MERCURY 7 ASTRONAUTS A Salute to Project Mercury by America's Original Space Pioneers Comprises: (1) Photograph signed: "Scott Carpenter", "Gordon Cooper", "John Glenn", "Wally Schirra", "Alan Shepard" and "Deke Slayton". B/w, 10x8. Official NASA photo. Fine condition. (2) Commemorative Envelope signed: "Virgil I. Grissom", 6½x3½, honoring Project Mercury, 7-cent U.S. Air Mail stamp affixed, postmarked Port Canaveral, FLA., July 21, 1961. He has also penned: "7:20 EST". Fine condition. GUS GRISSOM signed and revised the facts of his July 21, 1961 "Man Shoot No. 2" on this commemorative cover; during this mission, he manned the Mercury-Redstone 4 Liberty Bell 7 and became the second American in space. The event occurred only two months after the Project Mercury team successfully launched a man into space and safely returned him to Earth. ALAN SHEPARD became the first American hurled into space during his flight aboard Mercury's first manned capsule, the Mercury-Redstone 3 Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961. read more...

NAVY SECRETARY GIDEON WELLES ORDERS THE NAVY TO TRANSPORT CAPTURED FUGITIVE JOHN SURATT BACK TO THE US TO STAND TRIAL FOR CONSPIRING TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT LINCOLN GIDEON WELLES Telegram, unsigned, 1 page, 8½x11. 1866 December 6. Telegram partly printed in Portuguese, received from Gideon Welles in Washington, D.C., for transmittal to Admiral Goldsborough, American Squadron at Lisbon, Portugal. Manuscript text of Welles' message (unknown hand): "Send steamer to Alexandria, Egypt to receive Surautt [sic] from Consul Hale and bring him to Washington." [Welles' name has also been misspelled by the telegraph office.] Docketed on verso: "Hon. G. Welles/Secy of the Navy/6th Dec. 1866/Send steamer to/Alexandria, Egypt". Gideon Welles (1812-1878), a Jacksonian Democrat who joined the new Republican Party in 1854 because he detested slavery, was Secretary of the Navy throughout the Presidencies of Abraham Lincoln (who called him "Neptune") and Andrew Johnson (1861-1869). John Suratt (1844-1916) was the son of Mary Suratt, convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Lincoln and the first woman executed (hanged) by the US government. read more...

APOLLO 11: NEIL ARMSTRONG and MICHAEL COLLINS Framed 26x26 display featuring signed space suit fabric with the mission patch Ephemera signed: "Neil Armstrong", "Michael Collins", 6x6 strip of space suit fabric bearing 3¼-diameter Apollo 11 mission patch. The fabric was originally signed by the third astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, but Aldrin's signature has faded and is now almost invisible. The signed fabric is matted and framed to an overall size of 26x26 with the following items: 1) backdrop photo of lunar landscape with Earth above the horizon, and separate photo cutout of space-suited figure with lunar lander (LEM) reflected in the faceplate; 2) set of 3 inset, unsigned photos (each color, 3x2½) of the astronauts Armstrong, Collins and Buzz Aldrin; and 3) metallic plaque imprinted with caption: "Apollo 11 - Patch printed on genuine space suit material. Apollo 11 crew Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins. The historic Apollo 11 spaceflight, the fifth manned flight in the Apollo series, took human beings to the surface of the moon for the first time. Launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, the spacecraft entered lunar orbit on July 19. read more...

THEODORE ROOSEVELT This typed 1911 letter, addressed to a New York newspaper, contains numerous corrections in Roosevelt's hand. It's a scathing letter regarding a court decision and the newspaper's support for that decision - a decision that Roosevelt said violated one of the core philosophies of the Republican Party. This was written one year before Roosevelt tried to wrest the Republican presidential nomination from William Howard Taft - and, failing that, embarked on a third-party run under the Progressive banner. Public figures rarely commit such strong sentiments to writing, which makes this letter especially rare and significant. Superb content draft Typed Letter, heavily corrected with 216 words in Roosevelt's hand, not signed, on his personal letterhead, "The Outlook", "Office of Theodore Roosevelt", 2p, 7¾x9½, separate sheets. New York, May 30, 1911. To Mr. C.H. Betts, The Lyons Republican, 41 Williams Street, Lyons, N ew York. Most probably the final draft. In part: "Really it is hard to believe that read more...

GENERAL DANIEL H. HILL Important Civil War-dated letter. Confederate Major General Daniel H. Hill wrote this letter from Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1863 complaining about Brigadier General Joseph Wheeler and his cavalry. Autograph letter signed "DH Hill". 1 page, 7¾x11½, ruled paper. Goldsboro, North Carolina, March 28, 1863. Addressed to Major G. M. Sorrell, Confederate States Army. "The picket line from Mt. Roanoke to Wilmington is about 175 miles being a curved line. I have written to Genl. [Beverly] Robertson to know what is the least force which can cover it. The rest, I will order to Bertie [County, North Carolina]. They will not fight & the only use which can be made of them is as [illegible] and Pickets ... I wrote to the Sec. War in reference to dismantling G. J. Wheeler's bogus Regt. He has but four companies, very worthless & the time allowed him for the completion of his regt 15th March has expired. His Field and Staff have not been commissioned. The govt might buy the horses for the boat train & artillery & put the men in an Infantry Regt. I hope that this matter will be attended to promptly. read more...

JOHN HANCOCK and JOHN AVERY, JR. As Massachusetts Governor and Secretary of State, both sign a manuscript document appointing Superior Court Justice David Sewall to the Commonwealth's Supreme Court (1781). Ornate Manuscript DS: "John Hancock" as Governor of Massachusetts, 1 page, 21¾x13. On vellum. Boston, 1781 February 20. Countersigned: "John Avery Secy". Appointment of David Sewall as Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. On verso, appears a short Manuscript DS: "John Hancock". In full: "In Council February 20th 1781. Hnble David Sewall Esqr appeared at the Council Chamber Subscribed the Declaration and the Several Oaths prescribed by the Constitution of the Commonwealth to qualify himself for the Office within mentioned." Born in York, Maine, SEWALL (1735-1825), Councillor for the Province of Maine (1766-1777), was Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts (1777-1781) when he received this appointment to the State's Supreme Judicial Court. He served until 1789 when he was appointed Judge of the U.S. District Court of Maine (1789-1817). read more...

WILLIAM F. CODY Readying his TE Ranch and stating that his Wild West Show is "doing big". ALS: "Col" with "Cody" in text, 1p, 8¼x11¼. New York, no year April 7. With an original "Buffalo Bill's/Wild West" envelope addressed by Cody to: "Mattie & Eli Jer[?]/TE Ranch/Ishawood/Big Horn Co W[yoming]." Postmarked Owensboro, KY, May 10, 1901. In 1895, Cody began moving cattle to Wyoming. He received a large herd from his friend and hunting companion, Mike Russell. The herd wore the TE brand. Thus Cody named his ranch the TE Ranch. The TE was once rated at 4600 acres, but Cody added other ranches to it and the conglomerate was considered his Big Horn Basin Holdings. He was about 50 when he bought the TE and he considered it a haven from the world. To Mattie & Eli. In full: "The wild west show doing big. Now my dear good friends-the next two months you have got lots to do-hire plenty men-to get the crops in-plow lots of new ground-get in every read more...

ADOLF HITLER and ALBERT SPEER Original architectural drawing by Der Führer, with a signed authentication by his chief architect and armaments minister, illustrating Hitler's vision for Linz as the cultural capital of the Third Reich. Comprises: (1) Original drawing by Adolf Hitler, 11¾x8¼, blue lined page affixed to 12¼x9 sheet. Unsigned but published sketch, in pencil, of the Halls of Columns of the Linz Opera, numbered "8" in an unknown hand in upper right corner. Glue stains at edges. Fine condition. (2) Typed DS: "Albert/Speer" in English, 1 page, 5¾x8¼ affixed to 7¾x10¼ sheet. Heidelburg, 1979 January 3. In full: "I declare that this sketch was made by Adolf Hitler in my presence at the Obersalzberg in July 1940. Sketch for crowning the Hall of Columns of the Linz Opera. The crown was to consist of sculptures, arranged in the pattern of the columns. Below, suggestion for stylized Ionian capitals. Further right, decorated wallpanels, behind which box office and stairs were situated. read more...

GEORGE WASHINGTON Just returned from presiding at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, he endorses receipt of materials to be used on a favorite project: construction of a canal linking Virginia (and what will become Washington) to the West. Also signed by company directors and personal friends George Gilpin and John Fitzgerald. Document signed: "G. Washington", "John Fitzgerald", "George Gilpin" and "Gerrard Green" (twice), 2 pages (front and verso), 7¾x5¼. [Mount Vernon], 1787 October 18. Signed by Washington, Fitzgerald and Gilpin as Directors of the Powtowmack Company on verso, and by Green on both sides. Recto reads, in full: "Alexandria [Virginia] June 2d, 1787 Recd. of Wm. Hartshorne Two Iron fifty Six weights, one quire paper, Ten quarter Casks Powder, Two Bundles Soal Leather, one Bundle upper Leather, and one Keg Nails - to be delivered to James Smith at the Great Falls of Potomac - for which I have received one Dollar & a Quarter for the carriage thereof [signed] Gerar Green." On verso, above signatures: " read more...