The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-22

Abraham LIncoin's Name In Full
Brought s25 While Theodore
Roosevelt's Signature Was
Worth $40.

e II
traordinary prices prevailed at the
sale Of autograph letters from the col |
lection Of Charles SteigerwaIt, of Ian
caster. Pa. which was held in the
auction rooms of Samuel T. Freeman
& Co, with S. v. Henkels as auc.
tioneer. Dealers and collectors bid
freely and entire sale brought bids
which kept at high percentage
above average market price, except
ing in few cases. One of the most
interesting items was an autograph,
dated, signed document OF Martin
Luther, which was sold to Frank Sa-
bin, the largest dealer in London, who
paid $3.50 for it. Mr.. Sabin also bought
In the famous "jackass" letter by
George Washington, for the modest
sum Of sos.
The sale included the most interest
ing Items, among which was an auto
graph signed letter to his wife by
John Brown of abolition fame, which
brought $42.50. Last year in New
York the same letter was sold for SAG
so-called facetious letter and draw
ing by Steamboat Fulton to his
friend skipwith, brought $55. A letter
OF Patrick Henry's declining a seat
in the United States senate was bid
| in at $S2.50. The market value is nom
linally $25 for Henry letters. A high
mark was set at the sale of letter
] to Mrs. Anne Smith IN the handwrit,
/ Ing and with the signature of Steph-
len Hopkins, signer Of the Declara-
tion OF independence for $3.50. The
rare handwriting of Andrew Johnson
| president OF the United States, was
offered in autograph, but unsigned
bill for work done by the tailor before
he was president. The spelling is as
rare as the handwriting, and $3S was
paid for possession of bill ITO MAX
1 ing one pare of pants.
! There were signatures of Abraham
Lincoln sold, and they were among
4 the few documents which did not
/ command the price usually obtained.
A signature of the name in full. which
is very rare, brought s25, and an au-
tograph postscript brought $27.
One of the best prizes secured
was a document of Sir Walter Scott's,
which was none other than the prom
Iissory note of James Ballantyne &
Co., signed by Scott. This brought
4 $40. and the history back of it makes
its interest. In undertaking to pay this
debt Scott was made first penniless
and then famous; for the debt led
to the writing of the Waverly novels.
AS the highest price ever paid for a
signature of John Stark of Bunker
Hill fame, this sale set the record at
s22. One of President Tyler's letters
brought s43. This concerned the as
sassination of President Andrew Jack
son.
At the evening session of the sale
the George Washington letters
brought the highest prices. ranging
from s2o5, $1O5, s130, $S5, $50, $50
s12o, s140, $3.50, sl15, $50 s12o, $50
s55. s16O for signatures to letters to
smaller prices, which dropped to $2C
and $40 for his name in the body OF
document, and s4.50 for an auto
graph postscript
An amusing item was the sale Of
4,SOD letters and documents known as
the Westinghouse papers
This blind package went to buyer
with sporting blood for $50.
A letter by Longfellow went fol
s65. and one by Oliver Wendell
Holmes brought s1S. A signature By
Theodore Roosevelt brought the sur
prising price of $40; one of Zachary
Taylor's s66 and four signatures o.
William Penn in the body of one doc
. ument sold for SAC.