Davy Crockett Letter, Presidential Association Copies, Photographs of Egypt: Auction Preview

Image: Chiswick Auctions

Late nineteenth-century photographic view of Egypt from an album offered at Chiswick Auctions in this week's Photographica sale (lot 84).

Here are the sales I'll be keeping an eye on this week:

At Chiswick Auctions on Wednesday, August 7, Photographica, in 319 lots. This sale includes a variety of photographic equipment, as well as some prints. Among these are an album of some 47 views of Egypt and Athens (£1,000–1,500) and an album of thirty late nineteenth-century photographs of Algeria (also estimated at £1,000–1,500).

On Wednesday at University Archives, 572 lots of Rare Autographs, Manuscripts, Books & Americana, including an October 9, 1937 Albert Einstein letter in German to physicist Cornelius Lanczos ($35,000–50,000); an April 9, 1834 Davy Crockett letter to Maine publisher Hiram Favor, criticizing Andrew Jackson's policies ($18,000–24,000); and a November 1961 letter from Lee Harvey Oswald to his brother, written from Russia ($8,000–9,000).

Swann Galleries sells 372 lots of Vintage Posters on Thursday, August 8. Toulouse-Lautrec's 1892 "Ambassadeurs" poster for Aristide Bruant rates the top estimate at $40,000–60,000. Jule Chéret's four decorative panels "Les Arts" (1891) is expected to sell for $12,000–18,000, and Adolphe Mouron Cassandre's "Grand - Sport Casquette" (1925) is estimated at the same range.

At PBA Galleries on Thursday, 532 lots of Americana – Travel – World History – Maps, Prints & Views, including the Jim Hier Collection of U.S. Presidents. A copy of Benjamin Harrison's This Country of Ours (1889), inscribed to his wife: "This first copy from the press, to my wife with my love Benj Harrison Oct 6th 1897" shares the top estimate of $5,000–8,000 with a copy of the October 28, 1881 issue of the Phoenix Herald, containing news of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Quite a few other interesting presidential association copies here.