Debut Historical Memorabilia And Americana Sale Realizes $340,000
Materials Related To United States Presidents, Women's Suffrage, The Civil Rights Movement, And The Civil War
January 06, 2023
Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce the results of its nearly 700-lot sale held on Nov. 17. After the hammer fell silent after a long day of competitive bidding, 94 lots made $500-$2,000 and 17 lots sold for $2,001-$9,999. All prices noted include the companys 20-percent buyers premium. The top lot in this auction was a remarkable, first-person account of the California gold rush. The handwritten manuscript diary of miner John Johnston was estimated at $8,000-$12,000 and realized $45,600. This 114-page record covered the period from Jan. 1 to Sept. 22 in 1850 and included descriptions of daily life in the Auburn region of California, including accounts of conflicts with Indigenous peoples, legal disputes, the first Auburn election, daily weather, fights between miners, Johnsons ranch, and other events. Historical medals commemorating contributions to causes or conflicts were well represented in this sale. A British hunger strike medal was estimated at $10,000-$15,000 and sold for $18,000. It was made in London by Toye & Co. in 1914 and dedicated to suffragette Emma Power. These medals were presented to women who had engaged in hunger strikes during imprisonment by the Womens Social and Political Union at ceremonies held in their honor following their release. Three British WWI medals, estimated at $150-$250, traded hands at $1,320. They were issued to serviceman N. Hozier and included a British War Medal bearing the likeness of King George V with an orange, white, black, and blue ribbon; an Allied Victory Medal with a winged female figure in flowing robes representing Liberty with a multi-colored ribbon; and a Star Medal with a crown with a red, white, and blue ribbon. All were housed in a period black case. This sale also included museum-quality materials related to the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln. Frederick H. Meserves (18651962) Lincolniana: Historical Portraits and Views were estimated at $4,000-$6,000 and sold for $21,600. This first edition was privately printed in New York in 1915 and included 368 photo prints related to all things Lincoln. Meserve was considered the preeminent historian of the photographs of Lincoln and one of Americas premier Lincoln collectors. He began collecting before 1900, and his collection is housed in the Library of Congress. Meserves The Photographs of Abraham Lincoln, estimated at $600-$800, brought $4,800. This four-volume, limited-edition collection was privately printed in New York and included 32 mounted photographic prints. Supplement four was signed by the author. Only 100 copies of these supplements were printed for subscribers or owners of the 1911 edition. Collections and archives of photographic images featured prominently in this sale. A collection of 300 real photo postcards, estimated at $200-$300, sold for $1,560. These turn of last century cards were unsorted and stored in a carton. Their subjects included towns, buildings, main streets, occupational and miscellaneous views and others, many of Washington state. An album of 43 black and white photographs of central and northern California, estimated at $300-$400 realized $4,320. The images were published in San Francisco by Faber Photo in the 1887-92 time frame and included views of San Francisco, Napa, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Yosemite. A group of 60 stereoscope cards depicting scenes related to the Civil War along with a Keystone View Co. viewer was estimated at $200-$300 and made $1,440. The photos dated from ca. 1860s-1900 and were mounted onto stiff card stock. Most had either printed text or handwritten captions on verso. Posters, ephemera, and category-spanning antiques brought this intriguing sale full circle. An Edison-type Electrical Industries New York Universal Ticker Machine was estimated at $1,000-$2,000 and delivered $10,200. Its design elements included a lacquered brass mechanism, a black painted cast-iron base over a wooden base, a later glass dome, and double alphabetic and numeric rollers. A Votes for Women sash, estimated at $1,200-$2,000, sold for $6,600. This ca. 1913 tri-colored sash with blue text is similar and of the period of sashes worn by marchers at the Woman Suffrage Parade held March 3, 1913, the day before Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated as president. Our inaugural historical sale was a smashing success with many items soaring past their high estimates. We continue to obtain strong prices for Americana, including that rare gold miners diary that will be a cornerstone to that collectors library for years to come, according to Christopher D. Brink, of Potter & Potter Auctions. Potter & Potter, founded in 2007, is a Chicago area auction house specializing in paper Americana, vintage advertising, rare books, playing cards, gambling memorabilia, posters, fine prints, vintage toys, and magicana - antiques and collectibles related to magic and magicians. For more information, visit www.potterauctions.com.
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