University Archives' Oct. 18 Online Auction features Items Signed by History's Brightest Luminaries

2024-05-03 10:13:23 Art & Entertainment

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Wilton, CT, Oct 4, 2023 -- Two items signed by renowned physicist Albert Einstein (a typed letter signed and a signed photograph), a four-page autograph letter from 1794 signed by First Lady Martha Washington mentioning her husband as ?the President?, and a first edition copy of black slave and poet Phillis Wheatley?s 1773 book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, are just a few of the many desirable and highly collectible items up for bid in University Archives? online-only auction planned for Wednesday, October 18th.

The Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Sports Memorabilia auction will start promptly at 11 am Eastern time. All 430 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now ? on the University Archives website: www.UniversityArchives.com ? as well as on Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

?Our October auction offers an outstanding opportunity to acquire the exact historical item you are looking for,? said John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. ?We have it all, from historical documents, autographed material, rare books, photographs, and artwork, to ephemera, relics, and sports memorabilia. The sale is particularly strong in U.S. Presidential & First Families, Early America and Science.?

Mr. Reznikoff added, ?We created a subgrouping within the Science category inspired by Christopher Nolan?s film Oppenheimer, including numerous items related to Physics, World War II and the Atomic Age. Items are signed by Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman and Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project. We hope everyone can join us on the 18th.?

Lot 395 is a one-page typed letter in English signed by Albert Einstein dated November 3, 1942, discussing the influence of Johannes Kepler on Einstein?s research into his Special and General Theories of Relativity. Einstein?s hypothesis that light and space curve was based on Kepler?s observations that planetary orbits were elliptical. The letter should command $25,000-$35,000. An aside: the Scottish actor Tom Conti plays Albert Einstein in the movie Oppenheimer.

Lot 396 is a photograph of Albert Einstein taken by Herman Landshoff and later used for the 15-cent U.S. stamp commemorating Einstein?s 100th birthday in 1979. The photo is boldly signed by Einstein (as ?Albert Einstein 47?) along the lower margin. It is expected to gavel for $20,000-$30,000.

Lot 397 is a double-sided scientific manuscript in the hand of Richard Feynman, illustrating how a computer program can approximate a solution to a differential equation using Runge-Kutta methods. Both pages also include flow diagrams and a numbered sequence of computer commands (est. $9,000-$10,000). Richard Feynman is played by Jack Quaid in Oppenheimer.

First Ladies Martha Washington, Rachel Jackson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan are highlighted in the October sale. Lot 150 is a four-page autograph letter signed by First Lady Martha Washington written on February 15, 1794 in Philadelphia, referring to her husband three times, as the ?President.? Martha Washington letters are especially rare in the private sector. This example is particularly rich in textual references to Washington. The letter has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

Lot 212 is a first edition copy (Stoddard?s Edition 1) of Phillis Wheatley?s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, by Phillis Wheatley, Negro Servant to Mr. John Wheatley, of Boston, in New England (London: A. Bell, Bookseller, 1773). The book is from the personal collection of John C. Shields, a college professor and Wheatley scholar (est. $20,000-$30,000).

Lot 247 is a Dutch land grant signed by Director-General Peter Stuyvesant on April 16, 1654, granting a freehold in what is today?s Manhattan Financial District, just steps away from Wall Street. The land grant, to Cornelis van Ruijven, corresponded to part of a sheep pasture located near the Broad Canal, or ?Heere Gracht,? an important trade route and waterway built by free and enslaved Dutch and African laborers in today?s heart of Lower Manhattan (est. $20,000-$30,000).

Lot 244 is a check signed by Polish Jewish ?migr? Haym Salomon, one of the most elusive of all the Founding Fathers, considered by some even more uncommon than Button Gwinnett. Salomon, along with other Patriot financiers, helped fund the Continental Army; he signed this Revolutionary War-dated check promising him 656 livres tournois (est. $18,000-$20,000).

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.

For more information about University Archives and the online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Sports Memorabilia auction scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th at 11 am Eastern time, please visit www.universityarchives.com. Updates are posted frequently.