EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY DECEMBER 2024 SALE

Early American History Auctions, Inc. is proud to announce the focus of this auction is the early history of America from the Colonial Period, French & Indian War, American Revolution, and the Civil War Era. Included are 69 diverse lots consigned by Ambassador and former Secretary of the Navy, J. William Middendorf II.

This September Ambassador Middendorf reached his 100-year milestone. After serving in several critical governmental roles, in 1981 he was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Navy by President Ronald Reagan. He almost by nature served in that role as his family heritage extends to the very founding of the Continental Navy. His Revolutionary War era ancestor, Captain William Stone, donated two of his Privateer ships to the fledgling Continental Navy, which were then renamed "Wasp" and "Hornet". As Secretary of the Navy, he championed the F/A-18 Carrier Based fighter attack aircraft and arranged for it to be dubbed the "Hornet".

On December 11th, 2023 the United States Navy named a new Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class guided missile Destroyer in his honor. After celebrating his 100th birthday, Ambassador Middendorf was present to attend its official christening as the "USS J. WILLIAM MIDDENDORF". Many of the auction highlights are consigned from Middendorf's collection. Two important items of note include Paul Revere's 1770 historic engraving of "The Bloody Massacre" which was previously on loan for display with Harvard University Library, and his exceedingly rare and important, First London Printing of "A Prospective of the BATTLE fought near Lake George, on the 8th of Sep. 1755…" engraved by Thomas Jefffreys. As one historian called it: "The only engraving that Exhibits the American Method of Bush Fighting".

This Auction's Highlights Include:

 

Lot 1: 1797 President JOHN ADAMS Signed Four Language Ship Papers also with "Timothy Pickering" as Secretary of State.

Lot 3: SAMUEL ADAMS Signed Document, Beautifully Display Framed, his Signature a Vivid "10 out of 10" having Outstanding Eye Appeal.

Lot 13: JEFFERSON "JEFF" DAVIS Autograph Letter Signed in 1861 as both CSA "President" & Confederate States of America "President-Elect".

Lot 28: SAMUEL FRAUNCES a.k.a. "Black Sam" Handwritten Document Signed as Steward of George Washington's Presidential Household.

Lot 35: STEPHEN HOPKINS 1755 French and Indian War Letter Signed as Governor of Rhode Island with Important Content regarding Raising more men to Reinforce and Strengthen the Expedition Against Crown Point, Per Genl. Braddock's Defeat.

Lot 43: (ABRAHAM LINCOLN & STEPHEN T. LOGAN) Law Partnership Legal Document being Awarded $100 Payment for Their Successful Defense in a Famous Murder Trial.

Lot 48: CHESTER W. NIMITZ Signed as Admiral WWII "PROCLAMATION NO. 1 - To the People of the Marshall Islands" Printed Broadside Document, Regarding His Being "MILITARY GOVERNOR OCCUPATION OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS".

Lot 51: JOSEPH WARREN REVERE, the Civil War General's Extensive Family Related Archive of Revolutionary War Patriot Paul Revere's Grandson, and Great Grandson "Paul Revere".

Lot 66: RICHARD VARICK as New York City Mayor, in 1790 Commissions John Trumbull's Portrait of George Washington to be Painted for New York's City Hall.

 

Lot 67: GEORGE WASHINGTON. December 31, 1782, George Washington Signed as Commander in Chief of the Armies of the United States, Rare Continental Army Soldier's Medical Discharge in the Regiment of Invalids at Newburgh, NY with the Soldier's original 1781 Connecticut Civil List State Army Payment.

Lot 74: 1678 "The King's Letter - True Copy of the Letter by his Majesty Charles Ye Second" Dated February 12th, 1678 in Response to John Crowne's Plea to King Charles II for Possession of Mount Hope, in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England to the Colonial Governor of Rhode Island Plantation.

Lot 77: December 13, 1773 Philadelphia Postscript to the Pennsylvania Packet, Newspaper Broadsheet, Philadelphia: John Dunlap, Important Reports on a Boston Tea Party Meeting and the detestable "TEA-SCHEME".

Lot 79: Pocahontas Rescuing Captain John Smith from Execution by Clubbing, Copper Plate Etching titled, "Ceremoniae barbaroru in incantationibus" by Thoedore De Bry (1528-1598) and Sons.

Lot 81: 1756-Dated, "A Prospective of the BATTLE fought near Lake George, on the 8th of Sep. 1755, between 2000 English with 250 Mohawks, under the command of Gen. JOHNSON: ..." the Only Other Example to Appear at Auction in the Last 40 Years was 2005 Hand-Colored Middendorf-Guthman Copy.

 
Lots 84 and 110

Lot 84: Mezzotint Engraving, "Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D. - F.R.S.", One of the Rarest of Benjamin Franklin Portraits, Stauffer's First State of Three, published by Edward Savage in 1793.

Lot 110: (PAUL REVERE), Original Engraved Print Titled: "The BLOODY MASSACRE perpetrated in King - Street, BOSTON on March 5th 1770, by a party of the 29th Regt.", Boston: Engrav'd Printed & Sold by Paul Revere, (March 1770), One of only 29 Known.

Lot 122: George Washington Portrait, Oil & Pastel Painting on Linen, After Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne (Constable-Hamilton) Portrait, Beautifully Framed Under Early Glass.

Lot 127: 1853 "Washington Crossing the Delaware" Engraving by Paul Girardet, New York: Goupil & Co., 1853, After the original Oil Painting by E. LEUTZ in 1850.

 

Lot 131: (1789) George Washington Presidential Inaugural Button, "LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT" with 15-Star Pattern, Cobb-15, Albert WI-18B, DeWitt-GW 1789 33, Choice Uncirculated.

Lot 162: Documented Confederate Flag Given by Infamous Spy Belle Boyd a.k.a. the "Siren of the Shenandoah" to a Union Officer, 11-STAR "FIRST NATIONAL" FLAG WITH SINGLE STAR, "BONNIE BLUE" FIRST UNOFFICIAL CONFEDEDERATE FLAG ON VERSO.

 

Lot 174: Choice Civil War ID Disc "Dog Tag" Complete with Its Original "McCLELLAN" Pin Hanger, Fully Identified, His First Maine Fought in 29 Battles Including the First Winchester & Gettysburg.

Lot 192: c. 1910 Edison Stock Ticker Tape Machine, Previously Located on J. William Middendorf's II Wall Street Financial Firm's Office Desk with its Glass Dome Intact.

Lot 195: [Theodor Herzl / Judaica] 1896 True First Edition Book authored by Theodor Herzl, titled, "Der Judenstaat." (German, literally "The Jew State", commonly translated as "The Jewish State") Versuch Einer Modernen Lösung Der Judenfrage," ("Proposal of a modern solution for the Jewish question"), of Herzl's historic plan for a Jewish State, printed in Leipzig und Vienna, Wien: M. Breitenstein, 1896

These are but a few of the 199 exceptional historic auction lots presented.

For more information, or to bid, see:
https://www.earlyamerican.com/

   

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