document (1944) World War II-dated DS in German and Hungarian, quickly signed by Wallenberg with an ink scribble (as he commonly did on documents of this type), one page, 8 x 13.25, August 30, 1944. Blue and gold two-language Schutz-Pass issued to "Aurel Fold" of Budapest. Upper left provides his personal information including his 1877 birth date, height, eye, and hair color. Adjacent to his personal information is Spiegel's signature and affixed photograph. Bottom portion bears printed statements in German and Hungarian, hastily signed in the lower left corner by Wallenberg, and countersigned by Swedish Minister to Budapest, Carl Ivan Danielsson. In very good condition, with creasing and soiling to the front, and complete silking and archival reinforcement to the reverse. A similar example of Wallenberg's rushed signature can be found in the book Fleeing from the Fuhrer by William Kaczynski and Charmian Brinson. Wallenberg arrived in Hungary in July 1944 as the country's Jewish population was under siege. Nearly every other major Jewish community in Europe had already been decimated, and the Nazis were dispatching more than 10,000 Hungarian Jews to the gas chambers daily. With time of the essence, he devised and distributed thousands of these 'Schutz-Passes'—official-looking, but essentially invalid, Swedish passports granting the Hungarian bearer immunity from deportation. Nazi officials readily accepted the paperwork. Thus, with his simple, nondescript scribble on this offered page, Wallenberg saved the life of Aurel Fold—just as he had done with tens of thousands of other Jews in Hungary. An announcement that any Jew, even those holding foreign citizenship, would be interred led to the urgency of Wallenberg's plan to save as many lives as he could. An important reminder of one heroic man's tireless efforts to outwit the Nazis and save countless lives.

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 USD

Lot 179 - Elon Musk Signed Photograph - PSA GEM MINT 10 Color satin-finish 10 x 8 photo of Elon Musk at the infamous unveiling of the Tesla Cybertruck, signed in blue felt tip. In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "GEM MT 10." Forbes reported on the event: "The Cybertruck that rolled onstage late Thursday to a packed hall filled with Tesla fans in suburban Los Angeles is definitely a new spin on the top-selling vehicles in the U.S. that Musk said 'have been the same for 100 years'...Tesla decided that a very polarizing design, clad in cold-rolled stainless steel, was the right approach. 'It doesn’t look like anything else,' Musk said as several members of the Tesla design team scrambled out of the vehicle, dressed in black leather and looking like extras in a Mad Max film. Inspiration for the vehicle’s spare design was to create a mix between a truck and a stealth fighter jet, apparently. 'We were able to make the skin out of ultra-hard stainless steel. Really hard." Franz von Holzhaussen, Tesla’s chief designer, demonstrated how tough that exterior was by hitting the front driver door with a sledgehammer that appeared to do no damage. The vehicle also has glass that Musk said was similarly super-strong, though a demonstration to prove that didn’t go as well. Von Holzhaussen severely damaged both front and rear passenger windows when he threw a hard steel ball at them. 'We’ll fix it in post,' Musk quipped, after cursing at the mishap.'

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 USD

Lot 180 - John D. Rockefeller and Henry M. Flagler Signed Standard Oil Trust Stock Certificate Partly-printed DS signed “John D. Rockefeller” and "H. M. Flagler," one page, 11.5 x 7.75, December 29, 1882. Stock certificate for 1460 shares in Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust issued to Benjamin Brewster, signed at the conclusion by John D. Rockefeller as president, Henry M. Flagler as secretary, and Jabez A. Bostwick as treasurer. The original receipt remains affixed at the left edge. In fine condition. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was a business magnate and philanthropist whose Standard Oil empire made him the wealthiest man in the world. Henry Flagler (1830-1913) was a real estate and railroad entrepreneur who also co-founded Standard Oil, remembered for his efforts to make Florida the 'Newport of the South' by providing extensive rail access and grand hotels to lure wealthy vacationers. Jabez Abel Bostwick (1830-1892) was a founding partner of Standard Oil, serving as the company's first treasurer. Benjamin Brewster (1828-1897) was an American industrialist, financier, and one of the original trustees of Standard Oil. Brewster was prominently associated with the building of the Manhattan Elevated Railway and was also a financial leader in many large railroad transactions, particularly the reorganization of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway. He served as vice president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and was a director of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad and the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. He was also a director of the International Navigation Company, owner of the American Line of steamers. An important stock certificate that boasts a multitude of significant Standard Oil associations.

Estim. 1 500 - 2 500 USD

Lot 181 - Louis Vuitton Autograph Letter Signed to a Founding Father's Descendent, Sending "Secondhand Trunks" French fashion designer and businessman (1821-1892) who had been appointed as trunk-maker to Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, and founded the Louis Vuitton brand of luxury leather goods now owned by LVMH. ALS in French, signed “L. Vuitton,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 10.5, July 28, 1873. Handwritten letter to William Few Chrystie, explaining that a payment of 402 francs for invoiced items had not yet been received and explaining (translated): "I have provided you with 9 secondhand trunks in order to reduce the cost of new packaging for you.“ He also makes reference to "Maison Christofle," the luxury tableware company, and the facilitation of a payment to them. In very good to fine condition, with some chipping to the edges, not affecting any handwriting. Accompanied by a small archive of about 25 other receipts and letters sent to Chrystie by various purveyors of luxury goods and objets d’art, including a secretarial letter on Louis Vuitton letterhead, dated August 8, 1873, acknowledging receipt of two checks amounting to 387.50 francs. Other receipts are from wine merchants, carpet warehouses, bootmakers, tailors, galleries, and the like. William Few Chrystie was the grandson of U.S. Constitution signer William Few. In 1858, inspired by H.J. Cave & Sons of London, Vuitton introduced his revolutionary rectangular canvas trunks at a time when the market had only rounded-top leather trunks. The demand for Vuitton's durable, lightweight designs spurred his expansion into a larger workshop in Asnières-sur-Seine. The original pattern of the shellac embedded canvas was named 'Damier.' Vuitton also designed the world's first pick-proof lock. All lock patterns were safely kept at Vuitton's workrooms and registered with the owner's name in case another key was needed. In 1871, as a result of the Franco-Prussian War, demand fell sharply, and Vuitton's workshop was in shambles. Many of his tools were stolen and his staff were gone. Vuitton rebuilt immediately, erecting a new shop at 1 Rue Scribe, next to a prestigious jockey club in the heart of Paris. In 1872, Vuitton introduced an iconic new line, featuring beige monogrammed designs with a red stripe—this would remain a signature of his brand long after he died. Vuitton's autograph is extremely rare in any form—this is just the second we have offered.

Estim. 10 000 - 15 000 USD

Lot 183 - Henri Becquerel Handwritten Notes on Radioactivity French physicist (1852-1908) whose experiments with uranium salts led to the discovery of spontaneous radioactivity; for this breakthrough he shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie. Handwritten notes on radioactivity by Henri Becquerel, five pages on three sheets, 9 x 13.75, no date but circa 1903. Significant handwritten notes on radioactivity, chronicling discoveries and work of Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, André-Louis Debierne, Ernest Rutherford, and himself between November 1899 and January 1903. In part (translated): "Curie and Madame Curie. Nov. 6, 1899. Radioactivity communicated by exposure to Ra[dium] rays. Increases with the weather. Tending towards limit. Activity plate. Induced radioactivity decreases quickly then slowly. Asymptotic law...Feb 17 01 Curie ionized liquids...We also looked for how to contained the weakened uranium chloride crystals removed of these solutions; these resumed little by little but the humidity conditions from which we had neglected to remove them made the results irregular. Transformed into oxides this 24 December...Let us add that on December 27 we had put the same quantity of the mixture of uranium chloride and barite chloride which were discussed in two balloons, one closed and the other open. The precipitates of barite sulphide collected gave as calculation measuring activity 0.0718 for the closed balloon and 0.0779 for the balloon open...July 1902. Mr. Rutherford...made an interesting study of the absorption of these Uranium radiations by this block, and which has various reserves, then it mainly attaches to the study of the emanation of Thorium and Radium (noting that the production law...is the same with or without an electric field). He concludes from the absorption that the radiations from Thorium and Radium are identical (effects not as a whole). Dispersion of induced radioactivity. Radiation induced by Tho[rium] loss ½ in 11 hours. For Radium different curves depending on the preparations...Continued emanation of Thor[rium] and Ra[dium] / Emanation (Dorn and not Curie—not aware of the emanation of the radium)." In very good to fine condition, with various edge tears, primarily along the top edge. Accompanied by two related contemporary newspaper clippings from French and German newspapers. A unique scientific manuscript by a pioneering physicist who lent his name to the SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel (Bq).

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 USD

Lot 186 - Albert Einstein Autograph Letter Signed to a Unified Field Theory Collaborator: "Have been calculating very busily" ALS signed “A. Einstein,” one page, 8.5 x 11, [postmarked November 15, 1928]. Handwritten letter to German mathematician Chaim Herman Muntz, in part (translated): "I am at present in Gatow (directly across from the Kaiser Wilh. Tower and on the Havel, Lemke Estate, chauffeur’s apartment), and have been calculating very busily. I have found the following: [mathematical equations]. 1) The solution [mathematical equations] indeed satisfies the field equations. 2) Taking the electric field into account, I have thus far not been able to solve the centrally symmetric case, owing to its complexity. Even solving the variation problem with coordinates fixed before the variation is too complicated for me. But I will keep trying. 3) For the case [mathematical equations] no real centrally symmetric static gravitational solution exists; for the case [mathematical equations] it is indeterminate. It therefore appears to be fairly certain that the invariant is correctly chosen, if there is anything at all true in the whole theory. Everything now depends on the exact solution of the electric problem." He adds a postscript, in full: "I will stay here for about another week." In very fine condition, with an ink stain to the upper right blank area. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Einstein's own hand. Published as part of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 16: The Berlin Years: Writings & Correspondence, June 1927-May 1929 (English Translation Supplement), Document 314, p. 305. Einstein began his correspondence with Muntz in 1927, and in 1928 was writing to him on 'distant parallelism,' an extension of Riemannian geometry in which new mathematical objects, called 'tetrads' are introduced, which allow for the comparison of the direction of vectors at distant points of the spacetime. This letter relates to those investigations, which Einstein felt to be important as a mathematical attempt at a unified field theory—the incorporation of electromagnetism and gravitation in a single field theory. Although he published a number of papers on the subject from 1928 to 1931, the work is considered inaccurate and not recognized by physicists of today. During this period Einstein was working closely with colleagues Herman Muntz and Cornelius Lantz on formalizing the 'Unified Field Theory of Gravitational Force and Electromagnetism.' Einstein’s article 'On Unified Field Theory' was presented on January 10, 1929, and published on January 30, 1929, by the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In the article he discloses the final stages of the development of this theory, and it reveals critical stages in the solution that he presents. The theory tried to achieve one unified formula that would unite the electromagnetic and gravitational fields and present them as different manifestations of a single universal force. At the article's close, Einstein expresses appreciation for Muntz's assistance: 'It is my pleasant duty to thank Dr. H. Müntz for his laboriously precise calculation of the centrally symmetric problem on the basis of Hamilton’s principle the results of his calculation suggested to me the method used here.'

Estim. 35 000 - 50 000 USD

Lot 188 - Johannes Kepler Rare Autograph Document Signed German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer (1571-1630) best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion. ADS in German, signed “Johan Keppler, Mathematicus Mppria,” two pages on two adjoining sheets, 8.25 x 11.5, no date but circa August/September 1628. Kepler authorizes the bearer to attend the Steyr Iron Corporation's committee hearing scheduled for September 10, 1628, writing (translated): "Power and authority to attend the action of the Iron Company Commission established in Steyr on 10 September of this year 1628." He signs the second integral leaf beside his fine papered seal, showing Kepler's arms and initials, "I. K." In fine to very fine condition. At the hearing, headed by the Upper Austrian civil servants Johann Spindler and Konstantin Grundemann, it was disclosed to the Corporation's several hundred creditors that the Corporation had suffered substantial losses which they would have to bear, so as to prevent a municipal bankruptcy (cf. F. X. Pritz, Beschreibung und Geschichte der Stadt Steyer [Linz, 1837], p. 276). Johannes Kepler was a pivotal figure in the scientific revolution, best known for formulating the laws of planetary motion that laid the groundwork for Newton's theory of gravitation. His contributions to astronomy and mathematics transformed our understanding of the cosmos, marking him as one of history's great scientists. Due to the limited number of surviving documents from his time, Kepler's autograph is extremely rare and highly valued by collectors and historians alike.

Estim. 60 000 - 80 000 USD

Lot 203 - William Bingham Signed Stock Certificate for the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road American statesman (1752-1804) who served in the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801, including a five-month stint as president pro tempore. Partly-printed vellum DS, signed “Wm. Bingham,” one page, 9.5 x 7.75, March 16, 1795. Stock certificate issued to Samuel Humes for one share of stock in the Company of the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road, with the upper section featuring an engraved vignette of a horse-drawn wagon on the aforenamed road. Signed at the conclusion by William Bingham as president, and countersigned by its treasurer, Tench Francis, Jr., who served as the first cashier of the Bank of North America. In fine condition, with multiple vertical folds. A prominent Philadelphia merchant who became a major land speculator after the Revolution, William Bingham was elected president of the turnpike company. Despite his other interests — he was a United States Senator and business partner of Robert Morris and Bank of the United States president Thomas Willing — Bingham carefully supervised the construction of the project. Work on the road began in early 1793 and the highway was opened — if still partially incomplete — by late 1794, ultimately costing $465,000 to connect Philadelphia with Lancaster, some 65 miles to the west. According to engineered plans and specifications, the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States.

Estim. 200 - 400 USD
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