University Archives Rare Manuscripts, Books & Sports Memorabilia Ends March 15, 2023

University Archives’ University Archives is proud to announce its next 410+-lot sale, Rare Manuscripts, Books & Sports Memorabilia, on March 15, 2023. The auction features an exceptional array of U.S. Presidential material from Washington to Obama; unique Science material from Einstein, Hooke, Feynman, and others; and a marvelous miscellany encompassing Early American, Art, International, and Sports collecting categories. Whether you are looking for important historical documents, rare books, original artwork, early photography, or autographed sports memorabilia, University Archives has you covered!

Other bidding options:

Our website: https://auction.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/Rare-Manuscripts,-Books-&-Sports-Memorabilia_S6Z2QOT53O/

Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/s6z2qot53o?page=1&size=48

AuctionZip: https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-catalog/rare-manuscripts-books-sports-memorabilia_S6Z2QOT53O

LiveAuctioneers: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/279706_rare-manuscripts-books-and-sports-memorabilia/

All 400+ lots are up for viewing and bidding now (on the University Archives website: www.UniversityArchives.com), plus LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Phone and absentee bids will be taken, but there’s no live gallery bidding.

U.S. Presidential

Lot 105 is an autograph album signed by three current and future U.S. Presidents–Lincoln, Grant, and Garfield–and collected by a Civil War veteran from Peoria, Illinois. The extraordinary album is further enhanced by its provenance, an 1896 local newspaper article describing the collector’s son’s recollections of when Lincoln signed the album in Washington, D.C. in 1862. Among the details the then 8-year-old shared was how Lincoln “plac[ed] his foot on the seat of a chair and rest[ed] the book on his knee while marking the signature.” The album also contains approximately 140 additional signatures of mostly Civil War-era military personnel, politicians, and other notables.

Lot 1 is a scarce John Adams autograph letter signed while president addressed to Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott, Jr. alluding to America’s middling position in the international marketplace. “If you find any usefull hints in it, you know how to make use of them better than your humble servant,” Adams wrote to Wolcott. Adams’ letter was written in response to a bold cover letter from a Baltimore man who claimed he knew how to make the United States more competitive against its rivals England, France, and Portugal.

A remarkable Bill Clinton archive, Lot 14, includes over 30 pieces of correspondence exchanged between the future president and a faithful campaign staffer named Gloria O’Donnell from Clinton’s time as Arkansas governor through his second presidential term.

Science

We have five powerhouse Albert Einstein lots in our March sale which should spark significant interest. Lot 384 is a typed letter signed by Einstein explaining his monumental scientific formula, E = mc². The formula, which Einstein articulated after conducting research into the theory of relativity, ultimately led to the development of nuclear weapons, an unintended catastrophic result of his research. Einstein deeply regretted the link between his “formula…[and] energy which can be freed by nuclear reactions.”

Also crossing the auction block is Lot 386, an extremely rare document signed by British polymath Robert Hooke relating to the Great Fire of London of 1666. In addition to being one of the greatest scientists of Early Modern Europe, Hooke also served as a Surveyor of the City of London and settled many claims following the conflagration.

Marvelous Miscellany – Early American, Art, International, Sports, Etc.

Lot 223 relates to Paul Revere’s purchase of 4 chaldrons (over 5 net tons!) of coal to fuel his metal-working furnaces in 1787, the same year the U.S. Constitution was signed. Revere signed the receipt issued by a Boston merchant and included a 9-word endorsement in his hand. With remarkable provenance from Revere’s great-great-grandson!

Lot 244 is a colorful Walt Disney signed Sante Fe & Disneyland Railroad and monorail pass issued to NYC transit authority director Sidney H. Bingham ca. 1959, granting him free access to the railway for five years as an “honorary Vice-President.” The Sante Fe & Disneyland Railroad was inaugurated at Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955, while the high-tech, German-designed monorail opened in 1959 in conjunction with the rededication of Tomorrowland.

Lot 330 is an elegant manuscript document in Latin signed by French monarch Louis VII at Senlis in 1177, with an interesting connection to the Crusades. The document granting property rights was witnessed/signed by two future French Crusaders, Raoul I, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and Theobald V, Count of Blois, who were both killed during the Siege of Acre fourteen years later. With outstanding provenance from a Dutch manuscript collector, ex-Charles Hamilton.

Lot 417 is an official baseball signed by 26 New York Yankees players including Thurman Munson during the 1975 season. 20+ lots in the auction are sports collectibles (baseball, boxing, and gymnastics) including autographs, vintage photographs and newspapers, as well as signed or game-worn apparel.

We hope you can join us on March 15, 2023. Please view our lavishly illustrated and keyword-searchable catalog for further details!

Highlights Include:

Major Categories:

U.S. Presidential & Presidential Families (Washington to Obama; Caroline Fillmore; Hillary Clinton; Robert F. Kennedy; Edward M. Kennedy, etc.)
Science (Albert Einstein, Robert Hooke, Richard Feynman, Jonas Salk, Richard Leakey, etc.)
Early American (Paul Revere, John Hancock, Aaron Burr, Thomas Paine, Revolutionary War, U.S. Constitution, etc.)
Art (Jean-Michel Basquiat, Arthur Szyk, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Eadweard Muybridge, Marc Chagall, etc.)
World Leaders (Louis VII, Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Wilhelm II, David Ben-Gurion, Charles III, etc.)
Sports (Baseball: Joe DiMaggio, Micky Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Yankees, Dodgers, Pirates // Gymnastics: Nadia Comaneci // Boxing: Muhammad Ali, etc.)
Aviation & Space (Amelia Earhart, Glenn Hammond Curtiss; Apollo XI & XIII, etc.)
Entertainment (Walt Disney, Katharine Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, etc.)
Literature (Jack Kerouac, Robert Frost, Maurice Sendak, Ray Bradbury, John Burroughs, etc.)
Music (Woody Guthrie, Dr. Dre, Elton John, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Woodstock, etc.)
Law Enforcement & Notorious (John Wilkes Booth & Lincoln conspirators; Lee Harvey Oswald, Meyer Lansky, Emmett Dalton, Pinkerton Detective Agency, Melvin Purvis, etc.)

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.

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’ new offices are located at 88 Danbury Rd. (Suite 2A) in Wilton, Conn. For more information about University Archives and the online Rare Manuscripts, Books & Sports Memorabilia auction on March 15, 2023 at 11 am Eastern time, visit www.universityarchives.com.