Items Signed By Past Us Presidents, Picasso To Be Auctioned By University Archives, October 30

By Author: John Reznikoff
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A complete set of presidential signatures from Washington to Obama, two items signed by Babe Ruth (one graded GEM MT 10), an autograph letter in French signed by Pablo Picasso (PSA/DNA graded GEM MT 10), and a contract signed by both John Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon will all come up for bid in University Archives’ online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction on Wednesday, October 30th, beginning at 10 am Eastern time.

All 491 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now on the newly redesigned University Archives website – www.UniversityArchives.com – as well as LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

“One of the marquee items in our October 30th auction is Lot 89, a highly unique and once-in-a-lifetime set of presidential signatures from George Washington to Barack Obama, all signed as President, from 1789 to 2010,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives, adding that the museum-quality collection comes from a Dallas, Texas gentleman.

Mr. Reznikoff said the signed presidents ...
... set joins a great volume of exceptional presidential autographed material from other consignors. “A timely assortment up for auction just a few weeks ahead of the 2024 United States presidential election,” he said. Outstanding items of historical interest from the Science, World Leaders, Civil Rights, Religion, Art & Music, Aviation & Space, History & Military, and Sports categories will also pass the auction block.

The Washington-to-Obama set of presidential signatures consists of autograph letters signed, typed letters signed and signed letters, along with a variety of signed documents, all signed as President. There are very few complete sets of Presidential autographs signed as President, due mainly to the scarcity of William Henry Harrison pieces, as he served just one month in office.

Many of these sets reside in institutions and will never be offered to the public. It is likely that fewer than a dozen such sets exist in private hands, this one being one of the very best. In this way, a set of Presidential autographs signed as President is scarcer than a set of autographs from the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The pre-sale estimate is $400,000-$500,000.

Lot 489 is a Babe Ruth signed ticket for the “R.I. Independent Amateur Softball Championship”, dated Sept. 2-7, 1941, held in East Providence, R.I., graded GEM MT 10 (est. $4,000-$5,000); while lot 488 is a Babe Ruth and Ted Williams signed ticket to a “Bachelor Party” for Crosby Turner, Jr., held in Pawtucket, R.I. on Aug. 13, 1941 and graded NM 7 (est. $3,000-$4,000).

Speaking of Babe Ruth, lot 468 is a 14 inch by 11 inch glossy photograph of George H. W. Bush as captain of the Yale baseball team, greeting Babe Ruth for an on-field ceremony in New Haven, Conn., on June 5, 1948, signed by Bush (“George Bush”) in blue pen (est. $300-$400).

Lot 134 is an autograph letter in French signed by Pablo Picasso, PSA/DNA graded GEM MT 10, on the reverse of a postcard depicting “Paix” [“Peace”], a reproduction of the original color lithograph Picasso produced for a peace conference held in Sweden in July 1958. He mentions his second wife Jacqueline and his children in the June 20, 1960 letter (est. $6,000-$8,000).

Lot 294 is a contract signed by both John Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon, dated Sept. 11, 1975, relating to their production company, Bag Productions, which the couple established in the 1960s and which later produced the 1971 solo album Imagine. The contract outlines terms of ownership of many signed / unsigned lithographs, album covers and colophon pages (est. $5,000-$7,000).

Lot 447 is a 3-page autograph letter in German signed by Albert Einstein in which the scientist explores both his Unified Field Theory and General Relativity. The very long scientific letter, addressed to Einstein’s friend and fellow physicist Cornelius Lanczos, includes 12 equations in Einstein's hand, as well as humorous content relating to Sigmund Freud (est. $40,000-$50,000).

Lot 205 is an archive of 18 autograph letters signed by Hawaiian missionaries, circa 1846-1849. The correspondence written by members of the 8th Company of Missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions includes vivid descriptions of a surfboard and surfing, with pen sketches; volcanic eruptions; and coastal topography (est. $18,000-$30,000).

Lot 121 is an autograph document signed in full by George Washington (as “Mr. George Washington”). The document, dated circa 1773, pertained to a 1751 land survey of 445 acres that Washington had completed over 20 years earlier for a man named Richard Seymour on behalf of Washington’s older half-brother, whose name was Lawrence Washington (est. $12,000-$14,000).

Lot 403 is a one-page manuscript document in Russian boldly signed by Josef Stalin, then a member of the Revolutionary Committee, dated September 9, [1920], and pertaining to military preparedness during the ongoing Polish-Soviet War. In it, Stalin discusses artillery and troop movements in the days leading up to the decisive Battle of Neman River (est. $6,000-$8,000).

Lot 110 is an 8-page advance press copy of a printed speech draft signed by President Harry S. Truman, circa October 30, 1945. In the speech, Truman laid out his position on “reconversion” - the transition from a wartime economy to a peacetime one. Truman urged Americans to harness the spirit of collaboration formed during World War II to address challenges (est. $6,000-$8,000).

Lot 392 is a one-page autograph letter in Gujarati twice signed by Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi wrote his older brother Laxmidas from South Africa on January 22, 1889, inquiring about mutual acquaintances. Gandhi signs the letter formally at the conclusion as “Mohandas Karamchand Pranam” and signs it “Gandhi” when writing out part of his brother’s name (est. $6,000-$7,000).

Lot 332 is a Civil War-dated one-page autograph letter signed by Brigadier General George Custer on April 6, 1864. Custer congratulated Captain R.R. Moffatt for his new “sabre shield” design for cavalry weapons, stating: “I am firm in the belief that the possession of it by our cavalry would give confidence and increases courage to those wearing it.” (est. $6,000-$7,000).

Lot 58 is a military commission signed by President Abraham Lincoln promoting a Connecticut native named Orson H. Hart to the rank of Captain and Assistant Adjutant General of Volunteers in Daniel Sickles’s newly mustered “Excelsior Brigade” of primarily New York-based volunteers. The document, dated May 19, 1862, has a pre-sale estimate of $6,000-$7,000.

Lot 20 is a scarce one-page autograph letter signed by James A. Garfield as President, dated June 15, 1881, just two weeks before he was shot by Charles Guiteau. In the letter, Garfield gives directions to a hotel-owner in the “summer colony” of Long Branch, N.J., where First Lady Lucretia Garfield was recuperating from a bout of malaria, and where Garfield himself later died (est. $5,000-$6,000).

Here is a link to the catalog on the University Archives website: https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/rare-autographs-manuscripts-books_E6Q0WAIS7L

University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.

University Archives’ offices are located at 88 Danbury Road (Suite #2A) in Wilton, Conn. For more information about University Archives and the 491-lot, online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction scheduled for Wednesday, October 30th, starting at 10am Eastern time, please visit www.universityarchives.com. Updates are posted frequently.