Coral Gables, Florida - An original copy of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution “extending the right of suffrage to women,” an Act of the Second Congress relating to trade with Indians issued by George Washington and signed by Thomas Jefferson, and a Thomas Edison patent pertaining to the light bulb are part of an auction online now and ending November 15th.
It’s David Gindy’s One of a Kind Collectibles Rare Autographs & Manuscripts Auction, which went online Thursday, October 25th, at www.OAKauctions.com. People can register and bid there now. The online-only sale features 228 lots of autographs, books, manuscripts, historical and political items, space memorabilia, sports lots, comic and animation art and rare newspapers.
Other expected top lots will include an exceedingly rare William Henry Harrison signature as president (he was only in office for 30 days), an Alexander Graham Bell signed image nearly three feet tall, an early William Penn land grant from 1681, a baseball single-signed by Babe Ruth, an Abraham Lincoln appointment for Navy Commander and even a dinosaur egg nest.
“It’s always an incredible feeling to hold and touch documents that changed history,” said David Gindy, president and owner of One of a Kind Collectibles. “One such document in the sale transformed the way we vote and is today considered one of the most important amendments of the 20th century - one giving women the right to vote. A very timely item this political season.”
The 19th Amendment copy is true and original. It was used to help ratify the measure, which needed a majority of the states to pass to become an official part of the U.S. Constitution. It was a cliff-hanger; 36 states were needed to ratify, and only 35 had done so before Tennessee finally voted yes right before the ratification period expired, in a special session, on August 18th, 1920.
The incredibly rare William Henry Harrison signature as president (written as “W. H. Harrison”), is from a vellum document, with the top part of some of the letters from the printed legend “By the President” appearing beneath his name. The sheet of paper measures 2 inches wide by ¾ inch tall. The signature came from a ship’s papers, during his brief, one month as president, in 1841.
The unique signed photographic image of Alexander Graham Bell is on a mount of 32 inches by 24 inches. The photogravure shows the inventor of the telephone, looking straight at the viewer, with a piercing look. The image is signed beneath the portrait, in fountain pen, “Washington, D.C., May 18, 1921, Alexander Graham Bell.” It’s also signed by the artist who made the photo.
An important 1937 cabinet appointment, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and naming Harry Hines Woodring (1887-1967) as Secretary of War, is signed by FDR and comes with more than 30 official and other photos of Woodring and/or his wife, Helen, to include a Harris & Ewing photo of FDR at his desk, signed “to Helen Woodring, from her friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
A six-page, printed overseas patent application from 1882, signed by inventor Thomas Edison (“Thomas Alva Edison”), relating to dynamos for electrical lamps for use in Australia, India and other countries, is countersigned by William Henry Meadowcroft. Included are two printed mechanical diagrams pasted at the upper left corner, with printed text and autograph annotations.
The important 1681 indenture in which colonial-era figure William Penn granted 5,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania to his friend Robert Turner, making Turner a “First Purchaser” in the newly chartered territory, is a large vellum document, signed by Penn and housed in a 34 inch by 35 inch frame. Turner would go on to play an important role in the design and look of Philadelphia.
A document drafted in 1792 by the Second Congress of the United States, “to regulate Trade and Intercourse with the Indian Tribes,” was approved by President Washington the following year. The resulting Act, featured in the auction, contains the printed names of Washington and Vice President John Adams and, most important, the bold, superb ink signature of Thomas Jefferson.
A pair of Abraham Lincoln lots is expected to do well. One is a signed document, from August 1861, appointing Fabius Stanley a Commander in the U.S. Navy. The document, with a vignette and green seal, is also signed by Navy Sec. Gideon Welles. Stanley helped out in the Civil War by protecting and holding Fort Taylor in Key West, Florida, with his steamer ship Wyandotte.
The other is a fine example of an iconic George Clark ambrotype portrait of Lincoln, from the 1860 presidential campaign and known as the “Cooper Union” pose. The famous 19th century photographer Matthew Brady took the photo of Lincoln, who was in New York to give a speech at Cooper Union Institute. The image was used on pinbacks that boosted Lincoln’s popularity.
Babe Ruth single signed baseballs are highly coveted by collectors, and the one in this auction, signed by Ruth in the side panel, has been authenticated by James Spence Authentication and includes a letter of authenticity with a certification number. It is believed the ball may have been signed by Ruth after his retirement in 1935, at a home run hitting contest in Michigan in 1940.
A boldly penned autographed musical quotation signed by the French Romantic composer Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803-1869), is presented on an off-white sheet measuring 9 ¾ inches by 7 ½ inches and is signed “H. Berlioz, 1 Diciembre 1856.” On it, Berlioz has neatly penned seven bars from the ‘Love Scene’ of his magnificent and large-scale choral symphony, Romeo et Juliette.
Other items in the auction include a rare poster from the 1969 (Woodstock of the South), Buster Crabbe’s ring for winning the Gold medal at the 1932 Olympis Games, a 1920 Olympics Bronze medal, a Jim Thorpe signed book, and various letters and other items signed by JFK, Zachary Taylor, Honre De Balzac, John Steinbeck, W. B. Yeats, Robert Browning, Amelia Earhart, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, Charles Lindbergh, Renoir, Pissaro and Rodin; as well as coins.
One of a Kind Collectibles Auction was founded in 1994. The firm is dedicated to autographs, art, documents, philatelic, coins, currency and fine collectibles. To receive a free catalog, call 1-800-570-7273, or fill out the form that’s on the company website: www.OAKauctions.com.
One of a Kind Collectibles Auction is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single piece or an entire collection, you may call toll-free, 800-570-7273, or e-mail to consign@oneofakindauctions.com. The company offers quick turnaround and immediate cash options. To learn more, or to register and bid for the Nov. 15th auction, visit OAKauctions.com.
Image: Original and true copy of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution “extending the right of suffrage to women,” finally ratified after much debate and political wrangling in 1920.
