Edgar Allan Poe letter sells for more than $164,000 at auction


A rare letter written by Edgar Allan Poe, sold last night for $164,520 according to Amherst, NH-based auction house RR Auction.

The one page letter, dated October 20, 1837, to a noted writer Sarah Josepha Hale, Boston, Mass. In part: “I was somewhat astonished to day at receiving a letter addressed to ‘W. G. Simms Esqr, Editor of the S. L. Messenger,’ and hesitated about my right to open it, until I reflected that, in forwarding it to Mr S., I should place him in a similar dilemma. I therefore broke the seal — but the address, even within, was ‘W. G. Simms.’ I could arrive, therefore, at no other conclusion than that, by some miss apprehension, you have imagined Mr S. to be actually Editor of the Messenger, altho’ I wrote you, but lately, in that capacity myself.

In the remarkable, lengthy letter, Poe refuses to compromise the integrity of his work for ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ writer Sarah Josepha Hale: “to send you a crude or hastily written article would be injurious to me, and an insult to yourself.”

Poe was hired as the assistant editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, Virginia, in 1835, but was fired after only a few weeks after his boss caught him drunk on the job. He was reinstated after promising good behavior and was soon made editor of the journal. Poe remained with the Messenger until January 1837, over which time he published a number of poems, book reviews, and stories in the paper. These included his short stories ‘Berenice’ and ‘Morella,’ as well as installments of his only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879) had recently been hired to edit Godey’s Lady’s Book at the time of her correspondence. Poe had attended West Point with her son, David Hale, Jr., in the early 1830s. Her request for a “prose article” for publication in Godey’s was not untoward, given that other literary lights such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Washington Irving were all contributors, and Poe later wrote a number of pieces for the magazine. Hale remained the editor of the publication for forty years, retiring at almost 90 years old.

“A literary gem, this choice letter to another leading literary figure of the period, is exceptional both in its unusual length and content, “ said Bobby Livingston, VP at RR Auction.

Further highlights include, but are not limited to:

·      An extremely scarce James Bowie handwritten document, sold for $65,048.

·      A letter written by folk hero Davy Crockett, sold for $47,652.

·      An extremely scarce signed portrait of Sitting Bull, sold for $29,005.

·      A collection of three related documents, signed by William Barret Travis, sold for $26,895.

2012
05/17
CATEGORY
Alamo Auction
Autograph auction
Autographs
Bill White
Bob Eaton
Bobby Livingston
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RR Autograph Auction Announces Historic 2012 Space and Aviation Autograph and Artifact Auction


 

RR Auction Space and Aviation Preview

RRAuction is pleased to announce its popular Space and Aviation Autograph and Artifact Auction, scheduled to take place from May 17th to May 23rd, 2012. This massive auction of over 650 premiere lots of historic space and aviation memorabilia and artifacts follows the company’s successful and record breaking Space Artifact Auction from 2011. That sale realized record setting prices for Robbins medallions, flown space artifacts, and select, high-end autographed material from the Golden Age of aviation and space exploration.

“The global interest and appeal of classic space and aviation material continues to grow exponentially,” said Bobby Livingston, Vice President, Sales & Marketing for RRAuction. “We are proud to be able to offer some of the finest and most interesting artifacts available — with something for every collector, and across all price categories. This sale offers collectors a breadth and depth of material unavailable anywhere else on the market today, and it represents a rare chance to acquire truly unique, museum quality pieces.”

The sale includes an amazing selection of early aviation items, including a stunning and exceedingly rare, handwritten letter by Wilbur Wright from 1910 to a student pilot discussing their “new machines” which “are much steadier in strong winds and easier to control than the older ones.” Seldom seen and in-demand aviation artifacts from World War II are also represented, with one-of-a-kind vintage patches, autographs, and an amazing assemblage of original fighter pilot flight jackets, including jackets from such famed aviators as James W. Ayers, Robert Cardenas, and Frank K. “Pete” Everest.

Other early aviation items include a remarkable and historically significant autographed note by Charles Lindbergh pleading with reporters the morning after his son’s kidnapping: “Due to the fact that our roads are blocked and communication made extremely difficult under present circumstances, I am asking that everyone leave our farm;” a huge, flown 32”x19.5” piece of glazed aircraft fabric, replete with a large Balkankreuz from one of the fighter aircraft of Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Red Baron himself; and a historic, 12”x8” American flag flown with the legendary Howard Hughes on his world-record breaking “Around the World Flight” in July of 1938.

While the selection of early aviation items is, indeed, impressive, some of the major highlights of this historic sale can be found within the hundreds of generously illustrated and accurately described and authenticated lots of rare space artifacts, autographs, and manuscripts.  Said Livingston: “With the U.S. no longer capable of sending a human being into space, there is a huge, global interest in acquiring vintage flown and training material from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs – arguable the golden age of U.S. manned space flight.”

Of particular note and interest are U.S. Naval Academy items directly from the Alan Shepard estate. Original items from Shepard, the first American into space, and a moonwalker and Commander on Apollo 14, are extremely rare and hard to come-by, especially with such impeccable provenance and from so early in his career. Items from the estate include Shepard’s United States Naval Academy Battalion Pass Book, signed a total of 38 times by Shepard; a large assortment of personal gear and clothing issued to and worn by Shepard while at the Naval Academy; a massive collection of approximately 52 letters and a telegrams sent to Shepard by female “love interests;” and Shepard’s personally-owned and worn Navy hat and jacket.

“Of course, space flown artifacts – whether actually used during the mission or part of an astronauts Personal Preference Kit, or PPK — are the rarest and mostly highly prized of vintage-era artifacts,” said Livingston. This auction presents a generous number of moon flown flags, patches, and Robbins medallions across multiple missions – including a Robbins medallion from each of the fabled manned Apollo missions.

Some representative highlights from the hundreds of vintage space artifact lots include:

  • A flown, 100+ page complete pilot’s log book from the Gemini 5 mission, with extensive in-flight writing and mission commentary from Gemini 5 pilot Pete Conrad;
  • A 6”x4” American flag flown on the historic Apollo 11 mission, and attached to an official NASA certificate with an authentic Neil Armstrong signature;
  • A flown Apollo 11 Robbins medallion from the former collection of Apollo 12 moonwalker Alan Bean, as well as an extremely rare Apollo 12 “Wives-pin” Robbins medallion with diamond stud and pin-back.
  • A lunar surface flown Apollo 15 Lunar Rover commemorative license plate that was carried by mission commander Dave Scott for over 17 miles across the lunar surface;
  • An incredible, large flown lunar module stowage bag from the Apollo 15 mission stained with lunar dust from the Hadley-Apennine region of the moon;
  • A lunar surface flown and used circular star chart from the Apollo 16 mission to the Descarte Highlands; and
  • A rare and complete Apollo 17 flown tool kit, believed to be the last complete tool set in existence and available for private collectors!

There are also a host of rare and vintage training used hardware and documentation, including a scarce Block II Command Module Rotational Hand Controller; an absolutely one-of-a-kind Apollo Lunar Module water loop designed to go from space suit to the console in the Lunar Module; and an amazing, 46 page complete Apollo 13 Command Service Module Data Systems training manual, signed and certified by Fred Haise, the Apollo 13 lunar module pilot.

Additionally, this auction features a shop-tested “modular servicing tool” (aka – “screwdriver”) used during training for the STS-41C Solar Max repair mission. The importance of this device and shuttle mission cannot be understated, as no one in human history had retrieved an orbiting satellite, repaired it, and redeployed it in the same mission. This training tool was integral in making that mission possible.

Collectors of original contractor models will not be disappointed, either. Among many of the contractor rocket and satellite models, this auction will present an original, museum built ¼ scale precision model of a 1961 Mercury Redstone capsule. The massive and detailed model, measuring 38” long with a 23” diameter base, includes a highly detailed Mercury astronaut  in full spacesuit, with hands on the controls and a large instrument panel.

And an RRAuction would not be complete without hundreds of originally signed photos, letters, and manuscripts. Of particular note, is a fascinating and vast personal archive from Apollo 15 Astronaut Jim Irwin, including 80 handwritten pages and notes for his book which describe in detail his moonwalk, the space craft design, the Apollo 15 cover scandal, and multiple other interesting topics.

“This auction truly is an aviation and space enthusiast’s dream-come-true, with some of the most amazing lots of authentic and vintage material we’ve ever offered,” said Livingston. “Obviously, there are too many lots to list in a single press release. It will be exciting to watch the market’s reaction to this incredible material when the auction goes online!”

For more information on additional lots, including how to order a catalog and bid online, please go to the RRAuction website at www.rrauction.com. Or contact Bobby Livingston at bl@rrauction.com.

2012
05/03
CATEGORY
Authentication
Autograph auction
Bob Eaton
Bobby Livingston
Dave Scott
NASA
Scott Cornish
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RR Auction Titanic Artifact and Autograph Auction Video


We are very pleased that Titanic authority David Christensen appears in this video with RR Auction owner Bob Eaton.

Our 100th Anniversary Titanic offering has been generating massive press attention, some of which we have shared below.

 

 

2012
04/09
CATEGORY
Bob Eaton
Bobby Livingston
Titanic
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RR Auction Autograph Auction 100th Anniversary Titanic Event


On March 23rd, one month before the 100th Anniversary of the RMS Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage, RR Auction is offering the public the opportunity to bid on a vast array of recovered relics and signed memorabilia relating to one of the grandest—and most infamous—vessels to ever succumb to the sea.  These surviving items convey the astonishing legacy of not only the ship that epitomized the very meaning of opulence, luxury, and stability in the early 20th century, but her passengers as well; the individuals whose names would forever became synonymous with the most devastating peacetime maritime disaster in history.

Among the pre-sinking offerings is a letter from Bruce Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line and the driving force behind the creation of the Titanic. Dated January 25, 1910, the business mogul wrote of his plans for an “A la Carte restaurant on board the White Star steamers ‘Olympic’ and ‘Titanic,’” an amenity perfectly in line with his lofty vision. Ismay was one of the most prestigious survivors of the wreck, and met with great hostility as fingers pointed the heavy burden of blame in his direction.

An extremely rare and desirable letter from Wallace Hartley, the steadfast bandleader who, along with his quintet, played on for the entirety of the great ship’s last hours, was written on Titanic stationery to his parents, talking about his fellow band members and what a great gig they had landed. The famed and beautifully detailed silk Kimono worn by Lady Duff-Gordon as she was lowered to safety in a lifeboat has remained in tact over the last century, as has one of only three letters known to exist from the legendary Captain William Murdoch, penned on the fourth of July, 1909, while serving as the first officer aboard the RMS Adriatic, drafted on beautifully embossed White Star On Board R.M.S. Adriatic letterhead.

And then there are the items recovered from the wreckage in 1912: an original fragment of the Titanic’s aft grand staircase, which was within frightening proximity of the exact location the ship broke in two; an 18 karat gold collar stud, recovered from the body of first class passenger, Austin Partner, and returned to his family; and a nostalgic locket, recovered from the body of George Dunton Widener’s valet, Edward Herbert Keeping, within weeks of the tragedy, which has been displayed in Swedish museum for a number of years.

The auction also features post-sinking items, including a pay slip documenting payment and bonus for a crewman who survived the sinking, as well as a variety of letters written by the survivors in the immediate aftermath, expressing sentiments of joy, relief, and a deep gratitude to simply be alive.

In spite of the number of Titanic auctions commemorating the centennial, including one, in which an entire lot of items recovered from the seabed is being offered at a starting bid of $189 million, RR Auction’s collection is making readily available individual artifacts that were salvaged from the sea the very night of the sinking. Regarding the multi-million dollar offering, Titanic historian, Craig Sopin attests that “there are a lot of restrictions. The buyer has to buy the entire collection, have a conservation lab, and they have to be approved by US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia. They are only offering things from the seabed, not pre or post sinking, and many items are not in perfect condition.”

“This is certainly the largest market driver I have ever seen,” says Sopin. “Titanic is now fresh again on everyone’s mind, so there’s going to be a lot of competition for anyone to own a piece of it.” This historic assemblage will be available for bidding starting March 23, and will conclude April 18. For details, go to rrauction.com.

2012
03/28
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Bill White
Bob Eaton
Titanic
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AMHERST, NH – RR Auction announces their first Civil War auction on March 15. This compelling array offers an intensely comprehensive look into some of the key figures in our country’s most bloody conflict; letters, photos, and exemplary artifacts meld together to tell the harrowing story of our nation’s most defining war. Esteemed notables such as Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, “Stonewall” Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Mary Todd Lincoln, and the assassin who sealed the crushing, woeful fate of one of America’s most beloved presidents, John Wilkes Booth, have all been drawn together, once again, to tell their story.

While the nation watched, helpless and desperate, as countless sons and daughters were swallowed up by the atrocities of war, tragedy of the starkest kind struck the White House; Willie Lincoln succumbed to typhoid fever. Devastation overcame the Lincolns, and, accompanied by its black-bordered mailing envelope, addressed in Mary Todd’s own hand and free-franked by president “A. Lincoln,” the First Lady expresses the overwhelming grip that has clutched her family in a letter dated May 5, 1862: “…Our own afflictions, are so overwhelming my Husband and myself are so crushed and sorrowful, that we can well sympathize with those who mourn, our hearts can go out, towards those who weep…” With this letter, she includes a photo of her deceased son, the three items providing a heart-wrenching collection hailing directly from one of the Lincoln’s darkest hours.

 

After the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, the nation was plunged head-long into the grueling war between the states. Just six days after that fateful attack, Jefferson Davis, the newly-appointed Provisional President of the Confederate States, writes in gratitude on April 18, 1861, acknowledging the support of South Carolina’s leading role as the first secessionist state: “I have the pleasure of receiving your letter of the 9th inst enclosing a copy of a Resolution, passed by the Convention of the people of South Carolina.”

 

The greatest military tactician of the Civil War, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, exacted his terror on Union forces through this very battle order, dispatched to General Richard Ewell, stating, “This will place you within two days march of either Swift Run Gap or Fisherville Gap. You had better have five days rations with you…The move in Fredericksburg was probably designed to prevent reinforcements being sent to me.” This genius maneuver enabled Ewell to mislead Union forces, allowing for Jackson’s undetected strike on the unsuspecting Yankee troops, resulting in Jackson’s first victory of the campaign.

As the creation of carte-de-visite photographs emerged during the Civil War era, people became obsessed with collecting those of presidents and other celebrities, making the acquisition and display of such images an immensely popular phenomenon. Robert E. Lee, Commanding Officer of all Confederate forces, made a practice of mainly signing half-bust carte-de-visite photos of himself, rarely ever laying a pen to full-length portraits. But the general made an exception, signing a larger, oval Vannerson image, featuring a rare, full pose of Lee in dress uniform and presentation sword, which he signed “R. E. Lee” for the admiring ladies of Baltimore, Maryland. Another exceptional photo, a traditional carte-de-visite widely heralded as one of the greatest of the president, captures Lincoln seated at a table with a copy of the Washington Daily Morning Chronicle in hand, boldly signed, “A. Lincoln,” compliments of skilled photographer, Alexander Gardner.

John Wilkes Booth, the ultimate performer, both on and off stage, pens a gorgeously large and florid signature on a letter written to Joseph Simonds, a man who would later be implicated as an unkowing partner in a Lincoln kidnapping plot. Speaking of his current theatre tour in November of 1861, Booth reference’s Lincoln’s favorite actress, Maggie Mitchell: “After here Monday night, 25th, they count high on me but I am doubtful as to my success. Maggie Mitchel [sic] is playing a good engagement here.” Booth made no attempts to hide his vehement disdain for Lincoln and his war on slavery, and after carrying out the heinous assassination on April 14,1865, he took his performance to the stage of the Ford Theatre, exclaiming “Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged!”

 

This exceptional arrangement of Confederate and Union memorabilia, including pieces from George Custer, J. E. B. Stuart, William T. Sherman, and George B. McClellan, plus an array of uncommon Civil War-era weapons and other artifacts will be available for bidding starting March 15, and will conclude March 22. For details, go to rrauction.com.

 

 

 

2012
03/16
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Autographs
Bob Eaton
Bobby Livingston
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The DIsney Contract that led to Disneyland


The print edition of the Los Angeles Times carried a story about the Walt Disney contract we have available in the auction that ends today. Unquestionably ahead of his times, Walt uses the new medium of television to break away from the declining studio system and gets ABC to finance Disneyland to boot. The whole story is told with this very contract.  By the way, the first show delivered from this deal was Davy Crockett, starring Fess Parker. History shows it was a smash and that the entertainment industry has never been the same.

2012
03/14
CATEGORY
Bobby Livingston
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Raves for R&R Auction’s Civil War autographs


 

We are proud to be on the front page of Ohio’s finest newspaper! Read the entire article about Mary Todd Lincoln here.

2012
03/05
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Autographs
Bobby Livingston
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Gigantic Presley standee of ‘The King’ in his iconic gold lame suit


Gigantic Presley standee of ‘The King’ with Bill White

2012
02/15
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Autographs
Bill White
Elvis Presley
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The Auction Heard ‘Round The World


RR Auction is pleased to announce their first American Patriots auction. This stunning assemblage of letters and relics come straight from the very hands that birthed our nations’ freedom on July 4, 1776, as John Hancock, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin and 53 other delegates signed the formal copy of the Declaration of Independence, on August 2, 1776 nearly a month after the First Continental Congress approved the official document. Boasting over 40 of the 56 signers, including three notoriously scarce individuals like George Taylor, Thomas Nelson, Jr., and the most obscure of all, Thomas Lynch, Jr., the American Patriots auction will breathe fresh life into the revolution, once again honoring the congressmen, delegates, generals, and soldiers who laid the foundation for our nation as we know it.

On March 1, 1776, Thomas Lynch, Jr. penned a florid letter on behalf of this father, Thomas Lynch, Sr., a South Carolinian delegate to the First Continental Congress. As a result a cerebral hemorrhage, Lynch’s father was rendered paralyzed; Lynch was forced to take leave of his post in the South Carolina militia, assuming his father’s place as the 52nd declaration signer. Lynch’s overwhelming scarcity was made destiny by an ill-fated sea voyage he and his wife would embark on in 1779, never to be heard from again. His library and estate was scattered, destroyed, and lost, making this unlikely signer the most invaluable, even in comparison to Button Gwinnet; this 1776 handwritten letters represents only one of three known to exist.

Virginia delegate, Thomas Nelson, Jr., who has been categorized as “very rare” in Kenneth W. Rendell’s, History Comes to Life, provides a lengthy piece of correspondence, brimming with information concerning the deliberations of the First Continental Congress, penned on February 18, 1775, exactly two months before the British would unleash their fury upon the shores of Massachusetts.

Also falling under Rendell’s “very rare” category is last minute signer, Pennsylvania signer, George Taylor.  This war-dated letter, written on the 18th of November, 1780, provides a first-hand look at Taylor’s ironwork business, a trade that won him a contract with the Pennsylvania’s Committee of Safety, making him the first ironmaster to provide cannon shot to the Continental Army. This letter is only the second letter known to ever appear in auction, qualifying its insurmountable scarcity.

An impeccably-preserved and magnificently scarce set of six silver spoons, crafted by none other than the Midnight Rider himself, have stood the test of time and, after 220 years, remained steadfastly together. One of the most celebrated and sought-after silversmiths of his time, Revere personally crafted this set for the prominent Boston couple, Daniel and Mary Turner Sargent. This original set heralds from the prized collection of noted silversmith and Revere collector, George Gebelein, who first came into possession of the collection in 1938.

An exceptionally uncommon letter from Thomas Jefferson to President George Washington dated February 17, 1791, concerning expansion of settlements northwest of the Ohio during the Northwest Indian Wars. Any correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and President Washington still in private hands, especially referencing the very fibers of the nation’s territorial acquisitions, is of the utmost rarity.

 

Other offerings of paramount rarity include General George Washington’s prized map, outlining the Theater of War northeast of the Delaware River, illustrating the critical victories at Trenton and Princeton from December 26, 1776 through January 3, 1777, remains in remarkably clear condition, as does his September 11, 1799 letter concerning the purchase of materials used for the construction of the nation’s capitol, Federal City. Martha Washington’s uncommon correspondence to her favorite niece, Fannie Bassett, dated October 18, 1794, provides a substantial example of the First Lady’s hand.

 

This specialized collection, also including an entirely handwritten financial account of New Hampshire delegate, Josiah Bartlett’s, compensation for signing the Declaration; an ironically hopeful letter from John Andre, penned just a month before his execution after being captured as a spy; a riveting letter from Colonel Azor Orne, the man who exclaimed, “The Troops are now landing at Charlestown from Boston,” and many, many more desirable signatures and relics, will be available for bidding January 27. For details, go to rrauction.com.

2012
02/07
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Autographs
Bob Eaton
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RR Auction visits NYC to promote our January Music Auction


We recently made a quick trip to New York City where we met with original Beatles bass player Stuart Sutcliffe’s sister Pauline.

She has consigned several fabulous items of her brothers. One is a fantastic 4 page letter written from Hamburg mentioning Stuart’s desire to have Beatles manager Alan Williams put together an art show for him to Liverpool. There also also amazing sketches and paintings by the tragic Beatle.

The next day we were invited to Time Square where we did television appearance at the NASDAQ. Live television is always a challenge!

Check everything out at www.rrauction.com

2012
01/03
CATEGORY
Autograph auction
Autographs
Beatles Auction
Bob Eaton
Bobby Livingston
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