Back

University Archives: Rare Autographs, Manuscripts and Books

Auction Reports

Auction Name Rare Autographs, Manuscripts and Books Total Sales (USD) 991,205.15
Auction Date January 29, 2025 - January 29, 2025 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 684,750.00
Sale Number #12925 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 917,700.00
Total Lots 415
Sold Lots 401 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 727,850.00
% of Lots Sold 96.63% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 972,300.00
Unsold Lots 14 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 101.94%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
138

Fabulous NY Art Dealer Collection! 70+ Original Metal Etching Plates & Woodblocks from 30+ Artists Incl. Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Braque, Giacometti, Rouault & More, 1887-1975

ca. 1887-1975 USD 100,000.00 - 150,000.00 USD 112,500.00
273 Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Handwritten Signed Lyrics for "Blowing in the Wind", Legendary Civil Rights Anthem, with Jeff Rosen COA, Just in Time For Oscar Buzzworthy Movie "A Complete Unknown"

ca. 2011 USD 60,000.00 - 70,000.00 USD 50,000.00
321

"Jaws of Death" D-Day Photo, Type I PSA Encapsulated, One of Most Iconic Photos in History taken by Robert Sargent.

1944-07-30 USD 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD 37,500.00
52 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson ALS to Grandson, Signed 4x Including Rare Full Signature!

February 17, 1809 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 34,375.00
81 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln on Horseback, Check to Get a Saddle!

September 28, 1857 USD 25,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD 31,250.00
358

Eiffel Tower Stairway Section #6, Unique and Rare!

ca. 1889 USD 50,000.00 - 75,000.00 USD 31,250.00
407 Einstein Original

Einstein Original Geometry Drawing With Signed Explanation Sent to H.S. Student: "...you are the only person we know of who could supply us with the answer..."

ca. May 12, 1952 USD 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD 31,250.00
51 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson ALS as President, Cabinet-Level Appointment!

October 14, 1801 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 25,000.00
129 George Washington

George Washington Franking Signature During Revolutionary War to Col. Stephen Moylan, January 5, 1780, PSA/DNA

January 5, 1780 USD 10,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD 25,000.00
270 Walt Disney

Walt Disney & His Artists Signed Sketches, Phil Sears COA, Best We Have Seen!

ca. 1941 USD 25,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD 25,000.00
236

New Orleans Slave Auction Broadside Sadly Includes Families; Among the Best Extant

February 12, 1859 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 22,500.00
37 James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield Signed Check as President, Only 1 of 2 Known PSA MINT 9, With Provenance from Son

April 1, 1881 USD 6,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 21,250.00
246 Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin AES 3 Months Before Start of Constitutional Convention of 1787, PSA NM-MT8

March 2, 1787 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 20,000.00
201 Rare Warren

Rare Warren Buffett Signed Lehigh Coal And Navigation Co. Stock Certificate, Only 8 Known

1962-03-13 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 18,750.00
130 George Washington

George Washington Signed 1788 Potomac Co. Receipt

August 5, 1788 USD 7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD 15,000.00
82 Lincoln Funeral

Lincoln Funeral Ticket for Bearer to Sit in the South Section

April 19, 1865 USD 4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 13,750.00
311 Civil

Soldier's Civil War-date Correspondence Archive, Over 300 Letters, Plus More!

ca. 1862-1865 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 12,500.00
1 John Adams

John Adams 1810 ALS on His Pear Trees & A Lost Portrait by Female Artist

November 10, 1810 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 10,625.00
28 Eisenhower

D-Day Orders Signed By Eisenhower To His Troops, Outstanding PSA Mint 9!

n.d. USD 3,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD 10,625.00
131 Washington Franking

Washington Franking Signature "The President" to Burgess Ball, With Him at Valley Forge

February 7, 1794 USD 5,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 10,625.00
353 Herbert Henry Asquith

Herbert Henry Asquith Extensive Archive of Letters [360+] to Mrs. Hilda Harrison, 1915-1927

ca. 1916-1928 USD 10,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD 10,625.00
64

Iconic JFK Jr. "Salute" UPI Negative Taken at Kennedy's Funeral, One of the Most Important Photos of the 20th Century, & a Never Before Seen Negative!

1963-11-25 USD 1,200.00 - 1,400.00 USD 10,000.00
409 Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein Signed Photo from Arriving in San Diego with Wife Elsa -- Superlative!

ca. 1931 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 10,000.00
2 John Adams

John Adams Partial 1798 Patent Signed, Large & Attractive Signature

May 28, 1798 USD 4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 8,125.00
209 Ray Kroc McDonald's

Ray Kroc McDonald's Gift Certificate Booklet Signed

ca. 1981 USD 300.00 - 400.00 USD 7,500.00
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
Ask Questions