Heritages latestHistorical Platinum Session SignatureAuctionyet again offered history and made it, too. The finely curated, nearly sold-out 104-lot auction, held Dec. 15, realized $2,082,625 in three hours. More than 560 bidders from around the world vied for offerings that spanned centuries of human achievement, ranging from the samurais of the 17thcentury and American presidents and the first men to walk on the moon to the King of Rock and Roll and the worlds greatest typewriter collection. Yet again, Heritage has assembled the best of the very best highlighting the great personalities and events of the last several centuries, stated executive vice president Joe Maddalena. Were thrilled with the results of this event, and happier still to offer these tangible pieces of history to our clients so they can continue sharing the stories they tell. Steve Soboroffs assembled, lavishly acclaimed collection of typewriters realized a total of $282,825, led byErnest Hemingways 1926 Underwood Standard, arguably the most significant in Soboroffs collection, as Hemingway used the machine to write his letters from Finca Viga, his estate near Havana, some 2,500 of which are stored at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum Library and Museum. As expected, the Underwood sparked a heated bidding war when it hit the block. By the time the dust settled, Hemingways typewriter sold for $162,500. Among the collections many storied and valuable lots,noted typewriter enthusiast Tom Hanks 1963 Hermes 3000 realized $8,750. Hanks (very distant) relative, President Abraham Lincoln, was among this events most significant draws, led bythe $181,250 realized for a signed Abraham Lincoln carte-de-visitethat set an auction record. The portrait was taken by Alexander Gardner in Matthew Bradys studio on Feb. 24, 1861, the day after Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C., for his first inauguration. This CDV is authenticated by Lincolns private secretary John Hay on the verso and is now Lincolns most valuable signed portrait ever sold at Heritage. The sale broke the previous auction record for a signed Lincoln carte-de-visite set by Heritage in September 2016. Shortly after,Lincolns signed appointment of William C.S. Smith as Collector of Internal Revenue for the Fifth Collection District of California realized $52,500. The reason for the bidding war that accompanied the document: its date, April 13, 1865, Lincolns last full day alive. According to Smiths note on the document, The last official act of Mr. Lincoln was to affix his signature to this instrument at 3.30 P.M. Among the auctions top lots wasGeneral Ulysses S. Grants Civil War presentation sword, considered in 1864 the most beautiful and costly sword yet manufactured in this country. Indeed, theRichmond Examinerproclaimed it a magnificent sword for General Grant on April 16, 1864. Hence, its final price of $375,000. Also among the auctions top lots wasthe Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded in 1948 to Swedish biochemist Arne Wilhelm Kaurin Tiseliusfor his research on electrophoresis and adsorption analysis, work that ultimately contributed to other biochemical investigations, including other Nobel laureates in the field of DNA research. AsThe New York Timesnoted upon Tiselius death in 1971, he devised two instruments, now used by scientists throughout the world, to separate proteins into many chemical compounds. His Nobel Prize realized $125,000. Thomas Jeffersons annotated copy of The Laws of the United States of Americarealized $112,500one lot later. This two-volumes-in-one first edition, published in 1805, covered Jeffersons presidency, the Louisiana Purchase and the law establishing the Library of Congress. That was followed bya letter Jefferson wrote on Feb. 10, 1800, during his vice presidency, to Richard Richardson, an overseer at Monticello. That lengthy missive realized $62,500. Bidders took their best shots atthe elaborately engraved Ruger Blackhawk and Smith & Wesson revolvers that once belonged to Elvis Presley. And by the time the dust settled, the pair of pistols used by The King and gifted to his father, Vernon, realized $100,000. Numerous significant books were checked out during this auction, including a bibliographic rarity:the 1853 three-volume, first-edition, remainder-issued set of Herman MelvillesThe Whale, better known asMoby-Dick. There were but 500 copies of this edition published in 1851, and when it didnt initially sell well, it was repackaged and reissued two years later. A bidding war helped this white whale realize $50,000. Not far behind wasa first-issue, first-edition copy of Charles DickensAmerican Notes for General Circulation, published in 1842. This copy was particularly coveted by collectors, as it wasnt merely signed by Dickens but inscribed to revered historian William H. Prescott. The two-volume tome realized $37,500. The auction opened with an exquisite, extraordinary offering:a samurais suit of armor dating from the 17thcentury and the Edo period. As expected, this ornateTosei Gusoku, made by several artisans, sparked a bidding war that resulted in a final price of $40,000. That was followed by the events first bidding war, overa signed and dated portrait of Albert Einstein. The photo of the 42-year-old was taken in 1921, the year Einstein received the Nobel Prize in Physics; it was signed 24 years later. The portrait realized $27,500. For further information, visit www.HA.com.