Rare Book Monthly

Articles - January - 2017 Issue

Jan. 18: An Important Family Archive of Letters and Manuscripts by and about Alexander Hamilton

Items from Sotheby's sale of Alexander Hamilton: An Important Family Archive of Letters and Manuscripts

Sotheby’s bears no need for introduction, and their reputation often garners the attention of consigners with incredible material. While many auction houses can claim decades of auctioneer experience, few can say they’ve been in business for centuries. Sotheby’s is one of those few (founded in 1744). So it is not in the least bit surprising that when the owner of a family archive of letters and manuscripts by and about Alexander Hamilton weighed their options about which house to consign the material to, they chose Sotheby’s, one of the few houses today that actually existed during Hamilton’s lifetime. January 18th marks the date of their sale of Alexander Hamilton: An Important Family Archive of Letters and Manuscripts. With 77 lots, the sale is hyper focused on the singular subject of Hamilton, a figure who has enjoyed a marked increase in fame in recent years. Recognition of the man is indeed warranted, with a mind-boggling array of accomplishments and roles : “mercantile clerk, college student, poet, artillery captain, adjutant to General Washington during the Revolutionary War, congressman, abolitionist, founder of the Bank of New York, New York state assemblyman, member of the Constitutional Convention and the New York Ratifying Convention, essayist responsible for the majority of the Federalist Papers and all of the Pacificus Papers, first Secretary of the Treasury, founder of the New York Post, major general in the army, a titanic force in the country’s first four presidential elections—and the father of eight” (Sotheby’s). Hamilton material is high in demand, and therefore much of it does not come cheaply. A full forty-two of the 77 lots bear estimates of at least five figures, with three items reaching six.

Topping the multitude of rare Hamilton documents is lot 1039 (of a sale beginning with 1001). An item estimated between $300,000 and $500,000 demands some background. Sotheby’s specialists do a better job than I would:

In April 1793, President Washington issued a Proclamation of Neutrality in the nascent war between Revolutionary France and other European powers: “Whereas it appears that a state of war exists between Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Great Britain, and the United Netherlands, of the one part, and France on the other; and the duty and interest of the United States require, that they should with sincerity and good faith adopt and pursue a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent Powers; I have therefore thought fit by these presents to declare the disposition of the United States to observe the conduct aforesaid towards those Powers respectfully; and to exhort and warn the citizens of the United States carefully to avoid all acts and proceedings whatsoever, which may in any manner tend to contravene such disposition.”

The Proclamation was issued only after a contentious debate among the cabinet; while all agreed the United States should remain neutral, the Democratic-Republicans saw so necessity for an official proclamation, which they felt could forestall some benefit from one side or the other of the belligerents “bidding for” American neutrality. Thomas Jefferson’s opposition to the proclamation was so great that he eventually resigned as Secretary of State.

Under the pen name Pacificus, Alexander Hamilton took up a defense of the neutrality proclamation; James Madison (ironically one of Hamilton’s co-authors of The Federalist Papers), writing as Helvidius, responded with the opposing viewpoint. The debate expanded into the areas of the limits of executive authority, the separation of powers in foreign relations, and the correct interpretation of the Constitution.

In Pacificus VI, Hamilton argues that while Louis XVI and France had certainly aided the cause of American independence, the gratitude of the younger country did not compel it to accept an alliance with France contrary to her own interests—or to have to choose sides between the French revolutionaries and their former rulers. The present draft foretells very closely the essay as published. Despite the many crossings-outs over the first four paragraphs of the draft, they align very closely with the first eleven paragraphs of the published text

Lot 1039 is a previously unrecorded autograph draft of Hamilton’s Pacificus IV, written in early July 1793. It is evidently one of a kind, and Hamilton himself considered this series of essays to be on equal ground as his Federalist essays. Because none of the Federalist essays survive in manuscript form today, Sotheby’s suggests this may be considered “the most important political holograph of Hamilton in private hands.” Whosever hands the draft of Pacificus IV ends up in, one thing’s for certain—they will be rich hands.

Stepping back in Hamilton’s life to the American Revolution, lot 1004’s high estimate is a mere half of Pacificus IV, standing at $150,000 – 250,000. In terms of importance to U.S. history though, this item is at first glance perhaps not as significant as the preceding lot, but a second appraisal says otherwise. The document in question is the manuscript appointing Hamilton as Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington in March 1777. This post with Washington “made possible the meteoric and momentous career of the most unlikely of the Founding Fathers” (Sotheby’s).

Sotheby’s describes the collection as one that touches on “virtually every phase of his extraordinary life,” and lot 1007 checks another box on the list of these phases. This is the earliest surviving love letter from Hamilton to his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, dated 1780 and written only a month or two after their first encounter. Hamilton was clearly smitten early as he closes with, “Adieu my charmer; take care of your self and love your Hamilton as well as he loves you.” The letter to Eliza is estimated at $40,000 – 60,000. 

Not every item in the sale reaches otherworldly heights however. Signed documents and letters by Hamilton appear with high estimates as low as $2,500. Other interesting material includes letters from other people of the era addressed to Hamilton including his wife Eliza, John Jay, and Andrew Jackson. 

Sotheby's Alexander Hamilton: An Important Family Archive of Letters and Manuscripts takes place January 18, 2017 at 2 pm eastern in New York. The catalog is available online. Bidding will be conducted via the normal methods, including in person, absentee, internet, and telephone. Registering with Sotheby's (if not already done so for a prior sale) is required. Exhibition times are as follows:

  • Wed, 11 Jan 17 | 01:00 pm - 05:00 pm EST
  • Thu, 12 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST
  • Fri, 13 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST
  • Sat, 14 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST
  • Sun, 15 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST
  • Mon, 16 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST
  • Tue, 17 Jan 17 | 11:00 am - 05:00 pm EST

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.
  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.

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