Past Items Sold

Below are some recent highlights from our past sales

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ROLLING STONES THE: A colour picture postcard of a BOAC Rolls-Royce 707 Jetliner in flight, signed to the verso by four members of The Rolling Stones individually, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. The card also bears the signature of a Schlagenhafer Oppendorfer Jnr., most likely in the hand of Brian Jones and 'signed' by means of a practical joke. Also signed by singer Malcolm Vaughan and Bruce Trent. Apparently obtained by an airline employee, E/O Greisen, c.1963/64. Some slight scuffing at the edges, not affecting the signatures, and slight creasing to image. G Estimate £100-£150. Sold for £380, May 2009	WAIN LOUIS: (1860-1939) English Artist, best known for his drawings of anthropomorphic cats. An excellent original black pen and ink sketch of a cat, drawn and signed by Wain on a 12mo card. The cat is seen walking with a rather cross expression on her face. Signed by Wain beneath the drawing, the cats tail extending to the initial L of his signature. Rare. Very slight, minor foxing, otherwise VG Estimate £300-£400. Sold for £450, May 2009	BRONTE CHARLOTTE: (1816-1855) British Novelist of Jane Eyre (1847). Extremely rare ink signature ('Yours faithfully, C Bronte') on a small piece neatly clipped from the conclusion of a letter. Lightly mounted and with very slight age wear. G Estimate £400-£600. Sold for £1800, May 2009	[SHERLOCK HOLMES]: DOYLE ARTHUR CONAN (1859-1930) Scottish Author, creator of Sherlock Holmes. An exceptional A.L.S., A Conan Doyle, one page, 8vo, London, n.d. (February 1911), to 'Dear Sir' (O. P. Heggie, 1877-1936, Australian Character Actor), on the red monogrammed stationery of The Hotel Metropole. Doyle writes to Heggie, who at the time was performing in London as Sherlock Holmes, and announces 'I thought your performance very good indeed. Many thanks for it.' He continues to offer a suggestion, 'I wonder whether it would be possible as you exit at the end of Scene I Act III to remove your disguise with a sweep of your hand on the "Now then, Billy!". The disguise is so admirable that I fear many hardly realise that it is not a double.' Letters by Doyle associated with Sherlock Holmes are of the utmost rarity and highly desirable. Very minor age wear to the right edge, VG The actor O. P. Heggie, most famous for his role as the blind hermit who befriends Frankenstein's monster, Boris Karloff, in the 1935 film Frankenstein, portrayed Sherlock Holmes in a production of The Speckled Band: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes at the Strand Theatre, London, from 6th - 25th February 1911. Doyle had playfully listed in the programmes that 'C. Later' would perform the role of Peters, a Butler. In the play, Holmes disguised himself as the Butler and, of course, Heggie played both roles. Letters by Doyle referring to Holmes rarely appear on the market; the most recent example we are aware of being sold at auction was a letter signed with his initials, that also referred to Holmes by initials, which fetched around £8000. Estimate £2500-3500. Sold for £2300, May 2009

FITZGERALD F. SCOTT: (1896-1940) American Novelist. A.L.S., F Scott Fitzgerald, on one side of a postcard, Great Neck, Long Island, n.d. (postally cancelled 16th November 1922), to Horace Wade. In a small, neat and bold hand the novelist informs his correspondent that 'Your book is now with Scribner' and continues 'What they will do I cannot say but both Mr. Scribner & Mr. Perkins felt that it will have to stand on its own feet as a boys book and not be judged by the writers age - that is if it is published by them.' Fitzgerald offers some words of encouragement, 'I read it and I think its remarkable that a boy of eleven should have written it and I know you're going to do much better books within the next few years. I'm glad you're having success with your short stories. I think it was a mistake to hold up "The Heavy Hand of Justice" for three years. The story is well held together and has lots of action. Hoping that it has all the luck in the world.' In a postscript the novelist remarks 'We should know the answer within the week.' A rare letter of good content in which Fitzgerald helps a fellow writer. One slight corner crease, just affecting one word of text but not signature. Otherwise VG Fitzgerald writes from Great Neck where he rented a house between 1922-24. Great Neck, in the state of New York, served as inspiration for his best known novel, The Great Gatsby, which was published by Scribner in April 1925.Estimate £3000-£4000. Sold for £3000, May 2009	WAGNER RICHARD: (1813-1883) German Composer. A.L.S., Richard Wagner, one page, 8vo, n.p., 12th January 1863, to a friend, in German. Wagner writes to a friend whom he had sent tickets to for his third Viennese concert, held the previous day, and remarks 'the words were so totally adlibbed that I am quite unable to remember them! Did you get in all right? (I hope that my orders were carried out in time). Then you may well have a more exact impression than I of my powers of expression! My very best thanks for your untiring interest in Yours very truly, the semi-dead Richard Wagner'. With blank integral leaf. A couple of very minor, small ink stains in the text and a very minor, insignificant smudge to the signature. VG Wagner gave his second and third concerts in Vienna in January 1863 and it was also at this time that the composer met Johannes Brahms, who had been present at the concert. At the time of this letter Wagner was also writing the preface to the first official edition of the text of The Ring. £1500-£2000 Estimate £1500-2000. Sold for £1600, May 2009	MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS: (1542-1587) Queen of Scots 1542-1567. Fine L.S., Marie R, one page, folio, Holyrood ('At our abbey of Halirudehous'), 23rd March 1566/7, to the Earl Marischal [William Keith]. The manuscript letter, in Scots, is a summons by the Queen to a significant parliament at Edinburgh on 14th April. Mary urges the Earl Marischal's attendance, 'There are various matters to be discussed touching the welfare of our realm and….issues relating to the prosperity of our cousin the Earl of Huntly' ('Thair is divers effaces to be intreated for the welffair of or. realme and….thingis concernyng the weill of our cousing the erle of hwntlie'.) and further adds that his 'good counsel and advice' ('guid counsall and adwyis') would be very beneficial. With address to the verso and a later docket. Very slight traces of red wax seal. Eight very neat slits from the original string closure, only one just affecting two words and not the signature. Accompanied by a complete transcript and loosely housed in an attractive dark green presentation folder with gilt lettering on a black leather panel to the front. An exceptionally clean and attractive document of great rarity, and with a fine signature. VG Estimate £10,000-15,000. Sold for £13,500, May 2009	DEVEREUX ROBERT: (1566-1601) 2nd Earl of Essex, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Executed at the Tower of London. Rare L.S., yr. most assured frend, Essex', one page, 4to, n.p., 22nd August 1592, to Richard Bagot. Essex states, 'I pray yow geve order to the keepers of my Park at Chartley that they make this gentleman my good frend Mr Phillips all the sport they can. And if he shall have occasion to use a Brace of Bucks, or one Buck of this season, to require them to delyver the same unto hym.' With integral address leaf bearing a blind embossed paper seal. Some very light, minor staining and a little age wear to the edges, otherwise VG Estimate £800-1200. Sold for £950, May 2009