Auction Closing April 10 at 12 PM ET The autographs portion of the April 10 Autographs & Subculture auction includes some prominent builders—of industry, of cities, of society. Among those…
2024 was an eventful year for Swann that brought about exciting changes, including the reorganization of our Fine Art Department, which saw Nigel Freeman step in as the head of…
A question I am frequently asked by non-collectors or people new to collecting is, “How do you estimate the value of an autograph?” The question is not easy to answer…
This November auction will include rare autographs by world leaders, authors, Arthurian legends, and musical figures.
Swann autographs specialist Marco Tomaschett visited the Schomburg Center to view their display celebrating James Baldwin’s centenary year. The exhibition is open through next year. Celebrating 100 Years of James…
In the 2024 Winter-Spring season, Swann Galleries continued to provide high-quality auctions of unusual and rare material. Several single-owner collections were featured, including Illustration Art: Featuring Highlights from the Collection…
As a specialized auction house, Swann has the unique ability to connect collectors with their specific interests. This is especially true for aviation collectors; the auctions from our books and…
Highlights from Swann’s June 25 timed Autographs Sale.
Autographs provide the collector with a number of joys, one of which is their ability to bring you closer to people in another time and place. Of course, every autograph…
This auction will contain property from the Forbes Collection, reflecting a keen interest in American history, world leaders, American entertainers between the 1930s and 1960s, and writers.
Nicholas D. Lowry shares his picks for The Subculture Sale. Bidding open now through February 8.
Highlights from the February 8 Subculture Sale
Swann Galleries continued to offer exceptional auctions of quality material in 2023. The year featured several collections, including a special selection of 100 works from the Stephen White collection in…
Autographs The spirits of conflict and exploration are intertwined in the autographs on offer. Among the most respected explorers of the unknown are scientists, each of whom must contend with…
One of the best-known modern Romanian historians, Nicolae Iorga, has the distinction of being one of the few scholars of his day or before to document the lives of educated…
One of the best-known modern Romanian historians, Nicolae Iorga, has the distinction of being one of the few scholars of his day or before to document the lives of educated…
Winter/Spring 2023 Brings a Record-Breaking Season for the Books & Manuscripts Department Books and manuscripts had a standout winter/spring season at Swann. “As a company whose origins are as a…
The house’s third iteration of Focus on Women on June 1, 2023, an auction dedicated to the contributions of women to art, life, and society, brought $361,090, a total more…
Our June Fine Books & Autographs sale features remarkable items signed by U.S. Presidents, musicians, and entertainers, as well as a special selection of autographs by historical figures who aspired…
Our March 2 Fine Books & Autographs sale will feature an outstanding selection of presidential autographs, including clipped signatures and signed letters by George Washington. More than three items are…
Nineteeth Century America When thinking of autographs, the first thing to come to mind is famous signatures—John Hancock, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, etc. Inscribed names with looping letters and distinct…
Middle Ages Through the Seventeenth Century When thinking of autographs, the first thing to come to mind is famous signatures—John Hancock, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, etc. Inscribed names with looping…
2022 was a historic year for Swann in more ways than one. The house celebrated its 80th year of auctions, bringing with it the 70th anniversary of the first photography…
Swann Autographs specialist Marco Tomaschett shares the ins and outs of starting your own rare autograph collection If you’re new to autograph collecting, bearing in mind a few things while…
A large assemblage of extraordinary Americana autographs includes a sweeping group of presidents, and many founding fathers. More than three items are signed by George Washington, including an autograph survey…
The winter-spring auction season at Swann is a masterclass in marathon training, and the 2022 iteration proved no different with 20 auctions held between late January and the middle of August.
In our 80 years as a company, Swann has always been an auction house dedicated to niche markets with specialists who are experts in their respective fields, but often our…
Fine Autographs Sure to arouse curiosity, the summer Fine Books & Autographs sale shines a light into some of the most sparkling gemstones of history. Bidders can explore significant material…
The auction has a number of autographs by inspiring innovators, including the cover of the 1982 issue of Time magazine featuring Steve Jobs, signed by him. If the greatness of…
As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
Among the great American inventors, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are remarkable for having both collaborated and competed while developing some of the most transformative modern technologies. Although Edison is…
Including autographs by Kurt Cobain, Pancho Villa, Mark Twain, as well as pristine first editions featuring Virginia Woolf and others; fine art books featuring Robert Indiana and Gustav Klimt.
Marco Tomaschett, Swann autographs specialist, explores the events and personalities surrounding For Love of the King, and the evidence that suggests that the story was not written by Oscar Wilde, but…
I The Unlikely Value of a Forgery The authenticity of an autograph is a critical aspect of its value. A letter signed by an authorized secretary or signing machine in…
The autographs portion of the June 17, 2021 auction includes uncommonly inspiring items in nearly every major category of collecting. Below Marco Tomaschett shares a selection of highlights. Americana Among…
Autographs Literature & Art Books What You Need to Know on Auction Day This auction will be held live and conducted remotely. There will not be bidding in the room,…
The house closed out February 2021 with an exceptional sale of Fine Books & Autographs, which saw a 90% sell-through rate and exceeded the total high estimate, bringing in $522,632.…
Water vessels played a critical role in shaping the early history of America. That U.S. maritime history is brief relative to some other nations is an advantage, because many artifacts…
Featuring fine autographs by Frederick Douglass, Albert Einstein, James Dean, John F. Kennedy, Lord Byron, Richard Wagner, alongside literature and art books by Joseph Albers, Leonetto Cappiello, Ian Fleming, Ernest Hemingway, Ralph Ellison, and more.
In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Jane Austen Leads Fine Books & Manuscripts at Swann Our Tuesday, November 17, 2020, sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts saw great success across categories with a 90% sell-through rate…
One’s handwriting is unique unto oneself. For some, the style can remain consistent throughout the years. For others, the features that characterize their handwriting can change depending on circumstance, and…
Our sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on Thursday, July 30, 2020 boasted high prices across categories with early printed books leading the sale, two records being recorded for literature, and autograph material from world leaders garnering attention.
In a two-part series Marco Tomaschett, our autographs specialist, takes us through a few autographs by prominent people in history in our July 30 sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts.
In a two-part series Marco Tomaschett, our autographs specialist, takes us through a few autographs by prominent people in history in our July 30 sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts.
Here we take look at letters, postcards and greeting cards from Romare Bearden to his longtime friend and collaborator Harry Henderson, as well as touch on the 2005 sale of Henderson’s art collection that made the establishment of our African-American Fine Art Department possible.
Swann Galleries saw a successful sale of Fine Books & Manuscripts on Thursday, February 20 with literature and autographs bringing strong numbers.
Sarojini Naidu was an Indian writer and politician, born in Hyderabad, India in 1879. She wrote widely admired, moving, musical poetry in English, having both British and Indian subject matter,…
Bibliophiles of every denomination—Americana, autographs, art books, archives, atlases, ephemera, literature, maps—can find their niche at Swann Galleries. Originally founded in New York as a book auction house, we hold regular specialized sales devoted to books, printed material and manuscripts.
Two volumes from Herman Melville’s personal library come to auction at Swann Galleries October 10.
