Item 36 is a rather unusual letter, it having supposedly been written by Jesus Christ himself (no, this is not a handwritten manuscript by Jesus, or you can be sure Cullen would have priced it for more than $225). This is a printed broadside, undated but likely circa 1800. It is headed A Copy of a Letter Written by Our Blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and Found Eighteen Miles from Iconium, sixty-three years after the Crucifixion...now in possession of Lady Cuba's Family in Mesopotamia... The original letter was claimed to have been signed by the Angel Gabriel and found under a large stone. In the letter, Jesus gives some advice, or perhaps commands, much pertaining to keeping the Sabbath, going to church, fasting on Good Friday and the following four Fridays, and noting that those who follow its words will prosper. Those who do not believe it will be sent plagues to consume them, their children and their cattle. Also printed are letters back and forth between Jesus and King Agbarus (or Abgarus), in which Jesus, in effect, says thank you for an invitation but other responsibilities prevent my attendance. However, "after my ascension I will send one of my disciples who shall cure thy distemper..." Finally, an eyewitness describes Jesus' physical appearance, noting he is "somewhat tall and comely," has long hair and a thick beard, and has "never been seen by any one to laugh..." Some historians and theologians believe this letter to be a fake. However, its history may go back many centuries prior to this printing.

Item 11 is an autographed cartoon of a character well known to the "Greatest Generation," The Sad Sack. The Sad Sack was a World War II soldier, a kind of hapless, resigned, citizen-soldier. His creator, George Baker, had been drafted himself and began his cartoons of army life for an ordinary man from his own experiences. After the war, The Sad Sack returned to civilian life, where he continued to suffer life's indignities in his patent stoic but hapless manner. $325.

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Thomas Cullen Rockland Bookman may be reached at 716-662-2082 or tomcat@roadrunner.com.