Eager bidders gave a tip of the top hat to Abraham Lincoln in University Archives online auction held Jan. 16. Several historically significant lots pertaining to the 16th president were offered in the sale, with two of them combining for $250,000. In all, 281 lots came up for bid in an auction that grossed nearly $900,000. The sales top earner was a copy of the book The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith, by American author Washington Irving, with an ownership signature by Lincoln ($175,000). The book, which was formative to Lincolns views on slavery, had been given to him by his brother-in-law, Ninian W. Edwards. Lincoln later presented it to his law partner, with an inscription. The runner-up lot was also Lincoln related, a carte-de-visite photograph of the president, signed by him (as A. Lincoln) and PSA graded Gem Mint 10 ($75,000). The photo had been found in the personal photo album (included in the lot) of the wife of Col. Benjamin Rosson, whom Lincoln had personally thanked in his Lincoln Log in 1864 for service during the Civil War. The auction was packed with unique relics, photos, autographs, books and ephemera, to include 55 of the 56 Declaration of Independence signers (all except Button Gwinnett), plus presidential items (high-ticket Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and FDR). Also offered were literary items (including five lots of Hemingway), music (the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and others), entertainment (Marilyn Monroe, Harry Houdini and others), and science (to include Edison, Einstein and Freud, with a special emphasis on psychology). Our blockbuster New Years sale demonstrated the huge demand for high-quality historical documents among collectors, said John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. In todays market, presidential autographs have performed and continue to perform very strongly, particularly those from Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and Teddy Roosevelt. Investing in Declaration signers seems to be as safe as investing money in the bank. Very few people have heard of Arthur Middleton, but an item signed by him brought nearly three times the price of a decent George Washington letter. The Revolutionary War continues to garner attention, while the Civil War has presented many opportunities and should resurge soon, added Reznikoff. Reznikoff said the rock n roll category did particularly well in the January sale, pointing to a Jimi Hendrix signed Woodstock ticket, authenticated and encapsulated by Beckett, which sold for nearly $6,000. Internet bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. A little fewer than 5,000 people registered to bid online and combined to place 6,216 bids. All prices include buyers premium. The Arthur Middleton signed document was one of the crown jewels of the lots dedicated to Declaration signers. Written in Philadelphia and dated May 20, 1782, it was not only signed by Middleton (a rarity in itself), it also had the signatures of Supreme Court Justice John Rutledge (also very rare) and David Ramsay, a member of the Continental Congress. It sold for $40,625. Other noteworthy lots from the Declaration signers included the following: a one-page letter signed by George Taylor, the third rarest Declaration signer, with war content, dated May 31, 1779, one of only a few Taylor signed letters known, selling for $16,250. The signature of Thomas Lynch, also rare, clipped from a volume of Swifts works taken from Lynchs library, a superb signature with wonderful provenance, realized $13,750. A document bearing two signatures of Francis Lewis, a receipt for monies collected from William Pollard on behalf of the Gratz brothers, in October 1775 and February 1776, went for $11,250, and a pristine document from the 2nd Congress, signed by Thomas Jefferson (himself a Declaration signer), regarding a lighthouse at Cape Fear, and signed (in print) by Washington and Adams, brought $10,625. Also, a one-page letter signed by George Washington, written in 1791 and regarding Mount Vernon and its crops but also talking about one of his slaves, Davy Gray, in whom Washington placed great trust, realized $15,000. The 1960 Suit of Lights three-piece outfit worn by Ernest Hemingways friend, the Spanish matador Antonio Ordonez, gaveled for $13,750. Hemingway purchased the ornate and heavily ornamented outfit after profiling Ordonez in a series of magazine articles. Also, a 16th-century printing of Petrus Lombarduss Sentences, with a panel-stamped calf displaying the arms of King Henry VIII and his Queen Katherine of Aragon in the panel-stamped calf, finished at $11,000. A limited first-edition set (#18 of 150) of Winston Churchills four-volume work of Marlborough (George G. Harrap & Co., London, 1933-38), about John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough (1644-1722), inscribed by Churchill to his publisher, fetched $11,250. Another noteworthy lot pertaining to Abraham Lincoln was a group of nearly 200 photos of Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln and many associates, 191 photos in all, in an album, that brought $11,250. University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by John Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered an expert on historical manuscripts and documents. To contact Reznikoff, call 203-454-0111 or email john@universityarchives.com. For more information about University Archives, visit www.universityarchives.com.