An exceedingly rare admission card for Albert Einstein’s 1921 Princeton University lectures on relativity topped One of a Kind Collectibles (One of A Kind Auctions) “250 Years of American History” auction, selling for $14,000. The 830-lot online auction, which concluded September 24, 2026 featured an extensive selection of historical manuscripts, signed documents, photographs, books and artifacts spanning the Colonial era through modern American history. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Martin Luther King Jr. were among the historic figures represented in the sale.
The auction’s top result belonged to an original printed admission card granting access to Albert Einstein’s five lectures at Princeton University on the Theory of Relativity, held May 9-13, 1921. Estimated at $6,000-$8,000, the rare piece exceeded expectations with a final price of $14,000.
A George Washington signed military appointment followed at $8,500. The engraved commission, dating to the 1790s, appointed a brigadier general who served under General “Mad Anthony” Wayne.
Abraham Lincoln material was highlighted by an extraordinary autograph album containing signatures of Lincoln and his son Robert Todd Lincoln, along with members of Lincoln’s administration. The album realized $7,500.
A Thomas Jefferson signed naval appointment brought $6,500. The May 1801 document was issued during Jefferson’s presidency and appointed Josiah Blake as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.
Moving into the 20th century, a three-piece Harry Truman “Dewey Defeats Truman” group sold above estimate for $5,000. The group included a heavyweight copy photograph personally inscribed and signed by Truman and had been estimated at $3,500-$4,000.
Other Top Results:
- A Martin Luther King Jr. signed Southern Christian Leadership Conference benefit program from a January 29, 1959 event in Gary, Indiana, realized $4,800
- A publication of Alexander Hamilton’s “Letter from Alexander Hamilton, Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams” soared to $3,800
- A clipped manuscript subscription and signature of Revolutionary War Major General Nathanael Greene sold for $3,600
- An Aaron Burr Revolutionary War-dated autograph letter signed, written from Princeton on February 21, 1778 and containing military orders concerning surveillance of a Loyalist family, also reached $3,600
- A February 1865 letter from the Governor of West Virginia to Abraham Lincoln recommending a postmaster candidate. Written just weeks before Lincoln’s assassination, sold for $2,400
- Zachary Taylor signed military appointment at $4,600
- Patrick Henry signed Virginia land grant at $2,600
- Franklin D. Roosevelt signed promotion of Aubrey W. Fitch to Vice Admiral at $2,400
A John Marshall autograph document signed concerning the Fairfax lands dispute sold for $2,400, while a first edition, first issue of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates realized $2,800.
Lincoln collectors also competed for a first edition of his famed Cooper Union Address, issued as Tribune Tracts No. 4 and accompanied by a Mathew Brady carte-de-visite. The grouping sold for $3,400.
From the Revolutionary era and the Founding Fathers through the Civil War, the presidency and the civil rights movement, One of a Kind Collectibles’ “250 Years of American History” sale offered collectors an opportunity to acquire material connected directly to many of the individuals who helped shape American history.
The $14,000 Einstein admission card ultimately led the auction, while strong results for Hamilton, Greene and the West Virginia letter to Lincoln demonstrated particularly spirited bidding for historically significant material.
For complete auction results visit One of A Kind Auctions here.
