Auction Reports

University Archives

Auction Info

Auction Name
Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books
Auction Date
01/07/2026 - 01/07/2026
Sale Number
#10726
Total Lots
462
Sold Lots
457.0
Lots Sold
98.92%
Unsold Lots
5
Total Sales (USD)
926,522.00
Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD)
502,650.00
High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD)
676,800.00
Low Estimate of All Lots (USD)
518,950.00
High Estimate of All Lots (USD)
699,400.00
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
296

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

various USD 3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD 8,750.00
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
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

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  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
    27 January 2026
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
    27 January 2026
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.