Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 33

Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Businessmen and Lawyers

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 130		Astor, John Jacob (1763-1848) American fur trader and financier. Autograph Document Signed, 3¼"x7", New York, 1800 Jan. 16. Fine; light toing. A receipt for one pound six shillings received as payment in full from Mr. Raunch. By 1800 Astor was the dominant figure in the American fur trade; he incorporated American Fur. Co. (1808) and Pacific Fur Co. (1810). He made large and profitable loans to the U.S. government (1814) and invested heavily in New York real estate. In 1834 he sold his fur interests and devoted himself to administering his fortune. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,800. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 131		Capone, Al (1899-1947) America's most notorious gangster. Partly-printed Document Signed "Alfonse Capone" twice, once on the front and once on the verso. Also signed and endorsed by Theresa and Mae Capone, his mother and wife. Fine; Capone's signature on the front is bold and clear; the other signatures are affected by bank stamps but are still legible. Being an interest note from the Lawndale National Bank, Chicago, Illinois, on Loan No. 6223, dated November 18, 1926. In 1925, Capone took over Johnnie Torrio's empire and became a major kingpin in the underworld. From 1925 to 1930 he was busy syndicating and expanding Chicago's vice industry. He controlled speakeasies, bookie joints, gambling houses, brothels, horse and race tracks, nightclubs, distilleries, and breweries, making a reported $100,000,000 per year. This is a document signed at the height of Capone's power. Estimated Value $7,500 - 9,500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $12,600
Lot 132		Carnegie, Andrew. Book Signed and Inscribed, "A.R. Hunt Esq / With best wishes / Andrew Carnegie / Dec 18 1908" in pencil (erasure and correction to "8") on the dedication page (book is dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt). Carnegie's Problems of To-day. Wealth - Labor - Socialism, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1908, 8vo, 207pp. Maroon cloth covers, gilt lettering; corners and spine extremities frayed; else a tight copy and nice example. Estimated Value $300 - 350. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $288
Lot 133		Darrow, Clarence (1857-1938) American lawyer. During the 1920s, he was the most famous trial lawyer in the U.S., best known for defending John Scopes in the famous "Monkey Trial." Autograph Letter Signed, 1 p, 9"x6", Fairhope, Alabama (1927) Mar.3. Fine. With envelope addressed in Darrow's hand. To Mr. Alexander Kadison in New York City. In part: "…The book is substantially done & I am going north the last of the month….I am not confident how well it may go, as it is an answer to another work…." Darrow retired from regular practice in 1927 to devote his time to lecturing. Written and signed in green ink. Estimated Value $1,800 - 2,200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 134		Duryea, Charles E (1861-1938) Built first American gasoline motor car. Signature cut from a check Signed "Chas E Duryea," 1'x4', n.p., n.d. Stamp of Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is on. verso. The original Duryea car was made in Springfield, Mass in 1893 and is now in the Smithsonian Institution. Included is a photo of a replica of the Duryea. Estimated Value $200 - 250. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 135		(Edison, Ford, Harding, Firestone, and Burroughs). Thirty-eight original, silver sepia prints, 7"x5", made by Henry Ford's photographer, George Ebling, of the much-heralded trips to the Adirondack Mountain area made from 1916-1922 by President Warren G. Harding, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs. The kings of the business world and a President at play. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $414
Lot 136		Field, Cyrus W (1819-1892) Financier who headed Atlantic Telegraph Company which successfully laid the first cable across the Atlantic Ocean. Letter Signed "Cyrus W. Field & Co.," with a holograph postscript initialled "CWF," 1p, 10"x8", New York, 1848 Mar. 23. Very good; some wrinkling and toning. Regarding the account of Julius A. Fargo and acknowledging receipt of a ten-dollar payment. Estimated Value $150 - 250. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $138
Lot 137		Firestone, Harvey S (1868-1938) Founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. (1900) Rare Photograph Signed 10"x8", n.p., n.d. A waist-length portrait of the influential industrialist who owned properties over the world that provided raw rubber for his factories. Signed in black ink against his dark suit. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 138		(Ford, Henry & Edsel). Original silver sepia print of Edsel Ford playing the piano for his father, Henry Ford, who holds a cat in his lap, 4½"x6½". Fine. Taken by Henry Ford's photographer George Ebling, c. 1916-1922, in the Adirondack Mountain area. Professionally mounted to 8"x10". Estimated Value $300 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $173
Lot 139		Frick, Henry Clay (1849-1919) Industrialist and philanthropist. Photograph Signed and Inscribed, "To my friend / Master Chas. Barney Harding / Henry Clay Frick / April 18, 1903", as a director of the U.S. Steel Corp., 7¾"x6". A distinguished, waist-lenth photo with "Patton…Pittsburg" engraved on the mount. Matted to 12¼"x10½". Estimated Value $400 - 800. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,035
Lot 140		Getty, J. Paul (1892-1976) American industrialist and the founder of Getty Oil Company; he was the richest man in the world when he died, owning a controlling interest in over 200 companies. Extremely rare Autograph Letter Signed, "Paul" 3pp., 10½"x7¼" (Tulsa, Oklahoma), 1947 (misdated 1945), Apr. 17. Very fine. To his fifth wife Teddy, first proclaiming his love and then admonishing her for spending too much money. In part: "Darling, Thanks for your sweet letters and excellent advertising suggestions. You are dear and sweet and I love you madly. But…I get tired of just being a paymaster. I'm tired of a mountain of bills every month…And my bank account needs a slower tempo. Before we were married I spent half the year very quietly and inexpensively, and gave my bank account time to recuperate. Now it's being hit and hit hard every day….If we can't get on a sensible basis I'll close the ranch, sell the beach house and emigrate with you to Mexico where living costs suit my pocket book better…." He refuses her request for a swimming pool "with the beach 2 minutes away" and rejects the idea of a new garage for the beach house. Most of the three pages are full of complaints about money, but he adds one question about his son Timmy, who was born June 15, 1945: "How much does Timmy weight?" He closes with "Love, love, Paul." The envelope is addressed by Getty to "Mrs. J. Paul Getty, 270 Ocean Front, Santa Monica, Calif." and postmarked Apr. 18, 1947 from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Getty was devoting his attention to developing peacetime products for the Spartan Aircraft Company. In 1957 Fortune declared J. Paul Getty the richest man in America. Extremely rare. No letter to any of Getty's five wives is listed as selling over the past 30 years in ABPC. Getty married New York socialite Louise "Teddy" Lynch in Rome on November 17, 1939. On their wedding day, Teddy announced that she was staying in Rome to take singing lessons; they did not see each other again until she returned 2½ years later. Their bizarre marriage, during which they saw each other very little, ended in 1958. Estimated Value $1,200 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $690
Lot 141		Getty, J. Paul. Rare Autograph Letter Signed "Father" on a postcard, postmarked from Florence, Italy, 1953 Mar. 3. Very good; dampstain in lower right corner; postmark affects the final sentence and closure. Written to Timothy Getty, his youngest son, by his fifth wife, Teddy. Getty writes: "Dearest Son, I wish you had been with us all last month in St. Moritz in Switzerland. It was a place full of skiers and bob run and Cresta run enthusiasts. I miss you every day and am so looking forward to being with you again. You are my own dear boy and you are good to your dear mother. Love, Father." Getty also addressed the postcard. Timmy lived with his mother in Santa Monica, California. Getty, who would be married to Teddy until she divorced him in May 1958, moved to Europe in 1951, and had not seen Timmy or Teddy in over two years; he would see them briefly in 1955, when Teddy took Timmy to England for a visit. Timmy suffered greatly from a tumor that developed between his eyes in 1952 at the age of six. He went through several operations, but in August 1958, died on the operating table at the tender age of twelve. Getty did not return home for the funeral. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $575
Lot 142		Getty, J. Paul. Autograph Letter Signed "Paul", 1½ pp (front and back of same page), on Hotel Reforma, Mexico letterhead, 1948 June 2. Very fine; one faint rust mark from a paper clip across the greeting. To his fifth wife and their son. In part: "Darling Teddy Boo and Timmy, too! I am lonesome for you. The train trip was long and tiresome. I wish I liked to fly. The city here has changed, many new buildings, streets. Tomorrow or the next day I expect to go to Cuernavaca. Wish you were here….Dave and I went last night to see la Gioconda but at the last moment the performance was postponed till tomorrow due to the sudden illness of Leonard Warren….I love you, Paul." Estimated Value $800 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 143		Getty, J. Paul. Autograph Poem on 8½"x6¼" letterhead from the Hotel Reforma in Mexico, 1948 June 17. Fine; light soiling to envelope. Written to his fifth wife, Teddy: "Darling pretty Teddy Boo / I miss you night and day / I love you too / And dread to stay away." With holograph envelope signed in the address, "Mrs. Paul Getty." The page is taped to a larger page and the envelope is taped to the bottom of the letter. Also, an Autograph Note Signed "Paul", 1 p., 1948, Oct. 29. Very fine. To "Darling Teddy," saying he is returning a clipping about her and adding, "I think you are wonderful, sweetheart. Your Paul." Included is a photo of Teddy with Bette Davis and an unidentified man at Timmy's 4th birthday party. Estimated Value $700 - 900. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 144		Getty, J. Paul. Two Typed Letters Signed "Paul" to his fifth wife Teddy. One is addressed to "Darling," 1 p., 7¾"x5¾", n.p., 1944 Mar. 14, and states that he is sending a check special delivery to her for her fur jacket; he adds, "I hope to see you very soon and you can't imagine how much pleasure it will give me." The second is to "Dearest Teddy," 1 p., 10"x8", Sutton Place, Guildford, Surrey, 1966 Oct. 24. Eight years after their divorce, he thanks her for a "handsome photo of me. I wish I looked like it now. As of today I have a long white beard which reaches nearly to my knees!…." With two Christmas Cards Signed "Paul," n.p., n.d. Fine. Both are common, inexpensive cards, but one is printed "from J. Paul Getty." Cards printed with his name were sent to people Getty liked; for everyone else, he saved the expense of printing. Estimated Value $600 - 800. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 145		Getty, J. Paul. Two albumen photographs of Getty as a young boy, clad in a dress (as young boys were in those days), with carefully-coifed curls. Both photos are 5½"x4" and mounted on a 7¼"x5¼" backing, with photographer's embossed imprint: J.A. Brush of Minneapolis, which was Getty's hometown. One shows Getty around two or three years of age; the other shows him a year or two older. Both have paper remnants at top verso, else fine. Estimated Value $300 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $173
Lot 146		(Getty, J. Paul). Group of approximately 25 photographs. Ten 8"x10" photographs are from Timmy Getty's fourth birthday party; the young Liza Minelli and Candace Bergen are there (and surely other celebrity children), as well as Bette Davis, Paul Lynde, Eartha Kitt, Imogene Coca, and others. A PSI to Timmy from mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom, star of "Carmen"; a note on verso states that this was Timmy's first opera, Nov. 4, 1951; and a PSI to Tim from Guy Madison (poor condition). Timmy would die in 1958 during one of many operations resulting from a tumor. Additional items: a photo of Lucille Ball, Peter Lawford, and eight other people, at Desi Arnaz' opening at the Clover Club; three of Montgomery Clift, one of Ida Lupino, plus ten other unidentified photos, nine of them inscribed to "Gertie." With two Typed Letters Signed "Jesse" from film pioneer Jesse L. Lasky to Teddy Getty, J. Paul's fifth wife, 1944 and 1955, one regarding a health magazine and mentioning Paul; the second with thanks for birthday wishes and flowers. Includes a printed Christmas card from Lasky and his wife. Very good. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $144
Lot 147		Goodyear, Charles (1800-1860) Inventor of vulcanized rubber. Partly-printed Check Signed "Chas Goodyear," 2½"x6½", Washington D.C., 1860 June 7. Fine; small contemporary ink spot, cut cancellation does not affect signature. Drawn on the Bank of the Metropolis, payable to "Francis Lamb or order" in the amount of $66.50. Accomplished in a secretarial hand and signed by Goodyear less than a month before his death (July 1, 1860). Estimated Value $500 - 700. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 148		Hoffa, James (1913-1975) Powerful, controversial leader of the Teamsters Union from 1957 to 1971, alleged to have ties to organized crime; his mysterious disappearance in 1975 has never been solved. 3"x5" card Signed and Inscribed, "To Bill James R. Hoffa." Fine. Estimated Value $150 - 200. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $230
Lot 149		Holliday, Ben (1819-1887) American financier; financed the Pony Express and contracted with the U.S. government to carry the U.S. mails overland to the Pacific. Document Signed as president of the Oregon & California Rail Road Company, which he owned, Portland, Oregon, 1870 July 13. Very good; stain at upper edge. Paid to Geo. W. Weidler for $2800. With railroad vignette and Revenue stamp. Estimated Value $125 - 250. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 150		Withdrawn	Unsold
Lot 151		Kahn, Otto (1867-1934) Financier, philanthropist, arts patron. Three Typed Letters Signed, total of 4pp, New York, 1911, 1912, and 1922. Very good. To Augustus Thomas on various subjects, one regarding a Committee of Patronage for the visit of the Moscow Art Theatre. Estimated Value $100 - 200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 152		Paine, William A (1855-1929) Co-founder of Paine-Webber brokerage house. Stock Certificate Signed "Wm A Paine" as President of Lake Copper Company, 1p, 8"x11¼", n.p., 1917 Mar. 28. Fine. Certifying that Chase & Barstow is entitled to thirty shares in the company. Printed by the Republic Banknote Company, the green and cream document has a vignette of a woman with miners in the background, and an ornate border. Cancelled; transfer of stock is on verso. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold