• Sotheby’s
    Fine Books & Manuscripts
    June 24-25
    Sotheby’s, June 25: Keats, John. The most significant collection of Keats’s love letters to come to market since 1885. $1,500,000 to $2,500,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 25: Chassériau, Benoît. The “Expedicion secreta” of the Free State of Cartagena de Indias against the forts of Portobelo (Panama). $50,000 to $70,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 25: (Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay). "One of the new nation's most important contributions to the theory of government”. $150,000 to $180,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 24: Benjamin Franklin. "the Day of the Declaration of Independence is everywhere annually celebrated". $80,000 to $120,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 24: (Johann Conrad Beissel). A Sammelband of two of Benjamin Franklin's rarest imprints. $70,000 to $100,000.
    Sotheby’s, June 25: [Pernambuco]. First printed work in favor of Brazilian Independence. $150,000 to $200,000.
  • 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 - 30,000
    Bonhams, 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 - 250,000
    Bonhams, 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 - $120,000
    Bonhams, 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 - 120,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: A New Charter for Virginia, A Response to the First Armed Rebellion in the American Colonies. Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Earliest obtainable printing of the Bill of Rights. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Edward Curtis Orotone. Estimate: $7,000 - 9,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Butter or Dessert Plate from FDR's State Dinner Service. Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: An Early Large-Format Plan of the City of Washington. Estimate: $1,500 - 2,500
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Containing the First Map to Name the Hudson River. Estimate: $20,000 - 30,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: America's First Major Novelist, a Complete Chapter in Autograph Manuscript by James Fenimore Cooper. Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: The Only Full-Length Book by Jefferson, with the Justly Famous Map. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000
  • 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.

Auction Reports

University Archives

Auction Info

Auction Name
Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
Auction Date
06/17/2026 - 06/17/2026
Sale Number
#61726
Total Lots
393
Sold Lots
367.0
Lots Sold
93.38%
Unsold Lots
26
Total Sales (USD)
714,845.00
Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD)
478,230.00
High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD)
653,250.00
Low Estimate of All Lots (USD)
534,930.00
High Estimate of All Lots (USD)
732,250.00
Total Sales as a % of High Est.
97.62%

Top twenty five by sale price

Top twenty five lots by sale price
Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
368 Rand Ayn

Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" Original Manuscript Page With Corrections, 80 Words in Her Hand!

1952 USD 40,000.00 - 50,000.00 USD 40,625.00
280 Lee Bruce

Bruce Lee 3pp Best ALS on Principles of Yin and Yang: "you need your opponent to complete the… whole"

ca. August 1964 USD 25,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD 37,500.00
375 Tolkien J.R.R.

Tolkien ALS Refuting Allegory in His Trilogy: "To ask if the Orcs 'are' Communists is to me as sensible as asking if Communists are Orcs"

1957 USD 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD 31,250.00
221

"Titanic...Vessel Lost" Survivors Official Board of Trade Discharge Papers of Crew Mabel Martin, Who Escaped via "Unsinkable" Molly Brown's Lifeboat #6

1912 USD 5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD 31,250.00
402 Watson J D; Crick F H C; Wilkins M H F; Stokes A R; Wilson H R; Franklin Rosalind E; Gosling R G

Execeptionally Scarce Offprint Announcing Crick & Watson's Double-Helix Model Signed by Crick, et al.

1953 USD 25,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD 25,000.00
59 Lincoln Abraham

Abraham Lincoln Among Earliest ALS's in Private Hands; He Details Bankruptcy Process Signed Into Law By Pres. Tyler Just 2 Weeks Before!

1842 USD 18,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD 22,500.00
251 Hamilton Alexander

A. Hamilton Re: Nicholson's Concerns Implementation of His Debt Assumption Policy. Related to Fed Papers, Formative Moment of Our Modern Financial System.

1791 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 20,000.00
320 Patton George S. Jr.

Gen. Patton to Mother of Fallen Solider: "…we should not…regret that such men have died, rather we should thank God [they] have lived", 75 Pcs.

1941-1945 USD 18,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD 18,750.00
357 Kerouac Jack

Jack Kerouac Wants To Be on the Road Again "to come back to Denver someday in a Buick convertible with a case of scotch." Fantastic Literary Content

1947 USD 13,000.00 - 18,000.00 USD 15,000.00
84 Booth John Wilkes

John Wilkes Booth Writes from New Orleans to Admirer During Civil War

1864 USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 15,000.00
60 Lincoln Abraham;Stanton Edwin

Lincoln War-Dated Appointment of Salem Zouave Captain, WIA at Antietam and Author of Famed Diary

1864 USD 6,500.00 - 9,000.00 USD 15,000.00
377 Clemens Samuel L. 1835-1910

Mark Twain, Who Has Said, "The report of my death was an exaggeration." ALS on his Death & Cremation! Ex-Sotheby's, Ex-Christie's

1887 USD 3,500.00 - 5,500.00 USD 13,750.00
80 Irving Washington

Mary Lincoln Owned & Signed "Life of George Washington," From Lincoln Family Library, Dated 1860, During Presidential Campaign & Cooper Union Speech

ca. 1860 USD 5,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 12,500.00
254 Jay John

John Jay ALS Re: Col. Laurens, In SC to Raise a Regiment of Slaves to Fight Against the British, Memorialized in the Play "Hamilton"

1779 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 11,875.00
229 King Martin Luther Jr.

MLK on "need of Negro groups to come out with a strong cry of justice for the Indian"

1964 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 11,875.00
378 Whitman Walt 1819-1892

Walt Whitman Lengthy ALS: "my book business, + a little writing" Re: 1876 "Leaves of Grass" Orders Plus Fellow Poet Joaquin Miller!

1876 USD 4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 11,250.00
313 Grant U.S.

U.S. Grant ALS: Final Push of the Civil War, 16 Days Before Surrender

1865 USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 10,625.00
61 Lincoln Abraham

Abraham Lincoln Wins Legal Case Representing Farm Owner! 140 Words in Lincoln's Hand!

1850 USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 10,000.00
49 Stoughton Cecil William

JFK & LBJ Photo Signed by Both During the Last Months Before Kennedy was Assassinated

1963 USD 8,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD 10,000.00
83 Booth John Wilkes

John Wilkes Booth’s Owned & Annotated Scenery List for His Most Iconic Role, Shakespeare's Richard III

1862 USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 8,750.00

Back
  • Bonhams, June 14-23: Palm-reading, astrology, and more. Estimate: $2,000 - 3,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Benjamin Franklin. Sammelband of 45 papers on electricity. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: The basis for the whole modern electric-power industry. Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Edgar Allen Poe. Poe on Mesmerism. Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Reformation - The Architect of Lutheranism on Church Unity and Dissent. Estimate: $100,000 - 150,000
    Bonhams, 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 - 60,000
    Bonhams, 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 - 8,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: An Illustrated Miniature Hebrew Prayerbook Manuscript. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Autograph Working Draft of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Death Voyage. Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: "Perhaps the most celebrated and most beautiful herbal ever published." Estimate: $15,000 - 20,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: Izaak Walton. The Compleat Angler or the Contemplative man's Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing. Estimate: $12,000 - 18,000
    Bonhams, June 14-23: A rare product of the Jaquard loom. Estimate: $8,000 - 12,000
  • 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.