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RR Auction: Fine Autographs and Artifacts

Auction Reports

Auction Name Fine Autographs and Artifacts Total Sales (USD) 789,819.00
Auction Date September 10, 2025 - September 10, 2025 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 487,500.00
Sale Number #725 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 741,800.00
Total Lots 777
Sold Lots 555.0 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 748,900.00
% of Lots Sold 71.43% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 1,126,000.00
Unsold Lots 222 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 70.14%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
4 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson Document Signed as Secretary of State - Act of Congress to Promote the Progress of Useful Arts (Patent Act of 1793)

 USD 35,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD 58,243.00
1 George Washington

George Washington Signed Revolutionary War Discharge Certificate (1783)

 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 56,783.00
5 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson Document Signed as Secretary of State, Setting a Day for the First Annual Meeting of Each Future Congress

 USD 20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD 24,996.00
682 Rock and Roll Legends

Rock and Roll Legends Multi-Signed (100+) Book, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Simon and Garunkel, and Many More

 1973 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 21,403.00
237 Sitting Bull and One Bull

Sitting Bull and One Bull Signatures - Rare Autographs of the Sioux who Vanquished Custer at Little Bighorn

 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 16,444.00
653 Composers

Composers Autograph Album with (100+) Signed Musical Quotations, Including Alexander Borodin, Edvard Grieg, Ruggero Leoncavallo, and Many More

 USD 12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 14,739.00
361

George A. Custer Lock of Hair and Original Carte-de-Visite Photograph

 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 13,750.00
855 Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee Signed Membership Card for the First Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute (1966-1967)

 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 11,364.00
154 Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin Signature, with Colleagues from the American Philosophical Society

 USD 10,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD 11,003.00
184 Brigham Young

Brigham Young Rare Document Signed as Governor of Utah Territory - Original Act of the First Utah Territorial Legislature (1852)

 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 10,313.00
679 Prince

Prince Signature - Signed in Purple Ink on His 27th Birthday

 USD 1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD 9,525.00
373 Robert Stobo

French and Indian War: Certified True Copy of Robert Stobo's Letter from Captivity at Fort Duquesne, Following George Washington's Only Surrender

 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 8,748.00
842 Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Signature

 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 8,529.00
609 Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway Autograph Letter Signed to a Scribner's Bookseller, Referring to The Old Man and the Sea: "Hope you like my new one"

 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 8,263.00
674 Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix Signature - aEUoeStay Sweet, Jimi Hendrix" (Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 27, 1967)

 USD 8,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 7,954.00
15 James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield Document Signed as President - Dated Two Weeks Before His Assassination

 USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 6,970.00
235 Rain in

Rain in the Face Scarce Signed Cabinet Photograph - Issued for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair

 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 6,958.00
659 Beatles

Beatles Signatures and (9) Original Candid Photographs - Obtained in the Bahamas During the Filming of Help! (March 7, 1965)

 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 6,875.00
420 George A. Custer

George A. Custer Hand-Addressed Envelope to "Mrs. Genl. Custer"

 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 6,715.00
360 Elizabeth B. Custer

Elizabeth B. Custer Autograph Manuscript Signed on Mathew Brady's Portrait of George A. Custer: "The wide felt hat was captured from a Confederate"

 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 6,600.00
364 Thomas W. Custer

Little Bighorn: Thomas W. Custer Signature - Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient, Killed in Action at Little Bighorn

 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 6,504.00
615 J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling Signed Book - The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Deluxe Collector's Edition)

 2008 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 6,265.00
191 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights Leaders Signed Certificate to Hon. James O'Hara, for "his dedication to American principles in helping to secure passage of the historic Civil Rights Bill of 1964"

 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 6,196.00
3 John Adams

John Adams Signature as President (1799)

 USD 2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD 6,041.00
22 Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed 'Shoulder Sleeve Insignia' Presentation Sheet - Dated One Day Before Germany's Unconditional Surrender (May 6, 1945)

 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 6,018.00
  • <b><center>SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions<br>The Odfjell Collection<br>Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books<br>Ending December 4th</center></b> <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> ROALD AMUNDSEN: «Sydpolen» [ The South Pole] 1912. First edition in jackets and publisher's slip case. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> AMUNDSEN & NANSEN: «Fram over Polhavet» [Farthest North] 1897. AMUNDSEN's COPY! <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> ERNEST SHACKLETON [ed.]: «Aurora Australis» 1908. First edition. The NORWAY COPY. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> ERNEST SHACKLETON: «The heart of the Antarctic» + SUPPLEMENT «The Antarctic Book», 1909. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> SHACKLETON, BERNACCHI, CHERRY-GARRARD [ed.]: «The South Polar Times» I-III, 1902-1911. <b><center>SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions<br>The Odfjell Collection<br>Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books<br>Ending December 4th</center></b> <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> [WILLEM BARENTSZ & HENRY HUDSON] - SAEGHMAN: «Verhael van de vier eerste schip-vaerden […]», 1663. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION | LIEUTENANT HENRY ROBERTSON BOWERS: «At the South Pole.», Gelatin Silver Print. [10¾ x 15in. (27.2 x 38.1cm.) ]. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> ELEAZAR ALBIN: «A natural History of Birds.» + «A Supplement», 1738-40. Wonderful coloured plates. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> PAUL GAIMARD: «Voyage de la Commision scientific du Nord, en Scandinavie, […]», c. 1842-46. ONLY HAND COLOURED COPY KNOWN WITH TWO ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY BIARD. <b>Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4:</b> JAMES JOYCE: «Ulysses», 1922. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.
    SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions
    The Odfjell Collection
    Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books
    Ending December 4th
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ROALD AMUNDSEN: «Sydpolen» [ The South Pole] 1912. First edition in jackets and publisher's slip case.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: AMUNDSEN & NANSEN: «Fram over Polhavet» [Farthest North] 1897. AMUNDSEN's COPY!
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ERNEST SHACKLETON [ed.]: «Aurora Australis» 1908. First edition. The NORWAY COPY.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ERNEST SHACKLETON: «The heart of the Antarctic» + SUPPLEMENT «The Antarctic Book», 1909.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: SHACKLETON, BERNACCHI, CHERRY-GARRARD [ed.]: «The South Polar Times» I-III, 1902-1911.
    SD Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions
    The Odfjell Collection
    Polar – History – Ornithology – Colour Plate Books
    Ending December 4th
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: [WILLEM BARENTSZ & HENRY HUDSON] - SAEGHMAN: «Verhael van de vier eerste schip-vaerden […]», 1663.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION | LIEUTENANT HENRY ROBERTSON BOWERS: «At the South Pole.», Gelatin Silver Print. [10¾ x 15in. (27.2 x 38.1cm.) ].
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: ELEAZAR ALBIN: «A natural History of Birds.» + «A Supplement», 1738-40. Wonderful coloured plates.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: PAUL GAIMARD: «Voyage de la Commision scientific du Nord, en Scandinavie, […]», c. 1842-46. ONLY HAND COLOURED COPY KNOWN WITH TWO ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY BIARD.
    Scandinavian Art & Rare Books Auctions, Dec. 4: JAMES JOYCE: «Ulysses», 1922. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.
  • <center><b>Sotheby’s<br>Book Week<br>December 9-17, 2025</b></center> <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> J.K. Rowling. <i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,</i> 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 12:</b> Hooke, Robert. <i>Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses.</i> London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 12:</b> Chappuzeau, Samuel. <i>The history of jewels,</i> first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 12:</b> Sowerby, James. <i>Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions,</i> London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
  • <b><center>Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!</center></b>
    Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
  • <center><b>Swann<br>Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books<br>December 9, 2025</b></center> <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, <i>Americae pars Borealis,</i> double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, <i>Map of the United States,</i> London and Liverpool, 1827. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, <i>Typus Orbis Terrarum,</i> hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575. <center><b>Swann<br>Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books<br>December 9, 2025</b></center> <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, <i>Chart of the World,</i> oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800). <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, <i>A General Atlas,</i> 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 240: Anthony Finley, <i>A New American Atlas,</i> 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826. <center><b>Swann<br>Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books<br>December 9, 2025</b></center> <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 263: John Bachmann, <i>Panorama of the Seat of War,</i> portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, <i>Cosmographei,</i> Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, <i>Epitome Theatri Orteliani,</i> Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601. <center><b>Swann<br>Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books<br>December 9, 2025</b></center> <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, <i>Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae,</i> Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, <i>Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt,</i> 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623. <b>Swann, Dec. 9:</b> Lot 341: John James Audubon, <i>Carolina Parrot, Plate 26,</i> London, 1827.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 9, 2025
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 9, 2025
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 9, 2025
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
    Swann
    Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books
    December 9, 2025
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
    Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.