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...

GEORGE S. PATTON, JR. Rare early letter from the General to his sister Anne, mentioning General John Pershing and his promotion party, and that he feels he will not make it past the rank of Captain Autograph letter signed: "George", 2p, 8¼x10½, front and verso. (France), 1917 October 8. To "Dear Nita". In full: "Well J has all that this world can give him except you. He is in the class with Washington Grant & Co. I was delighted and I think everyone shares my feelings he is the biggest man I have ever seen and honors fit easily on him. There is not one in ten million who could stand the strain that is on him and not get sick but it seems to agree with him. We are having a big party in his honor this evening and I hope he will like it. He and I are putting mange cure on our hair but his is doing better than mine though mine is holding its own and the war guard has not yet been forced from the commanding eminence of my forehand. I am going to give him a gold identification bracelet. I think that would be nice. For myself I feel very low. I think I will always be a captain unless they reduce the army and make me a 1st Lt again. read more...

BENITO JUAREZ The 26th President of Mexico and one of the more important of the nation signs an 1849 proclamation honoring those who fought for Mexico at the Battle of Molino del Rey in 1847, signed in iron gall ink Document Signed: "Benito Juarez" as Governor of Oaxaca, 1 page, 10½x17½. Place: Oaxaca, Mexico. Date: August 8, 1849. In Spanish, not translated. Proclamation honoring officers and men of the Mexican National Guard who fought bravely for their country at the Battle of Molino del Rey, September 8, 1847. Benito Juarez had been elected Governor of Oaxaca in 1847. After being exiled in 1848 after the Mexican War, Santa Anna returned as President in 1853 and sent Juarez into exile. In 1855, Juarez returned, joined Alvarez in a revolution against Santa Anna, who was overthrown and once again, sent into exile. As Alvarez's Minister of Justice, Juarez in 1855 wrote "Ley Juarez", the law abolishing special courts and reducing the power of the army and the church. In 1858, Juarez proclaimed himself de jure President of Mexico, obtaining U.S. read more...

AL WORDEN National Flag of the Netherlands (6x4½), flown to the moon on Apollo 15, signed on the white stripe by Command Module Pilot Worden, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, also signed by Worden Flag signed: "Flown to the Moon on Apollo 15 - Al Worden CMP", 6x4¼ Dutch National Flag with horizontal red, white and blue stripes, signed on the white stripe in blue ink. Accompanied by Typed Letter signed: "Al Worden", 1 page, 8½x11 Certificate of authenticity dated June 18, 2010 on Apollo 15 letterhead. In full: "I hereby certify that this flag from the Netherlands included with this letter went to the moon aboard Apollo 15 in the spacecraft 'Endeavor'. It remained in the command module during the lunar orbit phase of the flight. Apollo 15 was the fourth lunar landing mission, carrying for the first time a lunar rover and a Scientific Instrument Bay in the Service Module. The flight was launched on July 26 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971, logging flight time of 295.2 hours and a distance of over 1.4 million miles. Dave Scott and Jim Irwin explored the region of Hadley Rille for three days while I conducted scientific experiments in orbit. read more...

1904: THEODORE ROOSEVELT's ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE CERTIFICATION Official Electoral College certification by the President of the Senate, William P. Frye, also signed by tellers of the US Senate and House of Representatives Printed Declaration signed: "Wm. P. Frye/President pro tempore" of the U.S. Senate and "Julius C. Burrows" and "J.W. Bailey" as tellers on the part of the Senate and "Joseph H. Gaines" and "Gordon Russell" as tellers on the part of the House of Representatives, 1p, 11½x28, Washington, District of Columbia, not dated. Certificate of the Electoral College votes deciding Theodore Roosevelt as President and Charles W. Fairbanks as Vice President. According to the 12th Amendment to the U.S. read more...

ADOLF HITLER and OTTO MEISSNER The Führer signs a typed order bestowing awards for "rescuing humans from mortal danger." Interesting Typed DS: "Af Hitler" as Führer and "Meissner" as Head of the Presidential Chancery and State Minister, 15 pages, 8¼x12. Führer Headquarters, 1944 April 30. In German with partial translation. Exactly one year before his death, Hitler issues a list of persons "to be rewarded with medals for rescuing humans from mortal danger". He orders "the bestowal letters of rescue medals on a ribbon are to be made out under today's date with a facsimile of my signature" for 11 listed numbers. The description of the rescue is listed next to the person's name. Those rescues where "the rescuer's life was not in any particular danger" received lower class medals than the others. Rescues include: "Walter Stallbaum saved a woman, age 40, from drowning in the Mulde river (depth 2.5m) near Pouch, District of Bitterfeld. The rescuer, who is a disabled veteran, had to swim a distance of 50m with the victim against strong current"... read more...

JOSEPH STALIN His very rare signature on an autograph note to Defense Commissar Voroshilov on a 1936 report concerning a new military technology! Rare ANS: "J. Stalin" in Russian in light green pencil at upper left of first page of Typed DS by two officials, 2 pages, 8¼x11½. U.S.S.R., 1936 January 13. Headed: "Report". Stalin has written, in full: "To Comrade Voroshilov/What does this mean?" The report (not translated) concerns the discovery of an infrared detector with military applications. Untranslated notes in red and blue pencil at top of first page. JOSEPH STALIN (1879-1953) was General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party from 1922-1953. After Lenin's death in 1924, he eliminated his opposition and established himself as dictator. Stalin's "Great Purge" from 1936-1938 rid the Communist Party of all the people who had brought him to power. Soviet Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov estimated that more than 1.2 million party members (more than half the party) read more...

FRANK JAMES Awaiting his second trial in a year, the famous outlaw writes a loving letter to his 7 year old son Robert ("My Dear Little Man") Autograph Letter signed: "Your Father/Frank James" in pencil, 1 pages, 5½x8½. No place, 1884 February 29. Written in block letters to "My Dear Little Man", in full: "I want you to hurry up and learn to ride so you can get you a new saddle. I want you to learn to write and write me a letter. Addressed in verso to "Robert F. James/at home". This letter was enclosed with a letter James wrote to his wife Annie. Accompanied by printed chart titled "The Deaf and Dumb Alphabet", showing the appropriate hand signals. Notation in Frank James' hand: "For Rob". FRANK JAMES (1843-1915) and his brother Jesse James fought as Confederate guerrillas in Missouri ("Quantrill's Raiders") during the Civil War. They joined Cole Younger and others in 1866 to form a gang led by Jesse, robbing banks and trains. Frank and Jesse survived and escaped the failed Northfield, Minnesota bank heist of 1876, forming a new gang. read more...

JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN Writing 25 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, the hero of Little Round Top gives a judicious but convincing answer to a question of whether Union Corps Commander Daniel Sickles acted wisely or foolishly by advancing his men on the 2nd day of the battle. Typed Letter signed: "Joshua L. Chamberlain", 2 pages, 8½x11. New York, N.Y., 1888 August 16. On letterhead of the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad to M. S. O'Donnell, Massachusetts. In full: "Yours of the 15th has just reached me here, having been forwarded from Brunswick, Maine. The military wisdom and effect of the movement and position taken by Gen'l Sickles with the 3rd Corps at Gettysburg is a matter of controversy. The facts are these: He advanced his corps, just before the action of the 2nd of July commenced, and before our general line was fairly taken up, to a broken piece of ground some half mile in advance of the left of the line General Meade intended our left wing to occupy, on the ridge of hills which stretches southerly from Cemetery Hill to Round Top. read more...