Lexington Deed, Banknotes Album, and Josephus Translation: The Week in Rare Books
Deed signed by a multiracial soldier who had fought at the Battle of Lexington
This weekly auction result is provided by Spencer W Stuart, an independent collections advisor specializing in rare books and manuscripts as well as fine photography and prints. He is also the author of Contemporary Issues in Rare Books & Manuscript Collecting and host of the monthly webinar Collecting Insights.
These are the three lots that stuck out this week because of either uniqueness or exceeding expectations:
Deed signed by a multiracial soldier who had fought at the Battle of Lexington
Cesar Ferrit or Ferry (1720-1799) was a multiracial free resident of Natick, MA just west of Boston, born in the Caribbean, whose grandparents were Dutch, French, indigenous and African, and wife was descended from English settlers. Ferrit's distinguished service in the American Revolution began as a minuteman in the first battle, at Lexington on April 19, 1775. In this deed, "I, Cesar Ferry of Natick . . . Indian planter and administrator to the estate of Abiel Since which is the soul heir to the estate of Solomon Thomas," sells two parcels of land in Natick to Samuel Hains for the price of £6. Sold at Swann Galleries for $20,320 after an estimate of $1,500-$2,500.
Translation of Josephus
Volume of works by Flavius Josephus (Frankfurt am Main, 1569), an early German translation with numerous woodcut illustrations. Sold at bidspirit for $6,475
58 printed pages of banknotes
Luxurious sample album intended for governors and presidents of central banks, issuing institutes and specialized printing houses. It contains Draeger frères' trials of European printers, papers and watermarks in the 1930s, and includes 14 watermarked white pages, 58 printed pages of banknotes for France, the Netherlands, England and Switzerland. Sold by De Baecque for €1,950 following an estimate of €200-€400.
