Taking Bids: One of a Kind Collectibles offers autographs and books until September 10
- by Thomas C. McKinney
Accepting bids now, One of a Kind Collectibles Auctions is hosting an online sale of Rare Autographs, Books and Sports until September 10th. Two hundred and eighty-two lots are included, covering a wide variety of subjects. The online catalog’s “category” feature makes navigation a breeze, so whether you collect U.S. Presidents, baseball, the World Wars, or other subjects, you’ll be able to quickly find material relevant to your tastes.
Letters signed by George Washington are evidently desirable, and wartime correspondence checks multiple boxes. The first lot of the sale is an autograph letter signed, dated 8 September [1776], written in the hand of Tench Tilghman, Washington’s aide-de-camp and signed by the General. The letter is addressed to Abraham Yates, Jr., a delegate for New York, bearing Washington’s request for boats to transport wounded soldiers off Long Island. Lot 1 is estimated $15,000 to $20,000 and at the time of writing (2:30pm eastern on August 30), the current bid is $11,150.
If a more modern future-President appeals to your collection, the following lot might suit, being a Theodore Roosevelt typed signed article/press release for police recruitment during his tenure as New York’s Police Commissioner. Intended for publication in the New York Times during the summer of 1895, the article lays out what Roosevelt looked for in police officers: “No weakling no man of bad moral character and imperfect physical development need apply we need men of intelligence and sobriety.” The press release is estimated $1,200 to $1,500.
As someone who had the pleasure of seeing Hamilton live in London, I have to include lot 4, a first edition of the “Reynolds Pamphlet,” AKA Observations on Certain Documents Contained in No. V & VI of ''The History tf the United States for the Year 1796,'' in which the Charge of Speculation Against Alexander Hamilton, Late Secretary of The Treasury, is Fully Refuted. This is the famous response from Hamilton in which he admitted to having an affair with Maria Reynolds while disproving the charge he considered more serious (that of illegal speculation while Secretary of the Treasury). One of a Kind describes this first edition as “very uncommon since Hamilton's family attempted to find and destroy as many copies as they could.” This infamous piece of American history is estimated $10,000 to $12,000.
One of a Kind Collectibles Auctions places an emphasis on rare and valuable autographs, and there are many more in the current online sale. Figures such as Lincoln, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Alan Turing, and Albert Einstein are represented. The online catalog for the sale is available here. Bidding is currently underway, and ends at 8:30pm Eastern time on Thursday, September 10.