- Auction
24899
America at 250: Important Artifacts and Documents of History
17 June 2026 - 1 July 2026, New York -
Auction overview
In celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, Christie’s is pleased to present a special summer auction dedicated to American history, spanning the Revolutionary era to the present day.
Highlights include Paul Revere’s iconic 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre; Benedict Arnold’s last will and testament; and a remarkable autograph manuscript by John Jay, detailing his diplomatic maneuverings as the first U.S. minister to Spain in the early days of American independence — three works from private American collections that illuminate the drama and legacy of the American story. -
Auction information
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Auction
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Online17 Jun, 10am (Lots 1 - 28)
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Contact the department
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Senior Sale CoordinatorAndrew DarlingtonADarlington@christies.comTel: +1 212 636 2111
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28 Lots for Sale 24899
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Lot 1 To the Delaware Pilots ... Committee for Tarring and Feathering, 1773 Letterpress broadside, 351 x 216mm |
estimate $20,000 - $30,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 2 First newspaper account of the Boston Tea Party Boston Gazette, 20 December 1773 |
estimate $10,000 - $15,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 3 The Bloody Massacre Paul Revere, 1770 |
estimate $300,000 - $500,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 4 Revolutionary War Loan Certificate Engraved by Paul Revere, May or June 1775 |
estimate $15,000 - $20,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 5 Throwing off Royal authority in Pennsylvania Henry Miller, 1776 |
estimate $80,000 - $120,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 6 Engraving of Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence ca. 1829 |
estimate $5,000 - $7,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 7 On his return from London Thomas Jefferson, 4 May 1786 |
estimate $7,000 - $10,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 8 Libertas Americana Medal Benjamin Franklin and Augustine Dupré, ca. 1783 47.50 mm. diameter |
estimate $20,000 - $30,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 9 To Dr. James Carter George Washington, 27 April 1772 |
estimate $7,000 - $10,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 10 His last will and testament Benedict Arnold, 1781 |
estimate $40,000 - $60,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 11 An important diplomatic memoir of his Spanish mission John Jay, c. 1780-1782 |
estimate $600,000 - $800,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 12 The Federalist Papers [HAMILTON, Alexander (1739-1802), James MADISON (1751-1836) and John JAY |
estimate $120,000 - $180,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 13 Appointing Aaron Burr as New York Attorney General George Clinton, 29 September 1789 |
estimate $3,000 - $5,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 14 The Constitution of the United States of America Aaron Burr's copy |
estimate $30,000 - $50,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 15 Two letters on the death of Alexander Hamilton New York, 11 & 14 July 1804 |
estimate $3,000 - $5,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 16 CARIBBEAN AND FLORIDA Sailing charts, 1796 |
estimate $60,000 - $80,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 17 San Francisco in 1826 Original watercolor |
estimate $30,000 - $50,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 18 GOLD RUSH LEDGER BOOK Wolcott B. White, from 13 July 1849 |
estimate $4,000 - $6,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 19 Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman, 1855 |
estimate $15,000 - $25,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 20 Appointing a captain within the precursor to the United States Coast Guard Abraham Lincoln, 11 July 1864 |
estimate $4,000 - $6,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 21 A draft call for New York issued weeks after the battle of Gettysburg and the... Abraham Lincoln, 15 July 1863 |
estimate $20,000 - $30,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 22 Account of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg Abner Doubleday, [c.1870s/80s] |
estimate $80,000 - $120,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 23 Edison's light bulb Charles Clarke, 1880 |
estimate $7,000 - $9,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 24 Experiments and Observations in Soaring Flight Wright Brothers, 1903 |
estimate $8,000 - $12,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 25 Publisher's presentation copy to FDR of The Public Papers and Addresses of... Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1938; 1941 |
estimate $5,000 - $7,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 26 On recent victories in Sicily George S. Patton, 29 December 1943 |
estimate $15,000 - $25,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 27 Pierre Salinger's parents' copy; with typed speech John F. Kennedy, 1956; 1959 |
estimate $7,000 - $10,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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Lot 28 A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication Vinton Cerf and Robert E. Kahn, 1974 |
estimate $5,000 - $7,000 PRICE REALIZED ________________________ ________________________ |
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