Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 49

Manuscript, Collectibles and Aerospace Auction

World War 2

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 927		Day of Infamy - With 13 American and Japanese Signatures. Special printing of Walter Lord's classic history of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, signed by Walter Lord, the author, and eleven other individuals involved in the attack or other aspects of the Pacific war. They include Kenneth Taylor, the first U.S. pilot to see action in WW II when he shot down Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor; Joseph Taussig, Jr. who served on the USS Nevada and was wounded during the attack; Saburo Sakai, considered to be the top WWII Ace among surviving Japanese pilots (as of 1991); and Zenji Abe, who flew a "Val" dive bomber in the Pearl Harbor attack. This extremely rare edition was published one time only, in May 1991, in conjunction with a two-day symposium, held in Austin, Texas, on the events before and during the attack. Only a few copies are signed in this manner. A program from the symposium is included. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 928		Dõnitz, Karl (1891-1980) German admiral; Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy; succeeded Hitler as head of state. At Nuremberg he received a 10-year sentence for war crimes. Later manuscript copy of the Instrument of Surrender of German Forces to General Dwight D. Eisenhower signed ("Dõnitz") in blue ink, 2pp, 10½ x 8 in., n.p., 19 April 1977, with the notation by Dõnitz, "Siehe meine Bemerkung auf dem gleichen Dokument." Mailing folds; some smuding to three German words; signature is bold and clean. Estimated Value $150 - 200. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 929		[Iwo Jima] Photo Signed By Last 3 Surviving Medal of Honor Recipients. Black and white photo, 10 x 13 in., signed by Hershel W. Williams, Jack H. Lucas, and George E. Wahler, the last three surviving Medal of Honor winners, no place, no date (prior to 2008). The photo is the famous flag-raising scene on Mt. Suribachi, taken on 23 Feb. 1945 by photographer Joe Rosenthal during the battle for Iwo Jima. Fine; two tiny brown specks and one small margin tear. Estimated Value $150 - 200. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $242
Lot 930		Jeppson, Morris - Handwritten Account of Seeing the Atomic Bomb Explosion. 11 x 7¾ in. black and white photo of Hiroshima after the devastation of the atomic bomb with the Hiroshima dome and surrounding destroyed area. Inscribed and signed by Morris Jeppson, Weapons Officer of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In part: "There was disappointment that Japan didn't surrender immediately after Hiroshima, … we could see smoke and flames churning out from an expanding circle of destruction on the ground… No one wanted this to happen again… Hiroshima 6 Aug. 1945". Excellent condition. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $575
Lot 931		Jeppson, Morris. Handwritten Account (on Photo) of Seeing the Atomic Bomb Explosion. 11 x 8½ in. black and white photo of Hiroshima after the devastation of the atomic bomb inscribed and signed with a historical note describing civilian casualties at Hiroshima and justification for the bomb. In part: "It is estimated that 90,000 to 150,000 had died in Hiroshima … Morris Jeppson -Weapon Test Officer -Enola Gay Mission- Hiroshima 6 Aug. 1945." Excellent condition. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $575
Lot 932		MacArthur, Douglas (1880-1964) Five-star general; one of only five men to rise to the rank of General of the Army. He played a prominent role in the Pacific theatre of war in World War II and oversaw the Allied occupation of Japan. He led U.N. forces against North Korea until President Truman removed him from command in 1951 for publicly disagreeing with his Korean War policy.Black-and-white photograph signed as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan (1945-51), Tokyo, 1946. Fine. Matted with a small biographical plaque and framed to 14¼ x 11¼ inches. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $288
Lot 933		MacArthur, Douglas. Bold signature on 3 x 5 in. paper, n.p., n.d. Matted with a portrait of MacArthur and framed to an overall size of 17 x 10¾ in. Fine; some nicks to frame. Estimated Value $200 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 934		MacArthur, Douglas; Nimitz, C. W. Two items: Signature of Douglas MacArthur on a 2 x 3½ in. piece of paper with a 5¢ stamp, matted with a copy of the front page of the Sept 2, 1945 issue of the New York Times reporting the surrender of the Japanese; framed to 19½ x 16 in. With a signature ("C.W. Nimitz") and rank, "Fleet Admiral, USN" on 3½ x 4½ in. card or paper, matted with a plaque and two images of Nimitz and framed to 15 x 15½ in. Both fine. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $216
Lot 935		Maps For Downed Airmen. Two maps: one with Vienna/Crakow on one side and Trieste/Budapest on the other, 23 x 31½ in., published by the War Dept. in 1915 and revised in 1953; the second with Baghdad on one side and Basra on the other, 25 x 27½ in., published by the War Dept. in 1928, then 1944, and revised in 1953. Both marked "Restricted"; both fine. Estimated Value $150 - 200. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $86
Lot 936		Marshall, George C (1880-1959) Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and General of the Army, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense; best remembered as the author of the Marshall Plan, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Typed letter signed ("G C Marshall") as Secretary of Defense, 1p, 9 x 7 in., Washington, 12 Feb. 1951. To Edwin Hughes, who has offered the services of the National Music Council to the Armed Services. In part: "Music plays a very important part in maintaining a high state of morale whether it be in the garrison or in the field…." Fine. Matted with an image of Marshall and framed to an overall size of 16 x 19½ in. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $345
Lot 937		Mountbatten, Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-79) British admiral and statesman; last Viceroy of the British Indian Empire (1947) and first Governor-General of independent India (1947-1948); assassinated by Irish terrorists. Two signatures ("Mountbatten of Burma"), one as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia on 2¾ x 3¾ inch card or paper from the Dispatches and Records Office, London, n.d., and the second on 2½ x 4¾ inch paper, n.p., n.d. Both fine and matted with portraits; the first framed to 17½ x 13½ and the second to 10½ x 8 inches. Estimated Value $200 - 250. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 938		Rommel, Erwin (1891-19440 Highly-respected German general, called the "Desert Fox"; commander of German forces in Africa (1941-43) and in command of defense of French coast (1944). He was forced to commit suicide after discovery of his contacts with anti-Hitler conspirators. Typed document signed ("Rommel") as Generaloberst und Oberbefehlshaber der Panzerarmee Afrika, 1p, 10½ x 7½ in., Gef. St., 30 April 1942. Listing three officers to be granted the Iron Cross II Class. Light soiling and punch holes at left margin, else fine. Estimated Value $300 - 400. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $311
Lot 939		Rommel, Erwin. Partly-printed document signed as Colonel and Commander, 1p, in German, 10¼ x 8¼ in., n.d. Telex from War School WR. Neustadt, ordering that the enclosed (not present) be sent immediately to the war school at Hannover and and that a copy be sent without delay to Rommel. He adds, "Hurry!" and "Heil Hitler!" Large bold signature. One edge tear at top, else fine. Estimated Value $300 - 400. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $345
Lot 940		Rosenthal, Joe "Flags Of Our Fathers" "First Day" Image (1911-2006) American press photographer who took the famous photograph of the Marines raising the American Flag on Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, during World War II. Printed black and white reproduction image of his famous photograph signed, "Joe Rosenthal - Mt. Suribachi - Iwo Jima - Feb. 23, 1945" at the lower left, just below the image, within the outer margin, on heavy 10 x 8 in. paper. The signature itself dates to a more recent time but commemorates the actual date Rosenthal took the original photograph.With three different postal cancellations: June 26, 1978, dated at Las Vegas, using the 3¢ "Iwo Jima" Commemorative Stamp, along with a later 15¢ "Photography" Commemorative Stamp; January 30, 1982 at Hyde Park, New York for the Centennial Commemorative of the Birth of "Franklin D. Roosevelt" and having that 20¢ Stamp with Franklin's image; and June 7, 1983, at Washington, DC, for the Postal Commemorative Stamp showing the American "Medal of Honor." A simple, painted wooden frame houses this signed image. This is the only example we have seen of this highly unique, Signed Postal Commemoration. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 941		[USS Missouri] 3 Inch Gun Barrel Cover. Brass cover weighing 13.9 ounces and 4 inches in diameter, from the 1980s when the ship was modernized and four of her gun mounts (each with two guns) were removed and replaced with Tomahawk missile launchers. The USS Missouri took part in the bombing raids over Tokyo and the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The signing of the Japanese surrender took place on her deck on 2 Sept. 1945. Estimated Value $200 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 942		Van Kirk, Dutch.-Atomic Bomb Manuscript with Handwritten Notations. Nine-page document entitled "The Effects of Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - How the Atomic Bomb Works" signed by Enola Gay navigator Van Kirk. Giving many details, tables and explanation on the dropping of the atomic bomb, with eleven separate handwritten notes by Van Kirk in the margins, including an illustration of a mushroom cloud. The document discusses the Blast, Radiation, Heat, and the Atomic Bomb compared to other weapons. In part: "Out of the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be built up, detail by detail, the picture of how the atomic bomb works … In these factors is the real story of what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, … the energy released is of such magnitude and from so concentrated a source that it sets entirely new problems in its use or in protection against it…" Van Kirk writes in part: "We did practice for the bomb drop by dropping pumpkins the same size, weight and shape as Fatman but no nuclear charge" and "The Enola Gay was hit by a strong jolt. This was the shock wave of the Atomic Explosion." Signed twice (probably to confirm the handwritten changes) once in blue ink and another in black ink, each in full, "Dutch Van Kirk -Navigator- Enola Gay - 6 Aug. 1945 - Hiroshima." Excellent condition. Estimated Value $800 - 1,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 943		Van Kirk, Theodore - Photo of Hiroshima after the A-bomb with Inscription. Photo inscribed and signed by Theodore Van Kirk, navigator of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, 11 x 8½ in. black and white photo of Hiroshima after the devastation of the atomic bomb. The image shows a close up of the mushroom cloud caused by the Hiroshima bomb. Van Kirk writes on the photo in black ink: "Our Atomic Bomb was dropped at 0915 hours. 43 seconds later 60% of Hiroshima was destroyed. The number of killed and missing was 80,000. Unfortunately in modern warfare you cannot separate civilian and military targets. Theodore J 'Dutch' Van Kirk - Navigator Enola Gay." A rare reference to the casualties of the A bomb by a crew member of the Enola Gay. Estimated Value $500 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $575
Lot 944		Van Kirk, Theodore J. Book signed, "Theodore J. 'Dutch' Van Kirk - Navigator Enola Gay August 6, 1945". The book is War's End by Charles W. Sweeney. Hard cover, with dust jacket, 290 pages. On the title page, Van Kirk wrote, "Although there are many historical errors in this book, Sweeney's thesis in the introduction; dropping the two atomic bombs, ours over Hiroshima and theirs over Nagasaki, shortened the war and saved many Japanese and American lives is correct." Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold