Martin Luther, Beethoven and Elizabeth I Lead Autographs Auction

RR Auction's upcoming Fine Autographs and Artifacts sale running to August 14 features a collection of letters, documents, and manuscripts signed by some of history's most influential thinkers and leaders.

Highlights include a signed letter by Martin Luther, an extensive, well-preserved document addressed to Georg Buchholzer, Provost of St. Nikolai in Berlin. Dated circa September 1, 1543, it discusses Buchholzer’s altercation with court preacher Johann Agricola regarding the treatment of local Jews (estimate: $250,000).

Elsewhere there is an autograph letter by Ludwig van Beethoven dated April 22, 1816, and addressed to Anton Pachler, seeking advice on a house appraisal in Vienna. It is complemented by a carte-de-visite–type portrait of the composer and an export certificate from the French Ministry of Culture (estimate: $60,000). A two-page document signed by astronomer Johannes Kepler from circa August/September 1628, authorizes the bearer to attend the Steyr Iron Corporation's committee hearing (estimate: $60,000).

The auction also features a magnificent, triple-signed indenture by Queen Elizabeth I. This vellum manuscript, dated August 24, 1562, details the exchange of lands between the crown and Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. The document retains a substantial fragment of its Great Seal in white wax and is archivally mounted and framed (estimate: $50,000) 

Other highlights include:

• an Albert Einstein letter discussing his Unified Field Theory (estimate: $35,000)
• four letters from Ernest Hemingway to his close friend Guy Hickok, offering his thoughts on writing, drinking, and travel (estimate: $25,000)
• a Martin Luther King, Jr signed photograph from the Montgomery bus boycott era (estimate: $20,000)
• George Washington's letter to William Thornton, architect of the United States Capitol, concerning construction on Capitol Hill (estimate: $20,000)
• Abraham Lincoln's Civil War-dated letter addressing the case of a Maryland volunteer under sentence of death for desertion (estimate: $20,000)

The auction also includes a section of Hollywood contracts signed by stars such as Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Grace Kelly, and Bela Lugosi.