Press Release

Wilton, CT, USA, October 1, 2025 -- A 1793 document signed three times by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson; a one-page document signed by Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots in 1565 (and co-signed by her second husband); and a two-page letter in Gujarati signed by Mahatma Gandhi in 1934 are just a taste of what’s in University Archives’ online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction scheduled for Wednesday, October 8th, starting promptly at 10am Eastern Time.

The catalog in its entirety – all 452 lots – is up for viewing and bidding now on the University Archives website, www.UniversityArchives.com, plus the popular platforms Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

“Our October sale will feature Part II of A Top-Notch Collection: over 75 lots – largely unreserved – from a sophisticated California connoisseur who purchased rare and desirable autographed items from Charles Hamilton, Joe Rubinfine, Kenneth Rendell, and other legendary dealers,” said John Reznikoff of University Archives. “Also included is an assortment of items from U.S. Presidents, Early America, World Leaders, Science, Space, Literature, and Military.”

Lot 42 is the nicely framed document signed three times by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, certifying three Acts approved by Congress on March 2, 1793. The first Act is related to the maintenance and ownership of “Light-houses, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers.” The other two have to do with Revolutionary War veterans and their families. Estimate: $20,000-$30,000.

Lot 357 is the document signed by Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and co-signed by her husband, English nobleman Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, on Oct. 9, 1565, directing the Laird of Kilvarock to cease managing Inverness Castle. A few years earlier, the Catholic Mary had returned from France to assume rulership of a predominantly Protestant nation. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000.

Lot 358 is the two-page autograph letter written in the Indo-Aryan language Gujarati and signed by Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi (as “Bapu’s Blessings”). The July 24, 1934 letter, addressed to a friend, includes remarkable content about Hindu-Muslim cooperation, as well as a reference to fasting, Gandhi’s preferred non-violent form of political protest. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000.

Lot 135 is a printed copy of Public Resolution No. 1 of the 65th Congress, dated April 6, 1917, signed by President Woodrow Wilson, VP Thomas Marshall, and House Speaker Champ Clarke, declaring war on Germany. Wilson had urged Congress to declare war in the face of unrestricted submarine German warfare against American shipping and other provocations. Estimate: $25,000-$35,000.

Lot 128 is a two-page letter signed by George Washington, then Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, addressed to Major Arthur St. Clair on January 15, 1781, in the immediate aftermath of the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny (Jan. 1-10, 1781), a revolt among 2,500 troops near Morristown, N.J., that Washington described as an “unhappy affair.” Estimate: $15,000-$20,000.

Lot 421 is a 1920 issue of a German scientific journal, signed by Albert Einstein on the front cover. The issue, published by the Vieweg Collection, contained Einstein’s article, (in English: "On the Special and General Theory of Relativity, A Popular Account"). The issue came out just two years before Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000.

For more information about University Archives and the online-only Rare Autographs, Manuscripts & Books auction scheduled for Wednesday, October 8th, please visit www.universityarchives.com.

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