Auction 739 April.

DS, three pages, 8.5 x 14, September 17, 1932. Lease agreement for "the banking room of the Jackson County Bank Building, at 205 West Lexington Street, in Independence, Missouri…for a term of six (6) months," at the rate of $165 per month. Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Harry S. Truman on behalf of Jackson County, Missouri. In fine condition, with torn file holes to the top edge.

Official White House card, 3.75 x 2.25, neatly signed in fountain pen by Harry S. Truman. Matted and framed to an overall size of 6.75 x 5.75. In fine condition, with edge toning from being displayed.

Exceptional 11 x 14 engraved portrait of Harry S. Truman in profile, handsomely signed below the vignette in fountain pen. In fine condition, with scattered toning.

Uncut sheet of four Series 2013 two-dollar bills, signed twice on the portrait side in black felt tip by Donald Trump. In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "NM-MT 8." An uncommon format boasting two large Trump signatures.

Issue of the New York Post newspaper from Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 11.5 x 12, with the front page featuring a warp-around color image of Donald Trump taking the oath of office during his second presidential inauguration, with large lead article headline, “Donald Trump, 45th and 47th president, vows: ‘Golden Age of America,’” signed prominently in black felt tip by Trump. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA.

Series 2013 one-hundred-dollar bill, signed boldly on the portrait side in black felt tip by Donald Trump. In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "GEM MT 10." A choice example with ideal autograph placement, not blocking the portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

Issue of the New York Post newspaper from Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 11.25 x 12.25, with the front page featuring a color image of Donald Trump smiling smugly after winning the 2024 United States presidential election, with large lead article headline, “He’s Don It Again! Trump pulls off comeback for the ages with election win,” signed prominently in black felt tip by Trump. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA.

Uncut sheet of two Series 2013 two-dollar bills, prominently signed on the portrait side in uncommon gold ink by Donald Trump. In very fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "GEM MT 10." An unusual, attractive format for Trump's autograph.

White adjustable baseball cap by Cali-Fame Headwear embroidered in blue and red, "Trump/Vance, Make America Great Again! 2024," signed on the bill in black felt tip by Donald Trump. In very fine condition, with a PSA/DNA label affixed under the bill. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA and a UV-protective acrylic display case.

Scarce Funko Pop! vinyl figurine of Donald Trump produced as part of the 'Campaign 2016: Road to the White House' series, housed in its original 4.75˝ x 6.5˝ x 3.5˝ box, boldly signed on the window in black felt tip by Trump. In very fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA. An unusual, highly collectible format for Donald Trump's autograph.

Historic color satin-finish 13.5 x 10.5 photo of the White House with "Election 2016" printed above, signed in black felt tip by the both major party tickets: Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Tim Kaine. Double-matted and framed to an overall size of 22.5 x 18.5. In fine condition, with a Beckett label affixed to the lower right corner. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services.

Gavel constructed of wood removed from the White House during the Truman administration's renovations in 1950, measuring 11.75˝ long with a cylindrical 3.75˝ x 2˝ head, with an affixed metal plaque featuring a raised presidential seal in the center, reading: "Original White House Material Removed in 1950." In fine condition, with some nicks and scuffs to the handle.

Wooden 7˝ x 3.5˝ x .5˝ axe-shaped whittled relic attributed to the White House, annotated on the 'blade' in ink, "This wood was taken out of the White House when it was remodled [sic] in summer of 1902." In fine condition.

After Theodore Roosevelt unexpectedly took office in 1901 following the assassination of President McKinley, he hired the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White to undertake a major renovation of the White House. He desired to return the building to its Federalist roots by removing the Victorian-era 'modernization' of the decor, much of which had resulted from a less substantial renovation overseen by Chester A. Arthur in 1873.

During the renovations in the summer and autumn of 1902, the interior of the White House was entirely stripped down to its plaster walls. The excess material was strewn outside the mansion to be disposed of later. Relic hunters inevitably swarmed the piles of wood, plaster, glass, curtains, and other remnants in order to have a piece of the historic home for themselves. Despite the apparent availability of such pieces in 1902, they have largely been lost to history; most of the few fragments of the original White House that are known were used to make some sort of souvenir, such as a small box, gavel, or, in this case, an axe.

Partly-printed DS, one page, 15.5 x 12.5, November 10, 1789. As governor of Massachusetts, John Hancock appoints Ebenezer Baxter as "Ensign of a Company in the first Regiment of the first Division of the militia of this Commonwealth comprehending the County of Suffolk." Boldly signed at the upper left in ink by Governor John Hancock, and countersigned at the conclusion by John Avery as secretary. Endorsed on the reverse by Lt. Col. Peter Greene, certifying that "Ebenezer Baxter hath taken the oaths required by the Constitution of this Commonwealth." In very good to fine condition, with an area of offset toning, complete separation to the central vertical fold repaired with archival tape on the reverse, and complete silking to both sides.

Unique book of speeches made by members of the 29th Congress of the United States, leatherbound hardcover with marbled boards, 6 x 9, containing more than 60 clipped and affixed signatures inside, mostly taken from free franked covers. Most speeches pertain to the 'Three Million Bill,' the Mexican-American War, or the slavery question, focusing on the Wilmot Proviso—a proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico. Signed and dated on the first free end page with the ownership signature of T. A. D. Fessenden, "Thomas A. D. Fessenden, 1847."

The list of signers is highlighted by Andrew Johnson (2), Hannibal Hamlin, Alexander H. Stephens, John C. Calhoun, David Wilmot, John A. Dix, James Seddon (2), and Robert Rhett.

Other signers include: Luther Severance (2), Solomon Foot, Robert C. Winthrop, George Ashmun, Charles Hudson (3), James Dixon, George O. Rathbun (2), Timothy Jenkins, Washington Hunt, Samuel Gordon, Erastus D. Culver, George Evans, Bradford R. Wood, Stephen Strong, Martin Grover, Preston King, William L. Dayton, James Pollock, Abraham R. McIlvaine, Charles J. Ingersoll, Richard Brodhead, Andrew Stewart, Moses McClean (2), William F. Giles, Edward Long, Thomas Perry, Shelton F. Leake, Thomas H. Bayly, John Pendleton, Henry Bedinger, Seaborn Jones, John M. Berrien, Franklin W. Bowdon, Henry W. Hilliard, Andrew Butler, Joseph A. Woodward, Alexander D. Sims, Robert W. Roberts, Jacob Thompson, John H. Harmanson, Milton Brown, Edwin H. Ewing, Frederick P. Stanton, John H. Crozier, and Meredith P. Gentry.

In very good condition, with rubbing and scuffing to boards, worn corners, and some staining to the textblock.

This extraordinary volume offers a vivid window into the political and sectional tensions of mid-19th-century America. It preserves speeches and signatures from legislators of the 29th Congress debating the Mexican-American War and the contentious Wilmot Proviso, which aimed to prohibit slavery in territories acquired from Mexico—an early flashpoint in the nation’s escalating crisis. The collection includes over sixty signatures representing prominent figures across the political spectrum: Andrew Johnson, later president; Hannibal Hamlin, future vice president under Lincoln; staunch pro-slavery advocates like John C. Calhoun and Robert Rhett; and David Wilmot, the Proviso’s author. The book not only documents the legislative battles that presaged the Civil War but also captures the personal imprint of key actors shaping the era’s political landscape.

Scarce partial manuscript DS, signed “Wm. Penn,” one page, 9.25 x 7, September 1689. Document headed "William Penn…Proprietary of the Province of Pennsilvania [sic], and Counties annexed," by which he requests that three candidates be presented to him as potential contenders for his Deputy or Lieutenant Governor. In part: "Since the Providence of God hath disappointed my reall intentions, and earnest inclinations of comeing to you for some time longer, and to the end the inhabitants…may be assured, I have and seek no other interest, then what is agreeable…I do consent that you please your selves, and therefore do hereby empower you…three Persons within the said Province or Countys annexed, to present to me…I shall chuse one for my Deputy or Lieutenant Governor." Docketed on the reverse, "A draught of a Commission—to impower the Councel to choose his Govenr." In good to very good condition, with overall soiling, professional repairs to tears, and professional restoration to the lower missing left corner area, affecting some of the text but not the signature. A significant, early document from the decade in which Pennsylvania was founded.

Scarce book: An Address to the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania, by Those Freemen, of the City of Philadelphia, who are now confined in the Mason's Lodge, by virtue of a General Warrant Signed in Council by the Vice President of the Council of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1777. Rebound hardcover in quarter morocco with marbled boards, 5.25 x 8.25, 52 pages. The text, signed in type by Israel Pemberton and twenty-one others, includes copies of orders of the Supreme Executive Council, remonstrances addressed to the Council, and other papers upon the state's arrest of Quakers (including himself) on suspicion of Loyalist sympathies during the Revolutionary War, and their confinement without a hearing or trial. Book condition: VG/None, with mottled foxing to textblock and an ownership inscription ("Sarah Fisher, 1808") to title page.

LS signed “William H. Seward,” one page both sides, 5 x 8, Department of State letterhead, December 30, 1867. Letter to the Hon. J. Glancy Jones, thanking him for comments in relation to the recent purchase of Alaska, and alluding to a proposal for the acquisition of British Columbia. In full: "I give you my thanks for your private letter of the 14th instant, expressing your appreciation of the acquisition already made and that proposed, to our national domain. Such expressions from persons whose experience in public affairs and known sagacity entitle their authors to confidence would, it seems to me, be useful and instructive in a form in which they could be promulgated without violating the restrictions imposed upon private letters." In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, retaining its red "Department of State" wax seal on the reverse.

In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, a deal negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward under President Andrew Johnson. The treaty transferred a vast and resource-rich territory of over 586,000 square miles to the United States at a cost of about two cents per acre, greatly expanding the nation’s footprint in the North Pacific. Seward envisioned Alaska as strategically important for trade and defense, as well as a future source of natural resources.

At the time, however, many Americans ridiculed the purchase, dismissing the frozen land as useless wilderness. Critics mockingly called the acquisition 'Seward’s Folly' or 'Seward’s Icebox.' Over time, the discovery of gold, oil, and other resources, along with Alaska’s geopolitical significance, proved Seward’s foresight correct, transforming what was once seen as a blunder into one of the most beneficial land deals in American history.

In the aftermath of the Alaska deal, British Columbians grew anxious about being surrounded by American territory, while some locals supported annexation. U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward envisioned incorporating the entire northwest Pacific Coast to strengthen American trade in the Pacific. He believed that the people of British Columbia would accept annexation, and that Great Britain might cede the territory to settle claims arising from attacks on Union merchant ships during the Civil War. These efforts were unsuccessful, and the claims were ultimately settled for cash.

Uncommon grouping of ten items signed by eleven signers of the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession, which passed unanimously on December 20, 1860, and formally dissolved the union between South Carolina and the United States. Includes: Benjamin F. Dunkin (ALS), William W. Harllee (ALS), Isaac Hayne (ALS), John H. Honour (two ALSs), William F. Hutson (ALS), John A. Inglis (ALS), Benjamin Huger Rutledge (ALS), Ephraim Mikell Seabrook (ALS), and a document signed by Andrew Gordon Magrath, Christopher G. Memminger, and Thomas M. Hanckel. Also includes a secretarially signed John I. Ingram document. In overall very good to fine condition. As a concentrated assemblage tied directly to the first act of secession, the collection represents a rare and historically significant cross-section of the men who initiated the Confederacy.

Impressive oversized semi-glossy 7.5 x 9.5 photo of Chiang Kai-shek, affixed to its original 11 x 13.75 mount, signed and inscribed on the mount in black ink in Chinese. The photograph is presented in a beautiful red felt “Souvenir of Taiwan” album, 19 x 13, containing three documents and a photograph issued to Major Richard M. Smith, Jr., who served as a communications–electronics officer with the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in Taiwan in the late 1960s, early 1970s. In fine condition. An exceptional portrait of the Chinese leader, very scarce in this large-format size.

Iconic matte-finish 5 x 6.5 portrait of Winston Churchill by Vivienne of London, affixed to its original 7.75 x 10.5 studio mount, signed on the mount in fountain pen, "Winston S. Churchill, 1953." Affixed inside its original studio presentation folder, the reverse of which bears a “Vivienne, 20th Century Studios Limited” copyright stamp. In fine condition, with toning to the edges of the mount.

Vivienne (1889–1982) was a leading society portrait photographer who began as an assistant to her husband Ernest and their son, Antony. In 1949, Antony, by then making a career photographing actors in Hollywood, married Churchill’s daughter Sarah, an actress. Both families became friends and Vivienne made many portraits of Churchill. This is one of her most enduring images.

TLS signed “W. S. Churchill,” one page, 8 x 10, Chartwell, Westerham, Kent letterhead, April 6, 1939. Letter to Margaret K. Haskell, in full: “I thank you for your letter, and greatly appreciate the kind offer of your services. Mrs. Edward C. Pratt is the Honorary Secretary of my Conservative Association in the Epping Division. I am sure she would find your help invaluable when the preliminary work is begun for a General Election, and I will ask her to get into touch with you at that time. With renewed thanks for your letter, which is most encouraging to me.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing.

Churchill writes an optimistic letter to a Conservative supporter offering their services in the run-up to the planned 1939 General Election. The last General Election in Great Britain before the outbreak of WWII was in 1935. The war commenced less than six months after this letter was written, and no General Elections were held during the wartime period. In the inaugural post-war election, Clement Attlee's Labour Party won an unexpected landslide victory over Churchill and the Conservatives.

TLS signed "Yours sincerely, Winston S. Churchill," one page, 7.25 x 9.5, 28 Hyde Park Gate, [London] letterhead, August 22 1950. Letter to Cabinet Secretary Norman Brook, in full: "I have of course at once deleted the letter to Hardinge to which you refer in your letter of August 17. I am most profoundly grateful to you for all the help you have given me in my seemingly unending toil. The reconstruction of the SUSPENSE AND STRAIN chapter was a masterpiece. I do not know how you can find the time and energy to help me so much with all the other exacting work you have to do. I am continually oppressed by the sense of the perils which surround us now. I am glad you are in a position where you can do much to ward them off. Old or young, one can only do ones best." Affixed to a same-size backing sheet and in very good condition, with light staining and overall wrinkling from mounting.

Churchill wrote this letter in August 1950 while completing The Hinge of Fate, the fourth volume of his six-volume war memoir, The Second World War, published that same year. ‘Suspense and Strain’ is a chapter covering the summer of 1942, with focus on the fall of Tobruk to Rommel in June, the vote of no confidence in the Commons that Churchill survived that month, and the simultaneous deterioration of the Allied position in North Africa and the Pacific. It was among the most fraught passages of the memoir to reconstruct, covering a period when the outcome of the war remained genuinely uncertain, and Churchill's own political survival was in question. That Brook had reconstructed rather than merely edited the chapter suggests the original draft was lost or substantially damaged.

Sir Norman Brook (1902–1967) served as Secretary to the Cabinet from 1947 to 1962, the most senior civil service position in Britain, carrying him through the administrations of Attlee, Churchill, Eden, Macmillan, and Douglas-Home. His editorial work on Churchill's memoirs was conducted alongside those responsibilities — a fact Churchill acknowledges directly in the letter. The Second World War was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

TLS signed "Winston S. Churchill," one page, 7.5 x 9.5, 28 Hyde Park Gate [London] letterhead, January 12, 1950. Letter to his racehorse trainer, Walter Nightingall, in full: "Thank you so much for sending me Colonist's front racing plates. I hope that his present ones will bring him as much success this coming season as he had last. With best wishes for 1950." In fine condition.

Churchill purchased Colonist II, a French-bred gray colt, in the spring of 1949 at the age of seventy-five — his first racehorse. The horse won three of his six races in his debut season, and Nightingall's gift of Colonist's front racing plates from those victories prompted this letter of thanks, written as the 1950 season approached. That season proved to be the horse's best, with eight wins from ten starts. Nightingall trained at South Hatch Stables in Epsom and went on to train seventy winners for Churchill over a fifteen-year association that ended only with Churchill's retirement from racing in 1964.

Vintage matte-finish 6.75 x 9 photo of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in decorated uniform, affixed to its original 9.5 x 12 mount, signed on the mount in fountain pen, "Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, 20 Octobre 1954." Blindstamped in the lower right corner by the photographer, "Sako." In fine condition, with small stains to the mount, all easily matted out.