University Archives’ June 26 Auction Will Feature Einstein, Capone & More

Westport, CT – A letter written and signed by the legendary Kung Fu master Bruce Lee, a bank interest note twice signed by the notorious gangster Al Capone, and a letter typed and signed by Albert Einstein regarding the development and use of the hydrogen bomb are a few of the featured lots in University Archives’ Internet-only auction slated for Wednesday, June 26th.

The auction will begin at 10:30 am Eastern time. Live bidding has already been posted online and bidding is available via Invaluable.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction is packed with rare and highly collectible autographed documents, manuscripts, books, photos and relics – 261 quality lots in all. People can visit the company website at www.UniversityArchives.com.

“Our June sale offers another great opportunity to collectors,” said John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. “Not only does the auction feature the strong American items, but unique foreign material as well. You’ll find autographs from European royalty, revolutionaries, and political influencers from English King Edward IV to the Russian mystic Grigory Rasputin.”

There are several Bruce Lee items up for bid, but the centerpiece lot promises to be the letter Lee wrote and signed in 1966, on Twentieth Century-Fox Television, Inc. stationery, with content relating to The Green Hornet and episodes titled “The Preying Mantis” and “The Hunter and the Hunted.” The letter, addressed to a Mr. Taky Kimura in Seattle, should sell for $15,000-$17,000.

The one-page bank interest note twice-signed by Al Capone (as “Alphons Capone”) is dated Nov. 18, 1926, when Capone was at his infamous peak as a Chicago-based crime boss. The partly printed document is also signed by his mother, Theresa Capone, and his wife, Mae. It’s matted and framed and comes with a photo of Capone holding a cigar (est. $20,000-$24,000).

An extremely rare military checklist signed during the summer of 1475 by England’s King Edward IV, approving a list of men and munitions required for his imminent invasion of France, is expected to reach $35,000-$40,000. The king’s distinctive monogram appears at the top of the first page. The document is displayed alongside Edward IV’s portrait in a double-sided frame.

An equally rare two-page letter inscribed and signed by the French Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), displayed to the right of a color reproduction of Cezanne’s Self-Portrait (1877-1880), in an antiqued gilt frame, carries a pre-sale estimate of $25,000-$30,000. The letter was written in Paris on Nov. 30, 1896; Cezanne’s signature is on the second page.

A one-page letter typed in English and signed by Albert Einstein, regarding “the moral, social and political implications inherent in the construction and use of a Hydrogen Bomb,” typed on Didier, Publishers (N.Y.) letterhead, should fetch $9,000-$10,000. The letter, signed by Einstein on April 19, 1950, is matted and framed and is accompanied by the original transmittal envelope.

Official schedules for President Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy during their fateful visit to Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22, 1963, including Jackie’s signature in initials, is expected to realize $15,000-$17,000. Also, items pertaining to Marilyn Monroe – strands of her hair, a brassiere, two custom blank checks and a color publicity still, all in a shadowbox frame – should bring $5,000-$6,000.

The Rev War-date endorsing signature of Jewish financier Haym Solomon, on a check issued by Robert Morris as Superintendent of Finance, with double-sided portrait and plaque, is estimated at $20,000-$24,000; while a ship passport dated March 15, 1793, signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson regarding the British-seized ship Sampson, should make $10,000-$12,000.

A one-page letter written and signed by French Impressionist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), from his days as a Parisian art student, accompanied by a color print of a self-portrait, has an estimate of $18,000-$20,000. Also, an impressive and large architectural drawing by Frank Lloyd Wright of the Duey Wright House in Wausau, Wisconsin, circa 1957, should command $5,000-$6,000.

A letter written and signed by Depression-era criminal John Dillinger, penned while in prison in Indiana, circa 1929-1933, to the prison assistant superintendent, requesting a job transfer, has an estimate of $15,000-$17,000. Also, the fine binding six-volume set of Winston Churchill’s The Second World War, signed by Churchill in 1957 on volume one, should achieve $8,000-$9,000.

A one-page letter written in Russian Cyrillic by Peter the Great (Czar Peter I, 1672-1725), in which he announces the birth of a daughter, Natalia, dated Sept. 10, 1718, should earn $14,000-$15,000; while a one-page letter of recommendation written and signed by the Siberian holy man Grigory Rasputin (1869-1916), for a starving unemployed man, should make $12,000-$14,000.

A three-page letter written in Latin by Anne I, the Queen of England (1665-1714), exhorting Britain’s allies to aid her in defeating the French (an “arrogant and common enemy”) has an estimate of $6,000-$7,000. And a two-page letter written and signed by women’s rights activist Lucy Stone (1818-1893), calling for a suffrage meeting in 1868, should sell for $1,000-$2,000.

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.

“We can offer up to a 100 percent cash advance and a highly competitive commission structure,” Reznikoff said. “We’re only able to do this owing to our position in the industry as the premier auction house for signed historical documents, letters and manuscripts. Our reputation is rock-solid worldwide and has been earned over a period of four decades. People respect us globally.”

Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call Mr. Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.

University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by Mr. Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies.
 
For more information about University Archives and the Wednesday, June 26th Internet-only auction, please visit www.universityarchives.com. For phone bidding, please call 800-237-5692.