When I was a kid, in the 1950’s, Christmas was the way my family compensated for the disaster we were living through. It was almost worth it but left me memories of how my family when in trouble, tried hard to make those few days seem perfect. My family lived suspended between feast and famine and when there was feast, it was wonderful. One such Christmas my father bought me a Lionel 0 Gauge Santa Fe 3 part engine for $65 when our rent was $25. It was a treasure.
On the recent 23rd December, a gift arrived that topped it by a very wide margin, 3 brown boxes each weighting 18 pounds. What could it be?: the collected records of the Waverly Auction Company, 1978 to 2004.
The Lionel trains arrived in a single box, the Waverly Auctions in three, holding 179 auctions, 147 of them priced, altogether 100,992 lots. Hallelujah! For a person who loves the history of the printed word, Waverly’s records tracing the explosion of interest in collectible paper at auction in the pre-Internet period, providing a unique perspective on how the market was adjusting. They will soon be added to Rare Book Hub’s Transactions+.
We expect to start January 1st and expect to complete them by the end of February. Along the way, Waverly’s records will show up in the Advanced Search.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
Sotheby’s Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana 27 January 2026
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9d2762bc-9f26-47ef-96de-1c28070e19f6.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Jan. 27:</b> [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.")