Rare Items Signed by Lincoln, Bob Dylan, Peter The Great, Many Others in University Archives
A carte de visite photograph of Abraham Lincoln signed by him less than three weeks before his assassination, the lyrics of the song Tangled Up in Blue written in Bob Dylan’s hand and signed by him at the bottom, and a document in Russian signed by Peter the Great from 1717 are a few of the expected highlights in University Archives’ online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Space Memorabilia auction slated for Wednesday, June 26th.
The auction will start promptly at 10:00 am Eastern time. All 510 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now – on the University Archives website – www.UniversityArchives.com – as well as Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Items signed by many of history’s brightest stars will come up for bid.
“The earlier than usual start time to this auction is a concession to the monumental size – over 500 lots – of our first major online-only sale of the summer,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “We’re proud to announce that, once again, we’ve been chosen to catalog and offer at auction important items from the prestigious Forbes Collection.”
Mr. Reznikoff added, “University Archives regulars will recall that we last offered items deaccessioned from the Forbes Collection four years ago. We’re delighted to present more phenomenal ex-Forbes items in our June sale, with additional pieces to come throughout 2024.”
Highlighted collecting categories in the June sale include U.S. Presidential, Aviation / Space, Music, Entertainment, Early America, Military and Sports, plus many other desirable categories.
Lot 62 is the carte de visite photo of Abraham Lincoln, signed by him (as “A. Lincoln”) along the bottom, PSA/DNA graded GEM MT 10. The original photograph was taken by Anthony Berger on Feb. 9, 1865. A handwritten inscription on verso indicates the carte de visite was presented to a well-wisher on March 25, 1865, less than three weeks before Lincoln was killed. It may have been one of the last photographs that Lincoln ever signed. With outstanding provenance from Charles Hamilton; ex-Christie’s (est. $100,000-$150,000).
Lot 288 are the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s song Tangled Up in Blue, entirely inscribed in his hand on a leaf of London hotel stationery in 2013 and signed by him at the conclusion. Tangled Up in Blue was the opening song to Dylan’s best-selling, double-platinum album Blood on the Tracks, released in 1975. The lyrics are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Jeff Rosen, Dylan’s longtime manager and president of the Bob Dylan Music Co. (est. $40,000-$50,000).
Lot 411 is an untranslated document in Russian signed by Peter the Great, dated December 17, 1717. In it, the tsar grants permission to Artillery Major Johnson Henning to obtain craftsmen from Germany, notably shipbuilders, in an effort to expand and modernize the Russian Navy (est. $14,000-$18,000).
Lot 250 is a signature clip from Thomas Lynch (as “Lynch”), considered the second rarest Declaration of Independence signer. The clip was likely removed from a book in Lynch’s personal library. Its provenance traces it to Goodspeed’s Book Shop (est. $12,000-$15,000).
Lot 241 is a document dated August 29, 1782 boldly signed by John Hancock as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, appointing Nicholas Bartlett as commander of a 20-ton armed schooner, the Adventurous Fisherman. Financed and outfitted by Fortesque Vernon and other Boston merchants, the privateer ship and its complement of ten men was given the task of “Cruizing against the Enemies of the United States” (est. $6,000-$7,000).
Lot 357 is a scarce and likely battlefield-used Confederate surgical kit owned by Thomas Stark Hemingway, Staff Surgeon of Col. B. Huber Rutledge’s 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, a unit that suffered heavy casualties. The kit is nearly intact and contains over 60 German steel instruments, including probes, clamps, scalpels and even a trepanning saw, housed in a fitted case mounted by a brass plaque engraved “T.S. Hemingway Surgeon” (est. $6,000-$7,000).
Lot 345 is a 4-page autograph letter signed by Acting Adjutant General Edward D. Townsend, dated December 19, 1889, and elaborating on the exact circumstances of the capture of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis by the Union Army in May 1865. Townsend stated that Davis was apprehended wearing “a ladies waterproof coat and a black shawl over his head.” He goes on to speculate on the possible motives of such unconventional dress (est. $5,000-$6,000).
Lots 285 and 286 are original Walt Disney Studios animation cels, inscribed and signed by Walt Disney on the Guthrie Courvoisier stamped mats. The painted celluloid images of Minnie and Mickey Mouse were used during the production of the 1952 short film Pluto’s Christmas Party. The pair will be offered as separate lots, each carrying a pre-sale estimate of $4,500-$6,000.
Lot 90 is a large archive of typed letters signed, White House memoranda, photographs, and ephemera, circa 1939-1942, representing correspondence between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Robert R. Graham, the architect tasked with designing and overseeing construction of high school buildings in Hyde Park, New York in the late 1930s. The archive includes six typed letters signed by Roosevelt, who was the namesake and benefactor of the school (est. $4,000-$5,000).
Lot 410 is a manuscript document dated January 14, 1646, during the middle of the English Civil War, signed by Oliver Cromwell and five other prominent Parliamentarians: Lord Salisbury, Lord Northumberland, Denis Bond, Thomas Hoyle, and the future regicide Sir Henry Mildmay. The document authorized the payment of six months’ salary to Sussex Cammock, commander of Landguard Fort, as well as to his officers and men, plus repairs to the fort (est. $4,000-$5,000).
Lot 466 is a letter handwritten in German and signed by Sigmund Freud, addressed to his close friend and collaborator, the Austrian Jewish lay psychologist Hanns Sachs. The letter, dated January 1, 1938, contains New Year’s greetings as well as a cryptic message commenting on the state of the field of psychoanalysis, in part: “With increasing knowledge of the literature nothing new will be left of Analysis…” The winning bidder can ponder its meaning (est. $2,800-$3,500).
Lot 467 is a typed letter signed by noted rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard on stationery from his Roswell, New Mexico workshop. In this letter, dated July 4, 1941, Mr. Goddard recommends one of his principal mechanics, Nils T. Ljungquist, for consideration by the U.S. Navy “if and when the rocket development in New Mexico terminates or is interrupted” (est. $2,400-$3,500).
Here is a link to the catalog on the University Archives website: https://auction.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/rare-autographs-manuscripts-books-space-memorabil_R1J21RF4OD.
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.
