Atlanta, GA — March 30, 2026 — Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery is pleased to present property from the estate of Dr. Goodman Basil Espy III, a distinguished Atlanta physician, humanitarian, and lifelong collector whose remarkable holdings have been celebrated across multiple major auction platforms.
Dr. Espy (1935–2024), known as “G.B.” to family and friends, was widely recognized not only for his medical career, during which he delivered thousands of children and participated in international medical missions, but also for running more than 80 marathons, and for his decades-long passion for collecting objects that embodied history, culture, and storytelling.
Inspired at an early age by his mother’s antiques shop, Dr. Espy developed a deeply personal and wide-ranging collection over the course of his life, guided by curiosity and an appreciation for the narratives behind each object.
A Collection of Remarkable Breadth
Segments of Dr. Espy’s collection have already achieved national recognition through a series of high-profile specialized auctions, including a single-owner sale at Julien’s in 2019 and, more recently, American Greats: Vintage Sports and Hollywood from the Dr. G.B. Espy Collection at Christie’s, including an important Lou Gehrig New York Yankees jersey worn at his final home game at Yankee Stadium in 1939.
Property Offered by Ahlers & Ogletree
Ahlers & Ogletree is honored to present a distinct and complementary group of objects drawn directly from Dr. Espy’s estate. Many of these works remained within his personal environment and have not previously been offered publicly. The offering includes significant memorabilia, from items associated with Marilyn Monroe to rare scientific, historical, and political documents, demonstrating a collector drawn to objects with compelling provenance and cultural resonance. The works offered in this sale reflect a different dimension of Dr. Espy’s collecting interests.
Highlights include an important collection of Art Deco Bakelite radios; signed first editions of Gone With the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird; paintings by William Aiken Walker; antique sterling silver yachting and golf trophies; important signed letters by Albert Einstein, Charles Lindbergh, Jefferson Davis, George Custer, Ty Cobb, and others; and a collection of fine jewelry by Tiffany & Co. Together, these objects provide insight into the broader aesthetic sensibility that defined his home and daily surroundings.
Lots of note include:
A signed and inscribed first edition, first printing, author’s presentation copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird with its original dust jacket, estimate $40,000-$50,000
A signed and inscribed first edition, first printing, author’s presentation copy of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, with original dust jacket and accompanying letter from the author, estimate $20,000-$30,000
A TLS by Albert Einstein on Hebrew Literary Foundation letterhead, dated May 31, 1940,
regarding the urgent need to support displaced Jewish scholars from Europe during the
escalation of World War II, estimate $10,000-$20,000
A Babe Ruth signed check dated April 9, 1946, estimate $4,000–$6,000
An ALS by Stonewall Jackson to George Gibson discussing consideration for a military appointment during the Mexican American War, dated October 6, 1847, estimate $3,000-$5,000
.
A Collector’s Philosophy
Throughout his life, Dr. Espy viewed himself not as an owner, but as a steward of history. As he once reflected, his role was to carry objects “from one point in time to another,” with the hope that future custodians would continue that legacy.
That philosophy is evident in the breadth of his collection, one that bridges disciplines, eras, and cultural narratives, united by a shared sense of story and significance.
About Ahlers & Ogletree
Ahlers & Ogletree Auction Gallery is a leading Southeastern auction house specializing in fine art, antiques, decorative arts, jewelry, and estate property. Based in Atlanta, the firm connects regional collections with a global audience of collectors through a robust schedule of live and online auctions.
Sotheby’s Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone 25 June – July 7
Sotheby’s, July 7: Ludwig van Beethoven. Autograph sketches for the overture "Die Weihe des Hauses", op.124, [1822], UNPUBLISHED. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, 1813, first edition, 3 volumes, contemporary half calf. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, 1855, first edition, first issue, original green cloth, the Doheny copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Binding—Sangorski & Sutcliffe—Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, London, 1872, third edition, in a magnificent jewelled Peacock binding. £15,000 to £20,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: George Eliot. Middlemarch, Edinburgh and London, 1871, first edition in the original parts. £20,000 to £30,000.
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Hassall (Joan) A large collection of over 300 original woodblocks of engravings for various books, v.d., with Hassall's engraver's glass water-globe (Qty) - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Eragny Press.- [Bradley (Katherine Harris) & Edith Emma Cooper], "Michael Field." Whym Chow, Flame of Love, one of only 27 copies, inscribed by Bradley, the rarest book from the press, 1914. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: [Moore (Thomas Sturge)] [Wood Engravings], 71 wood-engravings printed by David Chambers from the original blocks, the only set on Japanese Hosho paper, from an edition of 5 sets, [1970]. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: La Fontaine (Jean de) Contes et Nouvelles en vers, 2 vol., engraved plates after Eisen, fine early 19th century blue morocco, gilt, by Bradel l'ainé, Amsterdam [Paris], 1762. - Est. £2,000-3,000
Forum, July 9: Erotica.- Prostitution.- Pretty Women of Paris (The); Their Names and Addresses, Qualities and Faults..., [Paris], privately printed at the Press of the Prefecture de Police, 1883. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: Vale Press.- Ricketts (Charles) & Lucien Pissarro. De la Typographie et de l'Harmonie de la Page Imprimée…, [one of 216 copies], bound in dark blue morocco tooled in gilt, by Sarah T.Prideaux, 1898. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Martin (John) Illustrations of the Bible, complete set of 20 mezzotints, good impressions, rarely found in early states, [c.1831-1835]. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum, July 9: Golden Cockerel Press.- Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (The), one of 500 copies, Mary Gill's copy, Waltham St. Lawrence, 1931 with a signed proof of engraving on japon numbered 10/10 (2) - Est. £5,000-7,000
Forum, July 9: Boccaccio (Giovanni) The Decameron, 3 vol., vol.1 extra-illustrated by John Buckland Wright with c.150 erotic original drawings in pen & ink and pencil, 1886 [extra-illustrated c.1940]. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Cox (Morris) Collection of Gogmagog Press Books, 35 vol., rare complete collection of printed books issued by the press, limited editions, most signed by Cox, 1957-83. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Wynkyn de Worde.- [Terentius Afer (Publius)] [Comedie...], [Paris, Josse Badius: sold in London by Wynkyn de Worde, & others], [15 July 1504]. - Est. £4,000-6,000
Forum, July 9: Mosley (James) Ornamented Types. Twenty-Three Alphabets from the Foundry of Louis John Pouchée, 2 vol., one of 10 copies for presentation, from an edition of 210, 1992-93. - Est. £1,000-2,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
