RR Auction Features New Assortment of Artifacts

Boston-based RR Auction opened bids on a new auction this summer with “Fine Autographs and Artifacts” on July 22^nd. The auction opening also saw the release of their catalog, which presents photographs of all available items with detailed descriptions of their histories and backstories. A unique assortment of rare documents and artifacts range from documents from early America to literary rarities from around the world.

The highlights of the featured items include:

·         A Revolutionary War era letter written by John Adams dated 1777, addressing General James Warren and discussing the creation of the Articles of Confederation. He mentions the victory at the Battle of Saratoga. This rare and authentic letter is estimated to be sold at auction for $30,000+.

·         A letter written by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien on September 4^th, 1968 to the artist Mary Fairburn, who had painted various scenes from the famous trilogy and mailed them to him. He suggests that if an illustrated edition of the books do not happen, he will privately purchase several of them from her. Her pencil sketches accompany the purchase of the letter. This rare literary document is estimated to be sold at auction for roughly $13,000+.

·         A dark leather-brimmed baseball cap once worn by and belonging to the American author Ernest Hemingway, in good condition, with quite valuable wear considering it was worn by the head of a literary great. This rare cap is estimated to be sold at auction for $9,000.

·         A letter written and signed by Nelson Mandela on personal letterhead while he was still president, dated April 29, 1999 and addressed to activist Helen Suzman. He describes the bold struggles of the South African people and lays out what is necessary for the country. This letter is estimated to be sold at auction for $2,000.

·         A bold ink signature belonging to the revolutionary scientist Charles Darwin, signed July 6th 1870 on off-white paper. This rare signature is estimated to be sold at auction for $2800.

Bids on all lots close on August 10^th, so be sure to check out their galleries on RR Auction’s website.

For continued updates on rare and historic documents and artifacts in upcoming auctions, please also follow RR Auction’s Twitter at https://twitter.com/rrauction and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rrauction/.

RR Auction and the Mystery Gold Medal

In just a few more weeks it will finally be time for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Bostonbased RR Auction is getting ready for the popular world-wide event with an auction open now titled “Olympics Memorabilia,” showcasing authentic Olympics artifacts spanning well over a century of history for the global games.

This auction will feature a gold medal won at the 2012 London Olympic Games, many experts believing this is the first person to sell such a medal from the London event, according to the Daily Mail.

In an interesting twist, the winning athlete’s identity and the sport in which the gold medal was won is not disclosed by the auction house. This information will be discovered by the winning bidder at the auction’s close.

But why would an athlete auction an Olympic gold medal he won just four years ago? A spokesperson from RR Auction chimes in, “It’s not rare for athletes from around the world to face financial hardship depending on what events they’re in.” These circumstances allow a lucky collector the opportunity to own a rare and recent Olympic gold medal.

RR Auction is accepting bids on the item now, and it is expected to auction for $30,000 --- or at least £23,000.

A number of other artifacts from previous Olympic Games are available this July and August at RR Auction:

·         A rare gold medal from the 1908 London Summer Olympics, featuring an engraving of the image of St. George, England’s patron saint, slaying a dragon. This medal is estimated to auction for $15,000+.

·         A silver medal from the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics, engraved with the image of Ling, the founder of Swedish gymnastics, is estimated to auction for $20,000+ due to these medals’ scarcity.

·         A silver medal from the 1956 Cortina Winter Olympics, featuring the image of an ice crystal over Mount Pomagagnon, is estimated to auction for $10,000+.

·         A bronze medal from the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics Ice Hockey World Championship is estimated to auction for $4,000+.

A ton of medals, torches and other artifacts will be available until the close of the auction on July 21^st.

To preview and bid on all artifacts up for auction this July, please take the time to visit RR Auction’s website. Continuous updates on valuable and authentic documents and artifacts for auction can be received by following RR Auction’s Twitter and Facebook. Check them out!

Underdog Jamaican Olympic Bobsled Team Helmet at RR Auction

“Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time!” Without a doubt, the 1993 Walt Disney film Cool Runnings has built a large following of fans over the years. What some movie fans may not know is that the comedy about the underdog Jamaican national bobsled team debut competition in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics is based on a true story.

Not only is it based on a true story, but evidence of the team’s unique story will be available at Boston-based RR Auction in an online Olympics Memorabilia auction this summer. Opening on July 14^th, Calgary’s Metro news reports that RR Auction will accept bids on a yellow Bell helmet worn by Jamaican bobsleigh pilot Dudley Stokes. The helmet was worn during the Jamaican team’s final qualifier in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

The team captain and manager of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team Alan Howat writes in a letter that is received with the auctioned item, “The helmet… bares the scratch marks from the famous crash when he could not get his head and helmet back in the sled.”

Besides the verifying letter, the Bell helmet also comes with a pair of orange-and-pink Smith ski goggles worn by Stokes. On the headband of the goggles is a pin reading “Jamaica Bobsleigh Team, Calgary 1988.”

This initial Jamaican bobsled team took the world by storm when they entered the Winter Olympics, a tropical nation in a winter sport, something found bizarre and fascinating by the entire world. The five-man team had never even experienced snow before and practiced under the blaring sun in Jamaica. They needed to borrow spare sleds from other countries to even compete in the games. All of these details were what solidified their story as an underdog, and inspired Disney to create a film inspired by them several years later.

During one of the qualifiers, they lost control of their sled and crashed, disqualifying them from the medal. It is the scratches from this crash that can be found on the Bell helmet, a truly unique mark of Olympics history with this gear from the special tropical debut team.

This is a rare and special item for anyone who is a fan of the film or the Olympics. The helmet is estimated to auction at RR Auction for $3500+.

More items from the Olympic auction can be previewed at RR Auction’s website. For continued updates on rare and historic documents and artifacts for auction, follow RR Auction’s Twitter at https://twitter.com/rrauction and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rrauction/.

RR Auction Unearths Dodge City History

While RR Auction has become known for auctioning items rich with national history, the Boston-based auction house also does its part in spotlighting authentic documents and artifacts that illuminate local histories in cities across the United States. These verified items are valuable to any who wish to collect pieces of their home’s history. 

One such place is Dodge City, Kansas. The Dodge Globe reported that RR Auction is featuring a rare item from the city’s Wild West past this July in their online auction “Fine Autographs and Artifacts,” open for bids until July 13^th. A pocket watch once belonging to the famous local lawman W.B. “Bat” Masterson is expected to be sold at auction for $15,000.

As a young man, Bat Masterson was a buffalo hunter, Indian scout, saloonkeeper, gunfighter and civilian scout for the U.S. Army in Dodge City. Later in life, he became a good friend of President Theodore Roosevelt and a member of the “White House Gunfighters,” as well as a writer and columnist. 

Masterson’s Elgin pocket watch sports a graving inside, reading, "To W. B. Bat Masterson, from the Citizens of Ford Co,” and is accompanied with a winding key. In 1885, he was voted the most popular man in Dodge City on an event held on July 4^th. The Dodge Globe states that at this event he received a gold watch chain and gold-headed cane, followed later by the customized pocket watch that is currently up for auction. 

The watch had been owned by Charlie E. Stup in those intervening years and was discovered again in 1985 after sifting through the findings of his estate sale. 

Executive Vice President at RR Auction Robert Livingston told the Dodge Globe, "This is clearly a great honor from the people of Ford County… a stunning personal piece from the famed lawman."

This auction also features two other Dodge City-related items: A Dodge City railroad seal stamp, and three documents from an 1879 lawsuit against Masterson while he was sheriff, accusing him of allowing a jail escape to occur. The documents include a manuscript fair copy of the arrest order issued to Masterson, a handwritten summons for the lawman and a true copy of the petition describing the complaint against the sheriff, reading, “contrary to Law and through gross neglect willfully permitted him to escape… to the damage of said Plaintiff in the sum of $23.75.” 

To preview and bid on all artifacts up for auction this July, please visit RR Auction’s website and follow their Twitter at https://twitter.com/rrauction and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rrauction/ for continuous updates on valuable and authentic documents and artifacts for auction.