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George Washington-signed 1752 survey of a 346-acre tract in Augusta County, Virginia, one of the earliest documents with his signature, est. $20,000-$24,000

Statesmen, sluggers and other greats step up at University Archives, Aug. 17

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley

 

George Washington-signed 1752 survey of a 346-acre tract in Augusta County, Virginia, one of the earliest documents with his signature, est. $20,000-$24,000
George Washington-signed 1752 survey of a 346-acre tract in Augusta County, Virginia, one of the earliest documents with his signature, est. $20,000-$24,000

WILTON, Conn. – Items signed by George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln are just a few of the highlights in University Archives’ next online-only auction, slated for Wednesday, August 17 and starting at 10:30 am Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

One of the earliest documents signed in George Washington’s hand, which dates to 1752, the same year he inherited Mt. Vernon in Virginia, carries an estimate of $20,000-$24,000. It is a two-page front-and-verso survey of a 346-acre tract of land in Augusta County. Washington, then 21 years of age, had just returned from Barbados with his brother, where he’d contracted a mild case of smallpox.

John F. Kennedy-signed personal check for expenses and an accompanying typed letter, est. $15,000-$17,000
John F. Kennedy-signed personal check for expenses and an accompanying typed letter, est. $15,000-$17,000

A pair of items relating to John F. Kennedy’s political aspirations in the late 1950s will be sold as one lot with an estimate of $15,000-$17,000. The first item is a signed personal check reimbursing travel expenses; the other is an accompanying typed letter, signed by JFK in the spring of 1956. Both are slabbed and authenticated by Beckett Authentication Services. Kennedy was a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts at the time, angling for the 1956 Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination.

Large pay receipt signed by Daniel Boone during his service as a delegate of the Virginia General Assembly, est. $12,000-$14,000
Large pay receipt signed by Daniel Boone at some point during his service as a delegate of the Virginia General Assembly, est. $12,000-$14,000

A large pay receipt signed by frontiersman Daniel Boone sometime during his service as a delegate of the Virginia General Assembly (circa 1781-1791) is estimated at $12,000-$14,000. The document highlights one of Boone’s often overlooked roles as a legislator. In 1781, Boone represented Fayette County, now in Kentucky but then part of Virginia, and was kidnapped in a British cavalry raid led by Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton’s targets were Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson and more high-profile Virginia lawmakers, but he settled for Boone and six other legislators.

Benjamin Franklin engrossed and signed receipt from 1756 for his Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper, est. $9,000-$10,000
Benjamin Franklin engrossed and signed receipt from 1756 for his Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper, est. $9,000-$10,000

Benjamin Franklin engrossed and signed a receipt in 1756 for his Pennsylvania Gazette, the Philadelphia newspaper he had established in the late 1720s. Franklin collaborated with a Scottish printer named David Hall for 18 years, during which time the Pennsylvania Gazette became politically aligned with the Patriot cause. The signed receipt has an estimate of $9,000-$10,000.

First-edition copy of ‘The Babe Ruth Story,’ signed on the half-title page by Ruth, est. $6,000-$7,000
First-edition copy of ‘The Babe Ruth Story,’ signed on the half-title page by Ruth, est. $6,000-$7,000

Also on offer is a first-edition copy of The Babe Ruth Story (E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1948), signed on the half-title page by the New York Yankee great himself as “Babe Ruth” in blue ink, just months before his death. It carries an estimate of $6,000-$7,000.

Two checks – one signed by Marilyn Monroe in 1953, the other signed by Joe DiMaggio in 1980, est. $4,000-$5,000
Pair of checks: one signed by Marilyn Monroe in 1953, the other signed by Joe DiMaggio in 1980, est. $4,000-$5,000

Two checks – one signed by the legendary Marilyn Monroe, dated Jan. 10, 1953 and made out to Harriet Beal for $50.00, and the other signed by the equally legendary Joe DiMaggio, dated Jan. 7, 1980 and made out to the Presidio Golf Club for $110.25, will be offered together in a wood frame with an identifying plaque. The pair is estimated at $4,000-$5,000.

University Archives is actively seeking quality material for future auctions. Anyone who has a single item or a collection of interest may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111 or email him at john@universityarchives.com. For more information about University Archives, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

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