Press Release

Wilton, CT, USA, November 26, 2024 -- It isn’t often that John Dillinger, Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth and Abraham Lincoln all meet at the same place at the same time, but that’s exactly what will happen on Wednesday, December 11th, when items signed by all four luminaries will come up for bid in University Archives’ Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction, at 10am Eastern time.

A rare autograph letter signed by America’s Public Enemy Number One John Dillinger, a signed photograph of Albert Einstein, a check signed by Marilyn Monroe during the filming of the movie Some like It Hot, a Star baseball signed on the sweet spot by Babe Ruth in 1927, and an Abraham Lincoln signed Civil War draft call are just a few of the sale’s expected headliners.

All 519 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now on the newly redesigned University Archives website – www.UniversityArchives.com – as well as LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

“Our last auction of 2024 is perhaps our most impressive sale to date,” University Archives president and owner John Reznikoff said of Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books – Just in Time For The Holidays. He added, “The auction will be a great shopping opportunity. Need holiday gift ideas? Give your friends and loved ones unique historical gifts this holiday season.”

From U.S. Presidents, Early America, and World Leaders, to Art, Music and Literature, from Aviation/Space, Sports and Science, to Militaria, Civil Rights, and Entertainment, University Archives’ December 11th sale has most categories covered. “If we receive prompt payment, we will make every effort to ship items before Christmas and Hanukkah,” Mr. Reznikoff said.

Lot 218 is the two-page autograph letter signed by the outlaw John Dillinger, written from the Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio on October 1, 1933, just a few days after he was arrested for armed robbery. The letter was addressed to his girlfriend, Mary Longnaker, urging her not to wait for him to get out of prison. Dillinger was busted out of his prison cell a few days later but was shot dead within the year. (est. $18,000-$25,000).

Lot 508 is the Star baseball by Spaulding signed on the sweet spot by Babe Ruth on June 5, 1927, the day he got two hits and a home run in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Ruth dedicated the ball to vaudeville actress Maud Ryan, a fellow entertainer. Ruth supplemented his income in 1927 by starring as a vaudeville performer and silent film star. (est. $10,000-$12,000).

Lot 466 is a photograph of Albert Einstein wearing his beloved scruffy leather jacket, probably taken by Lotte Jacobi, and signed by him as “A. Einstein, 1947.” The portrait is quite modern in its sensibility, with Einstein staring boldly at the viewer. Einstein presented the signed photo to Derek J. de Solla Price, the noted British physicist and historian of science. (est. $6,000-$8,000).

Lot 298 is a check (#37) signed by Marilyn Monroe dated Oct. 10, 1958, around the time of production of the classic film Some Like It Hot, co-starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The check, showing Monroe’s large, bold signature, was drawn from the Colonial Trust Company, for $108.55, and made out to Dave Bernstein, “Caterer” (est. $3,000-$4,000).

For more information about University Archives and the online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books – Just in Time for The Holidays auction slated for Wednesday, December 11th, starting at 10am Eastern time, please visit www.universityarchives.com. Updates are posted frequently.

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