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George Washington

George Washington-signed volume hits $138K at auction

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
George Washington
A 1789 book from the library of George Washington, with his signature and bookplate, from a collection once owned by U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall. Price realized: $138,000. Case Antiques Inc. image

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A book signed by George Washington that made its way from the Founding Father’s personal library to a now-deceased Tennessee man has sold for $138,000 at an auction.

Case Antiques Vice President Sarah Drury tells WBIR-TV an anonymous phone bidder purchased the leather-bound copy of Volume 1 of the Massachusetts Magazine during Saturday’s auction in Knoxville.

Washington gave the book to his biographer and former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. The book last belonged to a Chattanooga man who died in 2017.

It was offered for a preliminary catalog estimate of $28,000 to $32,000. The same bidder also purchased a copy of Marshall’s biography of Washington for $21,600.

Drury said 4,500 registered bidders from more than 50 countries bid on the nearly 900 items up for auction.
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Information from: WBIR-TV, http://www.wbir.com/

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AP-WF-01-30-18 1223GMT