Ongoing thru April 11: Impressive autograph material at One of a Kind Collectibles
- by Thomas C. McKinney
Highlights mentioned in the auction preview
As of the release of this month’s issue of Rare Book Monthly, One of a Kind Collectibles’ online auction of Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Photographs is already accepting bids and closes on April 11th. Autograph material is a particularly strong suit and make up a large part of the sale’s standout lots. Starting minimum bids are very low, but much of the best material has already received bids.
American Presidents are well represented, with autograph material from Washington, Lincoln and seventeen other Presidents included. Lot 3 is a letter, written as Commander in Chief and sent to Governor George Clinton in July 1782, in which Washington expresses his outrage over continued Native American loyalist attacks on the New York frontier during the Revolutionary War and laments his inability to provide much in the way of direct aid. Evidently unique, the item’s bidding began at $1,000 and sits at $8,650 as of the writing of this preview.
Two items from President Lincoln have also already received bidders’ attention. Lot 2 is a military commission signed by him as President in 1861 (and Secretary of War Simon Cameron), being the Commission of David Houston to First Lieutenant in the Corp of Engineers. With a starting bid of $500, the document has received no less than seventeen bids so far, bringing it to $3,925. The first lot in the sale, also from Lincoln and dating to just before the Civil War, is a note to the Secretary of the Navy requesting him “see Mr. Williams, who can give some informa[tion] about the defense [of] Charleston.” The item has 1 bid (the minimum) of $1,000.
Few songs are as well-known in the U.S. as “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” also known as “America,” and fewer still are opportunities to own a handwritten and signed copy of it by the song’s author, American journalist and author Samuel Francis Smith. All four stanzas are included in the framed document. Bidding for lot 7 began at $200 and is currently at $825. And while I’m on the subject of music, there are several other lots of note:
An autograph letter signed by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in which he professes his “love of local musical affairs” in explaining his intervention on behalf of the Leipzig town orchestra in a dispute over its member compensation. Current bid is $725.
Handwritten and autographed lyrics by Woody Guthrie to the song “Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done.” Current bid is $425.
A signed photo of Louis Armstrong. No current bid, starting at $100.
A rare early Elvis Presley autograph, together with an original unpublished polaroid picture of the King. Current bid $250.
The breadth of the autograph material on offer in One of a Kind Collectibles’ current sale is quite impressive. Whether your particular interest is political, military, music, entertainment, space exploration, or sports, there is interesting material here for you. One of a Kind’s online catalog also provides easy to use topics for quick and easy sorting. You can see the catalog here. Official bidding ends at 8PM EST on April 11th, with an extended bidding period beginning immediately after. In order to participate in extended/final bidding, you must have placed a bid before 8PM EST. The full rules for the auction are available here.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
