Neville Chamberlain's Final Letter as Prime Minister Leads Remarkable Rarities Auction
Autograph letter signed by Neville Chamberlain on the day of his resignation as Prime Minister, May 10, 1940
An autograph letter signed by Neville Chamberlain on the day of his resignation as Prime Minister, May 10, 1940, is joined by ephemera linked to Lincoln's assassination, and letters by Mozart and Beethoven at RR Auction's Remarkable Rarities auction.
The letter, written amid the turmoil of Nazi Germany's invasion of France, captures the final moments of Chamberlain's premiership. Marked "Personal" to newspaper magnate Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Chamberlain reflected on his decision not to resign immediately, citing the war’s demands and the ongoing battle. The letter, written on the day he resigned, offers rare insight into his thoughts during the critical hours leading to his exit, as well as the political transition to Churchill’s leadership during the war.
Other highlights include:
* a collection of artifacts linked to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln including an original wanted poster offering a $100,000 reward for John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices, plus an original playbill from Ford’s Theatre on the night of Lincoln’s assassination
* a rare handwritten letter from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to his father dated October 17, 1777, from Augsburg, discussing his search for a more lucrative position and expressing his thoughts on local music
* a signed letter from Ludwig van Beethoven with a handwritten musical quotation from Friedrich von Matthisson's Opferlied (Song of Sacrifice), written a few days before departing for convalescence in Baden in 1825
* rare handwritten notes on relativity theory, circa 1912–1915, by Albert Einstein featuring mathematical formulas and diagrams
Online bidding for the auction has begun and will culminate with a live event in Boston on September 28
