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Sale 58
Lot 84
[Shakespeare, William] Fourtth Folio, 1685. Mr. William Shakespear's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, Seven Plays, Never before Printed in Folio: viz. Pericles Prince of Tyre. The London Prodigal. The History of Thomas Lord Cromwel. Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham. The Puritan Widow. A Yorkshire Tragedy. The Tragedy of Locrine. The Fourth Edition. London, Printed for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley…1685.
Presumed first state, without Chiswell's imprint and with period after "Mr." Large folio (14½ x 9 inches). Engraved frontispiece portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout, with ten-line poem by Ben Jonson, entitled "To the Reader" underneath. Woodcut printer's device on title-page and decorative woodcut initials. Bound in black grosgrained morocco; wear to front joint. Spine decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt. Early owner's name on title page: "Elizabeth Young Her Book." Latin proverb: "otium sine literis mors est" [leisure without literature is death] with small Asian design on inside cover. First two pages loose at top but interior is tight from frontispiece on. Some errors in pagination; two pages with small paper replacement in margin; tiny holes in seven pages; small tear in lower right margin of p. 63. Interior is mostly clean but several pages with foxing or light stains, not affecting legibility. Custom-made case, black with bordeaux label and gilt lettering. Overall, a very good copy.
Ex-libris of Thomas Jefferson McKee, a well-known bibliophile who died in 1899 and whose magnificent collection was sold at auction by John Anderson, Jr, 34 W. 30th St., New York. Part III of the collection consisted of "English Plays of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries," and took place April 29 and 30, 1901. Shakespeare's Fourth Folio was lot 2602 and sold for $350.
Estimated Value $25,000-UP.
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Lot 44
Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) Founding Father, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, scientist, statesman, diplomat, printer, author. Letter signed "B Franklin," as ambassador to France, one page (recto/verso), 12½ x 8 in, Passy (a suburb of Paris), France, Oct. 19, 1779. Written in an elegant, clerical hand with "(Duplicate)" at the top, to David Hartley, a member of the British Parliament who had gained note as a scientist and through mutual interests became friends with Franklin.
Franklin corresponds with Hartley on the exchange of prisoners: "Having just received the Passport desired for the Cartel to make use of the Port of Morlaix, I take this first Opportunity of sending it to you, in hopes of releasing by more expeditious Voyages the poor Prisoners on both Sides before the Severity of Winter comes on. Besides those released on Parole, we have now more English Prisoners than you have Americans. In those Releases we have relied on the honour & Humanity of the Board and I am persuaded we shall not find ourselves deceived. You will always see me ready in every Step that may soften the Rigours of War to give the first Demonstration of that Confidence which naturally opens by Degrees the Way to Peace…."
The situation of the American prisoners in Britain and British prisoners in France was becoming thorny. The British considered American prisoners traitors and, consequently, refused to reciprocate Franklin's offer to issue paroles to British captives. Through Hartley, who was against the war with America and who, in 1778, wrote a pamphlet ("Letters on the American War") accusing Britain of tyranny over the colonies and urging recognition of American independence, "Franklin urged the easing of the lot of the prisoners as a step toward reconciliation, sent small sums of money for their relief and sought permission for an American envoy…to inspect the conditions in which the American prisoners were kept…." (Esmond Wright, Franklin of Philadelphia, 1986, pp. 281-282)
Normal folds, light creasing, some overall toning, darker at folds on verso. One fold affect the tops of "B" and "F" in the large, bold signature.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 60,000.
Christie's New York, June 19, 2007, lot 249, $40,000.
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Lot 56
Society of the Cincinnati Eagle Insignia For New York. Gold with colored enamels, 38mm x 29mm. One of ten eagles produced for New York in 1896 by jeweler John R. Gleason, only two of which are known to exist. The eagle is suspended from a cockade ribbon in excellent condition. The presence of the cockade suggests that this eagle once belonged to an officer of the Society, or the General Society.
Obverse: Head left. Medallion with three senators presenting sword to Cinvinnatus, with wife and two children. Motto: OMNIA RELIQUIT SERVARE REMPUBLICAM*. As with other New York badges of the period, eye of eagle has pupil within an outline. Characteristic of this design is the smooth curve which runs from one talon through the bow and through the other. The beak is another smooth curve. Reverse: Cincinnatus in field, with Fame above, sunset, ships, and city behind. Motto: SOCIETAS CINCINNATORUM INSTITUTIA AD 1783*. Myers #46.
The General Society of the Cincinnati was founded in New York in 1783 by Continental Army officers who fought in the American Revolution.Within a year, affiliated Societies were founded in all 13 of the original states and France. George Washington was elected the first President in December 1783 and served until his death in 1799, when he was succeeded by Alexander Hamilton.
The Society was named for Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus, a 5th century B.C. Roman farmer who, like Washington, triumphantly lead his country's troops in battle, then returned home to plow his fields, refusing any honors. The Society's motto is: "He gave up everything to serve the republic." The Society of the Cincinnati is the oldest military hereditary society in the United States. Membership passes through the eldest son of the eldest surviving son successively of an original member. The Society was also the first military beneficial society. At a time when there were no military pensions, officers who were original members of the Society were required to give one month's pay, the interest of which was used for needy officers and their families.
Original Members of the Society of the Cincinnati included General Henry Knox, considered the Society's originator; General Friedrich William von Steuben, the Society's first presiding officer; Alexander Hamilton; General Nathanael Greene; Commodore John Barry; and Captain John Paul Jones. Foreign officers who fought in the American Revolution also became members. They included Generals Lafayette and Rochambeau and Admiral de Grasse from France, and Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko from Poland.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000.
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Lot 39
Washington, George (1732-1799) Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and First President of the United States (1789-1796). Letter Signed G:o Washington" as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, 1½ pages, 11¾ x 7¼ in., Head Quarters West Point, August 25, 1779. Although unnamed on this letter, we know that Washington was writing to Joseph Hewes, signer of the Declaration of Independence from North Carolina and a member of the Continental Congress because the Papers of George Washington in the Library of Congress has Washngton's retained copy with Hewes listed as the recipient. Hewes had asked Washington to help gain the "enlargement" (release) of a friend captured by the British. Very good; encapsulated. The body of the letter is in the hand of Lt. Col. Tench Tilghman, secretary and later aide-de-camp to Gen. Washington. Choice bold "G:o Washington" signature.
Washington refuses to trade military prisoners in exchange for civilian hostages taken by the British and explains why: "…I wish it were in my power to fall upon the means of procuring the enlargement of your friend Mr.Granberry, but as I have no Citizen under my controul who would be a fit subject to propose as an exchange, either upon parole or finally, I have not an opportunity of interesting myself in his behalf. It has been a point determined and invariably pe[r]sisted in, not to give up a person in the military line, for one in the Civil. Had not this conduct have been pursued, the Enemy would have been encouraged to have seized many more Citizens than they have done in their several excursions. The most probable mode of obtaining Mr. Granberry’s release, will be, to endeavor to procure some Gentleman who may be already, or may hereafter be captured by a Vessel belonging to the State of which he is an inhabitant."
Estimated Value $40,000 - 60,000.
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Lot 109
Luther, Martin (1483-1546) German religious reformer; founder of the Reformation and of Protestantism. He became an Augustinian friar in 1506 and was ordained priest in 1507; he was a theology professor from 1512-46. On October 31, 1517, he nailed to the church door at Wittenberg 95 theses questioning the value of indulgences sold by the church and condemning the means used to sell them. Luther's theses were translated from Latin into German and, aided by the printing press, were widely disseminated. He rejected the belief that freedom from God's punishment could be bought and preached the doctrine of salvation by faith rather than by works. He denied the supremacy of the pope and taught that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge. When he was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1521, he publicly burned the bull. Luther's translation of the Bible into German made it widely accessible. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, gave the stamp of approval to clerical marriage. His virulent anti-Semitism, rationalized by his failure to convert the Jews to Christianity, left an enduring legacy.
Autograph Manuscript Signed "Martinus Luther D," one page, 13¼ x 8 7/8 in. (340 x 225mm), 1543. Seventeen lines in German, commenting on the seventh verse of Psalm II, with subscription, "Credo & Salvus eris," and signature in Latin, three ownership inscriptions on the lower portion of the leaf, and an incorrect German translation of Luther's subscription written beneath it in a different hand. Some discoloration, minor worming, stain in lower left corner, possibly obliterating an inscrition. The manuscript begins: "Der Herr sprach zu mire du bist mein Son / Heute hab ich dich gezeuget [The Lord said to me, "Thou are my Son / Today have I begotten thee]. He continues, "In diesem Spruch ist bekand Das Gott sey ein Gott ynn drei personen unterschiedlich…Zu Welchen Engel hat er ehe mals gesagt Du bist mein Son, Heute habe ich dich gezeuget?"
The survival of the original manuscript of this commentary was unknown when the text, previously known only from a transcript and earlier printed versions, was prepared for publication in the Weimar edition of the Werke (xlviii, 22, no. 28, Weimar 1927). The present manuscript is, however, described on page XXXIX of the Introduction to the same volume, which was completed later. It is said to have been recently discovered there as the flyleaf of a folio Wittenberg Bible of 1541.
Provenance
1. In the 16th century, it belonged to "M.R." who added a two-line inscription in Latin between Luther's signature and the date 1543. He may have been the original recipient.
2. Johannes Mylichius, Minister of the church in Panizsch ("in Ecclesia Panizschensis Minister Crucis et [Lunt.?] 2 Sept"). 16th century.
3. Matthias Rossmeussell, in the 17th century Pastor in Dornreichenbach (diocese of Grimma, near Chemnitz), who added his signature with a two-line inscription between Luther's subscription and signature.
4. Otto Richter, bookseller in Chemnitz in 1926. He owned the Bible, with the manuscript leaf, and published his discovery in the Chemnitzer Allgem. Zeitung on 18 February 1926, before making the Bible available to the editors of Luther Werke, Weimarer Ausgabe (where the manuscript was published in 1927).
The Bible, including the Luther manuscript, was probably in the Chemnitz or Leipzig area from an early date. We do not know when after 1927 the leaf was extracted from the Bible.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 50,000.
Christie's, Nov. 24, 1993, lot 109, £15,000 ($22,000).
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Lot 439
Apollo 12, 1969, FLOWN Lunar Surface Lunar Module ID Plate (5.25x1.75") mounted on a "shield-shaped" wooden plaque (10x11"). The ID plate reads: "Apollo XII Lunar Module-6 / Cdr C. Conrad, Cdr. R. Gordon, Cdr. A. Bean" / Part No. "LDW280-54000-23, Serial No. 001" / "DSGN Cont No. "1st Lunar Exploration" / Contr No. "NAS 9-1100" / Launch 11-14-69 Splashdown 11-24-69" / Mfe. by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp." A cutout of the Lunar Module is mounted above the ID plate.
There is a handwritten consignor's certificate of authenticity included with the lot that reads, in part: "Three Lunar Module 6 Identification Plates were flown to the Moon on Apollo XII and returned to the Manufacturer, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. GAEC then mounted each ID plate, along with a depiction of the Lunar Module, on a shield shaped wall plaque and presented one to each crew member, Conrad, Gordon and Bean…This plaque has been in my personal collection since the completion of the Apollo XII mission."
Some plaque faults, but this lunar surface piece of memorabilia, is a major piece of space history.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000.
Ex. the astronaut Richard "Dick" Gordon collection.
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Lot 40
Washington, George. Autograph Letter Signed "G:o Washington," one page, " 9¼ x 7¼ in., Mount Vernon, August 15, 1786. With autograph address leaf to "Doctr. Stuart / Abingdon / 1786." Washington announces "the arrival of a French Gentleman of Rank--Genl. Duplessis" who was recommended by the Count d'Estaing and the Marquis de la Fayette, and rearranges his and Mrs. Washington's schedule to accommodate the visit of the general. Very fine.
In full: "Dear Sir, Mrs. Washington is prevented from dining with you tomorrow by the arrival of a French Gentleman of Rank – Genl. Duplessis – who is introduced, and very warmly recommended to me by the Count de Estaing, the Marq.s de la Fayette &c.a. In consequence I have persuaded Colo [David] Humphreys to postpone his visit to Abingdon. Wishing to show this Gentleman (Genl Duplessis) all the Civilities in my power, I should be glad if you & Mrs. Stuart would dine with us tomorrow. – other Company are also invited from Alexandria at Dinner, at this time. That Mrs. Stuart may be accommodated, George’s Phaeton & a pair of my horses (two others being sent to Fredericksburgh) is carried up by Charles. Yrs. affect.ly G:o: Washington."
In November 1783, two months after the formal peace treaty with Great Britain was signed, Washington had returned home to Mount Vernon to tend to his neglected fields and fortune. He maintained an interest in political affairs, and in foreign affairs favored the French over the English, mindful of France's contributions of money, soldiers, and her Navy during the Revolutionary War. Washington's close friendship with the younger Lafayette, forged during the crucible of war, was a significant factor in his attitude toward the French. Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) was a young French aristocrat and military officer who volunteered his services to the cause of the American Revolution and fought in the Continental Army from 1777 through 1781. Washington treated him like the son he never had.
In July 1786, Washington received letters from the Marquis de Lafayette and the Comte d’Estaing, introducing French general Jean-Baptiste Vigoureux du Plessis, who served briefly as Governor of the colony of St. Vincent in the Caribbean and who came to the United States in 1786, seeking to establish a plantation in Georgia. Washington warmly invited du Plessis to visit "the peaceful shades of Mount Vernon," an important tourist attraction for European visitors at that time. In March 1787, du Plessis wrote expressing his thanks to Washington for his hospitality. He subsequently returned to France after an illness which he believed was caused by the low-country Georgia environment.
During the summer of 1786, Washington experienced the deaths of three of his most trusted revolutionary comrades: Nathanael Greene, Tench Tilghman, and Alexander McDougall. In an August 1st letter to Thomas Jefferson, then in Paris, he connected their passing with his concern for the future of America. "Thus some of the pillars of the revolution fall. Others are mouldering by insensible degrees. May our Country never want props to support the glorious fabrick!"
Just a month after Du Plessis’s visit, Shays’s Rebellion would erupt in Massachusetts, bringing the specter of class warfare and sectional discord to America. More than any other event, Shays’s Rebellion would convince Washington to step back into public affairs, where he would exercise leadership in the movement to draft a new federal constitution the following year.
Dr. David Stuart (1753-1814) was a longtime friend and neighbor of Washington. He studied medicine at Paris and Edinburgh and practiced in the Alexandria area, and later served on the commission establishing the boundaries of Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Stuart, Eleanor Calvert Custis, was the granddaughter of Charles, Fifth Lord Baltimore, and the widow of Martha Washington’s son (John Parke Custis). Her daughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, was Martha Washington’s only granddaughter, and George Washington adopted her as his own daughter.
Charles Hector d’Estaing (1729-1794) was an Admiral who brought part of the French Navy to assist the revolutionaries in America in 1778. He managed his fleet cautiously, spent part of 1778 and 1779 in the Caribbean, and failed in his attempt to retake Savannah for the Americans, before departing in 1780. His replacement, however, the Comte de Grasse, lent critical support to the 1781 land campaign of Washington and Rochambeau, leading to the encirclement and defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown. D’Estaing was a victim of the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
David Humphreys (1752-1818), a Connecticut soldier, served as aide-de-camp and advisor to George Washington. Humphreys was chosen for the ceremonial role of escorting the surrendered British colors to Congress after the Battle of Yorktown. He was also an entrepreneur and a distinguished writer, participating with Joel Barlow, John Trumbull and others in "the Hartford Wits."
A beautifully penned, superb quality Washington Autograph Letter Signed. The perfect Washington letter to be framed ad displayed.
Estimated Value $30,000 - 40,000.
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Lot 43
[Declaration of Independence] Peter Force Rice-paper Copy. 28½ x 24 inches, matted with a small plaque and beautifully framed to an overall size of 38¾ x 33¾. Faint ink offset; there are clean partial fold splits in the second and third horizontal folds and at the center of the central verical fold, easily repaired.
In 1843, Congress authorized Peter Force to make up to 1500 rice-paper copies of the Declaration of Independence from the copperplate which William Stone had made in 1823 by wetting the original Declaration and transferring some of the original ink to the copperplate. Peter Force intended to use his rice-paper copies in a projected 20-volume series, called American Archives, of primary sources of American history from the 17th century to 1789. The series was sold by subscription and work commenced under contract with the Department of State and by Act of Congress. Nine volumes were published from 1837 to 1853, designated Fourth (six volumes) and Fifth (three volumes) Series, covering the years 1774-76. Subscriptions were fewer than expected, and Force stopped work on the project when further funding was not forthcoming. The actual number of copies printed is unknown, ranging from 500 to around 1,000. The Declaration of Independence was folded into Volume I, Fifth Series. Most copies of the Declaration have been cut from American Archives and sold individually, but they do not come on the market very often. The last several copies have sold for over $30,000. this is a superb specimen and beautifully framed.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 30,000.
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Lot 23
Jefferson, Thomas. Autograph Letter Signed "Th: Jefferson," one page, 9¾ x 7¾ in., Monticello, February 19, 1818. To Everard Hall regarding the importance of domestic salt manufactures and an invention of Mr. Hall's related to salt manufacture. Fine; light folds and toning. Another hand has noted at the bottom, in French, that the letter was "given to Mr. Alex. Vattemore by Mr. Samuel Peters of New Orleans May 10, 1840."
Jefferson wrote, in part: "…the experience of two wars has proved that the making of salt within ourselves is as important as the manufacture of gunpowder and arms… but I have so long withdrawn from all attention to things of that kind, and have particularly been so little acquainted with the construction of salt works, as to be unable to give you any opinion on the probable success of your invention. I know only that in Northern Europe they consider it essential to strengthen their water as much as possibl e by previous evaporation, and your machinery seems in theory to promise that, but it is experience alone which can determine that. I return you your drawing [not present] with my best wishes for the success of your enterprise…."
Although often characterized by historians as a strict agrarian, Jefferson understood well the need for domestic manufacturing. As secretary of state under Washington, he advocated raising tariffs to protect fledgling American industries from foreign competition. "Such duties having the effect of indirect encouragement to domestic manufacture of the same kind, may induce the manufacturer to come himself into these states, where cheaper subsistence, equal laws, and a vent of his wares, free of duty, may ensure him the highest profits from his skill and industry." Jefferson himself was an avid inventor, yet never took out a patent. Among his inventions was the correct form of the moldboard, and a curved iron plate attached to a plowshare that lifts, turns and pulverizes the soil. He also developed a revolving chair known to his political enemies as "Jefferson’s whirligig" and said it enabled him ". to look all ways at once.".
Estimated Value $20,000 - 25,000.
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Lot 118
Earp, Wyatt Berry Stapp & Nicholas Porter Earp. Autograph Endorsement Signed "W.S. Earp" as Constable, on the verso of a partly-printed Document Accomplished and Signed by "N.P. Earp," as Justice of the Peace, Lamar, Missouri, July 22, 1870, 2 pp, 5 x 8½ in. Edges are a bit frayed and some overall toning, else fine. A subpoena listing witnesses to be served in the case of the state vs. Theodore Edwards, Samuel Jones and Joseph Graham. On the recto, Justice of the Peace N.P. Earp (1813-1907), who was Wyatt Earp's father and the patriarch of the Earp clan, filled in the details and the names of the seven individuals ordered to appear before the Justice of the Peace, "to testify on the trial of a case." On the verso, Wyatt Earp reports that "I have served the within subpoena upon the within Names mentioned by Reading the same to them this July 22 1870.W.S. Earp, Const." The docket is also by Wyatt Earp : "State of Mo. / Edwards others / Justice fees 35 / constable fees 2.00." The constable fees took some thought; he marked through two attempts before settling on his fee. This document, signed by the young Earp and his father, is one of the earliest extant Wyatt Earp documents.
Less than a year after signing this document, Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was the subject of two lawsuits and an arrest warrant for horse theft. He fled Missouri and all three cases were eventually dismissed. Whether or not Earp hunted buffalo between 1871-74 is difficult to determined, but he is known to have been arrested a couple of times for "keeping and being found in a house of ill-fame." As was often the case, the line was blurred between lawfulness and lawlessness, and in April 1875, Earp became a deputy in the Wichita marshall's office.
In addition to being a law officer at various times and places (including Dodge City 1878-79), Earp tried many occupations, including buffalo hunter, saloon keeper, gambler, real estate speculator, and miner. He gained fame for his part in the celebrated gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona on October 26, 1881, which pitted Wyatt, his brothers Virgil and Morgan and Doc Holliday against Ike Clanton and his gang, three of whom were killed during the fight. Earp's fame was helped along by Stuart N. Lake's romanticized version of his life, Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal (1931) and by various movies, TV shows, and other biographies. Through the years, Earp has evolved into an iconic figure of the American West.
Estimated Value $20,000 - 30,000.
Christie's, June 14, 2005, lot 284, realized $18,000.
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