Recently I noticed that Swann Galleries of New York was preparing an appealing sale of book and manuscript material. I asked them to send me their news release about it because I’ve bought many lots from them over the years for my own collection. They sell material for big game hunters as well as less expensive lots that fit in serious collections. I’ve collected both ways. At 79, I like deep detail.
Looking over their upcoming sale on November 20th, my first search was archive and archives. A search for “archive” is a way to identify group lots, some occasionally providing extensive records for companies and individuals. If they fit into your collecting focus, such lots can be remarkable additions.
Beyond archives, run your search terms, it’s an efficient way to penetrate the descriptions.
As to Swann’s overview of the sale, here is their pitch.
Printed & Manuscript Americana at Swann November 20
Letter Signed by George Washington, Manuscript Diaries & More Lead Auction
New York—Swann Galleries’ Printed & Manuscript Americana auction is set for Thursday, November 20. The sale will feature an incredible selection of Americana covering early depictions of the American flag to diaries documenting heiresses of the Gilded Age.
The auction is led by an important 1776 diary by an officer from the Revolution named Benjamin Beal, tracing the journey north to reinforce the Invasion of Quebec, only to meet the shattered patriot army decimated by a smallpox epidemic and preparing to retreat. Arriving safely back in Fort Ticonderoga, our diarist is appointed to lead a company of carpenters and detailed across the river to build fortifications at the newly christened Mount Independence, witnessing the aftermath of the Battle of Valcour Island before receiving his discharge. The diary is expected to bring $70,000 to $100,000.
From the early days of America is an autograph letter signed by George Washington as Commander in Chief to Robert Morris expressing the anticipation of the coming British campaign against Philadelphia. Written in January 1777, just a few weeks after Washington’s Christmas 1776 crossing of the Delaware River and his victories at Trenton and Princeton, the letter is estimated at $60,000 to $90,000.
Also included are several scarce and important early American pamphlets, most notably Benjamin Rush's 1772 Sermons to Gentlemen upon Temperance and Exercise. Most volumes of sermons from this era would not generate much excitement, but this one has the first American discussion of golf. The publication is expected to bring $10,000 to $15,000. Other early pamphlets include The Indian Physician, Containing a New System of Practice, Founded on Medical Plants from 1828 ($2,000-3,000); and the 1764 Declaration and Remonstrance of the Distressed and Bleeding Frontier Inhabitants of the Province of Pennsylvania ($3,000-4,000). A 1784 German history of the American Revolution contains one of the first printed depictions of the Stars and Stripes ($2,000-3,000).
Also on the manuscript front, we have a diary of a participant in the 1901 expedition to relieve Admiral Peary in Greenland ($5,000-7,000); papers of an Erie Canal boat captain ($800-1,200); a volume of incendiary correspondence from Kansas during the Civil War era ($6,000-9,000); and a diary of Brooke Russel (Astor) ad a young American girl on the Grand Tour ($5,000-7,500).
A strong Mormon section will include early documents and manuscripts led by a, 1840 mortgage deed signed with Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, at $30,000 to $40,000, and an 1849 commission issued to two Church representatives signed by Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards as the First Presidency, and additionally by Thomas Bullock as clerk, at $25,000 to $35,000. The Latin Americana section is headlined by a rare complete copy of the 1801 illustrated book, Vida de San Felipe de Jesus.
Exhibition hours are 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, and Monday, November 17, through Wednesday, November 19. Bidding is available through online platforms, absentee, the phone, and live in-person. Live online bidding platforms will be the Swann Galleries Website, Invaluable, and Live Auctioneers. The complete catalogue and bidding information is available at www.swanngalleries.com.
The complete catalogue can be found here.
Captions:
Lot 17: Benjamin Beal, Unpublished diary of a lieutenant serving in the Invasion of Quebec, 1776. Estimate
$70,000 to $100,000.
Lot 23: George Washington, Autograph Letter Signed, anticipating the coming British campaign against
Philadelphia, January 1777. Estimate $60,000 to $90,000.
Auction date: Thursday, November 20 at 10:30 AM ET
Specialist: Rick Stattler • rstattler@swanngalleries.com • 212-254-4710 x 27
Head of PR & Content: Kelsie Jankowski • kjankowski@swanngalleries.com • 212-254-4710 x 23
Social media: @swanngalleries
