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Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection - By Michael Stillman Catalog 57 from The Raab Collection. By Michael Stillman The Raab Collection has issued a spectacular new catalogue of historic manuscripts and other signed documents and autographs. While primarily American in origin, there are several British items, from names such as Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli and Queen Victoria, within the pages of Catalog 57. This is a catalogue filled with the most important names in American history, Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy and the like. While government and political leaders lead this pack, there are also important names from other fields, including Edison and Martin Luther King. Then there are the personalities who crossed over multiple fields, such as President and General U.S. Grant, or Benjamin Franklin, who did almost everything. Add to that people whose importance covered multiple nations, such as Gandhi for India and England, or King George III, a British ruler who was well known, though hardly beloved, in America. What makes the Raab catalogue extraordinary, besides the quality of material offered, is the detail in the descriptions. Each item is not only explained in detail, buts its historic setting is also fully described. Recognizing the circumstances of a letter or document can be key to understanding its meaning and significance. Raab provides complete explanations of the documents' circumstances, giving us informative history lessons along with an opportunity to own a piece of that history. Here are some of the documents they are offering. Item 6 touches on a major event in American and British history, and it is filled with irony. It is a note from King George III, requesting a meeting to hear greater details of Cornwallis' supposedly successful campaign in America. Cornwallis had technically won the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781, but the victory came with major troop losses. Cornwallis, believing he had conquered the more southern states, next decided to turn his attention to Virginia. He hoped to once and for all seal off the southern states, allowing the British to defeat the rebels in the north. Instead, he suffered defeat at Yorktown, which effectively ended the war. However, based on early good news, King George, in calling for a more detailed report, wrote on June 4, 1781, "The letters from Ld Cornwallis show how well he has conducted his enterprise." Priced at $17,000. Here is a remarkable piece of ephemera I never would have believed you could buy - Martin Van Buren's passport. Van Buren was America's eighth president, Andrew Jackson's handpicked successor. He was the survivor of Jackson's cabinet upheaval during the latter's first term in office. After Jackson's split with Vice-President John C. Calhoun, and a scandal involving the wife of his Secretary of War, Jackson called on his cabinet to resign. That included Van Buren, who was Secretary of State. Van Buren, despite being a favorite of Jackson, had to go to make the housecleaning appear even-handed. Therefore, Jackson instead promptly appointed Van Buren as his ambassador to Great Britain, an extremely important and prestigious position at the time. Item 15 is the very passport Van Buren took with him to England on his new assignment. It states that Van Buren is America's "Minister Plenipotentiary" to Britain, and is signed by his successor as Secretary of State, Edward Livingston, dated August 1, 1831. Ultimately, as a result of Calhoun's maneuvering, the Senate failed to approve Van Buren's appointment, but Jackson got the last laugh. He had his ally nominated by the Democratic Party for vice-president in 1832, replacing Calhoun on the ticket. Van Buren was elected vice-president in 1832, and then as president four years later. $2,000.
Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection - By Michael Stillman King George III was pleased with Cornwallis' Queen Victoria ruled Britain longer than any other monarch. Succeeding to the throne shortly after her 18th birthday, she would rule as queen for another 63 years. However, she was anything but the longest serving monarch when she penned her name to item 17, a message confirming the appointment of her ambassador to Sardinia. King William IV had died just a week earlier, and now, as the new 18-year-old queen, she needed to officially notify other governments that the crown's ambassadors still retained their positions. Here she notifies King Charles Albert of Sardinia of the death of her "most honored and beloved uncle" as well as her own ascension to the thrown, and reconfirms the appointment of Sir Augustus John Foster as ambassador. $3,500. Item 25 is a fascinating autograph album from Civil War times, specifically 1861-62. It was evidently passed around the halls of Washington as it is filled with the signatures of the major political leaders of the time, though the album was also placed in front of the pens of a few other notable people. The most famous signature is the classic "A. Lincoln," with the added notation "Springfield Illinois." Other signers include Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, General and future President U.S. Grant, General William T. Sherman, future Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, former Senator John Crittenden, author of the last attempted compromise to stave off the Civil War, New York political boss Roscoe Conkling, and noted anti-war northerner, the infamous Copperhead Clement Vallandigham. Other signers include Erastus Corning, a New York congressman at the time, but better known as a railroad and industrial magnate, and General Abner Doubleday, better remembered for inventing baseball than his military career. $13,000. Fast forward a century and we have another massive autograph album. This one was kept by Carl Kunaniec, a police captain assigned to security at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. A lot of famous people passed through that airport from 1960-66, and it seems he must have obtained the autograph of just about every one of them. He has the signatures of all three Kennedy brothers, John, Robert, and Edward (Ted). There were several more presidents, both past and future who signed, including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan. Nixon didn't sign, but his wife, Pat, and vice-president, Spiro Agnew, did. So did losing presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, Secretaries of State Dean Rusk and Christian Herter, several governors, including California's Pat Brown, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and the still missing Teamster's leader James Hoffa. Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King and James Meredith have left their autographs, as have Earl Warren and four other U.S. Supreme Court justices. Alan Shepard, John Glenn and a couple of other astronauts have signed, as has World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. There are autographs from journalists Edward R. Murrow and Drew Pearson, playboy Hugh Heffner and some bunnies, TV and movie stars including Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk, Jimmy Stewart, Woody Allen, and many, many more, Rev. Billy Graham from theology, and a bunch of baseball and other sports stars, such as Willy Mays, Casey Stengel, Brooks Robinson, Weeb Ewbank and Rocky Marciano. This album is the '60s. Item 54. $8,500.
Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection - By Michael Stillman Some of the autographs in this 1960s collection. Raab also has a large number of documents from the aforementioned California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown. First elected in 1958, he defeated Richard Nixon's attempted comeback as governor in 1962, but was defeated in 1966 by newcomer Ronald Reagan. Among the items in this section are several letters he received from President Kennedy, the bulletin he received notifying him of Kennedy's assassination, a 1973 letter from President Nixon promising to "bring this entire matter [Watergate] to a full and just resolution" (he did, but not the way Nixon expected), and a letter from Reagan shortly after he was elected governor. We will conclude this review with a reassuring quote in these difficult days received by Brown from former President Harry Truman in 1966: "The people may, from time to time, get confused or diverted by clever propaganda, or slick press agents - but not for long. When they think things through for themselves, the people will always vote for what is their own best interest and that of their country." You may reach The Raab Collection at 800-977-8333. Their website is www.raabcollection.com.

Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection

- By Michael Stillman

Catalog 57 from The Raab Collection.

By Michael Stillman

The Raab Collection has issued a spectacular new catalogue of historic manuscripts and other signed documents and autographs. While primarily American in origin, there are several British items, from names such as Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli and Queen Victoria, within the pages of Catalog 57. This is a catalogue filled with the most important names in American history, Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy and the like. While government and political leaders lead this pack, there are also important names from other fields, including Edison and Martin Luther King. Then there are the personalities who crossed over multiple fields, such as President and General U.S. Grant, or Benjamin Franklin, who did almost everything. Add to that people whose importance covered multiple nations, such as Gandhi for India and England, or King George III, a British ruler who was well known, though hardly beloved, in America.

What makes the Raab catalogue extraordinary, besides the quality of material offered, is the detail in the descriptions. Each item is not only explained in detail, buts its historic setting is also fully described. Recognizing the circumstances of a letter or document can be key to understanding its meaning and significance. Raab provides complete explanations of the documents' circumstances, giving us informative history lessons along with an opportunity to own a piece of that history. Here are some of the documents they are offering.

Item 6 touches on a major event in American and British history, and it is filled with irony. It is a note from King George III, requesting a meeting to hear greater details of Cornwallis' supposedly successful campaign in America. Cornwallis had technically won the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781, but the victory came with major troop losses. Cornwallis, believing he had conquered the more southern states, next decided to turn his attention to Virginia. He hoped to once and for all seal off the southern states, allowing the British to defeat the rebels in the north. Instead, he suffered defeat at Yorktown, which effectively ended the war. However, based on early good news, King George, in calling for a more detailed report, wrote on June 4, 1781, "The letters from Ld Cornwallis show how well he has conducted his enterprise." Priced at $17,000.

Here is a remarkable piece of ephemera I never would have believed you could buy - Martin Van Buren's passport. Van Buren was America's eighth president, Andrew Jackson's handpicked successor. He was the survivor of Jackson's cabinet upheaval during the latter's first term in office. After Jackson's split with Vice-President John C. Calhoun, and a scandal involving the wife of his Secretary of War, Jackson called on his cabinet to resign. That included Van Buren, who was Secretary of State. Van Buren, despite being a favorite of Jackson, had to go to make the housecleaning appear even-handed. Therefore, Jackson instead promptly appointed Van Buren as his ambassador to Great Britain, an extremely important and prestigious position at the time. Item 15 is the very passport Van Buren took with him to England on his new assignment. It states that Van Buren is America's "Minister Plenipotentiary" to Britain, and is signed by his successor as Secretary of State, Edward Livingston, dated August 1, 1831. Ultimately, as a result of Calhoun's maneuvering, the Senate failed to approve Van Buren's appointment, but Jackson got the last laugh. He had his ally nominated by the Democratic Party for vice-president in 1832, replacing Calhoun on the ticket. Van Buren was elected vice-president in 1832, and then as president four years later. $2,000.

Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection

- By Michael Stillman

King George III was pleased with Cornwallis'

Queen Victoria ruled Britain longer than any other monarch. Succeeding to the throne shortly after her 18th birthday, she would rule as queen for another 63 years. However, she was anything but the longest serving monarch when she penned her name to item 17, a message confirming the appointment of her ambassador to Sardinia. King William IV had died just a week earlier, and now, as the new 18-year-old queen, she needed to officially notify other governments that the crown's ambassadors still retained their positions. Here she notifies King Charles Albert of Sardinia of the death of her "most honored and beloved uncle" as well as her own ascension to the thrown, and reconfirms the appointment of Sir Augustus John Foster as ambassador. $3,500.

Item 25 is a fascinating autograph album from Civil War times, specifically 1861-62. It was evidently passed around the halls of Washington as it is filled with the signatures of the major political leaders of the time, though the album was also placed in front of the pens of a few other notable people. The most famous signature is the classic "A. Lincoln," with the added notation "Springfield Illinois." Other signers include Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, General and future President U.S. Grant, General William T. Sherman, future Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, former Senator John Crittenden, author of the last attempted compromise to stave off the Civil War, New York political boss Roscoe Conkling, and noted anti-war northerner, the infamous Copperhead Clement Vallandigham. Other signers include Erastus Corning, a New York congressman at the time, but better known as a railroad and industrial magnate, and General Abner Doubleday, better remembered for inventing baseball than his military career. $13,000.

Fast forward a century and we have another massive autograph album. This one was kept by Carl Kunaniec, a police captain assigned to security at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. A lot of famous people passed through that airport from 1960-66, and it seems he must have obtained the autograph of just about every one of them. He has the signatures of all three Kennedy brothers, John, Robert, and Edward (Ted). There were several more presidents, both past and future who signed, including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan. Nixon didn't sign, but his wife, Pat, and vice-president, Spiro Agnew, did. So did losing presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, Secretaries of State Dean Rusk and Christian Herter, several governors, including California's Pat Brown, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and the still missing Teamster's leader James Hoffa. Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King and James Meredith have left their autographs, as have Earl Warren and four other U.S. Supreme Court justices. Alan Shepard, John Glenn and a couple of other astronauts have signed, as has World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker. There are autographs from journalists Edward R. Murrow and Drew Pearson, playboy Hugh Heffner and some bunnies, TV and movie stars including Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Lawrence Welk, Jimmy Stewart, Woody Allen, and many, many more, Rev. Billy Graham from theology, and a bunch of baseball and other sports stars, such as Willy Mays, Casey Stengel, Brooks Robinson, Weeb Ewbank and Rocky Marciano. This album is the '60s. Item 54. $8,500.

Spectacular Signed Documents from the Raab Collection

- By Michael Stillman

Some of the autographs in this 1960s collection.

Raab also has a large number of documents from the aforementioned California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown. First elected in 1958, he defeated Richard Nixon's attempted comeback as governor in 1962, but was defeated in 1966 by newcomer Ronald Reagan. Among the items in this section are several letters he received from President Kennedy, the bulletin he received notifying him of Kennedy's assassination, a 1973 letter from President Nixon promising to "bring this entire matter [Watergate] to a full and just resolution" (he did, but not the way Nixon expected), and a letter from Reagan shortly after he was elected governor. We will conclude this review with a reassuring quote in these difficult days received by Brown from former President Harry Truman in 1966: "The people may, from time to time, get confused or diverted by clever propaganda, or slick press agents - but not for long. When they think things through for themselves, the people will always vote for what is their own best interest and that of their country."

You may reach The Raab Collection at 800-977-8333. Their website is www.raabcollection.com.