Results from Swann's Americana/Ocean Liner Memorabilia Sale
New York—Swann Galleries’ December 1 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana / Ocean Liner Memorabilia saw an unusually high number of registered bidders. The American Revolution and Civil War sections of the Americana sale attracted the strongest interest, and led to some impressive results.
Rick Stattler, Americana Specialist at Swann, said, “The sale as a whole featured 364 registered bidders, an almost unprecedented number at Swann, but then the 711 lots on offer also approached Swann’s record for a single-day sale. Even more than usual for an Americana auction, the Revolution and Civil War sections seemed to attract the strongest interest. The collection featured several important manuscript and archival lots, which did well almost without exception.”
The sale’s top lot was a large archive of the papers of Brigadier General Joseph Dwight, who led Massachusetts troops during King George’s War. The bulk of this collection consisted of letters addressed to Dwight from his subordinate officers from the summer of 1746 through early 1748. It brought $24,000*.
Also selling for $24,000 was the first newspaper printing of the Bill of Rights, which appeared in the Gazette of the United States, New York, 3 October 1789.
Of the 20 top lots, most went to dealers, some of them likely acting as agents for other parties. Collectors did take four of the top lots directly, most notably an April 1776 edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense for $16,800 and a 1697 first edition of Hennepin’s Nouvelle Decouverte d'un Tres Grand Pays situé dans l'Amerique for $10,200.
Two important lots were won by institutions: a group of letters by Socialist leader Eugene Debs went to Indiana State University for $6,720; and a large collection of Muhlenberg family correspondence from the 1820s and 1830s went to Dickinson College in Pennsylvania for the same price.
A scarce and important 1872 album of California photographs by Thomas Houseworth, estimated at $2,000 to $3000 due to condition problems, nonetheless brought $21,600 in a fierce battle between eight telephone bidders.
Record-setting lots included a beautiful four-volume set of Theodore Roosevelt’s Winning of the West, brought $9,600, easily breaking the previous record of $6,600; Ethan Smith’s A View of the Hebrews, which appears infrequently at auction, sold for $1,200, with the previous record being $180 in 1983; and a signed set of Shelby Foote’s trilogy The Civil War: A Narrative brought $1,020, and no other work by the author had ever topped $330 before at auction.
Generating the most interest among the Ocean Liner Memorabilia section of the sale were lots related to the Titanic. Among these were a deck plan of first-class accommodations, December 1911, $7,200; and a landing or custom card issued to Mrs. Cassebeer onboard the Carpathia after being rescued from the Titanic at sea, 10 April 1912, $6,240.
For complete results, an illustrated catalogue (with prices realized on request) is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. Catalogue and prices are also available online at www.swanngalleries.com.
For further information, and to propose consignments to upcoming Americana auctions, please contact Rick Stattler by telephone at (212) 254-4710, extension 27, or email: rstattler@swanngalleries.com.
*All prices include buyer’s premium.
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Rick Stattler, Americana Specialist at Swann, said, “The sale as a whole featured 364 registered bidders, an almost unprecedented number at Swann, but then the 711 lots on offer also approached Swann’s record for a single-day sale. Even more than usual for an Americana auction, the Revolution and Civil War sections seemed to attract the strongest interest. The collection featured several important manuscript and archival lots, which did well almost without exception.”
The sale’s top lot was a large archive of the papers of Brigadier General Joseph Dwight, who led Massachusetts troops during King George’s War. The bulk of this collection consisted of letters addressed to Dwight from his subordinate officers from the summer of 1746 through early 1748. It brought $24,000*.
Also selling for $24,000 was the first newspaper printing of the Bill of Rights, which appeared in the Gazette of the United States, New York, 3 October 1789.
Of the 20 top lots, most went to dealers, some of them likely acting as agents for other parties. Collectors did take four of the top lots directly, most notably an April 1776 edition of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense for $16,800 and a 1697 first edition of Hennepin’s Nouvelle Decouverte d'un Tres Grand Pays situé dans l'Amerique for $10,200.
Two important lots were won by institutions: a group of letters by Socialist leader Eugene Debs went to Indiana State University for $6,720; and a large collection of Muhlenberg family correspondence from the 1820s and 1830s went to Dickinson College in Pennsylvania for the same price.
A scarce and important 1872 album of California photographs by Thomas Houseworth, estimated at $2,000 to $3000 due to condition problems, nonetheless brought $21,600 in a fierce battle between eight telephone bidders.
Record-setting lots included a beautiful four-volume set of Theodore Roosevelt’s Winning of the West, brought $9,600, easily breaking the previous record of $6,600; Ethan Smith’s A View of the Hebrews, which appears infrequently at auction, sold for $1,200, with the previous record being $180 in 1983; and a signed set of Shelby Foote’s trilogy The Civil War: A Narrative brought $1,020, and no other work by the author had ever topped $330 before at auction.
Generating the most interest among the Ocean Liner Memorabilia section of the sale were lots related to the Titanic. Among these were a deck plan of first-class accommodations, December 1911, $7,200; and a landing or custom card issued to Mrs. Cassebeer onboard the Carpathia after being rescued from the Titanic at sea, 10 April 1912, $6,240.
For complete results, an illustrated catalogue (with prices realized on request) is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, Inc., 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. Catalogue and prices are also available online at www.swanngalleries.com.
For further information, and to propose consignments to upcoming Americana auctions, please contact Rick Stattler by telephone at (212) 254-4710, extension 27, or email: rstattler@swanngalleries.com.
*All prices include buyer’s premium.
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