Tag Archives: manuscripts

Items Signed by Einstein, Lincoln, Washington, Newton, Many Others are in University Archives’ Feb. 16th Online Auction

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Wilton, CT, USA, February 1, 2022 -/DailyVoice/- Two letters signed by Albert Einstein (one typed, one handwritten, both in German), a recognizance bond signed by Sir Isaac Newton when he was Warden of the Royal Mint in 1699, and two items signed by Abraham Lincoln (one an autograph album, the other an early legal brief drafted in 1854) are just a few of the expected highlights in University Archives’ online-only auction slated for Wednesday, February 16th, beginning at 10:30 am Eastern time.

The Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Photographs & Books auction features historical material from multiple collecting categories. The catalog, with all 455 lots, is up for viewing and bidding now, on the University Archives website (www.UniversityArchives.com), plus the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. The auction marks nearly a year since University Archives’ relocation to a modern new facility in Wilton.

“Our February auction is just a few days shy of George Washington’s 290th birthday and the Presidents’ Day holiday is certainly appropriate, since our catalog features many outstanding presidential items ranging from Washington to Biden,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “Other well-represented collecting categories include Science and Technology, Aviation and Space, Sports, Literature, and the Civil War, to name just a few.”

The list of major categories is indeed extensive, to include Science (Einstein, Newton, Richard Feynman, Stephen Hawking, others); Presidents (from Washington to Biden); Sports (Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, others); Aviation & Space (Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Orville Wright, the Enola Gay, the Apollo and Mercury programs, Soviet Cosmonauts, others).

Other categories include Civil War (Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, William T. Sherman, Jefferson and Varina Davis, many generals, others); Early American (John Hancock, Arthur Middleton, others); Literature (Samuel Clemens, Oscar Wilde, E. E. Cummings, Jack Kerouac, others); and World Leaders (Brezhnev, Kim Il Sung, Giuseppe Garibaldi, others).

Both of the Einstein letters carry identical pre-sale estimates of $45,000-$55,000. A typed letter in German signed by Einstein, addressed to close friend Michele Besso, recalls how the two collaborated to formulate the theory of special relativity over 35 years earlier. In it, Einstein compares the process of scientific theorizing to God’s creation of the world, both a “pointless luxury” but nevertheless essential to pushing the boundaries of understanding and existence.

The other letter, handwritten by Einstein and signed “A. Einstein”, is dated June 19, 1919 and is addressed to Professor Georg Lockemann concerning the origins of special relativity in the “ether question”. Einstein suggests that its current state can best be understood if one considers it historically. Before Maxwell, it was an “all-pervading inert substance”, with its “transverse waves” manifesting themselves as light. A full and complete English translation is included.

Sir Isaac Newton, in his role as Warden of the Royal Mint in early 1699, signed a recognizance bond relating to the criminal case against William Chaloner, a recalcitrant counterfeiter (and Newton’s nemesis) who was convicted of high treason and hanged at Tyburn two months later. The bond was meant to ensure the future appearance of Nathaniel Peck as a witness against Chaloner. The beautifully signed document should gavel for $24,000-$28,000.

A Civil War-era scrapbook album compiled by Union Army Major John S. Schultz contains 214 bold and mostly high-grade signatures, including those of four presidents (Abraham Lincoln, James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, and Franklin Pierce); current and future Lincoln cabinet members (Hamlin, Colfax, Seward, Cameron, Welles, Bates); and a myriad of other important American politicians and military leaders. The album is expected to realize $15,000-$17,000.

An early legal brief drafted by Abraham Lincoln on May 15, 1854 features his signature as “Lincoln for defendant” in the case of Coventry and Warwickshire Banking Company vs. William Whorrall. The fascinating document, loaded with international intrigue and 316 words written in the hand of Lincoln as a young lawyer, has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$12,000.

A Revolutionary War-dated manuscript letter twice signed by George Washington and relating to new military draft resolutions passed by the Continental Congress in 1780 provides detailed information about the number of soldiers who had survived the past winter at Morristown, N.J., harsher than even Valley Forge. Continental military commanders Henry “Lighthorse” Lee, Hazen, Webb and Lamb are explicitly mentioned in the document (estimate: $30,000-$40,000).

George Washington boldly signed a three-language ship’s passport on July 7, 1794 for a St. Bartholomew-bound schooner named Nancy, commanded by Captain Abijah Potter. Just one year later, Captain Potter was fatally axed during a shipboard slave uprising. The document printed in French, English and Dutch, is signed by Washington (as President), Secretary of State Edmund Randolph and Collector of Customs Jeremiah Olney (estimate: $12,000-$15,000).

A first edition copy of The Babe Ruth Story, as told to Bob Considine, complete with its original dust jacket and a 1948 letter of provenance, signed by the Sultan of Swat just six months before his death from cancer, should bring $7,000-$8,000. Also, a turn-of-the-century diary and address book signed by Virgil Earp, Wyatt’s older brother and a fellow participant of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, very rare and with impeccable provenance, is estimated to realize $12,000-$14,000.

A slave reward poster issued in Baltimore and dated Sept. 7, 1857, offering $500 for the capture and return of Adam Smith, measuring 7 ¾ inches by 12 inches, should sell for $30,000-$40,000. The broadside reads, in part, that Smith “ran away, or decoyed, from the subscriber on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1857”. Smith escaped with the help of the Underground Railroad, then returned to free his family, thereby earning a permanent place in the annals of American freedom.

A signed manuscript copy of John Howard Payne’s wistful song Home! Sweet Home! — one of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite melodies—inscribed “to my friend Miss Alice Stetson” and dated Aug. 6, 1850, is expected to fetch $10,000-$12,000. Also, a scrapbook of inscriptions from 100 of the legendary World War II African American aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen, for their flight instructor Milton T. Hall, gathered from 1943-1945, should garner $9,000-$10,000.

For more information about University Archives and the Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Photographs & Books auction slated for Wednesday, February 16th, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

About University Archives:
University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com. University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies. University Archives’ new offices are located at 88 Danbury Rd. (Suite 2A) in Wilton, Conn. For more information about University Archives, please visit www.universityarchives.com

Items Signed by Einstein, Washington, Lou Gehrig, Many Others will be in University Archives’ June 30th Online Auction

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Wilton, CT, USA, June 16, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- A typed letter written and signed by Albert Einstein to President Herbert Hoover in 1929, a one-page letter penned and signed by future President George Washington in 1783, and a charming photograph of baseball legend Lou Gehrig posing with a young boy, signed, with Babe Ruth in the background, are just a few of the rare autographs, manuscripts, books and photos in University Archives’ online-only auction slated for Wednesday, June 30th.

The auction, packed with 331 highly collectible lots, has a start time of 10:30 am Eastern time. The catalog is up for viewing and bidding now, on the revamped University Archives website (www.UniversityArchives.com), as well as the platforms LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. It’s just the fourth auction that will be conducted from University Archives’ new 6,000-square-foot facility in Wilton, Conn.

“Increasing air travel costs and rental car prices prohibit much traveling this summer, so hop on your laptop and check out our June catalog,” said John Reznikoff, the president and founder of University Archives. “You’ll be able to find rare and valuable pieces relating to a diverse cast of historical figures, from Ludwig von Beethoven, Martin Luther King, Jr., and George Taylor to Clara Barton, Bob Dylan and Emperor Hirohito – a treasure trove in many collecting categories.”

Reznikoff pointed out that regulars to University Archives auctions will note that this sale is organized a little differently. “This month, we’ve opted to organize auction lots first by category and then alphabetically,” he said. “This way, you can easily navigate within the section of the auction that most interests you, like superb presidential autographs from Washington to Biden.”

Other categories include science (Einstein, Darwin, Feynman, Hawking, Turing, etc.), sports (Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Moe Berg, etc.), literature (Dickens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Kerouac, Salinger, etc.), world leaders (Catherine II, Emperor Hirohito, Kim Il Sung, Alexander III, etc.), art (Frank Lloyd Wright, Alberto Giacometti, Warhol, etc.), space/aviation (Orville Wright, von Zeppelin, Soviet cosmonauts, Enola Gay, etc.), early American (Rev War, George Taylor, Samuel Adams, etc.), and music (Beethoven, Liszt, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, etc.) and more.

The gorgeously presented autograph letter signed by George Washington and dated May 15, 1783 was addressed to Miss Sidney Lee, the sister of recently deceased Continental Army General Charles Henry Lee. Washington and Lee had bad blood, but despite this, Washington proved himself a courteous and attentive correspondent, helping Miss Lee obtain a copy of Lee’s will so that she could inherit his estate. The letter carries a pre-sale estimate of $18,000-$20,000.

Albert Einstein’s one-page autograph letter was written in German to President Herbert Hoover after receiving Hoover’s congratulatory 50th birthday message in 1929 (est. $50,000-$55,000). Einstein humbly wrote, “I know I am just one of the many who are so happy to use their energy in the service of the understanding of the Sciences…I alone am but a grain-of-dust in the development of the human spirit.” Just one other letter from Einstein to a US President is known.

The circa 1933 photo of Lou Gehrig, shown squatting down to pose with a young boy identified on verso as William Grice Bogg, black and white, taken at an unknown location, is signed by the Yankee great and has an estimate of $3,000-$4,000. Babe Ruth can be seen throwing a ball in the background. Babe Ruth, in fact, also posed with the boy a couple of years later, in a similar pose, around 1935, squatting down. That photo, signed by Ruth, is also up for bid (est. $5,000-$6,000).

Alan Turing, the British mathematician who cracked the Nazi “Enigma” machine during World War II, signed a copy of The Theory of Groups of Finite Order, which he gifted to his Cambridge University mentor (est. $20,000-$24,000). A General Biochemistry textbook signed by Richard Feynman is profusely annotated with over 215 words in his hand in the form of abbreviations, hypothetical questions, flow charts, chemical formulae, and margin notes (est. $6,000-$7,000).

A photograph of Stephen Hawking signed by him as “S.W. Hawking” is accompanied by a letter of provenance explaining that, though Hawking agreed to sign it, he didn’t understand why his signature was considered valuable (est. $20,000-$24,000). Items signed by North Korean leader Kim Il Sung are exceedingly rare, even rarer than Mao Tse Tung. A copy of Kim Il Sung’s 1969 book, Let Us Promote the World Revolution, etc., signed by him, should realize $8,000-$10,000.

A very rare Civil War-dated naval appointment, boldly signed by President Abraham Lincoln and promoting one “William T. Plant” to the rank of Assistant Surgeon in the U.S. Navy, dated April 11, 1862 and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, is expected to knock down for $6,000-$7,000. Also, a rare check signed by then-junior Senator from Illinois Barack Obama, drawn from the “Friends of Barack Obama” bank account in 1997, should fetch $8,000-$10,000.

A one-page typed letter signed by Theodore Roosevelt and dated Nov. 14, 1914, written to Oscar King Davis, Press Secretary of the Progressive Party, in which Roosevelt expresses disgust with that year’s election results, should bring $8,000-$9,000. Also, a document dual-signed by John F. Kennedy (as President) and Robert F. Kennedy (as the US Attorney General), appointing George C. Young as a United States District Judge in Florida, has a pre-sale estimate of $7,000-$8,000.

A one-page letter handwritten on both sides and signed by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), penned from Andover, Massachusetts on Oct. 27, 1852 and containing rare and superb content on slavery, has an estimate of $6,000-$7,000; while the Oberlin College Commencement Exercises Program dated June 14, 1965, signed twice in red ink by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where he delivered the school’s Commencement Address, is expected to garner $5,000-$6,000.

The huge architectural plans for Frank Lloyd Wright’s last Usonian house in Wausau, Wisconsin (circa 1957), a drawing/rendering of the Duey Wright House, signed by Wright, 44 ½ inches by 29 ½ inches, should ring up $6,000-$7,000. Also, a copy of the 1981 soft-cover book Warhol, boldly signed seven times by Andy Warhol himself, plus a drawing by the artist, is estimated to bring $5,000-$6,000. It was an exhibition catalog published in conjunction with a show in 1981.

For more information about University Archives and the online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Artwork & Comic Art slated for Wednesday, June 30th please visit www.universityarchives.com.

About University Archives:
University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com. University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies. University Archives’ new offices are located at 88 Danbury Rd. (Suite 2A) in Wilton, Conn. For more information about University Archives, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

Rare Scientific Manuscript Penned by Sir Isaac Newton Brings $118,750 in University Archives’ May 26th Online Auction

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Wilton, CT, USA /DailyVoice/ — A manuscript penned by Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), with mathematical notes and calculations relating to Book III of his iconic scientific work Principia, changed hands for $118,750 in University Archives’ online-only auction of rare autographs, manuscripts, artwork and comic art held on May 26th. It was the top-selling item of the 409 lots in the sale.

“We’re still experiencing strong prices and keen new interests in many areas,” said University Archives president and owner John Reznikoff. “We’ve sold over three million dollars of items at auction so far this year, and we are not even at the halfway mark. This is another banner year.”

The rare and important two-page (front and back) manuscript, written by Newton circa 1715-1725, was believed to relate to Newton’s De Mundi Systemate (or Book III of the Principia). It was a set of mathematical notes containing several types of calculations and data points. One side was just calculations; the other side had a short note by Newton along with a calculation.

The text of the note reads, in part, “And that of Aldebaran and of Spica and that of Arcturus counting these longitudes not from the middes of the signes but from the Vernal Equinox/ And so of the rest of the fixed stars.” Newton was referencing the longitudinal position of Aldebaran and other stars, plus data points relating to his revolutionary study of comets.

Isaac Newton is widely recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians and most influential scientists of all time and was a key figure in the scientific revolution. In Principia, he formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation that formed the dominant scientific viewpoint (until it was superseded by Einstein’s theory of relativity). Einstein was also featured in the auction.

Items pertaining to Newton are exceedingly rare and highly sought after by collectors. The last time a Newton Principia-related autograph manuscript came on the market was October 1999 and, before that, 1991 and 1979. Newton was a notorious hoarder of paper and of his own manuscripts; the preservation of this manuscript note was unusual even for him.

Following are additional highlights from the auction, which was a success by any yardstick. Nearly all lots (396 of 409) found new owners, for a 97 percent sell-through and a total gross of $678,043. The 4,654 people who registered to bid on Invaluable.com and Auctionzop.com placed 1,224 bids, while the 4,239 people who registered to bid on LiveAuctioneers.com placed 596 bids. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.

The items relating to Albert Einstein included a three-page scientific manuscript pertaining to his Unified Field Theory from the 1940s (“I want to try to show that a truly natural choice for field equations exists”) ($68,750); and a black and white photo signed by Einstein, taken in 1955 by photographer Yousuf Karsh, who said the image reveals the “brief moment when all there is in a man’s mind and soul and spirit are reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude” ($34,375).

A Victorian autograph album compiled by Pennsylvania Congressman William M. Davis that contained 226 signatures of Lincoln administration officials as well as members of the 37th U.S. Congress, including President Abraham Lincoln himself and seven of his eight cabinet members (Hamlin, Seward, Chase, Bates, Welles, Cameron and Smith), and the autographs of about 217 statesmen, including Lincoln’s eventual successor, Andrew Johnson, hammered for $37,500.

A typed letter signed by Vladimir Lenin as Chairman of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Defense Council during the Russian Civil War was addressed to a future victim of Stalinist Purges, the People’s Commissariat Artemic B. Khalatov. The letter, dated Dec. 19, 1919, was in Russian and typed in the Cyrillic alphabet. Lenin wished Khalatov a speedy recovery and a swift return to work. Ironically, Lenin’s successor, Josef Stalin, later ordered Khalatov’s execution ($25,000).

A one-page, partly printed ship’s paper dated Nov. 25, 1794 boldly signed by George Washington as president, issued to “James Humphrey master or commander of the Sloop called Hiram”, printed in three languages, brought $15,000. Also, a rare autograph letter signed by Woodrow Wilson as president on White House stationery, dated May 19, 1913, addressed to author and editor James Grant Wilson regarding the dedication of a U.S.S. Maine monument, fetched $13,750.

An Act of Congress signed in type by George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President on May 8, 1794, permanently establishing the U.S. Postal Service and making robbing the mails a crime punishable by death, rose to $12,500. Also, a one-page autograph letter signed by the prominent British Methodist preacher John Wesley (1703-1791), written at Derby, England on July 12, 1788 with content regarding a children’s school, knocked down for $5,938.

A two-page letter typed and signed by author J.D. Salinger (as “Jerry”), dated May 5, 1972, in which he offers his thoughts on a dating interest of a friend and aspiring writer, Eileen Paddison, including the original “Air Mail” envelope, reached $8,125. Also, Beat writer Jack Kerouac’s personal advance copy of The Twelfth Anniversary Playboy Reader (1965), gifted to Kerouac (as a contributor) by Hugh Hefner and accompanied by a typed letter signed by Hefner, hit $8,125.

An 8 inch by 10 inch photograph signed by Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks, showing Parks getting fingerprinted after her arrest in 1955 for not relinquishing her seat to a white person, signed in felt-tip pen on her sleeve, finished at $5,000; while three items related to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., including a letter in which King questions the wisdom of the “Black Power” slogan, sold for $4,375.

An actual piece of fabric from the Wright Flyer, the first airplane that made its debut flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on Dec. 17, 1903, famously giving wings to mankind, 1 ¼ inch square in a CAG case, flew away for $6,875. Also, a map of Israel hand-drawn and signed by former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, drawn during the time of the 1993 Oslo Accords and providing detail to both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 5 ½ inches by 9 inches, hit $4,688.

Future online auctions for University Archives will feature presidential items (from Washington to Trump), literary giants (Kerouac, Shelley, Proust and others); space and aviation (U.S., the Soviet Union, etc.) and other categories. Visit www.UniversityArchives.com for more details.

For more information about University Archives please visit www.universityarchives.com.