Milford chronicle., 1896-02-21
THE TRADE IN AUTOGRAPHS.
Whims Of Collectors That Affect the valul
OF Signatures Of Celebrities.


A considerable trade in autographs Of
celebrated persons is carried on in New
York, though the great international mar
ket for valuable autographs is London.
Thore are autograph as well as stamp col
lectors, and there are autograph as well as
stamp brokers. The trade IN old, rare and
valuable postage stamps Is much better
systematized than that in autographs, and
fluctuations in price of the latter are in
consequence much more general. Auto
graph collectors usually secure the sigma
lures which they seek at private sale
through tho Intervention of autograph
dealers, but occasionally there is q public
auction sale, and then a new set of quota
tions is established. The prices arc in
yariably higher in cases Of deceased per-
sons, whose supply of utograpbs.-except
fictitious posthumous ones Of oourse.-is
necessarily limited. The value put upon
signatures Of living persons by collectors
ductuates greatly. The autographs of
distinguished actress or singer, for in
stance, such as the late Adelaide Lillian
Nelson, Parepa Rosa or Pauline Lucca,
would be in much demand while she was
a public favorite, but the demand for them
would, as 1t has done, decrease after her
retirement.
At public auction sale Of rare and val
liable autographs in London some years
ago the signature Of George Washington
brought $40, or $50; an autograph of Ben
iamin Franklin, &c, or $50, and one Of
Washington Irving 90, or $40. AT the
same sale an autograph of Walter Scott
brought e17 and an autograph Of Robert
Burns 21S. The caprice of collectors Of
autographs was shown by the fact that a
signature Of George Eliot and one Of Queen
Elizabeth brought the same price, el1, or
500. The autograph Of Lord Nelson
brought Ell and of Thackeray &c. An
autograph Of Schiller brought &c and Of
Riohelieu IS.
At an American sale of autographs q
few years ago the highest price obtained
was $50 for the signature Of Roger Sher.
man. The autograph of Napoleon ]
brought S3l, that Of Thomas jefferson sc; |
Andrew jackson, $3.50; Aaron Burr.
$780, Benjamin Franklin s22; Patrick
Henry, IS; James Madison, So 30, and
Davy Crockett (suoh is fame) S3.45. A !
signature Of Washington at the same sale /
brought 50, An autograph Of Benedict |
Arnold (dato 1772) was quoted few years
ago at $40, and one Of Martin Van Buren, |
QS47) at $3.50. The plain, spirited and
striking signature of john Hancock, first
Of the signers Of the Declaration OF indie /
pendenoe familiar to every schoolboy is |
rated among collectors at 49, and the sig |
nature Of Jefferson Davis, president Of |
the Confederacy, at 81. james Monroe, |
who formulated the Monroe doctrine, does
not stand high in the good graces Of auto /
graph hunters for his signature while |
president Of the United States sells in the |
autograph market for 81. James Buch |
anans signature, 40 years later, but prob |
ably much rarer, sells for 81 Three celebri- /
ties whose autographs are considered very /
valuable by collectors are Lord Byron, /
Robespierre and Lord Chesterfield. Sarah /
Bernhardts signature may be secured in !
the autograph market for S3,-New York /
Sun