Along with presidents, presidential assassins Lee Harvey Oswald and Leon Czolgosz made the Top 500.
Some assassins rate higher than others. Number 166 is a manuscript by Leon Czolgosz, assassin of President McKinley. This is particularly noteworthy as it is the final two pages of his signed confession. $110,500. At 145 is Louis Daguerre's historic description of his amazing new process - photography - from 1839. $122,500. What could be more ironic than Marx and Engels' #138 Communist Manifesto going for $126,100 capitalist dollars?
It is doubtful even the Bible is printed as often as the telephone book anymore, but the very first one from 1878, was #93 at $173,500. The pirate Henry Morgan's account of his sacking Panama went for a chilling $259,700 worth of Spanish gold at #47. Now, this takes us to the Top 10 auction prices for 2008.
10. An early 15th century illuminated Wyckiffite New Testament. $655,838.
9. The Munro copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, with a few pages in facsimile. $870,464.
8. The only known signature from Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg at the time of his famed address. Part of an autograph album. $937,000.
7. The illuminated set of San Sisto Choir Books from the 15th century. $985,875.
6. An autographed manuscript describing surrealism by Andre Breton. $1,339,145.
5. The Courtney Compendium, a collection of 14th century historical accounts, including the travels of Marco Polo. $1,405,875.
4. De revolutionibus by Copernicus, which in 1543 for the first time placed the sun at the center of the universe. $2,210,500.
3. A complete set of John Gould's folio bird books (9 books in 40 volumes). $2,458,658.
