Complete Collection of Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The pinnacle of American autograph collecting – a complete set of Signers of the Declaration of Independence. This exceptional collection includes manuscript material from all 56 men who penned their names to that historic document, a courageous and treasonous act against the British Empire. Among this set is the crowning jewel of any sophisticated collection – one of the finest examples of Button Gwinnett's autograph to be offered in over twenty-five years. There are approximately forty complete Signers sets extant today, and most of those are held in institutions or public libraries. In 1930, renowned autograph dealer Thomas Madigan wrote of the near-impossibility of obtaining such a set in Word Shadows of the Great: The Lure of Autograph Collecting. "If the first hundred years were hard, the present hundred are likely to be doubly, trebly so. The day will undoubtedly come when it will be an impossible task to complete a set of the Signers for the simple reason that the autographs of many of them will no longer be available. I daresay it will eventually be impossible even for a multi-millionaire with a check signed in blank to corral a set, for mere millions cannot command a vacuum to deliver up a Gwinnett or a Lynch." [New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1930, page 115]. The incredible example offered here consists of nineteen autograph letters signed, two letters signed, twelve autograph documents signed, twenty-four documents signed, and one clipped signature from the second rarest signer, Thomas Lynch, Jr. Included with this collection is an additional two items from Secretary of the Continental Congress Charles Thomson and Framer of the Declaration of Independence Robert Livingston, culminating in a total of 58 manuscript items. This is an exceedingly rare, possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain a collection of such historical importance – a collection of letters and documents once held by those brave individuals who pressed their names to the most famous document in American history nearly two hundred and fifty years ago. Heritage Auctions is proud to present the Carl A. Przyborowski Collection of Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The "Holy Grail" of American Autographs – Button Gwinnett Button Gwinnett document signed ("Button Gwinnett"). One partially printed page, 7.875" x 12.75", Charlestown, South Carolina; July 9, 1774. Partially printed document accomplished in manuscript. Bond executed by Gwinnett to John Neufville of Charleston for £890. The document stipulates that if Neufville is paid the "just Sum of Four hundred & forty five pounds Current Money...on or before" October 9, 1774, then the remaining £445 will be null and void. It was witnessed by Andrew Reid. With wafer seal intact. Docketed. Signed fully, "Button Gwinnett". The John Neufville referenced in this document was one of Gwinnett's many creditors. This bond remained unpaid in his lifetime. It was recorded as part of Gwinnett's estate and paid by the executor, fellow Declaration signer Lyman Hall. Gwinnett's signature remains dark and bold. Professional restoration on verso to one closed tear at the bottom edge of the document that extends 3" and crosses the signature between the t's of Button; expert restoration on verso to horizontal folds, one of which crosses some manuscript text, and to areas of paper loss, chiefly along left edge and unaffecting text; endorsed on verso in ink "I. K. T. Jany 8, 1836", presumably the initials of collector Israel K. Tefft; pencil notation on verso; very lightly toned with minor areas of offsetting and scattered soiling; a few stray pinholes. Button Gwinnett (1735-1777) signed the Declaration of Independence as a representative from Georgia. Gwinnett established himself as a prominent member of Georgia society and entered local politics. He was appointed justice of the peace in Sunbury and served as a member of the Georgia Colonial Assembly. Gwinnett's military ambitions were thwarted in 1776 when he lost the position of commander of Georgia's Continental forces to Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh, and an increasingly embittered Gwinnett struggled to recover from the blow. At the pinnacle of his political influence, Gwinnett used his considerable resources to berate and harass McIntosh. In March 1777, Gwinnett had McIntosh's brother George arrested and charged with treason (the charges were later dropped by the Continental Congress). Tensions were further accelerated when the two men then clashed over a failed invasion of the British-controlled portion of eastern Florida, with each man blaming the other for the failure. The situation came to a boiling point at the May Assembly when its members declined to censure Gwinnett with mismanagement of the Florida expedition. It was too much for McIntosh, who reportedly stood on the floor of the Assembly and called Gwinnett a "scoundrell & lying Rascal". The insult could not stand and Gwinnett sent a written missive demanding satisfaction on May 15, 1777. The two met for their duel on John Wright's estate the following morning. While both men were reported wounded in their legs, Gwinnett's injury was mortal and he died of infection three days later. He was forty-two years old. McIntosh was forced to flee north to escape condemnation, ultimately transferring to George Washington's northern command. He was never formally charged in relation to Gwinnett's death. The circumstances that led to Gwinnett's place as the so-called "Holy Grail" of autographs is a curious one. At the time of his death, despite the relatively young age of forty-two, he had spent several years engaged in business and political pursuits, both of which generate a lot of paperwork. He also left behind a wife and daughter who one would expect to safeguard his personal papers and documents. So what happened? According to Joseph Fields' examination in "The Known Signatures of Button Gwinnett," his direct family line died out very quickly, reportedly before 1785. His wife died in 1781 and his only surviving daughter died childless shortly thereafter. That, combined with the destruction of Savannah and Sunbury during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, contributed to the scarcity. The most recent census was conducted by Ryan Speer in 2008 and recorded only fifty-one extant autographs, forty of which are housed in institutional collections – leaving the possibility of only eleven complete sets of Signers in private hands. This document is number 31 in Charles Jenkins' census and number 32 on both Ryan Speer's and Dr. Joseph Fields' censuses (erroneously dated October 9, 1774). A letter signed by Gwinnett from the James S. Copley Library collection sold for an astounding $722,500 in 2010 at Sotheby's, New York. Provenance: Israel K. Tefft - Arthur George Sedgewick - The Rosenbach Company - Louis Bamburger - Superior Stamp and Coin, February 13, 1991 - Current Consignor (Superior Stamp and Coin, February 11, 1995) Ryan Speer. "Button Gwinnett Signatures: A Census," Manuscripts, Vol. 60, No. 4, 2008, pages 273-293; Joseph Fields. "The Known Signatures of Button Gwinnett," The New Colophon, Vol. 3, New York, 1950, pages 132-145; Charles F. Jenkins. Button Gwinnett: Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1926; Harvey H. Jackson. Lachlan McIntosh and the Politics of Revolutionary Georgia. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1979. The second-scarcest Signer – Thomas Lynch, Jr. Thomas Lynch Jr. Clipped Signature ("Tho. Lynch"). Small slip, 2.5" x .625", no place; no date. Signature clipped from a larger manuscript. Housed in a handsome custom blue portfolio of full Moroccan leather with an engraved scene of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence and gilt lettered boards [measuring 8.75" x 11"]. With accompanying steel cut engraving of Lynch. The signature is backed to a mounting board with uneven edges and very light soiling. Thomas Lynch Jr. (1749-1779) signed the Declaration of Independence as a representative of South Carolina. He became a company commander in the 1st South Carolina regiment in 1775. He was elected to the Continental Congress, joining his father, Thomas Lynch, Sr., as a South Carolina congressional delegation member. It is thought that he was sent to Philadelphia to take care of his father who had suffered a stroke in January. In 1775, Captain Thomas Lynch, Jr. had contracted bilious fever while serving in North Carolina. Although still ill himself, he made the trip from South Carolina to Philadelphia to serve his father, his colony, and his country in the midst of the American Revolution. He attended meetings through the summer, voting for and signing the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Lynch Sr. was too ill to attend either the voting or the signing. By the end of the year, neither Lynch was well enough to remain in Philadelphia and they began their trip home. Lynch Sr. suffered a stroke en route and died in Annapolis, Maryland. Lynch Jr. did not seek reelection and retired to his home in South Carolina. Late in 1779, he and his wife embarked on a voyage to the south of France in an attempt to regain his health. They first sailed for St. Eustatius in the West Indies, but the ship was lost at sea. He was only 30 years old, the youngest signer of the Declaration to die. Given his premature death and short tenure in politics, the younger Lynch did not leave behind a substantial amount of paperwork. The majority of extant signatures originated from books in his personal library that the young Lynch had a habit of signing. After his death, his estate was dispersed between his three sisters, but unfortunately, a significant amount of his library was destroyed in the Great Charleston Fire of 1861. He is now regarded as the second scarcest signature among the Signers. In Joseph Field's 1960 census, he identified eighty-one examples, the overwhelming majority of which are housed in public libraries or institutions. This present example appears to be number fifty-one and is one of only a handful to be offered in the past fifty years. Joseph Fields. "A Signer and His Signatures or The Library of Thomas Lynch Jr," Harvard Library Bulletin, Spring 1960, pages 210-252. It appears to be number fifty-one, although Fields does not record measurements or the source document. John Adams partial four language ship's passport signed ("John Adams") as President. One partially printed page, 8.25" x 7.5", no place; March 7, 1801. One-quarter of a four-language ship's passport in English and Dutch. Grants permission for the ship Joseph to sail from New York to Amsterdam with 1241 38/95 tons of hides, tobacco, coffee, etc. Boldly signed, "John Adams". Trimmed from a larger document; affixed along top edge to mounting paper; light soiling; manuscript text a bit light. Benjamin Franklin document signed ("B Franklin"). One page, 8" x 5.75", Philadelphia; August 5, 1756. Manuscript financial document. It reads, in part: "Revd. from Richard Hockley Esq. by Two Orders drawn in favor of Mr. Fox. One thousand pounds in further part of the Money given by the Honble. Proprietor for the defense of the provincial." Countersigned by Evan Morgan, Joseph Fox, John Hughes, and James Hamilton. Docketed. Light edgewear; minute scattered foxing. John Hancock appointment signed ("John Hancock") as Governor of Massachusetts. One partially printed page, 11" x 16.25", Boston; September 18, 1788. Governor John Hancock appoints "John Lewis of North Yarmouth...to be one of the Justices to keep the Peace in our County of Cumberland for the term of seven years..." Boldly signed, "John Hancock." His signature is featured under the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the left margin of the document. Countersigned by John Avery Jr. as secretary. Near complete separation at horizontal fold affecting some text; small piece of archival tape at verso; scattered foxing. Thomas Jefferson letter signed ("Th: Jefferson") as Governor of Virginia. Two pages on one leaf, 7.25" x 9", Richmond; March 4, 1781. War-dated letter addressed to Timothy Pickering, then quartermaster general of the Continental Army. Jefferson writes regarding complications arising from the appointment of Major Robert Forsythe to deputy quartermaster of Virginia. It reads, in part: "I am very sorry that the appointment of Deputy Quarter Master in this State has been so managed as to produce Difficulty...I have the Pleasure however to inform you that Major Forsythe expresses himself perfectly satisfied and does not propose to urge a right to the Appointment. Major Claiborne being at first utterly unknown to me I was afraid to do more in my former Letter to you than to hand to you what was said of him by others. The Duties of his Office giving me daily occasion to judge of him from my own observation, I think he is exceedingly attentive, discreet, with Talents not inferior to the office, and upon the whole that he will give you satisfaction." Signed, "Th: Jefferson". 2.5" separation at one horizontal fold. For the sake of brevity in the print catalog, we are listing the remaining Signers below. For complete descriptions with condition reports, please view the expanded description online at ha.com. Samuel Adams appointment signed ("Samuel Adams") as Governor of Massachusetts. One page, 7.5" x 12", [Boston]; October 18, 1796. Josiah Bartlett document signed ("Josiah Bartlett"). One page, 7.25" x 2.25", [Kingston, New Hampshire]; December 27, 1771. Carter Braxton document signed three times ("Carter Braxton" and "C. Braxton"). One page of a bifolium, 7.25" x 8.5", no place; January 8, 1787. Charles Carroll of Carrollton autograph letter signed ("Ch. Carroll of Carrollton"). One page of a bifolium, 7.75" x 9.75", Baltimore; January 12, 1826. Samuel Chase autograph document signed ("Samuel Chase"). One page, 6.5" x 4.25", Baltimore; October 1, 1802. Abraham Clark autograph letter signed ("Abra: Clark"). One page, 8.25" x 13.5", Philadelphia; December 11, 1782. George Clymer autograph letter signed ("Geo Clymer"). One page of a bifolium, 8" x 10", Philadelphia; March 20, 1808. William Ellery autograph letter signed ("William Ellery"). Two pages on one leaf, 6.5" x 8", Newport; May 30, 1789. William Floyd document signed ("Wm: Floyd"). One page, 6.5" x 8.25", New York; April 4, 1784. Elbridge Gerry autograph letter signed and franked ("E Gerry" and "Free E Gerry"). Three pages of a bifolium, 7.75" x 9.75", New York; August 1, 1789. Lyman Hall document signed ("L. Hall"). One page, 8.75" x 5.5", Savannah; September 24, 1783. Benjamin Harrison letter signed ("Benj. Harrison") as Governor of Virginia. One page, 7.25" x 9", "Council Chambers" [Virginia]; January 1, 1782. John Hart document signed ("John Hart"). One page, 8.5" x 5", no place; March 2, 1776. Joseph Hewes document signed ("Joseph Hewes"). One partially printed page, 7.75" x 6.5", Edenton, North Carolina; March 30, 1765. Thomas Heyward Jr. document signed ("Tho. Heyward Junr"). One partially printed page, 12.75" x 7.75", Charleston, South Carolina; June 13, 1788. William Hooper autograph document signed ("Will: Hooper"). One page, 7" x 11.75", North Carolina; September 5, 1769. Stephen Hopkins autograph letter signed ("Step Hopkins") as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island. Three pages of a bifolium, 6" x 7.25", Providence; September 24, 1755. Francis Hopkinson autograph letter signed ("F: Hopkinson"). Two pages on one leaf with separate address leaf, 6" x 7.5", Borden Town; March 21, 1778. Samuel Huntington autograph letter signed ("S. Huntington") as Governor of Connecticut. One page, 7.75" x 9.5", Norwich; June 17, 1794. Francis Lightfoot Lee autograph letter signed ("Francis Lightfoot Lee"). One page, 7.25" x 9", Philadelphia; June 2, 1783. Richard Henry Lee autograph letter signed ("Richard Henry Lee"). One page, 6.5" x 6.5", "Susquehannah" [Virginia]; September 28, 1777. Francis Lewis autograph letter signed ("Fra: Lewis"). Two pages on one leaf, 7.5" x 7.75", "York Town"; January 5, 1778. Philip Livingston document signed ("Phil. Livingston"). One page, 8" x 5.75", New York; September 8, 1772. Thomas McKean document signed ("Tho. M:Kean"). One page, 8" x 4.75", "Harrisburgh" [Pennsylvania]; December 5, 1792. Arthur Middleton document signed ("Arthur Middleton"). One partially printed page, 9.25" x 4.75", South Carolina; March 25, 1776. Lewis Morris autograph letter signed ("Lewis Morris"). Two pages of a bifolium, 7.25" x 9.25", no place; no date [circa 1785-1798]. Robert Morris autograph letter signed ("Robt Morris"). Four pages of a bifolium, 7.75" x 9.25", Philadelphia; February 25, 1780. John Morton currency note signed ("John Morton"). One partially printed note, 3.375" x 2.875", [Pennsylvania]; April 3, 1772. A "Two Shillings and Six-pence" currency note. Thomas Nelson Jr. autograph document signed ("Tho. Nelson Junr.") in the text. One page, 7.5" x 2.75", no place; November 7, 1770. William Paca autograph letter signed ("Wm. Paca"). One page, 7.25" x 9", "Balt-Town" [Baltimore, Maryland]; July 2, 1795. Robert Treat Paine autograph document signed ("R. T. Paine"). Two pages on one leaf, 7.75" x 12.5", [Massachusetts]; January 1, 1780. John Penn autograph document signed ("J Penn"). One page, 9.25" x 15", Granville County, North Carolina; no date [circa 1782]. George Read document signed ("Geo: Read"). One page, 8.25" x 6.5", no place; July 22, 1784. Caesar Rodney document signed ("Caesar Rodney") as President of Delaware. One page, 13" x 8", Dover, Delaware; November 29, 1780. George Ross document signed ("Richd. Ross"). One page, 7.5" x 12.5", Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; January 7, 1750. Benjamin Rush autograph letter signed ("Benjn Rush"). Two pages of a bifolium, 6.25" x 7.75", [Philadelphia]; March 29, 1792. Edward Rutledge document twice signed ("E: Rutledge"). One partially printed page, 12.5" x 7.75", Charlestown, South Carolina; July 1, 1783. Roger Sherman partial document signed ("Roger Sherman"). One partial page, 8" x 3.25", no place; December 1791. James Smith autograph document twice signed ("James Smith" and "Ja. Smith"). One page, 7.5" x 12.5", Cumberland County [Pennsylvania]; July 1750. Richard Stockton autograph document twice signed ("Richard Stockton" and "R. Stockton"). One page, 7.5" x 4", Middlesex County, [New Jersey]; no date. Thomas Stone autograph document signed ("T: Stone"). One page, 7.25" x 4", no place; May 20, 1784. George Taylor autograph document signed ("Geo: Taylor"). One page, 7.5" x 4.75", Coventry, [Pennsylvania]; October 21, 1740. Matthew Thornton document accomplished and signed ("Matthew Thornton") seven times in the text. One partially printed page, 7.25" x 12.5", New Hampshire; April 19, 1760. George Walton autograph letter signed ("Geo Walton") while Governor of Georgia to Charles Pinckney. Two pages of a bifolium, 7.75" x 9.5", Augusta, [Georgia]; May 31, 1789. William Whipple autograph letter signed ("Wm: Whipple"). One page, 7.25" x 12", Portsmouth; June 8, 1785. William Williams document signed ("Wm. Williams"). One page, 8.5" x 4.25", Hartford; May 21, 1776. James Wilson document signed ("Wilson"). One partially printed page, 8" x 6.5", Cumberland County [Pennsylvania]; January 1771. John Witherspoon autograph letter signed ("Jno. Witherspoon"). Two pages of a bifolium, 7.25" x 8.75", Princeton; February 23, 1787. Oliver Wolcott Senior autograph document twice signed ("Oliver Wolcott" and "Wolcott") in the text. One page, 7.25" x 10", Goshen, [Connecticut]; March 1770. George Wythe autograph document signed ("Wythe"). One page, 7.75" x 11.75", Orange County, Virginia; 1745. Charles Thomson autograph Congressional resolution signed ("Cha Thomson"). One page, 7" x 9", "In Congress" [Philadelphia]; September 10, 1777. Secretary of the Continental Congress. Robert Livingston autograph letter signed ("Robt. R. Livingston"). One page, 7.5" x 9", Albany, New York; January 30, 1812. Framer of the Declaration of Independence. 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