JAMES GARFIELD The President signs a warrant authorizing the Secretary of State to place the US seal on a congratulatory message to the new Kingdom of Romania. Signatures by Garfield as President are extremely rare, this one penned less than two months before he was shot. Presidential Warrant signed: "James A. Garfield" as President, 8x10, matted with a photograph of Garfield (with facsimile signature) to an overall size of 18½x15. Washington, D.C., 1881 May 5. In full: "I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to an envelope containing my reply to the letter of King Charles of Romania, announcing the erection of Romania into a Kingdom &c, &c. dated this day, and signed by me; and for so doing this shall be his warrant." James Abram Garfield (1831-1881) rose to the rank of Major General in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, participating in the battles of Shiloh and Chickamauga, before resigning his commission to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (1863-1880). read more...

JOHN HANCOCK His handwritten March 1783 letter as Governor of Massachusetts, instructing a garrison commander to forbid a ship full of Tories to disembark, requiring them to sail instead for New York (still in British hands) Autograph Letter, unsigned, 1 page, 7¾x12. Written as Governor. Boston, Massachusetts, 1783 March 27. To William Gordon, Commander of the Garrison in Dartmouth. In full: "I have this moment received your Letter by Express, giving information of the arrival of a Flag with a Number of Persons on board who were desirous of remaining some time at Dartmouth. I have laid the state of this Flag before the Council, & in consequence of their advice you are hereby Directed upon no pretense whatever, to suffer any of the Persons or any of the Effects brought in the Flag to be Landed at Dartmouth, or in any other place, but that you give immediate Directions for the Departure of the Flag with the Persons, & their effects to New York, and that after the Receipt of this Letter you make a point of Embracing the first fair wind to put her under Sail for New York, as no circumstance can possibly induce me to Deviate from this order. I am Sir your very humble servant. read more...

JAMES BUCHANAN He signs a "strictly private" autograph letter to a friend discussing whether he would accept the position of Secretary of State if offered it by President-elect Pierce. Political ALS: "James Buchanan", 1 page, 8x10. Wheatland, near Lancaster, 1852 November 23. The future 15th U.S. President writes to Henry Welsh, Esquire. In full: "I have received the Buckwheat flour, & you could have sent me nothing more acceptable. Bye the by, this reminds me that I have never, I believe, paid for the flour I received last year. I hope you will let me know the amount. I have literally no news. I receive letters daily from this & other States urging me strongly to accept the State Department, just as though this were in my power; whilst several of my friends are of a contrary opinion. Should it ever be offered, I shall decide the question deliberately. All my personal wishes are against it, nor can I at present foresee that either my duty to my country or my friends require that I should sacrifice my private inclinations. What is your opinion? All of this is of course strictly private - from your friend. read more...

PRESIDENT WARREN G. HARDING and CHIEF JUSTICE CHARLES HUGHES The two men signed several items in this large collection that's framed in the Gallery of History style! Collection comprises 1) INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED: “To Mr. H. R. Cornish With cordial regards/ Feb. 23, 1930 Charles E. Hughes”. B/w. 7x10½ visible. Dated February 23, 1930. Fine condition. 2) TYPED LETTER SIGNED: “Charles E. Hughes”. 6½x8½ visible, total size 7x9. Dated March 1, 1924. One page. Features Secretary of State letterhead. Message in full: “My dear Mr. Straus/ I have received your letter of February twenty-ninth and take pleasure in sending you an autographed copy of my address in honor of President Harding./ Appreciating your comment, I am, sincerely yours ”. Lightly toned. Otherwise, fine condition. 3) PROGRAM SIGNED: “Charles E. Hughes/ Feb. 27, 1924”. 5½x8¾ visible. 20 pages, 18 with the text of Hughes' address. Complete bound copy of the program in nook behind checks. Dated February 27, 1924. read more...

CLINT EASTWOOD Contract signed the year he reprised his "Dirty Harry" role and first directed a Western. Document signed: "Clint Eastwood", 2p (front and verso), 8½X13. Beverly Hills, California, 1973 January 11. Signed on verso. Eastwood retains the William Morris Agency as his exclusive film agent for a period of 3 years. Originally specialized in Westerns, beginning with the Rawhide, Eastwood became a major star in the "Spaghetti Westerns" of Sergio Leone, beginning with A Fistful of Dollars (1964). While continuing to make Westerns, Eastwood proved a popular, hard-boiled detective as well, beginning with Dirty Harry (1971). He can play sensitive roles as well, as opposite Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County, which he also directed (1995). Eastwood has continued to succeed as an older actor in films like In the Line of Fire (1995) and Space Cowboys (2000). He has also proven to be an outstanding director, winning Oscars for Unforgiven (1991) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) and getting another nomination for Mystic River (2003). read more...

ABRAHAM LINCOLN While defending a woman accused of murdering her husband (1857), the future President added six lines of text in his own hand to the written deposition of a witness. Autograph Statement unsigned at the conclusion of Manuscript Document Signed: "J.L. Springgate", 2 pages, 7¾x12¼. Woodford County, [Metamora, Illinois], c. 1845-1857. AT THE CONCLUSION, SIX LINES IN THE HAND OF LINCOLN DIRECTLY ABOVE SPRINGGATE'S SIGNATURE, NOT SIGNED BY LINCOLN WHO WROTE, IN FULL: "Re-cross examination by defendants- The morning of the sale, Laws said that he wanted to go and buy horses, and wanted Vandike to go with him and be his security, and then they both, and this witness went to the sale together (The plaintiff objects to the last piece of evidence)". The names of the plaintiff and defendants are spelled differently throughout the document. Headed: "Deposition of Witness to be used in evidence on the trial of the case now pending in the Circuit Court of Woodford County where John A. Minahan is Plff & J J Lass & Wm G Vandike are defts pursuant to agreement representative of the parties. read more...

BILL CLINTON This rare and significant letter touches on two of the many scandals of the 42nd U.S. President administration. He handwrote, signed and dated this one-sentence letter in 1993 to Kathleen Willey, who accused him of sexual assault five years later. The letter itself mentions "Vince" - probably Vince Foster, Jr., a colleague of the First Lady. Foster had reportedly committed suicide less than two weeks before this letter was signed Autograph Letter Signed: "Bill". One page. 6½x8½. Written on official White House stationery letterhead. Place: Washington, D. C., Date: July 29, 1993. Addressed to: "Dear Kathleen", his friend (and later accuser), Kathleen Willey. In full: "Thanks for your note about Vince and for your friendship. Best". BILL CLINTON, born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, was Governor of Arkansas (1979-1981, 1983-1992) and the first Democrat reelected President since FDR. read more...

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT As Governor of New York, he used this red, silver-tipped pen to sign a railroad bill creating the Board of Transit Control in 1931 Document Signed: "Franklin D Roosevelt", 1 page, 9x14½. Albany, New York. April 27, 1931. Certificate authenticating that FDR used the attached pen to sign Senate Bill 12, the railroad unification bill. In full: "THIS IS TO CERTIFY that the pen hereunto affixed was used by me in signing Senate Bill Introductory Number 12, Printed Number 2455, entitled: 'AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to the plan of readjustment provided for in article seven thereof, to authorize the creation of the board of transit control and subsidiary corporations, to prescribe its and their duties and powers, to exempt its and their properties, income and securities from taxation and to make such securities legal investments, and to authorize the acquisition and operation of railroads and other transportation facilities, and otherwise.' and which became a law by my signature April 23, 1931, being Chapter 689 of the Laws of 1931. read more...

JAMES A. GARFIELD Garfield, as President, signed the day before his 1881 assassination Right portion of a blank check signed: "J.A. Garfield", 4½x2¾. Washington, D.C., 188_. Riggs & Co. check most probably signed as President. Left edge ragged. Horizontal fold crease above signature. Otherwise, fine condition. Accompanied by: a handwritten note of provenance by S. W. Cowles, which reads, "This check was signed by Genl. Garfield at the White House in Washington, D.C. July 1st/81, the day before his assassination. It was present [sic] to me by Mrs. Lucretia R. Garfield at Mentor, Ohio, Oct. 1881." Lightly toned and soiled. Otherwise, fine condition. The fact that this check is neither filled out nor dated, coupled with the fact that we have had completed checks of the same type filled out by another and signed by Garfield, indicates that President Garfield signed blank checks that were later to be filled out. This check was probably torn in half after he died to protect it from being used by an unauthorized party or, more likely, to be given by Mrs. Garfield to admirers of her late husband requesting his autograph. Garfield (1831-1881) rose to the rank of Major General in the U.S. read more...