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Signed and Numbered Ansel Adams Photos and Gold Rush-Era Tokens do Well in Holabird’s December Dreams Auction Dec. 17-19

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Reno, NV, USA, January 5, 2022 -/DailyVoice/- A Wells Fargo Express Chinese Western directory from 1878 sold for $13,750, while signed and numbered photographs by Western photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984) and rare tokens from the glory days of America’s Gold Rush era all did well in Holabird Western Americana Collections’ December Dreams: Premier Americana Auction held December 17-19.

The three-day sale, held online and live at the Holabird gallery in Reno, featured over 1,900 lots of rare books, art, mining, numismatics, stock certificates, postcards and more. Highlighted collections included more parts of the Ken Prag postcard collection, the Bill McIver token and medal collection, the MacKenzie Montana collection and the Ron Lerch Western collection.

Following are highlights from the auction, which enjoyed an 80 percent sell-through across all 1,900 lots. About 7,500 people registered to bid, with the top categories being art, directories and numismatics. “We’re attracting hundreds of new collectors with each sale that goes by,” said Fred Holabird of Holabird Western Americana Collections. All prices include buyer’s premium.

Day 1 contained over 600 lots of philatelic (stamps); military, political and firearms; gaming collectibles; and model railroad and toys. Postcards, many of them from the Ken Prag collection, included California (especially wine country), Hawaii, Disney, Titanic and Pioneer cards. The gaming section included items from the Shirley Bovis Cowboy Museum in Tombstone, Ariz.

Of the 500 postcard lots from the Ken Prag collection, about 350 lots were California-related, but 40 lots or so were Hawaii-themed. Lot 1370 was a collection of more than 210 postcards with color renderings of rare and exotic fishes of Hawaii. Most were from a series published for the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu. All were from the early 20th century. The lot went for $1,387.

Day 2 was packed with 683 lots of books (featuring Part 1 of the Ron Leach Western directory collection); mining artifacts and ephemera; and stock certificates and bonds, to include mining and railroad. There were about 200 directories from the Ron Lerch collection. Directories are considered a “primary source” material and, as such, are essential aspects of historical research.

The Wells Fargo Express Chinese directory from 1878 is one of the most sought-after, rare and important of all the Western directories and sold accordingly, for $13,750. It was a directory for Chinese houses in San Francisco, Sacramento, Stockton, Marysville, San Jose, Portland and Virginia City for that year. It was well-used and worn, with Chinese notes on pages throughout.

Other noteworthy directories, all from the Ron Leach collection, included the following:

  • A first edition copy of the Hawaiian Kingdom Statistical and Commercial Directory from 1880-1881, including a tourist guide. Each island in the Kingdom was listed, along with officials, principal villages and descriptions of the islands, plus colored ads ($2,250).
  • A Brown’s Marysville (Calif.) Directory for the year beginning March 1861, a general and business register of citizens with statistical tables, historical references and more, prefaced by sketches of industrial enterprises and charitable organizations ($7,810).
  • A very rare copy of the A.R. Dunbar &Co.’s Chinese Mercantile Directory for 1897, listing all the principal Chinese merchants and manufacturers in the U.S., Canada and Hawaii, 216 pages from the press of Brown, Meese & Craddock, San Francisco ($8,435).

Other Day 2 highlights included a handbill issued by Wells Fargo in 1866 (Gold Hill, Nevada), extolling the thefts of company monies used by several WF agents to gamble on mining stocks ($3,375); and a Britton & Rey lithograph depicting a pair of life scenes of gold miners in the 19th century, titled Bar Room in the Mines and Long Tom, one of only five known copies ($1,625).

A rare stereo view of gold miner Ed Schieffelin (who founded Tombstone, Arizona in 1877), showing him with a pick, breaking a rock, taken by Charles O. Farciot, hammered for $3,125. Also, a stock certificate for 42 shares from 1863 for the Byron Gold & Silver Mining Co. (Sutro, Nevada), a company mentioned by Mark Twain in a letter dated Feb. 3, 1863, finished at $812.

Day 3 was a busy one, with 614 lots of Native Americana (baskets and jewelry), art (featuring Ansel Adams, three signed Salvador Dali prints, Thomas Kincaide, Japanese woodblocks and prints and more), numismatics (including coins and currency, medals and so-called dollars), tokens (featuring Part 2 of the Bill McIvor Nevada token collection), and general Americana.

The signed and numbered photographs by Ansel Adams were from a special edition of fine prints from Photographs of Yosemite (Calif.) by Ansel Adams. Images included Moon and Half Dome, the tenth print made of this world-class photograph from 1960 ($9,687); Bridal Veil Fall, from circa 1958-1970 ($7,500); and El Capitan in Winter, also printed circa 1958-1970 ($5,625).

Offerings from the Bill McIver Nevada token and medal collection included the centerpiece of his collection: possibly the finest known 12.5-cent token from The Payteller (Rhyolite, Nev.), showing a bearded miner with a pick, shovel and lunch bucket, plus a mountain and rising sun ($5,500); and a Copper Block Buffet (Valdez, Alaska) gold nugget token, good for $1 ($2,625).

Other tokens included an extremely rare Rhyolite token for the Southern Bar (“Good for a Drink or Cigar”), very rare, round in shape, 24mm, made by L.A. Rubber Stamp Company ($2,125); and a Victor Venturino token from the Eureka County (Nev.) town of Mineral Hill (“Good for 12 ½ Cents in Trade”), round in shape, 25mm, with what appeared to be a plug or a hole ($2,500).

A great numismatic rarity was found in an 1851 letter. Prior to the establishment of a Branch US Mint in California, private firms made their own gold coins. Some came under fire in 1851 for not containing sufficient gold. These firms, including Dunbar & Co., were “attacked” in the local press, which adversely affected their value. Reacting to this adversity, the letter addresses how Dunbar would cure and defect. It is the first original document to discuss this important period.

The letter was signed by Dunbar & Co. and dated March 31, 1851, noting the receipt of 192 9/16 ounces of gold dust at $17.125 per ounce to be paid in Dunbar & Co.’s (gold) coin on demand, “or if said coin will not pay at par at the time of such demand, the amount shall be redeemed at the office of Dodge & Co. in current silver at the hands of Henry D. Cogswell.” It made $2,500.

A pair of magnificent signed and labeled art prints by the renowned Japanese landscape artist Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), titled Kura at Tomonoura and Lugano, each signed in pencil and both 10 ¼ inches by 15 ½ inches, went for $3,125. Also, a scarce signed and numbered print by the Spanish Surrealist master Salvador Dali, titled Thumb Tree (although the actual title of the work wasn’t found online and is therefore unknown), numbered “59/350”, realized $2,625.

Native Americana was led by a Tlingit Indian basket, 8 inches in diameter and 4 inches tall, with seven swastikas false embroidered into the middle band, circa 1900 ($1,000); a large Haida (Alaska) ornate design box with patterns on all sides with shell inlays as eyes of birds and animals, plus typical red and black patterns ($625); and a vintage, museum-quality sterling silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace, unmarked, with 20 gorgeous turquoise stones ($938).

Online bidding was via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com. Holabird Western Americana Collections is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or a collection, you may call Fred Holabird at 775-851-1859 or 844-492-2766; or, you can send an e-mail to fredholabird@gmail.com.

To learn more about Holabird Western Americana Collections, visit www.holabirdamericana.com. Updates are posted often.

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

Rare Rev War Powder Horn and Items Signed by JFK, Hugh Hefner, Wyatt Earp will be in University Archives Nov. 10 Auction

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Wilton, CT, USA, October 27, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- A rare and historic Revolutionary War powder horn, an extensive archive of material pertaining to Playboy magazine’s Hugh Hefner, a document signed by John F. Kennedy as President and a legal summons signed by the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp will all be part of University Archives’ online auction on Wednesday, November 10th, at 10:30 am Eastern time.

The Rare Autographs, Photographs & Books auction features exceptional historical material from multiple collecting categories. “Over thirty lots of the sale illustrate the fascinating and violent history of the Old West, with many pieces from the personal collection of celebrated Western photographer Jim Tackett,” said John Reznikoff, the president of University Archives.

The catalog, with all 391 lots, is up for viewing and bidding now, on the University Archives website (www.UniversityArchives.com) as well as LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. It’s the eighth auction that will be conducted from University Archives’ modern new 6,000-square-foot facility in Wilton, Conn.

The list of major categories is extensive, to include Early American (John Hancock, Aaron Burr, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee and others); Presidents and First Ladies (John Adams to Biden, Mary Todd Lincoln to Michelle Obama, others); Old West (Emmett Dalton, Jesse and Frank James, Hanging Judge Roy Bean, others); Art (Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Dr. Seuss, Oskar Fischinger) and Music (The Beatles, Kurt Cobain, George and Ira Gershwin and others).

Other categories include Entertainment, (Stan Laurel, Lenny Bruce, Hefner and others); Sports (Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, Tiger Woods and others); Literature (Walt Whitman, Eugene O’Neill, E.E. Cummings and others); Civil Rights (Martin Luther King, Jr., Lucy Stone, Frederick Douglass and others); and Space / Aviation / Exploration (the Mercury and Gemini space programs, Charles Lindbergh, the Soviet cosmonauts, Fridtjof Nansen and others).

The powder horn belonging to 18-year-old minuteman Oliver Buttrick and used at the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775 is a remarkable relic of the Revolutionary War and carries a modest pre-sale estimate of $90,000-$100,000. The Battle of Concord was the first battle of the Revolutionary War, and witnessed the “shot heard ‘round the world” that both announced and legitimized the American Revolution. It would be hard to think of a better relic symbolizing American freedom than this item. The horn has an ownership label on vellum at its base and is accompanied by over 50 pages of provenance that is available by request as a .pdf.

The large archive of original letters, cartoons, photographs and memorabilia relating to Hugh Hefner’s 75-year relationship with high school classmate and close friend Jane “Janie” Borson Sellers is expected to realize $50,000-$60,000. Included are over 150 letters by Hefner, half of which are illustrated with pen and ink cartoon drawings by him.

The one-page document signed by President John F. Kennedy on January 21, 1961, and countersigned by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, appointing “Robert S. McNamara of Michigan…Secretary of Defense”, should reach $30,000-$35,000. At the time McNamara was the youngest person ever appointed Secretary of State. He served from 1961-1968 and was largely responsible for intensifying American involvement in the Vietnam War.

The many lots documenting the lawlessness and disorderliness of the Wild West include the summons personally endorsed by a young Wyatt Earp, then just 21 years old and on his first job in law enforcement, as constable of Lamar, Missouri. In May 1870, Earp clearly wrote over twenty words on the back of a legal summons and signed it “WS Earp constable” (estimate: $30,000-$35,000).

A one-page autograph letter signed by Thomas Jefferson, in superb condition, touting America’s superiority over Europe, written to American diplomat William Lee, contains stellar content and is expected to change hands for $25,000-$30,000. Also on offer is a rare and beautiful white Chinese Export porcelain dessert bowl from Jefferson’s White House service, circa 1790s, with 13 gold stars encircling the elegant “J” monogram at the center (estimate: $10,000-$12,000).

A Civil War-dated autograph album compiled by a correspondent of Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase contains 180 signatures of Lincoln administration officials and members of the 37th U.S. Congress, including President Abraham Lincoln himself and six current and future Lincoln cabinet members (Seward, Chase, Welles, Stanton, Smith and Fessenden). It is estimated to fetch $20,000-$24,000.

An important compilation of original documents written and/or signed by members of the Hartford Convention of 1814-1815, compiled by Washington real estate developer and manuscript collector Marshall B. Coyne, including documents from all 26 delegates from five states and the Convention secretary, should earn $18,000-$20,000.

A rare letter handwritten by then-President Zachary Taylor to Secretary of the Interior Thomas Ewing, introducing Henry Waller of Louisiana, dated Nov. 27, 1849, has an estimate of $12,000-$14,000. Also, a one-page, partially printed document boldly signed by John Hancock, dated Jan. 1, 1776, appointing a Captain to the 7th Regimen of Foot (the “do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes” Regiment of Battle of Bunker Hill celebrity) should rise to $8,000-$10,000.

An autograph letter written on White House letterhead, signed “Franklin D. Roosevelt” as President, addressed to Frank Deering of Saco, Maine, a fellow Naval history collector, dated Feb. 19, 1934, is estimated to go for $10,000-$12,000. Also, an autograph letter signed by Charles Darwin written to his land agent John Higgins in 1859, just a few weeks prior to publication of his On the Origin of Species, should hit $3,000-$4,000.

A large bust portrait photograph of the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, boldly signed and inscribed on the mat, “To Max Moffett at Taliesin Aug 24/50 Frank Lloyd Wright”, is expected to finish at $5,000-$6,000; while a large, glossy black and white photograph of all four Beatles, signed, inscribed, dated and numbered by French photographer Jean-Marie Périer (b. 1940), framed, should garner $3,000-$4,000.

For more information about University Archives and the online-only Rare Autographs, Photographs & Books auction scheduled for Wednesday, November 10th, 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, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

Fabulous Autographs & Art, From Van Gogh to Hendrix, are in University Archives’ Auction Sep 29

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Wilton, CT, USA, September 14, 2021 -/DailyVoice/- University Archives’ next major online-only auction, slated for Wednesday, September 29th at 10:30 am Eastern time, is titled Fabulous Autographs & Art, From Van Gogh to Hendrix. The 410-lot auction is jam-packed with historical autographs, rare books, artwork, posters, photographs, ephemera, collectibles, and relics – something for every level of collector.

“About one quarter of the sale is devoted to artists and is part of the collection of Chicagoan Noel Goldblatt, of the famous Goldblatt’s Department Store,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “Another large segment is comprised of vintage posters and photographs amassed by a Connecticut collector. We have superb material in many categories.”

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 the fourth auction that will be conducted from University Archives’ new, 6,000-square-foot facilities in Wilton, Conn.

Major categories include Art (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne others); Posters and Photographs (music, movies, TV, sports, others); Music (The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, others); Entertainment (Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, others); Early American (John Hancock, Alexander Hamilton, George A. Custer, others); and Presidential (from Washington to Obama).

Other categories include Sports (Babe Ruth, Bruce Lee, Cy Young, Jack Johnson, others); Literature (Samuel Clemens, Steinbeck, Whitman, others); World Leaders (Stalin, Russian czars, others); Space / Aviation (Apollo and Mercury programs, Wright brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Enola Gay, others); and Science (Einstein, Marconi, Richard Feynman, others).

U.S. Presidents will be led by a three-page letter signed by George Washington, addressed to his nephew Bushrod Washington, dated March 8, 1798, with three other Washington signatures in the body of the letter, which references Robert E. Lee’s father (estimate: $28,000-$35,000); and a military commission signed by Abraham Lincoln on February 6, 1862, promoting West Point graduate Thomas Walker to the rank of Captain, the 3rd U.S. Infantry (estimate: $7,000-$8,000).

The Early American category will feature a Mathew Brady carte de visite of George A. Custer, signed with rank as “Yours Truly / GA Custer / Bt Maj Genl / U.S.A.,” maybe the finest example University Archives has ever sold (estimate: $20,000-$26,000); and a ten-foot-tall vintage totem pole from the Pacific Northwest or Canada, intricately carved on all sides in a 360-degree-round, depicting humans and animals in a traditional primary color palette (estimate: $9,000-$10,000).

A one-page letter typed in German and signed by Albert Einstein in 1921, the year he won the Nobel Prize, regarding his theory of relativity as it pertains to the motion of Foucault’s pendulum and the rotation of the Earth, should reach $18,000-$20,000. Also, a Russian language diploma (or award) signed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, circa 1942, presented to a Soviet scientist who would later propose melting the polar ice caps, carries a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-$10,000.

A highlight of the Goldblatt collection is also the auction’s expected top lot: a paper fragment inscribed on both sides with about 115 full and partial words in the hand of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (estimate: $40,000-$50,000). Van Gogh had copied out two verses in English of one hymn and also two stanzas in Dutch from another hymn. Van Gogh’s quest for spiritual fulfillment led him to nature, where he was most at peace and informed his artwork.

Also from the Goldblatt collection is artist Paul Cézanne’s two-page letter, signed and addressed to the subject of his famous painting, Portrait of Gustave Geffroy, mentioned funding fellow artist Auguste Rodin, whose maquette of Honoré de Balzac had just been denounced by the literary organization that commissioned it (estimate: $15,000-$20,000); and a document signed by Paul Gauguin sometime during the last three years of the artist’s life, when he was living on the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The receipt mentions Ambroise Vollard, Gauguin’s agent and patron, and could have represented payment for one of Gauguin’s last completed paintings of such exotic subjects as witch doctors and nude women (estimate: $15,000-$20,000).

Goldblatt’s collection also includes autographed items from Mary Cassatt, Edvard Munch, Piet Mondrian, Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Gilbert Stuart, Joseph M.W. Turner, and many others.

A Wilton, Connecticut collector with a penchant for rock ’n roll and pop culture collected dozens of vintage posters and photographs, some of them autographed. The collection represents the last seven decades of popular music, from Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin to David Bowie, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and the Goo Goo Dolls. The items include:

  • A 1968 Jimi Hendrix Fillmore East concert poster in exceptional condition. Poster artist David Byrd’s representation of Jimi Hendrix and his bandmates in psychedelic pink and orange is one of the most iconic rock music posters of all time (estimate: $6,000-$7,000).
  • An oversized black and white photograph of The Beatles, taken in Hamburg, West Germany in 1960, signed by photographer Astrid Kirchherr, the fiancée of bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe, who tragically died of an aneurysm in 1962 (estimate: $2,400-$2,600).
  • An 22 inch by 28 inch photograph of Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, the two Queen Bees of San Francisco rock, taken by Jim Marshall for an article in Teen Set magazine, twice signed by Marshall and annotated, “Grace + Janis – 1967” (estimate: $2,000-$2,400).

A two-page letter written and signed by martial arts legend Bruce Lee, dated Nov. 22, 1972, to his Fists of Fury co-star Bob Baker, asking if he can send him some cocaine (“air-mail me some fine ‘C’ if you can swing it”), is expected to bring $10,000-$12,000; while a baseball signed on the sweet spot by Babe Ruth, dated 1932, inscribed “World Champs” (perhaps by the owner), and signed by three others (including Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez), should hit $4,000-$5,000.

A rare, partial one-page document signed by Peter Stuyvesant on January 3, 1651, in Dutch, while he was serving as Director-General of the New Netherland colony (now New York City), later seized by the English in 1664, has an estimate of $4,000-$6,000. Also, a swatch of fabric from the Wright Flyer, the first airplane that made its debut flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17, 1903, 2 ¼ inches by 3 3/14 inches, encapsulated and certified, should rise to $3,000-$4,000.

University Archives’ new offices are located at 88 Danbury Rd. (Suite 2A) in Wilton, Conn. For more information about University Archives and the online-only Fabulous Autographs & Art, From Van Gogh to Hendrix auction slated for Wednesday, September 29th, please visit www.universityarchives.com.