Press Release

Wilton, CT, USA, December 22, 2023 -- A draft of Ronald Reagan’s iconic “Win One for the Gipper” speech from 1981 with extensive handwritten notes; a two-page autograph letter signed by legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie to his Army friends discussing “personal experience ballads” that he had just written; and an Albert Einstein signed typed card exploring the physicist’s views on human nature are just a few of the highly collectible items up for bid in University Archives’ online-only auction slated for Wednesday, January 10th, 2024.

The Rare Signed Manuscripts, Books, Photos & Relics auction will start promptly at 10:30 am Eastern time. All 407 lots in the catalog are up for viewing and bidding now – on the University Archives website: www.UniversityArchives.com – as well as the platforms Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

“We’re ushering in the New Year with an exciting auction featuring exceptional and desirable material from the U.S. Presidential, Science, Music, Literature & Military collecting categories,” remarked John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives, who added, “Early America, International, Aviation/Space, Art, Civil Rights and Sports are also well-represented.”

Lot 92 is the draft of President Reagan’s “Win one for the Gipper” speech, featuring eight pages of handwritten notes, with additional manuscript revisions to typed pages. Reagan delivered the speech as the Commencement Address at the University of Notre Dame on May 17, 1981, just weeks after surviving an assassination attempt. In his acting days, Reagan had portrayed George Gipp, Notre Dame’s beloved All American football player. The draft carries an estimate of $15,000-$24,000.

Also up for bid is a mixed typed and handwritten draft of Reagan’s “Welcome Home” speech, signed by Reagan as “RR” and annotated with nearly 350 words in his hand. Reagan delivered the final draft of the speech in January 1981 at the White House, one week after Iran released 55 American hostages kidnapped from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 (est. $10,000-$12,000).

Lot 287 is the two-page autograph letter signed by Woody Guthrie from October 1945, in which he tells his Army friends: “The little vacation has … caused my guitar to play better. I've turned out (12) twelve more personal experience ballads taken from the hottest spots in the war… best of luck in your ventures into the grass roots of folks songs and folk lore.” (est. $8,000-$9,000).

Lot 392 is a handsome Albert Einstein display featuring a typed card in English signed by him. Einstein addressed the card to a former psychiatric social worker who had asked Einstein his thoughts on human nature, citing an anecdote about an enraged six-year-old patient. Einstein’s response, in part, “Practice makes a master, Practice makes a hater,” bears out his belief that human behavior is a product of nurture rather than nature (est. $6,000-$7,000).

Lot 111 is a Revolutionary War-dated letter from 1780 signed by George Washington, regarding a prisoner exchange, and demonstrating a compassionate side of his military decision-making. Washington gives instructions to Col. James Wood, commander of the Convention Army, concerning the release of two German officers attached to British Gen. John Burgoyne, who’d surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga three years earlier (est. $18,000-$20,000).

University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call John Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.

For more information about University Archives and the 407-lot, online-only Rare Signed Manuscripts, Books, Photos & Relics auction scheduled for Wednesday, January 10th, at 10:30 am Eastern time, please visit www.universityarchives.com. Updates are posted frequently.

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