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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.
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Sotheby's Book Week
2 June - 9 JulySotheby’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 - 30,000Bonhams, 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 - 250,000Bonhams, 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 - $120,000Bonhams, 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 - 120,000Bonhams, June 14-23: A New Charter for Virginia, A Response to the First Armed Rebellion in the American Colonies. Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Edward Curtis Orotone. Estimate: $7,000 - 9,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Butter or Dessert Plate from FDR's State Dinner Service. Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000Bonhams, June 14-23: An Early Large-Format Plan of the City of Washington. Estimate: $1,500 - 2,500Bonhams, June 14-23: Containing the First Map to Name the Hudson River. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000Bonhams, June 14-23: America's First Major Novelist, a Complete Chapter in Autograph Manuscript by James Fenimore Cooper. Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000Bonhams, June 14-23: The Only Full-Length Book by Jefferson, with the Justly Famous Map. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000
Auction Update Review
Rare Book Hub: 29 Auctions Archived, another 12 Upcoming this Week
For the week ended 26 December, 29 auctions have been archived to Rare Book Hub’s Transactions+: 1 denominated in Australian dollars, 1 in Swiss francs, 9 in euros, 1 in Mexican pesos,1 in Swedish krona, and 16 in US dollars.
Turnover was $26,203,809.60. The average lot brought $4,013.45. Seven thousand and seventy-six lots were offered and 6,529 found new homes. For the week, 92.27% of all lots offered were sold.
This report includes this past week’s Top 25s for 14 categories, full details for this past week’s sales, as well as a full listing of the upcoming week’s 12 sales.
Start by clicking on the tabs for the Top 25s. They are live!
1 auctions saw their total proceeds reach a million dollars:
Heritage Auctions. Winter Sports Catalog Auction on December 21st: $23,291,834
6 auctions saw total sales exceed 100% of the high estimates of all lots offered in the sale:
Vermot de Pas. Ana And James Melikian Collection, Part I: Armenia, Ethiopia, Greece, Russia on December 21st: 203.56%
Catawiki B. V.. Dutch Literature and Illustrated on December 14th: 202.06%
Bukowskis. Victor Vasarely - Prints on December 22nd: 135.90%
Aste Bolaffi. Rare Books and Autographs on December 17th: 131.74%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 2 on December 19th: 120.47%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 3 on December 20th: 103.35%
19 sales saw at least 80% of their lots sell:
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Trading Card Games Select Auction on December 24th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Comic Art and Animation Select Auction on December 24th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday World Paper Money Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Animation and Anime Art, Disneyana and Disneyland Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Bukowskis. Victor Vasarely - Prints on December 22nd: 100.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Dutch Literature and Illustrated on December 14th: 100.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts on December 15th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Pulp Magazine Select Auction on December 21st: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday US Currency Select Auction on December 23rd: 99.78%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Movie Posters Select Auction on December 21st: 99.53%
Heritage Auctions. Winter Sports Catalog Auction on December 21st: 97.97%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 3 on December 20th: 96.77%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 2 on December 19th: 88.46%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) on December 13th: 87.67%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) on December 15th: 86.49%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 20th: 85.33%
Koller Auctions. Prints and Multiples - Online Only on December 3rd: 81.52%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts on December 17th: 80.17%
29 total sales reported this week:
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Trading Card Games Select Auction on December 24th: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Wednesday Comic Art and Animation Select Auction on December 24th: 100.00%
Vermot de Pas. Ana And James Melikian Collection, Part I: Armenia, Ethiopia, Greece, Russia on December 21st: 68.03%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday World Paper Money Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday Animation and Anime Art, Disneyana and Disneyland Select Auction on December 23rd: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Tuesday US Currency Select Auction on December 23rd: 99.78%
Heritage Auctions. Winter Sports Catalog Auction on December 21st: 97.97%
Koller Auctions. Prints and Multiples - Online Only on December 3rd: 81.52%
Bukowskis. Victor Vasarely - Prints on December 22nd: 100.00%
Sydney Rare Book Auctions. Gary Gorton Crime Fiction Collection Part 10 on December 21st: 63.20%
Morton Subastas. Saturday Sale on December 20th: 29.63%
Robert Siegel Galleries. The Magnolia Collection: Stamps and Postal History of Independent Mongolia on December 19th: 73.98%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 3 on December 20th: 96.77%
Du Mouchelles. December 2025 Auction - Day 2 on December 19th: 88.46%
Doyle New York. Rare Books, Autographs, and Maps on December 17th: 70.97%
Aste Bolaffi. Rare Books and Autographs on December 17th: 79.89%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts on December 13th: 62.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Dutch Literature and Illustrated on December 14th: 100.00%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) on December 13th: 87.67%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts on December 17th: 80.17%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) on December 17th: 78.26%
Catawiki B. V.. Old and Rare Books (pre-1700) on December 15th: 86.49%
Catawiki B. V.. Autographs and Manuscripts on December 15th: 100.00%
Clars Auction Gallery. The Warehouse Auction on December 20th: 54.05%
Clars Auction Gallery. December Gallery Auction on December 19th: 66.67%
Heritage Auctions. Pulp Magazine Select Auction on December 21st: 100.00%
Heritage Auctions. Sunday Movie Posters Select Auction on December 21st: 99.53%
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper on December 20th: 85.33%
For the week ahead 12 sales are scheduled:
Mon. Dec. 29th
Bertolami Fine Art . Rome. 20th Century Rare and Curious Books. 476 lots
Dirk Soulis Auctions. Lone Jack. 20th Annual Between-the-Holidays Auction. 81 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1700). 62 lots
Tue. Dec. 30th
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Tuesday US Currency Select Auction. 433 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Tuesday World Paper Money Select Auction. 166 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Tuesday Animation and Anime Art, Disneyana and Disneyland Select Auction. 107 lots
Wed. Dec. 31st
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Wednesday Comic Art and Animation Select Auction. 349 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Wednesday Trading Card Games Select Auction. 110 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1700). 23 lots
Thu. Jan. 1st
John McInnis Auctioneers. Amesbury. New Year's Week Estates Auction 1.
Vogt Auction. San Antonio. New Year's Day Auction. 17 lots
Fri. Jan. 2nd
PBA Galleries. Berkeley. Books in all Fields with Literature, Americana, Maps, Comic Books, Photographs, Art - Timed Online Auction.
Sat. Jan. 3rd
EV Stamps. Richmond. Sports, Trading Cards and Comic Books Auction. 86 lots
John McInnis Auctioneers. Amesbury. New Year's Week Estates Auction 3.
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Exclusive Maps Auction. 22 lots
Trillium Antique Prints & Rare Books. Franklin. Fine Art - Antique Engravings & Lithographs - Works on Paper. 151 lots
Sun. Jan. 4th
EV Stamps. Richmond. Stamps and Postal History. 63 lots
Antikvariat Bryggen AS. Skjeberg. New Year's Book Auction.
Lay's Auctioneers. Cornwall. The Timed Art Sale.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Sports Collectibles Select Auction. 242 lots
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday Movie Posters Select Auction.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Pulp Magazine Select Auction.
Heritage Auctions. Dallas. Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction.
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Old and Rare Books (pre-1700). 30 lots
Catawiki B. V.. LA Assen, . Photography and Books Auction. 26 lots
Bruce McKinney
RBH and AE
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Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 123. Celebrate 250 Years of Independence with Original Stars and Stripes (1790) Est. $1,400 - $1,700Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 20. Keulen's Spectacular Chart of the World Featuring California as an Island (1728) Est. $12,000 - $15,000Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 42. Schedel's Ancient World Map with Fantastic Humanoid Creatures (1493) Est. $14,000 - $17,000Old 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 - $7,000Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 9. Speed's Popular World Map with Allegorical Representations of the Elements (1651) Est. $14,000 - $17,000Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 168. First Separate Map of Kansas & Nebraska Territories (1854) Est. $5,500 - $7,000Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 43. Only Macrobius Map with Britain Attached to Europe (1515) Est. $800 - $950Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 250. Rare Map of Boston and One of the Earliest Maps of the Revolutionary War (1775) Est. $2,000 - $2,300Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 79. Schenk's Uncommon Map Featuring Two Figurative Title Cartouches (1696) Est. $1,200 - $1,500Old World Auctions (June 17): Lot 681. Hand-Colored Image of the Annunciation to the Shepherds (1502) Est. $800 - $950
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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 - 3,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Benjamin Franklin. Sammelband of 45 papers on electricity. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000Bonhams, June 14-23: The basis for the whole modern electric-power industry. Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Edgar Allen Poe. Poe on Mesmerism. Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500Bonhams, June 14-23: Reformation - The Architect of Lutheranism on Church Unity and Dissent. Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000Bonhams, 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 - 60,000Bonhams, 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 - 8,000Bonhams, June 14-23: An Illustrated Miniature Hebrew Prayerbook Manuscript. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph Working Draft of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Death Voyage. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000Bonhams, June 14-23: "Perhaps the most celebrated and most beautiful herbal ever published." Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000Bonhams, June 14-23: Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler or the Contemplative man's Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000Bonhams, June 14-23: A rare product of the Jaquard loom. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
