A letter handwritten in German and signed by Albert Einstein from 1937, a two-page letter written and signed by Davy Crockett in 1834 while he was a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, and a two-page letter written and signed by Lee Harvey Oswald to his brother from 1961 are just a few of the expected top performers in University Archives’ online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Americana auction planned for Wednesday, August 7th.
The auction will start promptly at 10:00 am Eastern time. All 572 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now – on the new and improved University Archives website – www.UniversityArchives.com – as well as Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Items signed by many of history’s brightest luminaries will come up for bid.
“The August 7th auction is bursting with exceptional items from every imaginable collecting category, from U.S. Presidential, Science, and Americana, to World Leaders, Literature, and Sports,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “As in our June sale, our August sale will feature a grouping of unique historical pieces deaccessioned from the prestigious Forbes Collection, as well as a significant number of lots relating to Ronald Reagan.”
The Reagan items include signed and annotated speech drafts, correspondence, and photos. Americana collectors will delight in the array of 19th and 20th century political ephemera. “Our August sale is also brimming with an unusually full slate of visually arresting 18th to 20th century works on paper, including engravings, etchings, lithographs, broadsides, drawings, photographs, photogravures, and advertisements,” Mr. Reznikoff said. “This is an auction not to be missed.”
Lot 541 is the one-page autograph letter in German signed by Albert Einstein, dated October 9, 1937, and addressed to fellow physicist Cornelius Lanczos. The letter features about 100 words in Einstein’s hand as well as around six mathematical formulae including two instances of Rik = 0, Einstein’s second-most famous equation after E = MC2. The letter investigating general relativity through tensor calculus has an estimate of $35,000-$50,000.
Lot 521 is the two-page autograph letter signed by Davy Crockett, then a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, dated April 9, 1834 and addressed to a Maine publisher. In the letter, Crockett is critical of President Andrew Jackson’s executive overreach, writing, “… Jackson shall wield both sword and purse. His will is to be the law of the land.” The letter should bring $18,000-$24,000.
Lot 71 is the two-page autograph letter signed by Lee Harvey Oswald dated November 30, 1961, less than two years before the Kennedy assassination, while Oswald was self-exiled in the Soviet Union. In a moment of homesickness, Lee asks his older brother Robert to send him an American football and play diagrams so that his Russian friends cab learn “a little bit of American sport” (est. $8,000-$9,000).
Lot 116 is a lengthy 19-page speech draft prepared by President Ronald Reagan, comprised of 4 pages of holograph notes and 15 pages of heavily corrected and annotated typed notes, circa July 3, 1981. In the draft, Reagan discusses the historical origins of the formation of the Grand Old Party in the 1850s, referencing Abraham Lincoln twice and slavery twice (est. $7,000-$9,000).
Lot 482 is a Schutz-Pass (or protective passport), issued by the “Swedish Schindler” Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish Legation official who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from Nazi concentration and death camps during World War II. The 1944 document extended honorary Swedish citizenship protections to an unmarried Hungarian Jewish girl (est. $7,000-$8,000).
Lot 355 is an album of postal covers and photographs signed by all 12 Enola Gay crewmembers, 12 of 13 Bockscar crewmembers (with the missing signer elsewhere represented in the lot), and numerous Manhattan Project administrators and scientists. The commemorative album was assembled on the 50th anniversary of the deployment of the atomic bomb (est. $5,000-$7,000).
Lot 548 is the PSA/DNA certified authentic signature of Sir Isaac Newton (as “Mr. Newton”), handwritten in an undated document relating to Newton’s family tree (est. $6,000-$7,000).
Lot 82 is an 1865 colored broadside lithograph titled After a Little While, depicting a triumphant Abraham Lincoln on horseback reuniting the war-torn republic, printed by the acclaimed lithographer Charles Magnus (est. $2,000-$3,000).
Lot 30 is a rare albumen photograph of President James A. Garfield delivering his inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 1881, signed and inscribed by him on the original photo mat just one week after the event. Garfield autographed items as President are extremely coveted because he was assassinated a mere six months into his brief term of office (est. $5,000-$6,000).
Lot 567 is a photograph of Babe Ruth with a U.S. Marines one-star general, signed and dedicated by the slugger to the 4th Marine Regiment. The photo is probably World War II-dated and related to fundraising efforts. Ruth participated in various baseball charity events during the war. The 4th Marine Division mobilized in 1943 and fought in the Pacific Theatre (est. $5,000-$6,000).
Lot 458 is a one-page autograph letter in Gujarati signed by Mohandas Gandhi, as “Bapu,” dated August 27, 1941, and addressed to his friend Natwaral Jasani. In the postcard message, Gandhi alludes to the Indo-Burma Immigration Agreement, a British colonial policy sharply restricting border crossings, which had been issued a few days earlier, and of which he disapproved (est. $4,500-$6,000).
Lot 555 is an official NBA Game-played basketball signed by 14 members of the 1995 Chicago Bulls, including Head Coach Phil Jackson, and forward Scottie Pippen, both Hall of Famers. The ball is accompanied by provenance material relating to its original presentation as a thank-you gift, as well as JSA (James Spence Authentication) letters of authenticity (est. $3,000-$4,000).
Lot 518 is a printed military Special Order from New Orleans dated July 21, 1865, signed by Major General George Armstrong Custer (as “GA Custer / Maj Genl”). (est. $3,000-$4,000).
Here is a link to the catalog on the University Archives website: https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/Rare-Autographs,-Manuscripts,-Books-&-Americana_ZC3S226UO8/
University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.
For more information about University Archives and the 572-lot, online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Americana auction scheduled for Wednesday, August 7th, starting at 10:00 am Eastern time, please visit www.universityarchives.com. Updates are posted frequently.
About University Archives:
University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies. University Archives’ offices are located at 88 Danbury Rd. (Suite #2A) in Wilton, Conn. (USA). For more information about University Archives, please visit www.universityarchives.com.