Items from some of history’s biggest heroes — and villains — will be featured in Alexander Autographs’ upcoming auction.
A total of 1,421 lots related to such diverse figures as John F. Kennedy, Benjamin Franklin, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Oskar Schindler, Abraham Lincoln, Mao Zedong, Rasputin, Lee Harvey Oswald, Joseph Mengele and Adolf Hitler will be featured in the 2010 Winter Historical Autograph and Manuscript Auction, which will be held on Jan. 20 and 21, 2010. (View the online catalog at http://auctions.alexautographs.com/asp/searchresults.asp?pg=1&ps=25).
The war-date bet made between Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bernard Law Montgomery is on the block. Photo courtesy of Alexander Autographs. |
In addition to historical, political and military items, there are
pieces related to aviation, space exploration, sports, the papacy and
entertainment featuring figures that include Muhammed Ali, Babe Ruth,
Vince Lombardi, Honus Wagner, Walt Disney, Maurice Sendak, J.R.R.
Tolkien, Amelia Earhart, Edwin A. “Buzz” Aldrin, John Glenn and George
Gershwin.
Some keynote pieces include:
• A war-date bet made for 5 pounds on Oct. 11, 1943, between Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bernard Law Montgomery that Germany would surrender by Christmas 1944, signed by each. Comes with a candid photo of Eisenhower and Montgomery. Eisenhower lost the bet. Estimate: $15,000 to $20,000.
• Remnants of the limousine seat on which President John F. Kennedy was seated when he was assassinated. Each piece of leather (one light blue, one dark blue) measures roughly 3” x 3”. The pieces are accompanied by a letter of provenance on White House letterhead. Estimate $10,000 to $15,000.
• A rare letter by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, written in June 14, 1954, to invite Romanian President Petru Groza to take a state visit to China. Estimate: $10,000 to $12,000.
• A Civil War foot officer’s sword and scabbard. Although the sword is not stamped nor marked with the Louisiana state seal, it bears all of the markings of a Blaise Pradel sword. Estimate: $8,000 to $10,000.
• A full signature of American frontiersman David “Davy” Crockett, likely a franking signature, in very good condition. Estimate: $7,000 to $9,000.
A watercolor painting by Adolf Hitler is among the lots in an upcoming Alexander Autographs auction. Photo courtesy of Alexander Autographs. |
• An autograph letter signed by Abraham Lincoln,
and his franking signature (A. Lincoln) with that of Mary Lincoln. To
find both Lincolns' signatures on one item, along with Lincoln's
presidential seal, is a very rare occurrence. Estimate $6,000 to $8,000.
• A Confederate Navy Commission,
measuring 13-1/2" x 17-1/2" on vellum, printed in Great Britain. This
engraved document, resembles federal documents of the same type,
bearing a ship of the line at top, with a vignette of cannons,
cannonballs, crossed flags, anchors, etc. Estimate: $6,000-8,000
• A letter Lee Harvey Oswald wrote to his mother dated Sept. 4, 1959, prior to his emigration to Russia. Estimate: $6,000 to $7,000.
• An original 9-1/2” x 8” watercolor painting by Adolf Hitler of a view of the church of St. Mary of Victory in Vienna. The painting is signed and comes with a custom slipcase. Estimate: $10,000 to $15,000.
• An autograph letter signed J.H. Wagner by baseball great Honus Wagner promising to return a missing basketball. It is written on the official letterhead of Wagner’s garage and dated Jan. 12, 1910, but is believed to have been written in 1911. Estimate: $8,000 to $10,000.
Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" sketchbook is on the auction block. Photo courtesy of Alexander Autographs. |
• Walt Disney’s sketch book of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Contains full-page mounted color plates depicting each of the major charactders of the film, along with line drawings on every page giving the background on the development of each characters. Signed on the pictorial fly front. Estimate: $3,000 to $4,000.
• A D-Day press release signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Estimate: $5,000 to $7,000.
• A framed radio-telegram receipt signed by Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist and black marketeer who by the end of World War II had spent everything he had to keep 1,300 Polish Jews from being deported to Hitler's gas chambers. Estimate: $6,000 to $7,000.
• A circa-1770 century pocket watch belonging to Benjamin Franklin. The watch, by Scheffler of Meissen, bears an engraved portrait of Franklin on the back. The auction house believes that the watch may have been a presentation piece given to Franklin during his tenure as commissioner for the United States in France. Estimate $5,000-$7,000.
• Original artwork by Hudson River School founder Thomas Cole. Estimate: $5,000 to $6,000.
• A presentation cigar box belonging to John F. Kennedy. Estimate: $5,000 to $6,000.
Original drawings by Maurice Sendak are included in the upcoming Alexander Autographs auction. Photo courtesy of Alexander Autographs. |
• A George Gershwin autograph musical quotation from Rhapsody in Blue. The piece is dated Aug. 22, 1926 and appears on Gershwin’s letterhead. $4,000 to $6,000.
• A J.R.R. Tolkien-signed second-edition copy of “The Hobbit.” Comes with the original dust jacket and a custom dark green linen slipcase. Estimate: $4,000 to $6,000.
• An autographed signed quote from Grigori Rasputin dated Nov. 21, 1915 in St. Petersburg. A note translated into German on the bottom of the piece reads “Rasputin The mothers of children, they are sacred.” Estimate: $4,000 to $6,000.
• A content letter dated Dec. 2, 1935, by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov foretelling the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Estimate: $4,000 to $5,000.
• An original pencil drawing by Maurice Sendak that shows one of Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” characters wearing a ribboned wide-brimmed hat and peering over a book. The drawing, which was created for American Express in 1988 for an advertising campaign, is on tracing paper and is signed. Estimate: $3,000 to $4,000.
• A Civil War surgeon’s field amputation kit, which contains a tourniquet, bone forceps, needle pack, amputation saw and lifting-back metacarpal saw in a mahogany case. Estimate: $2,000 to $3,000.
• An August 1976 drawing by Maurice Sendak of his character, Rosie. The 8-1/2" x 11" sheet is inscribed"Hello from Rosie and M. Sendak.” Estimate: $1,000 to $1,500.
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