University Archives held its May auction this week. Over 1,000 people from 60+ countries were live online and “in the room” during the sale, collectively executing over 3,000 bids. These online bidders joined absentee and phone bidders – up to four at a time for some lots – which further stimulated competition. The auction generated nearly $1.2 million in sales. We shattered a company record to finally reach our highest-ever sell-through rate of 99%; that’s only 6 passes out of 473 items that passed the auction block! Items from the Civil Rights, Music, Early America, Civil War, and Art collecting categories inspired especially strong interest.
Some of our auction highlights included:
Civil Rights
Lot 212 was a Frederick Douglass letter signed, dated March 13, 1893, addressed to Frederick Perry Noble, Secretary of the African Congress. Noble was laying the groundwork for the African Congress, which would convene in August 1893 as part of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. This week-long symposium exploring African history, language, geography, and sociology eventually attracted 100 black and white speakers and essay entrants from 20 countries, including Douglass himself. The letter – in which Douglass bluntly dismisses any nostalgia about slavery – fetched well over its high estimate, or $68,750 including the buyer’s premium. Of note, the same Douglass letter signed sold at one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious auction houses for only a fraction of the price that we attained for our consignor.
Lot 212, Frederick Douglass LS
Sports
Lot 468 was Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ron Perranoski’s personally owned and worn 1965 Dodgers World Series Championship ring. The Balfour 14K gold ring inlaid with a blue stone was consigned to us by Ron’s longtime girlfriend and Attorney-in-Fact. Perranoski was one of the Dodgers’ most talented pitchers in the bullpen, helping to secure the team’s win against the Minnesota Twins. This spectacular item of baseball memorabilia met its high estimate, selling for $50,000 including the tip.
Music
Lot 244 was a vintage black and white photograph of The Beatles taken by Dezo Hoffman, signed by all four bandmates during their first trip to the United States in February 1964. The signed photo was acquired by editor of Cashbox Magazine Marty Ostrow around the same time The Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, effectively launching Beatlemania. This very desirable example of a “first visit” autograph is accompanied by an attestation provided by musicologist Frank Caiazzo. The Beatles relic sold for $20,000 including the buyer’s premium, exceeding its high estimate.
Lot 244, Beatles SP
Lot 260 was an intriguing contemporary manuscript: Prince’s handwritten lyrics to “You’re All I Want,” a song he recorded in 1982 but never released during his lifetime. The 187 words inscribed in Prince’s beautiful cursive include two examples of alternative spellings of the song title as “U’re All I Want.” The musical manuscript exchanged hands sold for $11,250 including the buyer’s premium.
Literature
Lot 409 was a first edition, later printing of Ian Fleming, Moonraker (New York: A Signet Book Published by The New American Library, copyrighted 1955), boldly signed and inscribed by its author, Ian Fleming, on the full title page. Fleming’s dedicatory inscription “To Elly” is believed to have been addressed to Eileen Miller, the wife of a New American Library editor with whom Fleming worked. The vintage signed book continuing the James Bond series sold for almost double the high estimate, or $8,750 including the tip.
Early America
Lot 233 was a Revolutionary War-dated manuscript receipt dated July 4, 1776 from Southboro, Massachusetts, the very same day that the Declaration of Independence was issued about 270 miles to the south in Philadelphia. Joseph Trumbull, Commissary-General of the Continental Army, accepted casks of flour and peas to feed Patriot troops. The receipt sold for nearly three times its high estimate, or for $13,750 including the buyer’s premium. Clearly, collectors are preparing for the semi quincentennial coming up in just two months’ time!
Lot 233, July 4, 1776 Military Receipt
Entertainment
Lot 196 was an 18pp legal contract between Howard Hughes and Howard Hawks, signed and initialed by Hughes three times, and signed and initialed by Hawks twice. The document, dated ca. July 12, 1932, outlined a 2-year working contract just after the pair released their gangster thriller Scarface several months earlier. This spectacular piece of Hollywoodiana sold for $12,500 including the buyer’s premium, or 300% over its high estimate.
Science
Lot 448 was a collection of photo negatives and prints retained in the personal collection of legendary portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh. The nine prints and six negatives taken by Karsh’s apprentice Herman Leonard shows Karsh and Albert Einstein during the famous February 1948 photo session at Princeton, New Jersey. The lot sold for $3,500 including the tip. That’s five times its high estimate!
Larry Berra Collection
Lot 303 was a James Garfield CDV signed with his rank as Major General, from the Collection of Larry Berra, son of baseball legend Yogi Berra. The C.D. Fredericks carte de visite shows Garfield in uniform, and was signed during a very brief period when Garfield held the rank of Major General. It sold for $9,000 including the buyer’s premium, or nearly three times its high estimate. All 72 lots from the Larry Berra Collection in our May auction sold, achieving a fantastic 100% sell-through rate. The top six-grossing items from the Collection were all Civil War general signed CDVs. Joining the Garfield were signed CDVs by U.S. Grant, William T. Sherman, John M. Schofield, John Gibbon, and George H. Thomas, all of which either met or far-exceeded their high estimates.
Art
Lot 127 was a magazine print of Norman Rockwell’s iconic Tough Call, or, Game Called Because of Rain, initially published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1949. The black and white print is signed by the artist Rockwell, as well as the three professional baseball umpires who modeled in the original: Lou Jorda, Beans Reardon, and Larry Goetz. The possibly unique multi-autographed item achieved almost double its high estimate, or $8,125 including the buyer’s premium.
These are just a few of the rare and high-quality historical items that were offered in our May auction.
Our next sale is scheduled for June 17, 2026.
We hope to see you there!
