January 23, 2023Marco TomaschettAutographs The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part II Read more about The Signer’s Mark: Signatures of the Unlettered — Part II Nineteeth Century America When thinking of autographs, the first thing to come to mind is famous signatures—John Hancock, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, etc. Inscribed names with looping letters and distinct…
Read more about 2022: Year in Review January 3, 2023 19th & 20th Century Literature 2022: Year in Review 2022 was a historic year for Swann in more ways than one. The house celebrated its 80th year of auctions, bringing with it the 70th anniversary of the first photography…
Read more about Family Papers of Lincoln’s Secretary of the Navy Brings $281k in Fall 2022 Americana Auction at Swann October 5, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Family Papers of Lincoln’s Secretary of the Navy Brings $281k in Fall 2022 Americana Auction at Swann Swann’s fall 2022 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana held on September 29 earned $960k. Civil War-era material earned nearly $470,000 of that total. Collectors joined the sale through the…
Read more about Auctions 101: Provenance Research September 19, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Auctions 101: Provenance Research Stattler explains the detective work that sometimes goes into researching an item’s history and provenance Auction houses keep one foot in the past, and one foot in the future. We are…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: September 29, 2022 Auction Highlights September 6, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: September 29, 2022 Auction Highlights The highlight of our September Americana auction will be a large archive of family papers of Gideon Welles, who served as secretary of the Navy through the Civil War. Included…
Read more about Rick Stattler’s Specialist Picks: Two Unique Items from the April 7, 2022, Americana Auction April 1, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Rick Stattler’s Specialist Picks: Two Unique Items from the April 7, 2022, Americana Auction The material that passes through Swann on a daily basis ranges in value and interest, sometimes we see an item crop up at auction consistently—a popular print, a highly sought…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 7, 2022 March 3, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 7, 2022 This auction will have an emphasis on local highlights from different states and territories: an original Texas Ranger’s diary from the days of the Republic of Texas, blueprints from New…
Read more about 2021: Year in Review December 22, 2021 Swann 2021: Year in Review As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
Read more about The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction October 6, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction American Revolution material brings strong results, alongside Latin Americana The fall 2021 offering of Printed & Manuscript Americana was held on Thursday, September 30 delivering remarkable results across the board.…
Read more about Women & the Civil War September 24, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Women & the Civil War Men did the bulk of the fighting in the Civil War, but women were involved on every level—from managing family farms and businesses in the absence of their soldier husbands,…
Read more about Selections From a Noteworthy Collection of American Historical Prints April 6, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Selections From a Noteworthy Collection of American Historical Prints Our April 15, 2021 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana opens with a noteworthy collection of historical prints which spins a narrative of America stretching from the arrival of Columbus to the…
Read more about Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann April 1, 2021 Swann Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann With the arrival of baseball’s Opening Day, spring is truly here. Swann does not handle baseball memorabilia in the traditional sense, leaving the encapsulated gem-mint rookie cards and game-worn jerseys to…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: April 2021 Auction Highlights March 23, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: April 2021 Auction Highlights A rich offering that features a noteworthy collection of American historical prints, as well as sections of Judaica, and ephemera relating to colonization, the Civil War and Revolutionary eras, early Mexican imprints and manuscript cookbooks, as well as items covering Peru, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere.
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 Swann 2020: Year in Review In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Read more about Autographs by Washington, Hamilton & Hancock Bring Top Prices in November 2020 Sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts November 23, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Autographs by Washington, Hamilton & Hancock Bring Top Prices in November 2020 Sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts Jane Austen Leads Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Our Tuesday, November 17, 2020, sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts saw great success across categories with a 90% sell-through rate…
Read more about Register for the Legendary Catskill Mountain House Brings $45k in our Fall 2020 Sale of Americana October 7, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Register for the Legendary Catskill Mountain House Brings $45k in our Fall 2020 Sale of Americana Our Thursday, September 24, 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana brought an 82% sell-through rate by lot, totaling over $600k with at least 23 institutions purchasing a total of…
Read more about The First Feature Film Shot in Alaska: The Chechahcos September 15, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana The First Feature Film Shot in Alaska: The Chechahcos You may never have wondered about the birth of the Alaskan film industry. The first Hollywood film studio was launched in 1911, and from there the industry spread up and down the Pacific coast. Just 13 years later, The Chechahcos became the first feature film shot in Alaska. A melodrama set during the Klondike Gold Rush, no Alaskan or Wild West cliché was spared in its production. If you like glaciers, saloons, and damsels in distress, this is the film for you.
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 August 25, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 Covering a period of about five centuries and two continents, our auctions of Printed & Manuscript Americana are exceptionally varied in content and subjects covered, from colonialism and the Westward expansion of the United States, to Presidential material and first-hand accounts by ordinary persons of important historical moments.
Read more about Collector’s Guide: Declaration of Independence June 30, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Collector’s Guide: Declaration of Independence Probably the most common question we get in the Americana department is “I found an original copy of the Declaration of Independence—is it worth anything?” The short answer: it’s worth somewhere…
Read more about Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans March 23, 2020 Books & Manuscripts Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans The value of diaries on the market is largely driven by historical content and the quality of the writing. What could your diary be worth?
Read more about Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission March 2, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission William Sydney Porter, best known to posterity as the author O. Henry, was raised in North Carolina and moved west to Texas as a young man in 1882. After a stint on a sheep ranch, he settled in Austin, TX, where he worked various odd jobs while exploring his interest in writing and drawing. Our winter-spring 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana on March 10 is set to offer O. Henry’s first professional commission. Here, Rick Stattler, the house’s Americana specialist, tells the story of the mining memoir that never came to be.
Read more about 2010-19: The Decade in Review January 13, 2020 Swann 2010-19: The Decade in Review The 2010s brought Swann a number of notable moments including memorable sales, the establishment of two new departments, and the celebration of the 75th anniversary of our first sale. Here we take a look at some of favorite highlights from the last ten years.
Read more about Archives Revealing Information on Slavery & the Underground Railroad Lead Fall 2019 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana October 3, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Archives Revealing Information on Slavery & the Underground Railroad Lead Fall 2019 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana The September 26 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana was an overall success with material relating to slavery & the Underground Railroad leading the sale.
Read more about Documenting the Underground Railroad: The Story Behind the Shugart Family Papers September 13, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Documenting the Underground Railroad: The Story Behind the Shugart Family Papers An extensive and detailed record of the Underground Railroad is set to come across the block in our upcoming sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana on September 26. Zachariah Taylor Shugart was a known agent of the Underground Railroad circa 1840-51.
Read more about Fall 2019: Printed & Manuscript Americana August 5, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Fall 2019: Printed & Manuscript Americana This fall, our Printed & Manuscript Americana auction will be held on September 26, and include manuscript diaries and important archives, ephemera relating to Stanford football, Gloria Steinem, the Underground Railroad and Mexico City.
Read more about 2019 Spring Season in Review July 1, 2019 Swann 2019 Spring Season in Review A season of firsts. The 2019 spring auction season at Swann Galleries delivered an impressive range of sales, rife with auction premiers and record prices. We started our season off…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 19, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Mexican Imprints Bring Significant Interest in Swann Americana Sale Our Printed & Manuscript Americana sale on Thursday, April 16 was the house’s third straight sale is the category to finish over $1,000,000, bringing several significant records.…
Read more about Manuscript Diaries Tell Tales of a Growing America April 11, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Manuscript Diaries Tell Tales of a Growing America A West Point graduate blazes a trail from San Antonio to El Paso. A guard in one of the country’s most notorious prisons notes the silence of the inmates. A…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana March 1, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana At Auction April 16 Complete Catalogue This sale includes a dramatic Texan diary by William Farrar Smith, commanding an expedition to find the best trail from San Antonio to…
Read more about 2018: Year in Review December 21, 2018 Swann 2018: Year in Review A year of records, debuts and rediscovered works. As we reflect on 2018, we look back at an excellent year of auctions. In April we held our highest-grossing African-American Fine Art…
Read more about A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana July 23, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana Featuring The Holzer Collection of Lincolniana At Auction September 27 Complete Catalogue Latin Americana Latin Americana will feature Juan de la Anunciación’s 1577 Sermonario en lengua mexicana and other…
Read more about 2017-18 Year in Review June 25, 2018 Swann 2017-18 Year in Review The 2017-18 auction season at Swann Galleries was replete with record prices and rediscovered paintings, offering works created as early as the fifteenth century and as recently as last year.…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 16, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Our auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana on April 12 was the department’s highest-grossing sale in four years, continuing an upward trajectory as each offering of Americana and African Americana…
Read more about Dream vs. Reality in the Civil War April 6, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana Dream vs. Reality in the Civil War Personal correspondence and manuscript material are always a highlight in our auctions of Printed & Manuscript Americana. On April 12, we’ll be offering a selection letters from Thomas Belknap, a clerk…
Read more about A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana January 30, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana Our April 12 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana illustrates the multifaceted tapestry of American history, featuring a cypress twig cut by General Lafayette at George Washington’s tomb, attractively framed in…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana October 7, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Hoards of history-lovers came out to attend the preview for our auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana on September 28. The sale featured a trove of unique material, much of which…
Read more about Diary of a Syrian-American Woman, 1908 September 26, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Diary of a Syrian-American Woman, 1908 On a trip to her homeland, a young Syrian-American woman named Mary Arbeely kept a diary recording her attempts to connect with her ancestors while feeling deeply homesick. The diary,…
Read more about A Nineteenth-Century Honolulu Gossip Rag September 25, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Nineteenth-Century Honolulu Gossip Rag The book arrived in Honolulu by ship from San Francisco on New Year’s Day, 1863, and soon caused a stir throughout the city. It begins by revealing the author’s intent…
Read more about Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata September 8, 2017 Prints & Drawings Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata Some people made such an impact on history that we see them in multiple sales each season, across widely disparate genres. One such figure was Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who…
Read more about Records & Results: Spring 2017 June 16, 2017 Swann Records & Results: Spring 2017 The spring 2017 season at Swann Galleries marked the 75th anniversary of our first auction. On March 27, 1942, Benjamin Swann held an auction dedicated to rare and antiquarian books.…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 27, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana On Thursday, April 27, our tenth consecutive auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana exceeded $700,000. Much of the top material was unique or extremely rare, including diaries, letters and archives, many…
Read more about The Cherokee Messenger April 24, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Cherokee Messenger The complete set of The Cherokee Messenger, Oklahoma’s earliest periodical, will be coming to auction in our Printed & Manuscript Americana sale on April 27. Only one other complete set…
Read more about Civil War Correspondence Between Sweethearts: “Scattered, Knew Not Where To Go” November 15, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana Civil War Correspondence Between Sweethearts: “Scattered, Knew Not Where To Go” Coming to auction November 17, 2016: Printed & Manuscript Americana Charles L. Taylor married his sweetheart Harriet Tuttle in August, 1862 and days later went to join the 16th Connecticut…