John Wanamaker Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles
JOHN WANAMAKER
Born: July 11, 1838 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: December 12, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography
In 1875, JOHN WANAMAKER (1838-1922) established the first department store, bringing a collection of specialty stores together under one roof in the former freight depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia. Wanamaker, who was one of the first major retailers to employ advertising agencies to sell his goods, was also a leader in offering "fringe benefits" to his employees, who enjoyed paid vacations, health care, life insurance, pensions and financial aid for further education. As Postmaster General under President Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893), Wanamaker issued the first commemorative stamps (over protests from Congress) and proved these could be moneymakers.
Style
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH - HFSID 46361John Wanamaker signs a pictorial card of Independence Hall in black ink. Signature: "John Wanamaker", 4½x3½ pictorial card with 1½x1¾ oval image of Independence Hall at upper center.Price: $280.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH ENVELOPE UNSIGNED 09/07/1892 - HFSID 175415Wanamaker hand-addressed this unsigned envelope to Alfred L. Wanamaker in 1892. It was postmarked in Washington, DC in 1892, while Wanamaker was still President Benjamin Harrison's Postmaster General. Autograph envelope unsigned, 4¼x3½ envelope.
Price: $160.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER FRAGMENT SIGNED 1912 - HFSID 155768Fragment of a letter handwritten by Wanamaker in 1912, signed "With all good wishes for 1912, Your aged friend". Comes with a fragment of a letter on verso written in Atlantic City on Jan. 10, 1912.
Sale Price $225.00
$280.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 08/16/1898 - HFSID 1833Wanamaker handwrote, signed and dated this letter to a "Mr. Mescur" in 1898. In it, he informs Mr. Mescur that he can't use a certain kind of chair due to their construction. Autograph letter signed: "John Wanamaker", 2p, 3¾x5¼, on Wanamaker's personalized stationery.
Price: $425.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 09/06/1892 - HFSID 175414Wanamaker handwrote, dated and signed this letter to "My dear Alfred" in 1892, while he was still President Benjamin Harrison's Postmaster General. In it, he asks Alfred what his plans are and what he's thinking about.
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH SENTIMENT SIGNED - HFSID 79730He pens "Yours truly" on this card in Philadelphia in iron gall ink Autograph Sentiment Signed: "Yours truly/John Wanamaker/Philadelphia" in purple ink. With notation in unknown hand in black ink in upper right corner. 3½x¾ cardstock.
Price: $200.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH SENTIMENT SIGNED 02/27/1891 - HFSID 84471Wanamaker signed and dated this slip of paper "Yours truly" in 1891. Autograph sentiment signed: "Yours truly/Jno Wanamaker/27 Feb 91", 7x4 piece of paper.
Price: $200.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - AUTOGRAPH SENTIMENT SIGNED 11/30/1895 - HFSID 49296Wanamaker signed and dated this card "Yours autographically" in Philadelphia in 1895 Autograph Sentiment Signed: "Yours autographically/Jno Wanamaker/Philadelphia 30 Nov. 95", 4x2½ cardstock.
Price: $220.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - CALLING CARD SIGNED 09/30/1891 - HFSID 145065John Wanamaker signs a calling card September 20, 1891 in black ink. Calling card signed: "Jno Wanamaker/Sept 20-91", 3¼x2 calling card. Captioned: "The Postmaster General".
Price: $200.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - DOCUMENT FRAGMENT SIGNED 06/17/1889 - HFSID 79729Signed fragment of a document that Wanamaker signed in 1889, his first year as Postmaster General under President Benjamin Harrison. Document fragment signed: "Jno Wanamaker", 8¼x2¾, with copper-colored Post Office Department seal affixed on left.
Sale Price $325.00
$400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - INSCRIBED AUTOGRAPH QUOTATION SIGNED 08/17/1921 - HFSID 76289Wanamaker handwrote, signed and dated this quotation "Do todays work today" on his own monogrammed stationery in 1921, one year before he died. Inscribed autograph quotation signed: "Do todays [sic] work today/John Wanamaker/Philadelphia August 17. 1921/To Mr. John R Clements.…"
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 03/07/1908 - HFSID 16779Wanamaker handwrote, signed and dated this letter in 1908 to the Honorable William B. Smith thanking him for a letter of sympathy after the death of Wanamaker's son. Manuscript Letter signed: "John Wanamaker".
Sale Price $495.00
$600.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 03/13/1889 - HFSID 84473Wanamaker signed this letter on Office of the Postmaster General letterhead to Col. R. H. Grierson in 1889, thanking him for a letter of congratulation. Wanamaker became Postmaster General of the United States under President Benjamin Harrison in 1889.
Sale Price $350.00
$425.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 04/01/1874 - HFSID 78430Wanamaker signed this letter in Philadelphia in 1874, asking an unidentified person to a meeting regarding "the Continental bill now before Congress". Manuscript letter signed: "Jno Wanamaker", 1p, 3¾x6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1874April 1. No address.
Price: $650.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 04/25/1889 - HFSID 1836Wanamaker signed this letter to Henry Bowen in 1889, regretting that he missed sending a contribution. Manuscript letter signed: "John Wanamaker" as Harrison's Postmaster General, 1p, 5x8, on Postmaster General letterhead. 1889 April 25. Addressed to Henry C. Bowen, New York.
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 05/22/1900 - HFSID 84468Wanamaker signed this letter to Benjamin Doblin on his personalized stationery in 1900.
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 07/13/1908 - HFSID 38842Wanamaker signed this letter to John R. Clemente on his personalized stationery in 1908. He thanks Clemente for a birthday telegram and asks him to "Kindly present my best regards to the brethren, with whom I have great fellowship in the work of the Christian Endeavor".
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 08/08/1906 - HFSID 169472Wanamaker signed this letter to Seymour Eaton on his personalized stationery in 1906. In it, he thanks Eaton for a copy of the "Roosevelt Bears", but expresses his dissatisfaction with a list of people for an unnamed board.
Price: $500.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - MANUSCRIPT LETTER SIGNED 10/19/1885 - HFSID 67782Wanamaker signed this letter to a Charles Mercer Hall on his personalized stationery in 1885.
Price: $650.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - PHOTOGRAPH MOUNT SIGNED - HFSID 264594B/w F. Gutekunst photograph of Wanamaker in a black coat, jacket and bowtie and with a flower in his lapel, mounted on heavy cardstock signed by him Photograph mount signed: "John Wanamaker". B/w, 3¾x5½ on 8x10 heavy cardstock mount. Photo by F.
Price: $500.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - PHOTOGRAPH MOUNT SIGNED 03/06/1893 - HFSID 26351Sepia-toned 4½x6¾ C. M. Gilbert photograph shown in dark coat and bowtie. This photo has been mounted on light blue cardstock signed "Yours very Truly" by Wanamaker in 1893 Photograph mount signed: "Yours very Truly/Jno Wanamaker/March 6-93".
Sale Price $425.00
$500.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - THIRD PERSON AUTOGRAPH DOC. TWICE SIGNED - HFSID 36339Accused by the New York Times of complicity in a major bank scandal, the failure of the Keystone National Bank of Philadelphia (looted of its assets by bank executives, who went to prison), Wanamaker penned this 7-page defense of his conduct!
Price: $900.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER FRAGMENT SIGNED - HFSID 40105Wanamaker signed this typed fragment of a letter as President Benjamin Harrison's Postmaster General. Typed letter fragment signed: "Jno Wanamaker", 4½x2 piece of paper. Captioned: "Very respectfully/Postmaster General".
Price: $200.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 04/23/1906 - HFSID 16778Wanamaker signed this typed letter in 1906 to the Honorable William B. Smith. In it, he writes that he can't visit Smith because he has to attend the opening of a new building in New York.
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 04/26/1901 - HFSID 321493The Postmaster General regretfully declines an invitation to a gathering, saying that his schedule is already very full Typed letter signed: "John Wanamaker", 1 page, 6¾x9. April 26, 1901. Alliance, Ohio.
Sale Price $325.00
$400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/08/1920 - HFSID 310966The department store mogul and former Postmaster General promises an immediate, personal investigation of alleged "jockeying with prices" by clerks during a sale. This letter shows Wanamaker, an octogenarian, still very much in charge of his firm.
Price: $400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/24/1900 - HFSID 1803Wanamaker signed this typed letter in 1900 to let Henry S. Allen know that he can't answer a question that Allen had asked him in a previous letter.
Sale Price $325.00
$400.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/25/1890 - HFSID 258209The Postmaster General thanks a former Confederate General for information. Typed Letter Signed: "John Wanamaker" as Benjamin Harrison's Postmaster General, 1p, 7¾x10¼. Washington, D.C., 1890 June 25. To General Marcus J. Wright, War Records Office.
Price: $340.00
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JOHN WANAMAKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 09/13/1919 - HFSID 1135He pens a letter regarding the bill for the House of Represenatives Typed Letter Signed: "John Wanamaker", 1p, 5¼x9. Philadelphia, 1919 September 13. On sheet headed: "Private Office/John Wanamaker/Philadelphia" to Mrs. Taylor Allderdice, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sale Price $745.00
$900.00
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PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON - CIVIL APPOINTMENT SIGNED 01/13/1890 WITH CO-SIGNERS - HFSID 175528The President appoints a postmaster for Huntington, West Virginia, co-signed by Postmaster General John Wanamaker. Civil Appointment signed: "Benjamin Harrison" as President, "John Wanamaker" as Postmaster General, 17x14. Washington, D.C., 1890 January 13.
Sale Price $2,395.00
$2,800.00
