Portrait of the CEO/Politico as Collector: Chatting with Steve Forbes

SF: Permit me if you will to talk about some other highpoint pieces in this second sale. There are the association pieces, which capture not just a person and a historical moment but a historical association or relationship as well. For instance, you have Nixon inscribing to Ehrlichman – one of the gatekeepers of the Nixon White House with Haldeman, and together the first casualties of Watergate, famous in their own day for their enormous power, their loyalty to the boss, their willingness to play hardball -- here’s Nixon inscribing Six Crises to John Ehrlichman. Here you have Nixon counseling Ehrlichman on crises, neither one realizing that a crisis was coming up [Watergate] that would make the first six crises pale like pygmies in comparison. Or you have Reagan to Goldwater, counseling that he [Goldwater] not refer to “State’s rights” but to the possibility that states “could play a more meaningful role.” So here you see Reagan The Great Communicator crafting phrases to appeal to the people.

AT: Collectors don’t get to choose the time, they only get to choose the piece. The Forbes Catalog is from beginning to end iconic, consisting of crucial and unique pieces most of which will be bought probably not by individuals but by institutions. The sale is an extraordinary opportunity for individual buyers, but it will take tremendous courage for individual collectors to step up and bid at this pivotal moment, as these items will literally never be on the marketplace again in our lifetime or perhaps ever. Do you think that individual collectors are up to this challenge?

SF: I think so. I hope so. We have been trying to get the word out and anyone interested in the Americana field at this point knows that this sale is an extraordinary opportunity. In the context of recent stock market happenings, these pieces are things that will live and survive despite the vagaries of the stock market. They are pieces of history.

AT: How does it feel to literally hold a document that is such a crucial icon of American history? Does holding that document or manuscript with their unique provenances bring you “magically” into the historical moment?

SF: You never hold or look at a document or manuscript as just a piece of paper. It brings images to mind. When you hold them it’s like a mental film, like you are watching something historic unfold. Touching an icon unleashes your awareness and your sense of awe of the history, of what has transpired.

AT: How do you feel about becoming, with these sales, a part of the history – the provenance – of the extraordinary documents in your collection? Is that an exhilarating feeling?

SF: It’s a good feeling to know that even though they won’t be in our hands, they will be in the hands of people or institutions that appreciate them. I guess you could say the Forbes provenance made or makes history. The Forbes Collection was history and so that adds to the value of these documents that were themselves a pivotal part of American history.

AT: Thank you very much for being so generous with your time. It was a pleasure talking with you. I’m sure that AE Monthly’s readers will find our chat quite illuminating. Congratulations at your record-breaking success with the first part of this sale [March 2002] and the best of luck to you with this monumental upcoming sale at Christie’s on October 9th.

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Portrait of the CEO/Politico as Collector: Chatting with Steve Forbes

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Portrait of the CEO/Politico as Collector: Chatting with Steve Forbes

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