Freeman’s May 4 Books and Manuscripts auction is led by an extraordinary letter signed by John Hancock, proclaiming the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, to the state of Georgia, on July 8, 1776—one of only five such letters known to exist, the document is a remarkably rare piece of American history. The auction is an Americana collector’s dream, with such highlights as a contemporary manuscript of Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams’s peace journals during their negotiations with Great Britain to end the American Revolution; the earliest available Connecticut printing of the United States Constitution; a letter written by Alexander Hamilton to his beloved wife Eliza; and a scarce first edition of the infamous “Reynolds Pamphlet” that revealed Hamilton’s affair and subsequent blackmail. In addition to rare, foundational American historical documents, Books and Manuscripts also brings book collectors such classics as a rare first American edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Lot 1
[African-Americana] Douglass, Frederick My Bondage and My Freedom
Sold for $1,134
Estimated at $500 - $800
Lot 2
[African-Americana] Douglass, Frederick Document, signed
Sold for $819
Estimated at $1,000 - $1,500
Lot 3
[African-Americana] [Emancipation Proclamation] Proclamation of Emancipation
Sold for $4,095
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 9
[Americana] [American Revolution] Thomson, Charles Manuscript Document, signed
Sold for $16,380
Estimated at $15,000 - $25,000
Lot 11
[Americana] [Declaration of Independence] Hancock, John Letter, signed
Sold for $1,896,000
Estimated at $2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Lot 15
[Americana] Franklin, Benjamin Manuscript Document, signed
Sold for $16,380
Estimated at $8,000 - $12,000
Lot 16
[Americana] Franklin, Benjamin The Way to Wealth or Poor Richard Improved
Sold for $756
Estimated at $1,000 - $1,500
Lot 18
[Americana] Hamilton, Alexander Autograph Letter, signed
Sold for $13,230
Estimated at $12,000 - $18,000
Lot 19
[Americana] [Hancock, John] Printed Excise Bill of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Sold for $3,024
Estimated at $600 - $900
Lot 24
[Americana] [New York] Manuscript Document on Vellum
Sold for $11,970
Estimated at $3,000 - $5,000
Lot 26
[Americana] [New York] Currier, (Nathaniel), and (James Merritt) Ives The City of New York
Sold for $4,095
Estimated at $4,000 - $6,000
Lot 29
[Americana] Whitney, Eli Autograph Letter, signed
Sold for $1,512
Estimated at $2,000 - $3,000
Lot 31
[Art] Haring, Keith, and William Burroughs Apocalypse
Sold for $2,394
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 32
[Art] [Picasso, Pablo] Zervos, Christian Pablo Picasso
Sold for $5,355
Estimated at $5,000 - $8,000
Lot 37
[Fine Bindings] [Jonson, Ben] Gifford, W. (editor) The Works of Ben Jonson
Sold for $535
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 38
[Fine Bindings] Kipling, Rudyard The Works of Rudyard Kipling
Sold for $4,725
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 39
[Fine Bindings] Spenser, (Edmund) Spenser's Fairie Queene
Sold for $3,024
Estimated at $1,000 - $1,500
Lot 40
[Fine Bindings] Symonds, John Addington Renaissance in Italy
Sold for $1,260
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 41
[Literature] (Austen, Jane) Elizabeth Bennet; or, Pride and Prejudice: A Novel
Sold for $21,420
Estimated at $10,000 - $15,000
Lot 43
[Literature] Hawthorne, Nathaniel The Scarlet Letter, A Romance
Sold for $800
Estimated at $500 - $800
Lot 44
[Music] Berlin, Irving Presentation Copy of "Songs From This is the Army"
Sold for $1,134
Estimated at $400 - $600
Lot 45
[Music] Bernstein, Leonard Inscribed Musical Quotation from "West Side Story"
Sold for $3,780
Estimated at $1,500 - $2,500
Lot 47
[Native-Americana] Curtis, Edward S. Canyon De Chelly
Sold for $8,820
Estimated at $6,000 - $9,000
Lot 48
[Native Americana] Curtis, Edward S. Prayer to the Stars
Sold for $6,300
Estimated at $5,000 - $8,000
Lot 49
[Native-Americana] Curtis, Edward S. The Three Chiefs-Piegan
Sold for $18,900
Estimated at $8,000 - $12,000
Lot 50
[Native-Americana] Curtis, Edward S. The Vanishing Race-Navajo
Sold for $2,520
Estimated at $2,000 - $3,000
Lot 54
[Photography] Abbott, Berenice Fifth Avenue, Nos. 4, 6, 8
Sold for $2,268
Estimated at $2,000 - $3,000
Lot 55
[Photography] Gibson, Ralph Untitled (Hand and Pistol)
Sold for $1,008
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 56
[Photography] Muybridge, Eadweard Animal Locomotion. Plate 3 (Man Walking)
Sold for $535
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 57
[Presidential] Arthur, Chester A. Manuscript Document, signed
Sold for $756
Estimated at $500 - $800
Lot 59
[Presidential] Eisenhower, Dwight D. Group of 2 Typed Documents, signed
Sold for $535
Estimated at $500 - $800
Lot 60
[Presidential] Grant, Ulysses S. Autograph Letter, signed
Sold for $3,276
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 61
[Presidential] Johnson, Andrew Signed Carte de Visite
Sold for $2,016
Estimated at $1,000 - $1,500
Lot 63
[Presidential] Lincoln, Abraham Signed Military Commission
Sold for $11,340
Estimated at $4,000 - $6,000
Lot 64
[Presidential] Madison, James, and James Monroe Partial Ship's Passport, signed
Sold for $1,512
Estimated at $600 - $900
Lot 65
[Presidential] Pierce, Franklin Signed Military Commission
Sold for $1,071
Estimated at $800 - $1,200
Lot 66
[Presidential] Roosevelt, Theodore Autograph Letter, signed
Sold for $945
Estimated at $600 - $900
Lot 67
[Presidential] Roosevelt, Theodore Signed Diplomatic Appointment
Sold for $1,008
Estimated at $500 - $800
Lot 68
[Presidential] Van Buren, Martin Signed Ship's Passport
Sold for $882
Estimated at $400 - $600
Lot 69
[Presidential] Washington, George Letter, signed
Sold for $20,160
Estimated at $20,000 - $30,000
Lot 70
[Prints] Benton, Thomas Hart The Hymn Singer (Burl Ives)
Sold for $1,512
Estimated at $800 - $1,200