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University Archives: Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books

Auction Reports

Auction Name Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books Total Sales (USD) 926,521.90
Auction Date January 07, 2026 - January 07, 2026 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 502,650.00
Sale Number #10726 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 676,800.00
Total Lots 462
Sold Lots 457.0 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 518,950.00
% of Lots Sold 98.92% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 699,400.00
Unsold Lots 5 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 132.47%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
53 Jefferson Signed; Plutarch

Jefferson's Owned & Signed "Plutarch's Morals" Vol. 4, Foundational to Declaration of Independence. 1st Time at Auction in Nearly 200 Years!

 ca. 1718 USD 26,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD 112,500.00
88

One of the Finest Lincoln Assassination Letters Extant April 15, 1865 Illustrated and Beyond Dramatic! 8pp.

 April 15, 1865 USD 15,000.00 - 24,000.00 USD 40,625.00
84 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln Donates $5 to Springfield's Catholic Church, PSA NM-MT 8: Historic Check to Dr. P. Moran - Later He Campaigned For Lincoln For President. A New Discovery!

 September 5, 1859 USD 20,000.00 - 25,000.00 USD 34,375.00
103 John H. Surratt,

John H. Surratt, Accused Lincoln Assassination Conspirator, Signed 4x & War Dated, Unique!

 November 10, 1863 USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 17,500.00
490 Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton Highly Important Religious Manuscript with 85+ Words in his Hand, Ex-Bonhams

 [ca. 1710-1720] USD 18,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 16,875.00
331 Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe Gorgeous Signed & Inscribed Photograph, PSA Authenticated

 n.d. [ca. 1953] USD 15,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD 16,250.00
82 M. Lincoln

M. Lincoln Calls Abe a "great & good man, who loved & served his country so well" - Seeks Pension "After the death of my dearly beloved husband"

 May 21, 1870 USD 12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 13,750.00
434 Ernest Hemingway

Rare Ernest Hemingway 1 of 10 Signed Presentation Copies of "Farewell to Arms"

 ca. 1929 USD 14,000.00 - 16,000.00 USD 13,750.00
54 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson Certifies An Act Concerning Deserters and Commerce on The High Seas!

 February 16, 1792 USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 12,500.00
86 Lincoln

Lincoln Endorsement for Release of One of Morgan's Raiders in October 1864, After Mom Begs for Release!

 October 31, 1864 USD 7,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD 12,500.00
294

1859 Receipt for Enslaved Teenager, a "Negro Man... of Dark Color" Incredibly Rare

 December 6, 1859 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 12,500.00
371 Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee Requests "additional Canon" & Tells Troops to "bring his ammunition, 100 rounds at least" - Superb Battle Letter

 September 27, 1861 USD 9,000.00 - 12,000.00 USD 12,500.00
377 George Pickett

George Pickett PSA GEM MT 10 Signed CDV, JSA Authentication Too, 1 of 2 Known!

 ca. 1862 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 12,500.00
456 Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand 11pp Revised AMS "The Cold Civil War" For LA Times Newspaper- 900+ Words in Her Hand!

 1962-07-12 USD 12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 11,875.00
275 J.P. Morgan

Fantastic J.P. Morgan Multi-Million Dollar Checkbook from 1908-1918, Complete with Checks

 ca. 1908-1918 USD 800.00 - 1,000.00 USD 10,880.00
1 John Adams

John Adams ALS for a Marine "ambitions of serving his county at sea"

 March 11, 1815 USD 6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD 10,625.00
85 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln DS Appointing 2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Infantry

 February 23, 1863 USD 7,000.00 - 9,000.00 USD 9,375.00
87 A. Lincoln

A. Lincoln Gives Rebel Woman Pass to Visit Prisoner of War Husband - A Well-Documented Exchange Showing a Very Human Lincoln!

 January 11, 1865 USD 6,500.00 - 9,000.00 USD 8,750.00
296

"Life of Andre" With 250 Items and a George Washington Letter

 various USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 8,750.00
514 Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth PSA Type II Signed Conlon Photo, With Ruth Miniature Louisville Slugger, 16.25"

 n.d. but ca. 1940s USD 5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD 8,750.00
279 Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Multi-Million Dollar Checkbook from 1883, Complete with Checks, Fantastic!

 ca. 1883 USD 800.00 - 1,000.00 USD 8,320.00
308 Marquis de Lafayette

Marquis de Lafayette ALS Re: 1776 - Almost Certainly the American Revolution - Plus Enlightenment Philosophes!

 "dimanche matin" ["Sunday morning"] USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 8,320.00
422 Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad 1st Edition, 1st Impression of "Lord Jim"

 ca. 1900 USD 1,000.00 - 1,200.00 USD 8,125.00
429 F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald Fabulous ANS while Writing "The Great Gatsby" Praising a Young Author!

 ca. 1924 USD 3,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD 8,125.00
92

Detailed Battle Content & Lincoln's Assassination in Civil War Diary!

 ca. 1862-1865 USD 2,400.00 - 3,500.00 USD 7,500.00
  • <b><center>Sotheby’s<br>Year in Review</center></b> <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> A Rare Hebrew Bible with Micrographic Masorah. Sold: 1,514,000 USD <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> "The Freedman's Primer.” Sold: 241,300 USD <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> Smith, William. "The Map that Changed the World." Sold: 139,700 USD <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> Psalter, C13th. Illuminated Psalter. Sold: 330,200 GBP <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> Lincoln, Abraham. The abolition of slavery. Sold: 13,697,500 USD <b>Sotheby’s Year in Review:</b> Vergilius. Opera, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1501. Sold: 1,041,400 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Year in Review
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: A Rare Hebrew Bible with Micrographic Masorah. Sold: 1,514,000 USD
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: "The Freedman's Primer.” Sold: 241,300 USD
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: Smith, William. "The Map that Changed the World." Sold: 139,700 USD
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: Psalter, C13th. Illuminated Psalter. Sold: 330,200 GBP
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: Lincoln, Abraham. The abolition of slavery. Sold: 13,697,500 USD
    Sotheby’s Year in Review: Vergilius. Opera, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1501. Sold: 1,041,400 USD
  • <b><center>Case Antiques<br>2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques<br>January 31 and February 1, 2026</center><b> <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> 1775 Map of Virginia, Fry and Jefferson, ex-John Tyler. $6,000 to $8,000. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Albrecht Durer Engraving, The Peasant Couple at Market. $3,400 to $3,800. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> 1777 Map: Wm. Faden, British Colonies in N. America, ex. John Tyler. $2,000 to $2,400. <b><center>Case Antiques<br>2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques<br>January 31 and February 1, 2026</center><b> <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> 30 Vols. George Eliot 1st Editions; Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Deronda, etc. $1,400 to $1,800. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Celestial Floor Globe c. 1800. $1,400 to $1,800. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1866 London MacMillan. $900 to $1,200. <b><center>Case Antiques<br>2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques<br>January 31 and February 1, 2026</center><b> <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> President Andrew Jackson Signed Patent, 1831. $1,000 to $1,200. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Civil War Tintype of Calvin “Old Ballie” Walker, CSA 3rd TN Infantry, KIA, plus 3 Union Images. $800 to $1,000. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> 1855 Georgia Pocket Map, W. G. Bonner. $800 to $1,000. <b><center>Case Antiques<br>2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques<br>January 31 and February 1, 2026</center><b> <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Audubon c. 1835 Birds of America Common Cormorant, Havell Edition. $800 to $900. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1st Edition in 8 Volumes. $600 to $800. <b>Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1:</b> Four NASA Moon Survey Photos; 144M, 148M, 149M, 149H1. $400 to $600.
    Case Antiques
    2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques
    January 31 and February 1, 2026
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: 1775 Map of Virginia, Fry and Jefferson, ex-John Tyler. $6,000 to $8,000.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Albrecht Durer Engraving, The Peasant Couple at Market. $3,400 to $3,800.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: 1777 Map: Wm. Faden, British Colonies in N. America, ex. John Tyler. $2,000 to $2,400.
    Case Antiques
    2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques
    January 31 and February 1, 2026
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: 30 Vols. George Eliot 1st Editions; Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Deronda, etc. $1,400 to $1,800.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Celestial Floor Globe c. 1800. $1,400 to $1,800.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 1866 London MacMillan. $900 to $1,200.
    Case Antiques
    2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques
    January 31 and February 1, 2026
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: President Andrew Jackson Signed Patent, 1831. $1,000 to $1,200.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Civil War Tintype of Calvin “Old Ballie” Walker, CSA 3rd TN Infantry, KIA, plus 3 Union Images. $800 to $1,000.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: 1855 Georgia Pocket Map, W. G. Bonner. $800 to $1,000.
    Case Antiques
    2026 Winter Fine Art & Antiques
    January 31 and February 1, 2026
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Audubon c. 1835 Birds of America Common Cormorant, Havell Edition. $800 to $900.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1st Edition in 8 Volumes. $600 to $800.
    Case Antiques, Jan. 31-Feb. 1: Four NASA Moon Survey Photos; 144M, 148M, 149M, 149H1. $400 to $600.