9 remarkable objects that made America

Few collections chart the American story as vividly as the Jim Irsay Collection. Following a blockbuster series of sales in March, which set 28 world records and ranks as the most valuable memorabilia auction in history, Irsay once again demonstrates his eye for objects that define moments in history and culture.

The forthcoming sale of Americana on 1 July brings together items that trace the nation’s history through its leading events and figures. From the birth of the United States to the dawn of the 21st century, the collection encompasses landmark historical documents alongside deeply personal possessions from some of America’s most consequential leaders.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence, these nine objects illuminate pivotal chapters in American history.

Meticulously prepared by engraver and lithographer William J. Stone, this facsimile of America’s founding document remains the most accurate of all existing reproductions. In 1820, 44 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress and signed in Philadelphia, John Quincy Adams, then-Secretary of State, commissioned Stone to execute a full-scale facsimile as the original was nearing illegibility. After three years of painstaking work, Stone completed the project in 1823. The State Department authorized 200 copies printed on vellum and distribution began in June 1824. Today, only about one quarter of the originals survive. 12 copies remain in private ownership, excluding nine held by a private collector who plans to donate them. The rest are in institutional collections.

In September 1787, the Constitutional Convention adjourned having drafted and signed the Constitution of the United States. The following day, George Washington forwarded the first official printing of the Constitution to Thomas Jefferson, who was serving as the U.S. minister to France at the time, enclosed with this letter. That same day, he also forwarded a copy to the Marquis de Lafayette. The delivery of both documents was entrusted to Captain John Paul Jones, who had recently returned from Europe. 27 years later, Jefferson received a letter from educator Amos Cook requesting documents for his school, in particular ‘something in the handwriting of George Washington.’ While Jefferson had not held onto the original printing of the Constitution, he had kept Washington’s letter, which he ultimately gifted to Cook.

Since its publication in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the ‘Big Book’, has saved countless lives. It has been classified by the Library of Congress as one of 88 ‘Books That Shaped America’ and sold more than 40 million copies. This annotated manuscript documents the collaborative evolution of one of the most important books published in the 20th century. The extensive corrections, suggestions and additions made by multiple people, including A.A. founders Bill Wilson and Hank Parkhurst, offer a rare view into fundamental elements of the movement’s philosophy as it took shape.

Due to a series of injuries, John F. Kennedy suffered from chronic back pain that required careful management. His physician, Dr. Janet Travell, recommended the rocking chair to her patient due to its ergonomic advantages. The rocking chair thus became a central element of Kennedy’s daily life and public image. During his presidency, he commissioned twelve custom chairs for the White House, Camp David and Air Force One. They were handcrafted by Lawrence J. Arata, who collaborated closely with Dr. Travell to adapt the chair to the President’s needs, adding cushioned upholstery and other modifications. The present chair was gifted by the President to William Averell Harriman upon his appointment in 1961 as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs. Harriman had previously served as Governor of New York and later became a senior diplomat and trusted advisor to both Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

In June 1864, the Great Central Sanitary Fair was held to raise money for soldiers fighting in the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln attended the fair in Philadelphia, which was a major boost to fund-raising efforts, and the event earned over one million dollars in aid. As a token of gratitude, the fair organisers presented Lincoln with this custom pocket knife, handcrafted in white mother-of-pearl and inlaid with the President’s name in gold. The present knife also includes Lincoln’s gracious letter of thanks, dated October 1864, in which he acknowledges receipt of ‘a very beautiful and ingeniously constructed Pocket Knife, accompanied by your kind letter of presentation.’

On 14 April 1865, while watching the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathiser John Wilkes Booth. This pair of extremely rare tickets is from that fateful night. At the time, Ford’s Theatre was a focal point of evening social life in the war-time capital. These tickets correspond to seats located on the dress circle, more or less directly across from the Presidential box where the Lincolns were located.

The Atlantic Charter was an eight-point declaration issued by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 14 August 1941. Considered one of the most consequential foreign policy documents of the 20th century, the joint statement set a framework which would shape the era’s political landscape and underpin America’s foreign policy positions throughout the Cold War. The present document is the only known printed text of the Atlantic Charter that is signed by both Churchill and Roosevelt. It memorialises a historic agreement that was issued just months before U.S. entry into World War II.

On 22 November 1963, John F. Kennedy was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a presidential motorcade through downtown Dallas. In anticipation of the President’s ultimately tragic visit, Texas Governor John Connally had ordered a Stetson hat to be custom made by Joseph’s Man’s Shop. Governor Connally had planned to present Kennedy with the Stetson on the evening of November 22 at a fundraising dinner in Austin. Although Kennedy would never make it to the dinner, the off-white hat with the initials ‘JFK’ embossed in gold on the inner ring represents a poignant reminder of a watershed moment in American history.

During the Election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln’s image as ‘The Rail Splitter’ became a powerful campaign symbol aimed at working-class voters. Although Lincoln was known for his strength and skill in splitting rails on the Illinois frontier, the nickname itself emerged only in 1860 through the efforts of Richard J. Oglesby and Lincoln’s cousin, John Hanks. The pair recovered fence rails that Lincoln had helped split in 1830 and displayed them at the Illinois Republican convention in Decatur with a banner promoting the future president as ‘The Rail Candidate.’ The display electrified delegates and boosted Lincoln’s popularity nationwide. Soon, ‘Rail Splitter Clubs’ formed across the north, and demand spiked for souvenir canes crafted from old rails. The present example is engraved ‘Lincoln Fence Rail / No. 147 R.M. to M.B.M.’ on one side of the silver cap.