Description:

Albert Einstein
[Buenos Aires, Argentina], April 23, 1925
Albert Einstein Signed "E=MC2" Souvenir Typescript "Everything is energy and that's all there is to it" PSA MINT 9
ANS & Souvenir Typescript

An autograph note in German signed and inscribed by Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, as: "Zum 23 April 1925 / Herrn Mario Wassermann / durch Erbfolge übertragen / Albert Einstein," roughly translated as: "As of April 23, 1925 / [this belongs to] Mr. Mario Wassermann / transmitted through inheritance / Albert Einstein." April 23, 1925. N.p. but almost certainly Buenos Aires, Argentina. PSA/DNA slabbed and graded MINT 9. Expected wear including even toning and scattered negligible foxing. A minor closed tear has been repaired along the left edge. Else near fine. The actual size of the leaf is 4.875" x 7.5" while the slab measures 6.625" x 10.25" overall. Accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services, certification number A86833, dated December 11, 2017.

Below Einstein's signature and inscription is a souvenir typescript of a quote of Einstein, added at a later date: "Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics. E = mc2."

This item connects Einstein's most famous mathematical equation about mass-energy equivalence, E=mc2, with Einstein's tour of South America in Spring 1925, in which he delivered a series of lectures relating to his theory of special relativity. Einstein spent one month - between March 25 - April 23, 1925 - in Buenos Aires, Argentina, discussing his famous discoveries at the University of Buenos Aires, the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, and elsewhere. After leaving Argentina in late April, Einstein traveled to Brazil and Uruguay before returning home to Germany. Einstein was abjectly miserable during his South American tour. His ambitious itinerary meeting with academics, politicians, and area Jewish leaders left him exhausted and homesick. He wrote his family that his audience wasn't receptive to his lectures, and characterized the local lifestyle as too casual and indulgent for his taste. (For more information about Einstein's trip to South America, please refer to Princeton University's Einstein Papers, Vol. 14, "The Berlin Years: Writings and Correspondence, April 1923-May 1925," specifically Doc. 455, South American Travel Diary, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, pp. 688-704.)

While in Buenos Aires, Einstein was hosted by a prominent German-Jewish émigré, Bruno John [Juan] Wassermann (1874-1940), who was a paper merchant, real estate investor, and indigenous art collector. The Wassermanns had an elegant Second Empire-style mansion in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires, as well as an "estancia," or country estate, just outside the city at Llavallol, which Einstein also visited. Bruno Wassermann's wife Cristina Berta Wassermann née Bornberg (1878-1932) and Einstein flew together over Buenos Aires aboard a German Navy Junker hydroplane on April 1, 1925. The Wassermanns had three sons: Erwin Juan (born 1901), Kurt Bruno (born 1905), and Mario Ernesto Juan Augusto (born 1912). We can speculate, then, that at the conclusion of Einstein's stay with the Wassermanns, Einstein presented this note of thanks and appreciation to their 12-year-old son Mario.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: slabbed: 6.625" x 10.25"
  • Medium: ANS & Souvenir Typescript

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April 23, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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