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Lot 394
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Dealer's Lot, Diverse Collection of 11 Signed Items, PSA Certified & Slabbed!
Dealer's Lot, Diverse Collection of 11 Signed Items, PSA Certified & Slabbed!
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Description:

Miscellaneous Notables
various, various
Dealer's Lot, Diverse Collection of 11 Signed Items, PSA Certified & Slabbed!
Archive
A fantastic group of eleven pieces signed by notables in the categories of American First Ladies, American Politics, Civil War, Royalty, Science, Supreme Court, and World Leaders.

Comprises, in alphabetical order by surname:

1.) An integral address leaf signed by American politician John Breckinridge (1760-1806), as "free / John Breckinridge" in the postage section at upper right, and also inscribed in his hand with the name and address of his correspondent, as "The Honbl. / John Coburn / Maysville / Kentucky". Certified, encapsulated and graded EX 5 by PSA/DNA. No place, no date. The folded leaf measures 5.5" x 3.25" while the slab measures 7.125" x 4.125." The red wax seal is still present verso. Expected wear including toning, weathering, scattered stains, and isolated ink bleed through. Mounting traces verso, else fair to good. Note: Despite PSA/DNA label, not John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875), Vice President under Buchanan and Confederate Secretary of War. The signature and recipient point to John Breckinridge, the patriarch of the Breckinridge political dynasty of Virginia and Kentucky, which would later include his grandson and namesake John C. Breckinridge.

A Democratic-Republican, the elder John Breckinridge served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1801 to 1805. From August 1805 until his death in December 1806, the elder Breckinridge served as the 5th U.S. Attorney General, during the Jefferson administration. The elder Breckinridge's correspondent was almost certainly his friend and fellow leading citizen, Judge John Coburn (1762-1823). Coburn was a Philadelphia native who had relocated to Kentucky in the early 1780s.

2.) Signature, "With sincere regards / Frederick A. Cook", on a cut measuring 4.25" x 2", no place, no date. Certified, graded NM-MT 8, and encapsulated to an overall size of 7.25" x 4.25" by PSA/DNA. Mounting residue on an otherwise blank verso. Flattened folds and light creases. In near fine condition. Frederick A. Cook (1865-1940) was an American explorer, physician, and ethnographer who claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908.

3.) A check signed, "Mamie D. Eisenhower", on the signature line, and also inscribed by her with the name of the check recipient as well as the check amount in written and numerical form. Check No. 42 in the amount of $153.31 to O.L. Veerhoff of Veerhoff Galleries, drawing from funds held by the Riggs National Bank, Dupont Circle Branch, measures 8.25" x 3.125" and is dated November 10, 1944. Certified, graded NM 7, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 12.375" x 5.5". Bearing the usual stamps and clerical perforations. In near fine condition. Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) served as First Lady during the 1953-1961 presidency of her husband, 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969).

4.) A free franked envelope boldly signed, "WLMK", 4.75" x 3.625", postmarked December 12, 1927, Ottawa, Ontario. Addressed to "His Excellency / Calvin Coolidge / President of the United States / Washington / D.C." and marked "Personal". Certified, graded NM 7, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 10" x 6.5". Pencil notations from previous collector on an otherwise blank verso. Expected wear includes soiling and stains. In very good plus condition. William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the 10th prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948.

5.) Signature, "Richard Leakey", on an adhesive label measuring 3.5" x 1", no place, no date. Certified, graded EX-MT 6, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 5.375" x 3.25". Light creasing and minor spotting. Yellowing to verso. In near fine condition. In 1984, Kenyan anthropologist Richard Leakey (1944-2022) and teammate Kamoya Kimeu discovered Turkana Boy, the nearly complete skeleton of an early human pre-adolescent boy who died approximately 1.6 million years ago. Leakey's pioneering research combined with the excavation of prehistoric fossils in eastern Africa radically changed the field of twentieth-century anthropology.

6.) An address leaf free franked by nineteenth-century executive cabinet member Hugh S. Legaré (1797-1843), as "H.S. Legaré", at lower left corner, 5" x 3", no place, but almost certainly Washington, D.C., no date, but likely during John Bell's term as U.S. Secretary of the War during the Harrison and Tyler administrations, from March-September 1841. Legaré has also engrossed the cover as: "The Honble. / John Bell / Secy of War / Washington". Certified, graded NM-MT 8, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 7.25" x 4.25". The cover is docketed "file" verso. Expected folds and minor discoloration. In near fine condition. Hugh S. Legaré was a South Carolina lawyer and politician whose tenure in the John Tyler administration was cut short by his premature death in June 1843. Legaré served as U.S. Attorney General from 1841 until 1843, and as U.S. Secretary of State ad interim during the last six weeks of his life.

7.) Signature, "John S. Marmaduke", on a cut of ruled paper measuring 7.313" x 2.813", no place, no date. Adhered to a slightly larger backing. Certified, graded NM 7, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 9.5" x 4.5". Light pencil notations from previous collector. Mounting remnants at verso. Folds and creases. Minor ink smudging. In very good plus condition. John S. Marmaduke (1833-1887) was an American politician and soldier. He served as the 25th governor of Missouri from 1885 until his death in 1887. Prior to that, he was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.

8.) A watermarked paper fragment boldly signed by King Albert I of Belgium, "Albert", 5" x 3", no place, no date. Signature alone measures 4.25" in length! Certified, graded NM-MT 8, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 7.25" x 4.125". Pencil notations from previous collector on an otherwise blank verso. Light, even toning. In fine condition. Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad was born in Brussels in 1875. Albert I served as King of the Belgians from 1909 until his death in 1934.

9.) Signature, "S. Newcomb", on a cut measuring 4.25" x 1.5", no place, dated "Feb. 26, 1895". Certified, graded NM 7, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 7.25" x 4.25". Pencil notations from previous collector on an otherwise blank verso. Light toning. Mounting remnants at verso. In near fine condition. Simon Newcomb (1835-1909) was a Canadian-American astronomer, applied mathematician, and autodidactic polymath who served as Professor of Mathematics in the United States Navy and at Johns Hopkins University.

10.) Signature, "Bertrand Russell", on a cut measuring 4" x 2.25", no place, no date. Certified, graded GEM MT 10, and encapsulated by PSA/DNA to an overall size of 7.25" x 4.25". Pencil notation from previous collector on an otherwise blank verso. Lightly toned. In fine condition. Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher, logician, essayist, and social critic best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. In 1931, Russell became the 3rd Earl Russell of Kingston Russell, and the subsidiary title of Viscount Amberley of Amberley and of Ardsalla. He held both titles, and the accompanying seat in the House of Lords, until his death.

11.) A free franked envelope signed "Free / Levi Woodbury", 8" x 3.5", postmarked Washington City, D.C., June 26, [no year]. Addressed in a secretarial hand to Lieutenant John A. Dahlgren of the U.S. Navy, Philadelphia, PA. Certified, graded NM 7, and encapsulated to an overall size of 12.5" x 5.5". Intact red wax seal at verso. Expected wear includes wrinkling and soiling. A bit of ink smudging. In very good plus to near fine condition. Levi Woodbury (1789-1851) served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury between 1834 and 1841. He accepted President James K. Polk's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1845 and served as an associate justice until his death.

*Please refer to our terms and conditions regarding the sale of large lots.

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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Bid Increments
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$2,000 $2,999 $200
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