Printed the year Hitler rose to power, a 1933 edition of Mein Kampf signed boldly by Hitler will appear at a Yonkers, N.Y. auction on Jan. 5.
In a seldom-seen black cloth binding, Hitler's signature appears beneath his photograph.
Auction spokesman Bob Snyder said, "Hitler's signature was also printed under his portrait. That facsimile is frequently mistaken for an authentic autograph. The book offered here bears a true signature, authenticated by the late H. Keith Thompson, Jr., partner of the most famous autograph dealer in America in the last century, renowned for their Waldorf-Astoria sales."The autographed book is also accompanied by Mein Kampf's first complete American edition.
Published in 1939, its publisher notes, "now for the first time available in complete form to the American reader...Crises...have awakened the American public as never before to the seriousness of the world and to themselves of the Nazi program...There are undoubtedly passages of great importance, which now appear in English for the first time...."
Snyder said, "In 2016, this book - probably the most notorious in modern history - will be reprinted. But the author isn't signing them any more! Autographed copies, especially with provenance, are in strong demand."(Preauction estimate $5,500-7,000) Lot 16-1; full description of all items at cohascodpc.com/cat65/cat65-auction.html
Offered separately: The famous - and rare - newspaper on George Washington's 1775 appointment as Commander-in-Chief: "Congress doth now declare, that they will...adhere to him...with their lives and fortunes..." (estimate $2200-2800)
Among 400 other historical documents and collectibles in 20 categories:
A musicologist's archive of over 235 pieces of big band and jazz memorabilia, 1926-66. Historic nights represented include 1937's Benny Goodman vs. Chick Webb Battle of Swing, an early Louis Armstrong gig at the Apollo, Glenn Miller at CBS Radio Theatre, and many others (estimate $5400-6500)
A scarce 1783 newspaper, the citizens of Philadelphia seeking "deportation of Foreigners, to...prevent this State from becoming a receptacle for the outcasts of America." A front-page chart details the U.S. national debt, then just $42 million (estimate $225-325)
An unpublished letter of Emma Lazarus, shedding light on why rescuing refugees from war-torn lands was so near to her heart. Lazarus' words are emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. Dying at just 38, hers is one of the rarest 19th-century American autographs (estimate $22,000-32,000)
A national treasure: the finest Lincoln signature in the famed Crocker Collection, part of an autograph album with 183 other autographs of his Civil War Cabinet and Congress (estimate $14,000-18,000)
1837 pamphlet on the "ever growing tide" of Americans invading Mexico! (estimate $80-110)
The atlas by America's very first stationer, printed in Baltimore c. 1823. Its 98 hand-watercolored maps comprise a landmark work in cartography (estimate $7500-11,000) ...
Bids will be accepted up to January 5, 2016, 8:00 P.M. E.D.S.T. All items are fully described at cohascodpc.com. A 136-page printed catalogue is available by mail.
About Cohasco, Inc.:
Established 69 years, Cohasco is a dealer in and auctioneer of historical documents, manuscripts, books, antiquarian materials and collectibles. Over the years they have handled the sale of numerous prominent collections, in a range of fields, from colonial to Confederate, mediaeval to modern. Past highlights included the lamps that illuminated Lincoln's wedding, an archive of America's first "mass-produced" automobile, the Duryea, and the Bible owned by Martin Luther King, Jr.'s mother, setting a world record price for a twentieth-century Bible.
