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Cowans Auctions: African Americana

Auction Reports

Auction Name African Americana Total Sales (USD) 226,983.00
Auction Date February 18, 2021 - February 18, 2021 Low Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 122,300.00
Sale Number #21821 High Estimate of Lots Sold (USD) 183,800.00
Total Lots 270
Sold Lots 226 Low Estimate of All Lots (USD) 151,500.00
% of Lots Sold 83.70% High Estimate of All Lots (USD) 225,800.00
Unsold Lots 44 Total Sales as a % of High Est. 100.52%

Top twenty-five by sale price

Lot Number Author Name Book Title Year Published Estimate Actual Price
46 [BROWN, John (1800-1859)]HOYT, George H. (1837-1877).

An archive of materials mostly related to abolitionist George H. Hoyt's work as an attorney for John Brown,

USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 43,750.00
82 [ROBERTS], Joseph Jenkins (1809-1876)]

Sixth plate daguerreotype of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first and seventh president of Liberia.

ca 1840s. USD 10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD 13,750.00
120 [WALKER, Madam C.J. (born Sarah Breedlove, 1867-1919)]

Madam C.J. Walker Company Sales Representative Badge.

[ca 1920s] USD 2,500.00 - 3,500.00 USD 9,375.00
133 GARVEY, Marcus (1887-1940). -- GARVEY, Amy Jacques (1894-1973), editor.

Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.

1923, 1926 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 5,000.00
184

March on Washington.

 1963 USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 5,000.00
49

Album of 20 CDVs Featuring Enslaved Children of New Orleans and other abolition-related subjects, including: KIMBALL, M.H., photographer. Rebecca, Augusta, and Rosa, Emancipated Slaves from New Orleans.

 1863 USD 2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD 4,375.00
6 DAVIS, Ignatius (1759-1828).

Thirty Dollars Reward. Ran away, on the 22d of August last, a handsome Negro Lad, named Arch, About twenty years of age.

1791 USD 4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD 3,125.00
72

24th US Infantry 1902-Pattern Full Dress-Dress Uniform Coat, Breast Cord, and Cap.

USD 500.00 - 700.00 USD 2,880.00
67

Cabinet cards of 10th US Cavalry soldiers, comprising: Cabinet card of a proud private of Troop H, 10th US Cavalry at Fort Buford, ND.

ca 1896. USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 2,813.00
212

Mississippi Project. Packet with map.

[1964] USD 300.00 - 500.00 USD 2,500.00
68 MILLER, Andrew, photographer.

Boudoir photograph of Lt. Powhatan H. Clarke and Troop K, 10th Cavalry at volley-firing.

[ca 1890] USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 2,375.00
248 HUGHES, Langston (1902-1967). -- DE CARAVA, Roy (1919-2009).

The Sweet Flypaper of Life.

1955 USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 2,125.00
123 [WALKER, Madam C.J. (born Sarah Breedlove, 1867-1919)]

The Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Manual: A thorough Treatise Covering All Branches of Beauty Culture.

1940 USD 200.00 - 300.00 USD 1,875.00
151 [KENNEDY, John F. (1917-1963)]

Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

1978-1979. USD 1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD 1,875.00
27

The Boston Slave Riot, and Trial of Anthony Burns.

1854 USD 500.00 - 700.00 USD 1,750.00
76

True Sons of Freedom.

 1918 USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 1,750.00
124 [WALKER, Madam C.J. (born Sarah Breedlove, 1867-1919)]

The Mme. C.J. Walker System of Beauty Culture: The Oldest, The Most Widely Known, The Best.

 [ca 1930s] USD 1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD 1,750.00
42 TRUTH, Sojourner (ca 1797-1883), [Olive GILBERT (1801-1884) and Lloyd GARRISON (1805-1879)]

Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Bonds-Woman of Olden Times.

 1881 USD 300.00 - 500.00 USD 1,625.00
118

Cook Book "Work and Serve the Home Dedicated to the New Jersey State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs.

1928 USD 400.00 - 600.00 USD 1,625.00
239 SHAKUR, Assata (b.1947).

Wanted by the FBI: Interstate Flight - Murder: Joanne Deborah Chesimard.

1983 USD 500.00 - 700.00 USD 1,536.00
18

Bill of sale for enslaved young man, "Anthony," New Jersey, 7 May 1832.

1832 USD 700.00 - 900.00 USD 1,500.00
19

Bill of sale for enslaved man, "Harry," New Jersey, 27 June 1839

 1839 USD 700.00 - 900.00 USD 1,500.00
77

Colored Man is No Slacker.

 1918 USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 1,500.00
83

Quarter plate ambrotype of two African American children posed with a white infant asleep in a stroller.

 USD 700.00 - 900.00 USD 1,500.00
170 HUIE, William Bradford (1910-1986).

A group of three magazines featuring articles on Emmett Till by Huie

 USD 600.00 - 800.00 USD 1,500.00
  • Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 546. Christoph Jacob Trew. Plantae selectae, 1750-1773.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 70. Thomas Murner. Die Narren beschwerung. 1558.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 621. Michael Bernhard Valentini. Museum Museorum, 1714.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 545. Sander Reichenbachia. Orchids illustrated and described, 1888-1894.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1018. Marinetti, Boccioni, Pratella Futurism - Comprehensive collection of 35 Futurist manifestos, some of them exceptionally rare. 1909-1933.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 634. August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof. 3 Original Drawings, around 1740.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 671. Jacob / Picasso. Chronique des Temps, 1956.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1260. Mary Webb. Sarn. 1948. Lucie Weill Art Deco Binding.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 508. Felix Bonfils. 108 large-format photographs of Syria and Palestine.
    Jeschke Jadi
    Auction 151
    Saturday, April 27, 2024
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 967. Dante Aligheri and Salvador Dali. Divina Commedia, 1963.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1316. Tolouse-Lautrec. Dessinateur. Duhayon binding, 1948.
    Jeschke Jádi, Apr. 27: Lot 1303. Regards sur Paris. Braque, Picasso, Masson, 1962.
  • Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: McCarthy (Cormac). Cities of the Plain, N.Y., 1998, First Edn., signed on hf. title; together with Uncorrected Proof and Uncorrected Advance Reading Copies, both signed by the Author. €800 to €1,000.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Stanihurst (Richard). De Rebus in Hibernia Gestis, Libri Quattuor, sm. 4to Antwerp (Christi. Plantium) 1584. First Edn. €525 to €750.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Fleischer (Nat.) Jack Dempsey The Idol of Fistiana, An Intimate Narrative, N.Y., 1929, First Edn. Signed on f.e.p. by Rocky Marciano. €400 to €600.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Smith - Classical Atlas, Lond., 1820. Bound with, Smiths New General Atlas .. Principal Empires, Kingdoms, & States throughout the World, Lond. 1822. €350 to €500.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Rare Auction Catalogues – 1856: Bindon Blood, of Ennis, Co. Clare: Sotheby & Wilkinson. €320 to €450.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Mavor (Wm.)] A General Collection of Voyages and Travels from the Discovery of America to the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century, 28 vols. (complete) Lond., 1810. €300 to €400.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Mc Carthy (Cormac). Outer Dark, N.Y. (Random House)1968, Signed by Mc Carthy. €250 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Three signed works by Ted Huges - Wodwo, 1967; Crow from the Life and Songs of the Crow, 1970; and Tales from Ovid, 1997. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: The Garden. An Illustrated Weekly Journal of Horticulture in all its Branches, 7 vols. lg. 4to Lond. 1877-1880. With 127 colored plates. €200 to €300.
    Fonsie Mealy’s
    Rare Book & Collectors Sale
    24th April 2024
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: Procter (Richard A.) Saturn and its System: Containing Discussions of The Motion (Real and Apparent)…, Lond. 1865. First Edn. €160 to €220.
    Fonsie Mealy, Apr. 24: [Ashe] St. George, Lord Bishop of Clogher, A Sermon Preached to the Protestants of Ireland, now in London,... Oct. 23, 1712, London 1712. Second Edn. €130 to €180.
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    Starting 10AM CST
    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
    Starting 10AM CST
    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
    Starting 10AM CST
    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
    Starting 10AM CST
    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.
  • 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
  • Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Piccolomini's De La Sfera del Mondo (The Sphere of the World), 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Vellutello's Commentary on Petrarch, With Map, 1525.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Finely Bound Definitive, Illustrated Edition of I Promessi Sposi, 1840.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Rare First Edition of John Milton's Latin Correspondence, 1674.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Giolito's Edition of Boccaccio's The Decamerone, with Bedford Binding, 1542.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of the First Biography of Marie of the Incarnation, with Rare Portrait, 1677.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Aldine Edition of Volume One of Cicero's Orationes, 1540.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Bonanni's Illustrated Costume Catalogue, with Complete Plates, 1711.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Important Incunable, the First Italian Edition of Josephus's De Bello Judaico, 1480.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: First Edition of Jacques Philippe d'Orville's Illustrated Book of the Ruins of Sicily, 1764.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: An Incunable from 1487, The Contemplative Life, with Early Manuscript.
    Leland Little, Apr. 26: Ignatius of Loyola's Exercitia Spiritualia, 1563.
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