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Christies: Vintage Sports and Hollywood Online: The Dr. G.B. Espy Collection

Auction Reports

Auction Name Vintage Sports and Hollywood Online: The Dr. G.B. Espy Collection Total Sales (USD) 187,706.00
Auction Date October 24, 2025 - October 24, 2025 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 97,300.00
Sale Number #24365 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 156,500.00
Total Lots 156
Sold Lots 154.0 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 97,800.00
% of Lots Sold 98.72% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 157,400.00
Unsold Lots 2 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 119.25%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
449 WALT DISNEY

WALT DISNEY AUTOGRAPHED LETTER REFERENCING "SONG OF THE SOUTH" (PSA/DNA 8 NM-MT)

 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 9,525.00
415 MARILYN MONROE

MARILYN MONROE SIGNED LOAN AGREEMENT AMENDMENT LETTER

 1956-02-07 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 8,890.00
420 MARILYN MONROE

MARILYN MONROE AUTOGRAPHED RCA CONTRACT LETTER REGARDING THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS (1954) (PSA/DNA)

 1954-09-27 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 7,620.00
436 ELVIS PRESLEY

ELVIS PRESLEY TWICE AUTOGRAPHED NBC AMENDMENT LETTER CONCERNING HIS '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL AND CHANGE OF HABIT (1969) (PSA/DNA AUTHENTIC)

 1969-04-15 USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 6,096.00
234 BABE RUTH

BABE RUTH AUTOGRAPHED PERSONAL CHECK (PSA/DNA 7 NM)

 1942 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 5,715.00
224 BABE RUTH

BABE RUTH AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOGRAPH BY THORNE STUDIOS (PSA/DNA 7 NM - "TYPE III")

 CIRCA 1930 USD 5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD 5,334.00
419 MARILYN MONROE

MARILYN MONROE AUTOGRAPHED TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AMENDMENT LETTER REGARDING PAYMENT(PSA/DNA)

 1959-08-26 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 5,334.00
212 TY COBB

FINE TY COBB AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOGRAPH

 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 5,080.00
240 LOU GEHRIG

CHOICE LOU GEHRIG AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOGRAPH (PSA/DNA 6 EX-MT)

 CIRCA 1938 USD 5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD 5,080.00
241 BABE RUTH AND OTHERS

BABE RUTH AND OTHERS AUTOGRAPHED ALBUM PAGE (PSA/DNA 7 NM)

 CIRCA 1930'S USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 4,445.00
421 MARILYN MONROE

MARILYN MONROE AUTOGRAPHED TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AMENDMENT LETTER (Partial Document) (PSA/DNA)

 1947-02-19 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 4,445.00
320 KNUTE ROCKNE

KNUTE ROCKNE FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM

 1910'S USD 1,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 3,810.00
314

OUTSTANDING PRINCETON TIGERS FOOTBALL TEAM PHOTOGRAPH

 1885 USD 500.00 - 750.00 USD 3,556.00
233 BABE RUTH

BABE RUTH SHEET MUSIC WITH RELATED PIN

 CIRCA 1928 USD 200.00 - 400.00 USD 3,302.00
383

A VERY EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY FOX TYPESCRIPT MEMO REGARDING MARILYN MONROE

 1946-07-25 USD 800.00 - 1,200.00 USD 3,048.00
428

MARILYN MONROE FUNERAL PROGRAM INVITATION

 1962 USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 3,048.00
248 BABE RUTH

BABE RUTH PHOTOGRAPH (PSA/DNA "TYPE I")

 CIRCA 1931 USD 400.00 - 600.00 USD 2,794.00
391 ED BAIRD,

TWO SNAPSHOTS OF MARILYN MONROE AT CELEBRITY GOLF TOURNAMENT (PSA/DNA "TYPE I")

 1947 USD 800.00 - 1,200.00 USD 2,540.00
429 ANA LOWER

A GROUP OF LETTERS FROM ANA LOWER TO MARILYN MONROE AND JAMES DOUGHERTY

 1942-1946 USD 100.00 - 200.00 USD 2,540.00
381

A CARBON COPY OF A TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX MEMO REGARDING MARILYN MONROE'S NAME CHANGE

 1946-12-03 USD 800.00 - 1,200.00 USD 2,413.00
430 AN ELVIS

AN ELVIS PRESLEY AUTOGRAPH (PSA/DNA NM 7)

 CIRCA 1960 USD 500.00 - 700.00 USD 2,159.00
214 TY COBB

TY COBB HANDWRITTEN LETTER WITH BABE RUTH CONTENT (PSA/DNA 7 NM)

 1935 USD 1,500.00 - 2,500.00 USD 2,032.00
304 DON LARSEN

DON LARSEN WORLD SERIES PERFECT GAME TICKET STUB (PSA: GD)

 1956 USD 400.00 - 600.00 USD 2,032.00
397 FINK SMITH,

MARILYN MONROE PAYING BILLS (PSA/DNA "TYPE I")

 1953 USD 400.00 - 600.00 USD 2,032.00
443 BILLIE HOLIDAY

BILLIE HOLIDAY SIGNED AGVA CONTRACT (PSA/DNA NM-MT 8)

 1957-07-16 USD 300.00 - 500.00 USD 2,032.00
  • <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> 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. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000. <b>Bonhams, Dec. 8-18:</b> Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
    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.
  • <center><b>Sotheby’s<br>Book Week<br>December 9-17, 2025</b></center> <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Francesco Colonna. <i>Hypnerotomachie,</i> Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Nausea. <i>De principiis dialectices Gorgias,</i> and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000. <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 17:</b> Billon. <i>Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur,</i> Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000. <center><b>Sotheby’s<br>Book Week<br>December 9-17, 2025</b></center> <b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> 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. <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>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> 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.
    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.
  • <b><center>Heritage Auctions<br>Rare Books Signature Auction<br>December 15, 2025</center></b> <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. <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Edgar Rice Burroughs. <i>Tarzan of the Apes.</i> <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> F. Scott Fitzgerald. <i>Tender is the Night. A Romance.</i> <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Bram Stoker. <i>Dracula.</i> Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897. <b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> Jerry Thomas. <i>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…</i>
    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: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.
    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…
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