• Freeman’s, June 30. Thomas Jefferson’s “Birth of the New Nation” letter, carried to Paris with the Treaty of Peace, by a Jewish patriot. $100,000-200,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. “The rockets’ red glare.” A British midshipman’s log recording the bombardment of Fort McHenry. $60,000-80,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry Commission signed by James Madison, 1812. $40,000-60,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776. $15,000-25,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. One of the Earliest Printed Announcements of American Independence, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000-15,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. "The Two Big Guns of the N.Y. Yanks": A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. A Unique Contemporary Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words to His Followers, the Day Before his Violent Death. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. The State of Minnesota Officially Certifies the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution Of the United States. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York. $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000-12,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: An Early Continental Army Recruitment Poster. $6,000-9,000.
    Freeman’s, June 30. Samuel Jones, the Statesman Behind the Newly Discovered "Jones Declaration": His Annotated Set Used in His Working Law Library. $6,000-9,000.
  • Sotheby's Book Week
    2 June - 9 July
    Sotheby’s, June 25: Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations, on its 250th anniversary. $180,000 to $250,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 17: Fontana, Lucio. Concetto Spaziale. 1967. Leporello en papier doré. Bel exemplaire signé. €4,000 to $€,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 25: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. $150,000 to $200,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 25: Washington, George (as First President). Washington decries “an ostentatious imitation, or mimickry of Royalty” in his Presidency. $250,000 to $500,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 17: Lope de Vega. Rare manuscrit autographe signé de la préface dédicatoire de "El Cardenal de Belen" (le cardinal de Bethléem), pièce composée en 1610. €40,000 to €60,000.
  • June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Medical Incunabula: Petit (Jean)publisher & Kerver (Thielman)printer. Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, sm. 8vo, Paris [1498]
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Hugo (Victor) [Wraxall (Lascelles)]. Les Miserable, 3 vols., 8vo, L. (Hurst & Blackett) 1862, First Authorized English Translation (copyright).
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Shelley (Mary Wollstonecraft). Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus, 8vo, 2 vols. in one, L. (G. & W.B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane) 1823.
    June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Cuisine: Anon. Cookery, Pastry, and Sweet Meats in three Books, Alphabetically Digested, 8vo 1710.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Lambert (Aylmer Bourke). A Description of the Genus Pinus, with Directions Relative to the Cultivation…, 2 vols. Sm. folio L. (Messrs. Weddell) 1832.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Botany: Curtis (William). Flora Londinensis: or Plates and Descriptions of such Plants as Grow Wild in the Environs of London, 2 vols. folio, London (B. White) 1777 – 1798.
    June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Le Moire (J.M.) Maple Leaves, Canadian History and Quebec Scenery (Third Series) 8vo Quebec (Hunter, Rose & Co.) 1865. First Edn.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: The Earliest Extant Printed House Contents Sale Catalogue in Ireland: Baillie, Auctioneer, Abby Street. A Catalogue of the Goods and Stock of the late Edward Wingfield…
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: William III King of England. Autograph Letter Signed ("William R") to an unnamed correspondent [possibly Charles-Henri de Lorraine] discussing his strategy against the French forces during the siege of Namur.
    June 23rd, 24th & 25th 2026
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: [Austen (Jane) (1785-1817]. Pride and Prejudice, 3 vols. sm. 8vo, L. (T. Egerton) 1813.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Heaney (Seamus). Ugolino, sm. folio D. (Dolmen) 1979, Limited Edn. No. 78/125 Copies, Signed by Seamus Heaney, Louis le Brocquy, Liam Miller and Andrew Carpenter.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, June 23-25: Voltaire (F.M. Avouet de). Petits Ouvrages, attribues a M. de Voltaire, sm. folio manuscript, dated 1776, containing 9 works.
  • Bonhams, June 14-23: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presentation Gold Pocket Watch. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Presentation Copy of the First Issue of the Lincoln Douglas Debates Signed by Abraham Lincoln in Pencil to a Sangamon County Illinois Republican. Estimate: $150,000 - 250,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: A Senate Resolution Signed in the Tense Days After the Union's Humiliating Defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run. Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Seven Passages to a Flight, an Artists Book with a Story Quilt by Faith Ringgold, the Publisher's Own Copy. Estimate: $80,000 - 120,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: A New Charter for Virginia, A Response to the First Armed Rebellion in the American Colonies. Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Edward Curtis Orotone. Estimate: $7,000 - 9,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Butter or Dessert Plate from FDR's State Dinner Service. Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: An Early Large-Format Plan of the City of Washington. Estimate: $1,500 - 2,500
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Containing the First Map to Name the Hudson River. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: America's First Major Novelist, a Complete Chapter in Autograph Manuscript by James Fenimore Cooper. Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: The Only Full-Length Book by Jefferson, with the Justly Famous Map. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000

Rare Book Monthly

print Send Email to Friend Change Font Size Share Link

Articles - April - 2014 Issue

Auctions in April

- by Bruce E. McKinney

For the month of April 107 auctions are scheduled in the books, manuscripts, maps and ephemera categories.  About half of these sales are scheduled in New York during the first 10 days to coincide with the New York Book and Shadow Fairs.

Tue. Apr. 1st 
Christies. New York. Rare Maps from Kenneth Nebenzahl, Inc.. 180 lots 
Sothebys. London. Made in Britain. 87 lots 
Sothebys. New York. Gordon Waldorf Collection. 50 lots 
Sothebys. New York. The John James Audubon Collection from the Indiana Historical Society. 2 lots 
Sothebys. New York. The Inventive Eye: Photographs from a Private Collection. 31 lots 
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Books and Manuscripts. 200 lots 
Audap and Mirabaud. PARIS. Jacques Faizant. 323 lots 
Christies. New York. Interiors - Prints. 17 lots 
Bruun Rasmussen. Copenhagen. Modern and Contemporary Prints. 64 lots 

Wed. Apr. 2nd 
Sothebys. New York. Photographs. 187 lots 
Heritage Auctions. New York. Rare Books. 1051 lots 
Kedem Auction. Jerusalem . Books, Manuscripts and Rabbinic Letters. 425 lots 

Thu. Apr. 3rd 
Christies. New York. The Range of Light: Photographs by Ansel Adams. 25 lots 
Swann Galleries. New York. Astronomy & Science Books from The Library of Martin C. Gutzwiller. 207 lots 
Heritage Auctions. New York. Historical Manuscripts. 429 lots 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 3/27. 383 lots 

Fri. Apr. 4th 
Christies. New York. Photographs. 212 lots 
Eldreds. East Dennis,. Books, Prints, Photographs. 40 lots 

Sat. Apr. 5th 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Manuscripts. 
Christies. Paris. Comic Strips. 
Heritage Auctions. New York. Photographs. 342 lots 
De Baecque and Associes. Lyon. Information at a Glance twentieth century # 5 - Contemporary Art and Design - Prints and Photographs. 74 lots 
Arader Galleries. Philadelphia, . Natural History and Americana. 186 lots 

Sun. Apr. 6th 
National Book Auctions. Ithaca. Rare Books and Ephemera. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet Bidstart 3/30. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics -Internet bidstart 3/30. 
Carlsen Gallery. Greenville, NY. Spring Sale - Prints. 12 lots 
Adams Amsterdam Auctions. Amsterdam. Rare Books and Prints. 110 lots 

Mon. Apr. 7th 
Heritage Auctions. Beverly Hills. Rare Books. 
Heritage Auctions. New York. Rare Books. 
Bonhams. New York. Treasures from the Caren Archive. 305 lots 
Neret Minet and Tessier. Paris. Marine. 

Tue. Apr. 8th 
Swann Galleries. New York. Printed & Manuscript Americana. 320 lots 
Bonhams. New York. Space History. 208 lots 
Neret Minet and Tessier. Paris. Movie Posters. 

Wed. Apr. 9th 
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Printed Books and Maps, Vintage Photographs. 
Kapandji Morhange. Paris. Books. 
Doyle New York. New York. Rare Books, Autographs and Photgraphs. 353 lots 
Rossini. Paris. Prints and Photographs. 18 lots 
Sothebys. London. Islamic World - Books, Manuscripts. 62 lots 

Thu. Apr. 10th 
Christies. London -South Kensington. Travel, Science and Natural History. 
Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Gloucestershire. Fine Illustrated Travel and Military History. 
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Bibliophile. 
Freemans. Philadelphia. Books, Maps & Manuscripts. 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Geography. 259 lots 
PBA Galleries. San Francisco. Fine Books. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 4/3. 
Cowans Auctions. Cincinnati. Americana - Prints, Ephemera. 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Rare Books. 367 lots 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Incunabula. 271 lots 

Fri. Apr. 11th 
Freemans. Philadelphia. Posters & Other Graphics. 
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Lancaster. Rare and Used Books. 
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Modern Literature. 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Literature of the 17th - 19th Century. 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Autographs. 

Sat. Apr. 12th 
Clars Auction Gallery. Oakland. Prints and Photographs. 
Jeschke van vliet Buch und Kunstauktionen GmbH. Berlin-Schoneberg. Rare Books, Prints and Photographs. 
Blacksparrow. Sun Valley. Hollywood's Leading Men and Women. 13 lots 
Galerie Bassenge. Berlin-Grunewald . Modern Literature and Prints. 

Sun. Apr. 13th 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet Bidstart 4/6. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics -Internet bidstart 4/6. 

Mon. Apr. 14th 
Minerva Auctions Roma. Roma. Prints, Books. 

Tue. Apr. 15th 
Bonhams. London. Grosvenor School and Avant Garde British Printing. 107 lots 
Bonhams. London. Marine. 

Wed. Apr. 16th 
Christies. London -South Kensington. Prints and Multiples. 
Artcurial. Paris. Books and Manuscripts. 
RR Auction. Amherst. Rare Manuscript, Document & Autograph - bidstart 3/21. 

Thu. Apr. 17th 
Aguttes. Neuilly-sur-Seine . Books. 
Swann Galleries. New York. The Vernacular Eye: Photographic Albums, Snapshots & Objects. 
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Antiquarian Books. 
Tajan. Paris. Photographs. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 4/10. 
AntiquarianAuctions.com. Laguna Beach. Antiquarian Books. 

Sun. Apr. 20th 
OSENAT. FONTAINEBLEAU. The Empire at Fontainebleau. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 4/13. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics -Internet bidstart 4/13. 

Tue. Apr. 22nd 
Rupert Toovey and Co. West Sussex. Photographs, Autographs and Ephemera. 
Bonhams. San Francisco. Prints and Multiples. 

Wed. Apr. 23rd 
Christies. New York. Prints and Multiples. 
Rupert Toovey and Co. West Sussex. Prints. 
Tajan. Paris. Russian Library. 

Thu. Apr. 24th 
Swann Galleries. New York. Modernist Posters. 
PBA Galleries. San Francisco. Fine Americana and Western Memorabilia. 
RR Auction. Amherst. Titanic Internet bidstart 4/17. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Rare Books - Internet bidstart 4/17. 
Aguttes. Neuilly-sur-Seine . Books and Ancient Documents. 

Fri. Apr. 25th 
Neal Auction Company. New Orleans. Books, Prints. 
Bloomsbury Auctions. London. Maps & Atlases incl. a Private Collection of Cartographic. 

Sat. Apr. 26th 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Entertainment. 
Stair Auctioneers and Appraisers. Hudson. Prints. 
Artcurial. Paris. Comic Strips. 
Vermot de Pas. Paris. Bibliophily. 

Sun. Apr. 27th 
National Book Auctions. Ithaca. Books and Ephemera. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Movie Posters - Internet bidstart 4/20. 
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Comics -Internet bidstart 4/20. 

Mon. Apr. 28th 
ALDE. Paris. Modern Books. 
Neret Minet and Tessier. Paris. Cartoons. 
Dorotheum . Vienna. Prints Before 1900. 

Tue. Apr. 29th 
Bonhams. Oxford . Printed Books, Maps and Photographs. 
Sothebys. London. Travel, Atlases, Maps and Natural History. 
Swann Galleries. New York. Old Master Through Modern Prints. 
Doyle New York. New York. Old Master, Modern and Contemporary Prints. 
Sothebys. London. The Gustav Leonhardt Collection, Property from the Bartolotti House, Amsterdam. 
Sothebys. Paris. The Library of an English Bibliophile Part IV. 

Wed. Apr. 30th 
Bolaffi Ambassador Auctions. Turin. Antiquarian Books and Autographs. 
Christies. Paris. Ancient Books, Art Books, and Manuscripts. 
Grays Auctioneers. Cleveland, . Prints. 

Whatever your interests, between the two fairs and the auctions you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make interesting purchases.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 123. Celebrate 250 Years of Independence with Original Stars and Stripes (1790) Est. $1,400 - $1,700
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 20. Keulen's Spectacular Chart of the World Featuring California as an Island (1728) Est. $12,000 - $15,000
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 42. Schedel's Ancient World Map with Fantastic Humanoid Creatures (1493) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 591. Matching Set of 3 Stunning Globe Gores of Eastern Asia from Coronelli's 3.5 Foot Globe (1688) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 9. Speed's Popular World Map with Allegorical Representations of the Elements (1651) Est. $14,000 - $17,000
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 168. First Separate Map of Kansas & Nebraska Territories (1854) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 43. Only Macrobius Map with Britain Attached to Europe (1515) Est. $800 - $950
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 250. Rare Map of Boston and One of the Earliest Maps of the Revolutionary War (1775) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 79. Schenk's Uncommon Map Featuring Two Figurative Title Cartouches (1696) Est. $1,200 - $1,500
    Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 681. Hand-Colored Image of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (1502) Est. $800 - $950
  • June 25, 2026
    Doyle, June 25: Houdini's biography, boldly signed. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Doyle, June 25: A volume from Abraham Lincoln's library, signed just before heading to Washington for his inauguration. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Doyle, June 25: A very early Confederate recruiting manual belonging to the chief commissary in Lee's Army. $600 to $800.
    Doyle, June 25: Rare hand-colored lithographs of the life of Napoleon. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Doyle, June 25: The "Holster Atlas" of the American Revolution. $5,000 to $8,000.
    Doyle, June 25: Jewish ceremonies in fine hand-colored engravings. $7,000 to $10,000.
    Doyle, June 25: A very rare work on Turkish military costume. $1,000 to $1,500.
    June 25, 2026
    Doyle, June 25: The most important illustrated work on the Mexican-American War. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Doyle, June 25: The finest illustrated book on Afghanistan. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Doyle, June 25: Henry Justice Ford St. George rescues the Princess from the horrible Dragon. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Doyle, June 25: A rare work of Prussian Army uniforms under Frederick William II, with exquisite hand-colored engravings. $800 to $1,200.
    Doyle, June 25: Lenny Bruce typed letter signed to a Village bohemian during his obscenity trials, with a manuscript note and drawing. $300 to $500.
    Doyle, June 25: Schiff's scarce Shanghai Sketchbook. $300 to $500.
    Doyle, June 25: The first accurate published representation of the American flag. $2,000 to $4,000.
  • Bonhams, June 14-23: Palm-reading, astrology, and more. Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Benjamin Franklin. Sammelband of 45 papers on electricity. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: The basis for the whole modern electric-power industry. Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Edgar Allen Poe. Poe on Mesmerism. Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Reformation - The Architect of Lutheranism on Church Unity and Dissent. Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: The Rare 3-Paper Offprint Identifying the Double Helix Structure of DNA, Signed by Crick, Wilkins, Wilson, Stokes and Gosling. Estimate: $40,000 - 60,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph book and Report from the Thirtieth Indian National Congress, featuring the signatures of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and Dadabhai Naoroji. Estimate: $6,000 - 8,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: An Illustrated Miniature Hebrew Prayerbook Manuscript. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph Working Draft of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Death Voyage. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: "Perhaps the most celebrated and most beautiful herbal ever published." Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler or the Contemplative man's Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: A rare product of the Jaquard loom. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000

Article Search

Archived Articles