An unprecedented trove of material relating to the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., the most famous and influential name in
America's storied Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s —
including King's handwritten notes on eight cards containing the
outline of his famed "Dexter Avenue Church Farewell Address," circa
1960 — will be offered on Oct. 17 as part of Heritage Auctions'
Signature®
Historical Manuscripts event in New York.
The material, more than 100 artifacts in all, are coming to
auction after more than half a century in the loving possession of
87-year-old Maude Ballou, Martin Luther King Jr.'s close friend and
personal secretary.
"The
Ballou material provides a ground-level perspective of the
civil rights struggle," says Sandra Palomino, Director of
Historical Manuscripts at Heritage Auctions. "The collection brings
to light the courage and strength of all its participants. This
material, available for the very first time, is unprecedented and
illustrates the role of the church and the Reverend King's
leadership."
Martin Luther King Jr. Autograph Notecards Containing Notes for a
Speech,
circa December 1959
As a child growing up in the South during the 1960s, Howard Ballou,
Maude's son, was privileged to witness history. He was just a boy
at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement.
"When Dr. King was elected to lead the Montgomery Improvement
Association, which led to the Montgomery bus boycott, he asked mom
to come work with him," said Howard, 59, a TV news anchor in
Jackson, Miss. "She was working at the time for a local radio
station. She had a business degree from Southern University in
Baton Rouge, LA. She was a great organizer. She got things done. Of
course, this was the boycott that changed the world."
Maude Ballou later helped Dr. King establish his office at the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Mrs. Ballou moved with
King to Atlanta, living with the King family for several months,
ensuring a smooth transition before King had time to hire a new
secretary.
As King's secretary, Ballou handled his schedule, wrote letters
on his behalf, and received correspondence from King and other
civil rights leaders.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Maude Ballou 'Distinguished NAACP
Volunteer' Cards with Letter
"Maude Ballou communicated with all the great leaders of the
day," said Palomino. "Rosa Parks, Adam Clayton Powell, Ralph
Abernethy, Wyatt Tee Walker, you name it. She worked closely with
Dr. King in all of his writing and editing."
"These are treasures from my mom's years at the beginning of the
civil rights movement," said Howard. "My mother has finally decided
that, after half a century safeguarding this material, and Dr.
King's legacy, she wants to share these items with the public. It's
time for them to be appreciated by others as much as we've
appreciated them."
Heritage Auctions will be donating a portion of its proceeds
from the auction of The Ballou Papers to Alabama State
University.
They were the stuff of legend. From the backs of their
sure-footed mounts, Colt revolvers at the ready, these legendary
men protected the Texas frontier. They were Texas Rangers, and John
McWilliams has hunted them down with patience and precision across
forty-seven of these fifty United States.
Heritage Auctions is proud to present the culmination of his
thirty-year hunt: the
John N. McWilliams Texas Ranger Collection, September 21, in
Dallas. This auction represents over thirty years of collecting for
Mr. McWilliams, who started very young. Once you take a look at his
collection, we are confident that you'll agree that he has been
very successful at his life's work of finding important Texas
Ranger rarities.
"The focus of the collection is in two parts: The first being the
1840s-1850s-era, which would be the Jack Hayes and Rip Ford era,"
Mr. McWilliams said about the collection. This part of the
collection includes many scarce daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, as
well as documents. Highlights include an extraordinary
daguerrotype of Samuel Walker, one of the most famous Texas
Rangers from the 1840s, taken months before his death; an
eyewitness account of the death of Samuel Walker, featuring
watercolor illustrations from the Mexican War; an iconic half-plate
ambrotype of Rip Ford, one of the most famous Rangers of the
1850s; and
Henry McCulloch's letter reporting to Jack Hays that he had
"succeeded in keeping the Indians from committing any depredations
in Austin."
"The second portion of the collection, which is equally as
important," Mr. McWilliams continued, "is the frontier battalion
era, which is dating from the early 1870s until about 1900."
Highlights from this part of the collection includes photographs
from Company "D" of the Frontier Battalion, such as cabinet cards
featuring
Captain Frank Jones, who was murdered five years after posing
for this image;
Walter Durbin, who poses armed next to his horse;
Ira Aten, known as a controversial and sometimes ruthless Texas
Ranger; and a
group portrait of Company "D", circa 1888, at the height
of their notoriety.
If you have a few minutes,
watch and listen as Mr. McWilliams discusses his collection. In
an age where so much is disposable, it is a breath of fresh air to
see such respect and reverence for things that can't be replaced.
The John N. McWilliams Texas Ranger Collection, at over 350 items,
is legendary in its own right, a fine tribute to men who mattered
in the rough and tumble world of nineteenth-century Texas—men who
were a bit rough around the edges, maybe even a little uncouth and
controversial. As Rip Ford once fondly wrote of his Rangers, "A few
of them drank intoxicating liquors. Still, it was a company of
sober and brave men. They knew their duty and they did it."
Highlight Video of the September 21 Legends of the West
Signature Auction - The John N. McWilliams Texas Ranger
Collection.
The collection is an intimate glimpse inside the personal and
professional life of the master painter through a trove of
important documents, including his marriage certificate,
photographs and letters written to Renoir from friends and
contemporaries such as Monet, Manet, and Rodin.
The collection also features a selection of original sculptural
plaster maquettes created at Renoir's estate in Cagnes, France, in
the twilight of his career. Battling severe arthritis, Renoir
collaborated with a young and able-handed artist, Richard Guino, at
his dealer Ambroise Vollard's suggestion.
"This museum-level collection is superb in its completeness and
reveals volumes about the man and his art," said Brian Roughton,
Managing Director of Fine Art at Heritage Auctions. "It touches
every corner of his life and represents the last time this
collection will appear assembled ever again. In addition to the
personal letters and objects, we're also thrilled to have the
opportunity to offer 20 carefully collected original plaster
maquettes."
Please also join us on September 18 at 7:00 PM ET for a lecture
by Virginie Journiac, art expert and former curator of the Renoir
Museum at Les Collettes in Cagnes-sur-Mer who will speak about
Renoir and the collection. Kindly RSVP by emailing
RSVP@HA.com or calling 800-HERITAGE
(437-4824), ext. 1050.
Collectible firearms are often sought after by disciplined groups
of collectors who focus on one area. Colt collectors buy Colts.
Investment collectors focus on engraved guns. Knowledgeable
students of history will want guns that belonged to famous people.
The group of collectors who only buy Colt 1911 pistols is very
large. All of these groups will be very interested in the
Factory Engraved Colt Government Model pistol in Heritage's
Arms and Armor Auction #6105 on December 8, 2013.
This
pistol was shipped to Colt President C. L. F. Robinson on July
17, 1914, in only the third year of production for this world
famous, iconic handgun. Over two million were produced between 1911
and 1944. Robinson married a niece of Sam Colt's and was president
of the company from 1911 until 1916. Being a collector of note, he
clearly had an interest in pistols, having a few years earlier
obtained the prototype of the Colt Model 1909 pistol which recently
sold at auction for five figures ( $86,250). He also owned a fancy
engraved Colt Model 1903 semi-automatic pistol documented in R.L.
Wilson's Steel Canvas. Wilson refers to this Robinson owned,
Gough-engraved 1911 as "historic."
Our subject gun comes with a factory letter that confirms that the
full coverage floral engraving was done by Colt master engraver
William H. Gough who was active between 1912 and 1940. Gough also
engraved guns for Winchester, Parker, and Remington. His work is
considered among the best of the period. As president of Colt,
Robinson could pick exactly what he wanted. What he had shipped to
him in 1914 is now available to collectors for the first time. It
will appeal to many of them for all the right reasons.
Gentleman Collector:
From a Gorham Galapagos Penguin to rare fossil palms
A unique
Gorham silver commemorative Galapagos Penguin, presented to
Vincent Astor — heir of industrialist John Jacob Astor — in 1930 by
his shipmates following an expedition to the Galapagos Islands, is
estimated to bring $10,000 in the third annual
Gentleman Collector® Auction at Heritage, Oct. 5-7 in Dallas.
The auction presents a fine collection of luxury gentleman
accessories hand-selected from private collections, including a
spectacular pair of fossil palms, discovered in Wyoming after
56 million years, which may cross the block for $12,000+.
"This is our third Gentleman Collector branded auction and as
with previous auctions we include a number of unique objects
including fascinating items from the Estate of Vincent Astor,
consigned directly from his family," said Nicholas Dawes, Vice
President of Special Collections at Heritage. "Collector response
to these auction has been marvelous and they've quickly become
among the most popular and entertaining live auctions of the
year."
The silver penguin stands 11-1/2" high and was modeled by James
L. Clark for Gorham. Like his father, John Jacob Astor, who
perished aboard the 'Titanic' in 1912, Vincent was known for grand
adventures at sea, mostly aboard his second yacht Nourmahal.
A 1930 voyage to the Galapagos Islands sparked a lifelong interest
in Galapagos Penguins and Vincent adopted the animal as a personal
totem, including one on his personal stationary and adding a
silvered chrome penguin hood ornament to his favorite
automobile.
The penguin figure leads an impressive, 22-lot collection of
personal artifacts and ephemera from Vincent's estate, with many
objects from the Nourmahal, which hosted numerous prominent
figures during her voyages in the 1930s, including President
Franklin Roosevelt. Other Astor family rarities include a
Gorham silver notepad inscribed to Brooke Astor from Lady Bird
and President Lyndon Johnson, estimated to bring $3,000+ and a
silver-topped monogrammed walking cane owned by John Jacob Astor
IV, which is expected to sell for $700+.
The auction once again offers a strong collection of ship models
and maritime paintings, including a
fine scale model of the private steam yacht Harvard, which is
estimated to bring $5,000+. Additional furniture items include a
fine selection of English library furniture and effects, such as a
19th century
Gothic Revival carved wood and parcel-gilt cupboard, estimated
to bring $3,500, as well as several lots of fascinating leather
bound volumes on historical and travel subjects. The auction also
includes a selection of gentleman's jewelry and contemporary art by
Mel Ramos and others.
Individual collections include a fine grouping of walking canes,
a large selection of commemorative ware dedicated to the life and
coronation of
King Edward VIII, passionately collected over 40 years by Mel
and Barbara Alpren, well-known exhibitors at the Park Avenue Armory
Show, among others. Other private collections include one of the
finest groups of vintage meerschaum pipes to ever come to auction.
More than 50 finely carved examples may be led by a
late 19th century meerschaum pipe of a reclining
woman, retaining its original custom case, which may fetch
$800.
Weekly Internet Rare
Books and Autographs Auction Highlights
Don't miss the opportunity to find some truly rare and
interesting books, each and every one of which opens for bidding at
$1, with no reserves. Just below, we've included a handful of past
highlights and three lots you might want to look out for that are
open for bidding now. Please contact us if you have any questions
or need more information on any lot in any
weekly rare books auction (or any lot in any auction, for that
matter). We look forward to hearing from you and hope you find much
to add to your collection.
Win A Free $500 Auction
Credit By Sharing Your Collecting Stories
Heritage Auctions and Antique Trader magazine are teaming up to
offer a $500 auction credit as the grand prize in the 5th Annual
Favorite Finds Contest!
The contest is an opportunity to share your most memorable
stories with your fellow collectors. Your submission puts you in
the running for the grand prize of a $500 auction credit with
Heritage, or the runner-up prize: a 10-volume reference library
courtesy of Krause Publications and a one-year subscription to
Antique Trader.
Website Tips: All items from Heritage
Auctions Now eligible for Make Offer to Owner program
Due to popular demand, we have altered the Make Offer to Owner
(MOtO) program to remove the minimum purchase price requirement for
all lots, previously $417 for coins and $385 for everything else.
Now, all items purchased from Heritage at auction are eligible for
MOtO, with a minimum commission of $40.
Owners of items bought from Heritage at auction that were
previously ineligible for MOtO can enable their items individually
through the individual links in
MyCollection, or they can enable all of their items at once by
going to MyCollection and clicking on
the following link:
As the fastest growing American-based auction house, financially
rock-solid Heritage Auctions continues to grow and seek the best
talent in the industry. If you are a specialist or have strong
general collectibles knowledge, we want to hear from you. These
specialists will, in some cases, head new departments and in others
will enhance existing department expertise. We have positions open
at our headquarters in Dallas as well as at our new
state-of-the-art galleries in prime locations in both Midtown
Manhattan and Beverly Hills.
Heritage is seeking to hire the world's best specialists in
the following categories:
Asian Art Specialist
Classic Cars Specialist
Coin Buyer
Decorative Arts & Design Specialist
European Art Specialist
Modern & Contemporary Art Specialist: (New York, Beverly
Hills)
World Coins Director: Hong Kong
If you are interested and feel you have the qualifications we
seek, please email your resume and salary history to
Experts@HA.com.
We are also seeking to fill the following corporate
positions:
Client Data Specialist part-time
Client Services Representative
Currency Cataloger
Currency Consignment Director
Email Marketing Specialist
e-Publishing Expert
Graphic Designer
Housekeeping
Interns
Maintenance Assistant
Shipping Associate
Web Marketing Specialist
If you are interested in applying for one of these Corporate
positions, please
apply here.
This fresh auction concept combines the world's most desirable
bags and fine contemporary designer jewelry at fabulous prices at
Heritage's Beverly Hills location, 9478 West Olympic Blvd, Beverly
Hills, 90212.
"This inaugural event makes it easy for new and existing clients
to meet our staff and see the finest luxury jewelry and accessories
at one event in one place," said Jill Burgum, Senior Director of
Fine Jewelry at Heritage. "We're excited to break in to the LA
market and what better way than offering the finest examples from
top designers and brand names?"
The weekend-long preview featuring more than 700 lots runs
Friday-Sunday, Sept. 20-22.
From Cartier's Trinity de Cartier Collection comes a
3.50 carat diamond white and rose gold ring, estimated at
$20,000+, to highlight a hand-picked selection of rings, suites,
and earrings.
2013 Year of the Farmer Art Auction Benefiting
National FFA Organization
The 2013 Year of the Farmer Art Auction is
brought to you by Case IH along with their Ram Brand partnership to
support the National FFA Organization. Paintjam artist, Dan Dunn,
is creating four "The Future Farmer" paintings live at the Case IH
arena show experience at Farm Progress 2013, the nation's largest
Outdoor Farm Show. The paintings are inspired by one of the images
featured in the 2013 Ram Brand Super Bowl commercial, "So God Made
a Farmer" to honor America's farmers.
The four paintings will be offered in an online auction,
HA.com/FFA. The auction is now open for
bidding and will be closing September 30, at 10:00 PM CT. For more
information about the auction, contact Jeri Carroll at
214-409-1873 or JeriC@HA.com.
About National FFA Organization: "Future Farmers of
America" was founded by a group of young farmers back in 1928.
Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges
of feeding a growing population. They taught us that agriculture is
more than planting and harvesting — it's a science, it's a business
and it's an art.
FFA continues to help the next generation rise up to meet those
challenges by helping its members to develop their own unique
talents and explore their interests in a broad range of career
pathways. So today, we are still the Future Farmers of America.
But, we are the Future Biologists, Future Chemists, Future
Veterinarians, Future Engineers and Future Entrepreneurs of
America, too.
Prospective consignors and sellers in all areas of Historical
material are invited to contact us to discuss consignment options.
Sell your high-quality Historical memorabilia in our prestigious
Signature Auctions. Remember, the earliest consignments get the
most press and publicity, so e-mail or call one of our experts at
(800) 872-6467 now! Clear images of your items are always greatly
appreciated.
