Items signed by Jefferson, Washington and Einstein to headline University Archives' June 4th auction

WILTON, Conn. - May 19, 2025 - PRLog -- A six-volume set of books personally owned and signed by Thomas Jefferson; a Rev. War-dated letter signed twice by George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army; and an archive of German-language correspondence exchanged between Albert Einstein and an unidentified physics enthusiast are a few of the expected top lots in University Archives' online-only auction slated for Wednesday, June 4^th, at 10 am EDT.

All 525 lots in the Rare Autographs, Books & Space Memorabilia auction are up for viewing and bidding now on the University Archives website – UniversityArchives.com – plus Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will be accepted.

The six-volume set of books personally owned and signed by Thomas Jefferson is a copy of Cicero's Ciceronis Oratione ("Orations") in its original Latin (Amsterdam, 1695-1699). The book was prized by Jefferson, who incorporated many of Cicero's ideas into the Declaration of Independence. The books were purchased at an auction directly from Jefferson's personal library in 1829. Estimate: $150,000-$200,000

The letter signed twice by George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and addressed to John Reed, the President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, is dated Feb. 20, 1780. In it, Washington states Pennsylvania's quota of required troops – at 4,855, only smaller than Massachusetts' and Virginia's – and warned that the Army might collapse if new troops didn't arrive soon. Estimate: $35,000-$50,000

The archive of German-language correspondence exchanged between Albert Einstein and an unidentified physics enthusiast (circa 1927-1930) includes a spectacular one-page letter signed by Einstein dated March 6, 1927, containing over 100 words in his hand, plus an original hand-drawn sketch of a wheel. Einstein and the correspondent discuss a thought experiment in which a wheel might be exposed to temperature changes and magnetic forces. Estimate: $30,000-$40,000

An Abraham Lincoln autograph note signed, PSA/DNA slabbed and graded an exceptionally rare GEM MT 10, is addressed to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sometime in 1863. Lincoln's note is boldly signed as "A. Lincoln" and conveys instructions relating to a battalion in an upcoming battle. It's one of numerous Lincoln-signed items in the sale and should realize $10,000-$12,000.

Here is a link to the catalog on the University Archives website: https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/rare-autographs-books-space-memorabilia_WP6SL60PQR

For more information, visit www.universityarchives.com.