BOSTON – A handwritten letter by Ludwig van Beethoven sold for $251,240 at RR Auction on April 13. The four-page letter was rendered in German and dated September 24, 1815. Beethoven wrote it to his librettist, the court poet Friedrich Treitschke, asking him to help secure 200 gold ducats in payment for their planned opera Romulus und Remus. The letter read in part: “Many sacrifices I have willingly made and am making for the sake of my art.”
The Beethoven letter also states: “I am firmly convinced that any place in Germany or elsewhere would pay me at least as well as any other man. For Romulus I have asked from the theatre management, 200 ducats in gold and one evening’s receipts. Dear Tr. — do what you can to induce them to make other and more honourable conditions for me than the mere one evening’s receipts.”
Executive VP at RR Auction Bobby Livingston said, “It’s a rare and important handwritten letter by the musical genius, discussing his financial difficulties and a long-contemplated but never completed work.”
A second lot that performed notably well was an original notice of insurance claim for Lee Harvey Oswald, which realized $79,436. The one-page proof of death certificate filed by his mother is signed “Marguerite C. Oswald” and dated December 26, 1963, just 32 days following Oswald’s murder by Jack Ruby in retribution for his alleged assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
After her son’s assassination and subsequent murder, Marguerite Oswald maintained her son’s innocence and insisted that he was an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The document, issued by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company of Nashville, Tennessee, specifies the name of the deceased, “Lee Harvey Oswald,” dates of birth and death, place of death as “Dallas,” and cause of death as “gunshot wound.” The insurance company honored its obligations by paying Oswald’s mother $863 several months later, after execution of the document.
Additional highlights from the sale include:
A pair of letters, both from 1908 and both signed by Wilbur and Orville Wright, which achieved $25,826.
A Marilyn Monroe-signed photograph, taken during a Frank Powolny glamour shoot in 1953. It earned $28,895.
A 1963 Abbey Road Studios promo card signed by all four of the Beatles, which attained $17,218.
The Fine Autographs and Artifacts auction from RR Auction began on March 10 and concluded on April 13. More details can be found online at www.rrauction.com.
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