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Photo |
Description |
Lot 190 |
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Armstrong, Neil Alden (1930-), American astronaut and first man to walk on the moon (1969); resigned NASA to become a professor of aeronautical engineering at the University of Cincinnati (1971).
Short Letter Signed, 1 page, 8½ x 11, Cincinnati, O., August 23, 1979. On University of Cincinnati letterhead to Mr. Dennis Spalding., in full: "The Apollo navigation combined inertial and earth-based radar systems. The attached summary [not present] will give you the general idea". Very Fine.
Estimate 400 - 600
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Lot 191 |
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Blair, Montgomery (1813-1883), American judge and politician; U.S. Postmaster General under Lincoln (1861-64) where he instituted free city delivery, a postal money order system, and the use of railway mail cars.
Autograph Letter Signed as Postmaster General, "M. Blair", 1 page, 5½ x 8½ Washington, D.C., October 11, 1862. To an H.L. Davis, North Adams, Mass., in full:
"The letter about the in [f…?] machine at Toronto was Hand Copied at the Navy Dept & sent to the Secy of State with a request that the agents of that Dept in Canada &c might be put on the watch in respect to the affair."
Few small edge tears at top, Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 192 |
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Curtiss, Glenn Hammond (1878-1930), Pioneer aviator and aircraft manufacturer; competitor of the Wright Brothers.
Letter Signed, "G.H. Curtiss", 8½ x 11, Hammondsport, N.Y., August 19, 1912. Curtis Aeroplanes letterhead to Henry Woodhouse of "Flying" magazine about no having enough time to write a requested "article on 'Making Aeroplanes'". Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 193 |
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Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, Letter Signed, "G.H. Curtiss", 8½ x 11, Hammondsport, N.Y., February 16, 1914. Curtis Motor Co. letterhead to Carl Dienstbach, American correspondent for the Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen, Curtiss writes of his interest in an article by Dienstbach in Scientific American and of Dienstbach's interest in the Curtiss [flying] boat and "…I hope I shall have the pleasure of seeing you and talking over aviation matters soon.'". F-VF.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 194 |
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Curtiss, Glenn Hammond, Pioneer aviator and aircraft manufacturer; competitor of the Wright Brothers.
Letter Signed, "G.H. Curtiss", 8½ x 11, Hammondsport, N.Y., April 7, 1915. Curtis Aeroplanes letterhead to "Flying" magazine announcing the hiring of Charles B. Kirkham,designer and builder of airplane motors and planes. F-VF.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 195 |
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de Havilland, Sir Geoffrey (1882-1965), aviation pioneer and aircraft designer; designed and built the Moth biplane, the World War II Mosquito fighter bomber and the Comet, the world's first commercial jet liner.
Group comprising two Letters Signed, 1947 and 1952, in response to an autograph collector, and two Signed Photos, one a 6 x 5 photo of the DH-4 biplane [the de Havilland DH-4 was featured on the U.S. 24¢ Airmail stamp of 1923], the other a 4 x 5½ half-length studio portrait; Very Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 196 |
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Douglas, Donald Wills, Sr. (1892-1981), American pioneer aircraft manufacturer, founder of Douglas Aircraft Co. (1921), builder of the world-famous "DC-" line of planes.
Signed Photos (2), first an 8 x 10 of a DC-4 with, Army camouflage, in flight; the second a 5½ x 7½ print of a photo showing Douglas standing below one of his planes with one hand on the propeller; Very Fine.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 197 |
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Earhart, Amelia (1898-1937), American aviator, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932).
Letter Signed, 8½ x 11, New York, N.Y., October 11, 1930. Writing on the letterhead of the New York, Philadelphia and Washington Airway Corporation, where she is listed as "Vice-President in Charge of Public Relations", Earhart writes to Miss Agnes Laut regarding her book, "Romance of the Rails", in part:
"I think you have brought out the most interesting parts in the history of rail development. I confess to using chunks of your material in my speeches. In about twenty-five years I should like to go and do likewise (try to) anent aviation."
Note in margin, presumably in Miss Laut's hand, "Ack. Oct 18". Minor edge crinkling and mounting remnant at top of verso, Fine to Very Fine.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500
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Lot 198 |
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Earhart, Amelia, Autograph Signatures (2) on verso of an unmailed government postal card postmarked November 26, 1934; in the first signature the "A" of Amelia is not completely formed, so apparently Earhart signed a second time for the benefit of the collector; light corner creases and small mounting remnant, neither affecting signatures.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 199 |
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[Amelia Earhart] de Seversky, Alexander P. (1894-1974), World War I Russian aviator, later an American test pilot and assistant to Gen. Billy Mitchell; received the first patent for a method of air-to-air refueling.
Letter Signed, 7¼ x 10½ Farmingdale, N.Y., November 16, 1937. On personal letterhead to Miss Jessie R. Chamberlin, president of the New York Branch of the Women’s International Association of Aeronautics, regarding an invitation to attend a tribute to Amelia Earhart on November 21, about 4½ months after Earhart went missing. "I have many fond memories of Miss Earhart's excellence and courage in flying and I would certainly have enjoyed meeting her friends. However, I expect to leave for Central America on Thursday…and it hardly seems likely that I will be back by Sunday." A hastily written note is appended in the bottom blank space, "Plans are changed and may be [sic] I will be able to attend. Regards, de S". Small tape stain in lower left corner, F-VF. An unusual Earhart association piece.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 200 |
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Eckener, Dr. Hugo (1868-1954), Captain of the "Graf Zeppelin", head of the Zeppelin Airship Co. between the wars.
Signed Photo and two Autograph Signatures, the first is an Official A.A.F. photo of the Graf Zeppelin over San Francisco, the signatures are on a small Carte de Visite and on the verso of a U.S. paid reply card beneath an autograph New Year's greeting.
Estimate 400 - 600
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Lot 201 |
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Goddard, Robert Hutchings (1882-1945), American scientist who built the world's first liquid-fueled rocket (1926); considered one of the founders of modern rocketry.
Autograph Letter Signed, "R.H. Goddard", 1 page, 4-7/8 x 8-7/8, [Annapolis, Md.], July 13, 1942. Letter regarding solid fuel rockets to Corporal Ernest C. Duerr, Jr. at Camp Lee, Va., in part:
"Not much has hitherto been suggested along the line of a solid fuel rocket, possibly owing to mechanical difficulties which may be involved.
"At the present time, I am unable to take up any problems like this, as much as I would like to be of assistance. I would suggest that you submit an outline of your plan…to the National Inventors Council…which I am sure will direct it into the proper channels, if it has applications for defense work."
Includes mailing envelope addressed in Goddard's hand (roughly opened at left), Very Fine.
Estimate 2,000 - 3,000
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Lot 202 |
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Langley, Samuel Pierpont (1834-1906), American aviation pioneer, astronomer, physicist, president of the Smithsonian Institution; in 1896 built the world's first powered heavier-than-air craft capable of sustained flight (unmanned); in 1898 received a grant from the Smithsonian to develop a piloted airplane for the War Dept.
ALS, LS and Cut Signature. The first: "S.P. Langley", 4¾ x 7¾, "391 Beacon St.", May 10, 1887. Langley writes to a Mr. Hunneman about a business matter. The second: 4¾ x 7¾, Washington, D.C., March 2, 1893. on Smithsonian letterhead to a Horatio King about looking at "interesting phenomena" that King has written him about. Tipped into a folder opposite a photograph of Langley; the photo has a small paper clip stain and eradicated inscriptions above and below in another hand. The last is about 2 x ½ and is accompanied by a note from the Smithsonian, Feb 13, 1948, stating that the signature was "cut from an old office correspondence". Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
Langley's attempts to build a piloted powered aircraft were never successful and he gave it up after two unsuccessful attempted flight in 1903. In 1914 the Smithsonian, trying to rescue Langley's reputation and Glenn Curtiss, attempting to overturn Wright Brothers patents, made extensive modifications to Langley's last machine, the "Aerodrome", and managed to fly it a few hundred feet. The patents were upheld in court, but as a result of the "successful" flight of the original aircraft (conveniently ignoring the extensive modifications done by Curtiss), the Smithsonian put the "Aerodrome" on display as "the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight", setting off a decades-long feud with the surviving Wright brother, Orville (Wilbur had died in 1912).
For the Wright Brothers' personal views on the Langley/Curtiss Aerodrome see lot 213.
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Lot 203 |
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Lindbergh, Charles Augustus (1902-1974), American aviator, first to fly solo across the Atlantic (1927); vocal opponent of U.S. entry into World War II.
Signed Photo, "C.A. Lindbergh" on postcard-sized photo of Lindbergh standing next to "Spirit of St. Louis"; very minor smear below "A" of signature, otherwise Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 204 |
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Lindbergh, Charles Augustus, Letter Signed, "C.A. Lindbergh", 8½ x 11, New York, N.Y., September 3, 1930. On personal letterhead Lindbergh writes to a Mr. Frank L. Curtis of Sikorsky Aviation Corp., in full,
"Thank you very much for your offer of a Sikorsky for a trip to Maine. I certainly appreciate your consideration and I will take the liberty of communicating with you if it is possible for me to use one of these ships"
One vertically fold through signature, still Very Fine.
Estimate 400 - 600
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Lot 205 |
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Lindbergh, Charles Augustus, Autograph Signature, "Charles A. Lindbergh" on White House card, 5 x 4; very light, irregular toning, not really affecting the bold signature, Fine to Very Fine. A most unusual Lindbergh autograph. Accompanied by a similar size photo with a facsimile signature.
Estimate 400 - 600
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Lot 206 |
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Lowe, Thaddeus S.C. (1831-1913), American balloonist and inventor; invented the altimeter, aerial photography and refrigeration, among other things; formed the Army Balloon Corps at the beginning of the Civil War to observe and report on Confederate troop movements.
Autograph Endorsement Signed, 8 x 10. Letter dated April 10, 1868, to Lowe from James T. Ames of the Ames Manufacturing Co. in Chicopee, Mass. Ames, who is manufacturing Lowe's refrigeration units, wants to be paid for the completed units and those in progress due to unexpected costs from experimentation, rather than wait for the full order to be completed. At the bottom of the letter Lowe writes, "I accept the above conditions. T.S.C. Lowe". Very Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 207 |
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Martin, Glenn Luther (1886-1955), Pioneer aircraft manufacturer, established one of the first airplane factories in the U.S. in Santa Ana, Calif. in 1909; began building aircraft for the U.S. Army in 1914; built over 80 types of planes including the Pan American Airways "China Clippers", the B-10 and B-26 Marauder bombers of World War II, and B-29 bombers for Boeing, including the "Enola Gay" that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
LS and two Signed Photos, "Glenn L. Martin", the first on Glenn L. Martin Co. letterhead responding to a request for sources of information on the Wright Brothers. The photos are a 6¾ x 4¾ image of a "China Clipper", the second, 4¾ x 6¾ a Martin 2-0-2 twin-engined airliner.
Estimate 200 - 300
In 1916 Martin merged his company with the Wright Company to form the Wright Martin Aircraft Corporation, but resigned within a year.
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Lot 208 |
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Post, Wiley (1898-1935), American aviation pioneer; along with navigator, Harold Gatty, set first speed record for around-the-world flight by a fixed wing aircraft (1931); first man to fly solo around the world (1933); he and long-time friend, humorist Will Rogers, were killed when his plane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska.
Photograph, Signed and Inscribed. 10 x 8 photo in which he made his record flights, Winnie Mae, inscribed "To Carl Squier-, This is still the Best Airplane in the World, Best Regards, Wiley Post". Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
Squier was himself a World War I pilot (the 13th American to receive a pilot's license) and later a Vice-President of Lockheed Corporation.
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Lot 209 |
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Post, Wiley and Gatty, Harold, 1931 First Flight Cover flown on their record flight around the world, signed by Post as pilot and Gatty as navigator, postmarked Minneola, N.Y., June 21, Berlin, June 24, and Moscow, June 29; Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 210 |
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Sikorsky, Igor Ivanovich (1889-1972), Russian-American aviation pioneer; designed and flew the world's first multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft, developed the first of Pan American Airways' trans-oceanic fleet, and was a leader in the development of helicopters.
LS and Signed Photo, the first, "I. Sikorsky", September 11, 1970 on Sikorsky Aircraft letterhead, in response to an autograph seeker, states that "I do not plan to write another book about myself…" refers to his autobiography, "The Story of the Winged S", and mentions the enclosed photo, a contemporary 8 x 10, signed and dated "Sept. 9, 1970" in the blank bottom margin. Very Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 211 |
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Sperry, Elmer Ambrose (1860-1930), Electrical engineer and inventor; obtained over 400 patents (double the number of Thomas Edison; aviation inventions included the gyrocompass, a gyroscopic stabilizer, gunfire control systems and the auto-pilot; founder and charter member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Letters Signed (2), 8½ x 11 and 8¼ x 5½ Chicago, 1892, illustrated Sperry Electric Mining Machine Co. letterheads (different illustrations). Both to E.W. Rice, the head of manufacturing at the Thomson-Houston Electric Co. of Lynn, Mass., speaking of a rail punch and his electric mining machines [small electric locomotives for pulling trains of ore cars out of mines]. attached is a copy of letter noting another of his inventions, an electric jack for raising loaded ore cars from the lowest levels of a mine and "will do away entirely with the mule…" [in coal mines], F-VF. Also included is an 1892 photograph (5½ x 4) of eight men in front of a General Electric store front, Sperry being the last figure on the right.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 212 |
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Wright, Orville (1871-1948), Letter Signed, ½ page, 8½ x 11, Dayton, O., November 14, 1912, Wright Brothers letterhead with Wilbur's name crossed out [Wilbur had died on May 30 of that year] to dictionary publishers, Funk & Wagnalls. Wright sends a photograph of himself under separate cover [not present] and says,
"…As I have only one copy left, I would request that you take good care of it and return it to me as soon as you are through with it."
Handwritten note in lower blank space in another hand, "Noted for Mr. Leppert, 11/19/12, L.N." Fresh and Very Fine.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500
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Lot 213 |
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Wright, Orville, Letter Signed, full page, 7¼ x 10½ Dayton, O., October 23, 1928. Wright writes to Charles Driscoll of the McNaught News Syndicate thanking him for a clipping by a Dr. Abbott entitled On Being Wrong, which supposedly addresses the controversy caused by the Smithsonian Insitution's ongoing assertions that S.P. Langley's Aerodrome was the world's first piloted airplane capable of sustained free flight and the press's continued support of that claim [see lot 202] Wright refers to Abbot's article as "…mostly a gesture and it scarcely made a start towards clearing up the serious matters in controversy." He goes on to say
"Up to the year 1914 there was no room for question in history or in the public mind as to which was the first aeroplane capable of sustained free flight, or as to whose research furnished the foundation of modern aviation. But in that year, at the suggestion of Glenn H. Curtiss, Walcott [Charles Doolittle Walcott, who became Secretary of the Smithsonian in 1907, after Langley's death] placed the remaining parts of the original Langley machine in Curtiss’ hands.
"The fundamental changes enumerated in my letter to Dr. Abbott (a copy of which is enclosed [not present] had been made in its design before any test was made. Yet not one of these changes ever was reported by the Smithsonian Institution. On the other hand the Smithsonian concealed them by many such statements such as, 'In June last, without modification, successful flights were made at Hammondsport, N.Y.' and 'In these latter tests made by Glenn H. Curtiss…the houseboat catapult was abandoned and hydroplane floats substituted. When tested the machine rose into the air and flew, proving that Langley's ideas were sound, and his construction correct.' Walcott from year to year put out statements in Smithsonian publications to the effect that the Langley machine 'recanvassed and provided with hydroplane floats' had been tested; that the tests had demonstrated that the Langley machine was the first in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight; that its tests had demonstrated the soundness of Langley's research; and that the publication of Langley's work had laid the foundation for modern aviation. All of the impressions thus given
were absolutely false. Dr. Abbot's paper does not attempt to correct any one of them."
Very Fine. Excellent historical aviation content.
Estimate 5,000 - 7,500
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Lot 214 |
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Wright, Orville, Signed Photo, 10 x 8, famous photo of Orville at the controls of the Wright Flyer I while brother Wilbur runs beside the wingtip on the beach at Kitty Hawk, N.C., December 17, 1903; boldly signed at the bottom of the image, Extremely Fine. handstamped on verso "Official Photograph Furnished by Headquarters, A.A.F. [Army Air Force] AC/AS-2".
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
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Lot 215 |
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Wright, Orville, Signed Photo, 5 x 3¼ printed version of the same photo, Wright Flyer I at Kitty Hawk, December 17, 1903, on 6¼ x 4½ inch card, neatly signed at the lower left, Very Fine.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
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Lot 216 |
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Wright, Orville, Signed Photo, about 4¼ x 4¼ magazine print of a watercolor and colored pencil drawing by Robert S. Sloan, ca. 1940-50, captioned "Orville Wright: First to Fly", affixed to 5½ x 6½ inch card and signed by Wright in the lower margin, Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 217 |
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Wright, Orville, two Autograph Signatures, one on verso of a government postal card addressed in another hand to Mr. Smith in Paterson, N.J. and postmarked Dayton, Ohio, Nov 21, 1934; the second is on a Carte de Visite (undated) with mounting remnants on verso; Very Fine.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 218 |
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Wright, Wilbur (1867-1912), Letter Signed, half page, 8½ x 10¾ Le Mans, France, September 12, 1908. To Lt. Col. Moedebeck, Berlin, Germany.
"I have your letter of last month, and thank you for your kind expressions of interest in my work.
"It is impossible for me to say at present when I should be able to come to Berlin, as I have engagements here which must be fulfilled before I can leave; but I shall be very happy to have the pleasure of meeting you whenever a trip to Germany becomes possible."
Filled filing holes in blank left margin, Very Fine.
Estimate 5,000 - 7,500
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Lot 219 |
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Wright, Wilbur, Signed Photo, 7 x 5, May 15, 1909, Collier's Weekly news photo by Frederick Palmer, captioned in the top margin, "Wilbur Wright giving directions to an assistant", captioned on verso "‘Veelbure Reet’ [Wilbur Wright in German] - American Wright giving directions in the field". Boldly signed by Wright in the upper right corner; insignificant tiny stain at bottom edge in blank margin, Very Fine.
Estimate 7,500 - 10,000
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Lot 220 |
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[Wright Brothers] Certificate of Incorporation of The Wright Company, Document Signed, five pages, 8 x 13, New York, N.Y., November 18, 1909. Outlines the purposes of the company, the first being
"To manufacture, sell, deal in, operate or otherwise use at any place or places on the North American continent and the islands adjacent thereto, machines, ships, or other mechanical contrivances for aerial operation or navigation of any and every kind and description, and any future improvements or developments of same;"
The last page is signed by the five stockholders of the company, each of whom owns two shares of stock. In addition to the Wrights, the others are George A. Steves, Henry S. Hooker and Alpheus F. Barnes. The document, which is quite brittle, has been folded horizontally into quarters with much separation resulting, including the top quarter of all five pages and the bottom quarter of the final page, which, unfortunately, bisects Orville's signature. A document of considerable import to the field of aviation history in need of restoration.
Estimate 30,000 - 40,000
AN EXTRAORDINARY WRIGHT BROTHERS DOCUMENT BEING OFFERED FOR SALE FOR THE FIRST EVER.
After Wilbur's death from typhoid fever in 1912 and other pressures from defending their patents and their reputations, Orville, in 1916, sold the company and went back to being an inventor.
Many years ago, the owner of this collection rescued this document from the office of an attorney who was on the verge of throwing it away.
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Lot 221 |
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Wright Brothers (Orville), Letter Signed, 1½ pages, 8½ x 11, "Wright Brothers (O.W.)", Dayton, O., September 1, 1906, Wright Cycle Company letterhead to a Major Moedebeck, Strassburg, Germany. Very interesting letter telling of fundamental changes the Wrights had to make in their business practices after their successful experiments with manned flight:
"…When our motor flyer reached the stage of practical usefulness, we decided after much study that we would sell it to governments as a military secret, but without granting exclusive rights for a long period to a single one. We are confident that we will be able to carry our plan to a successful conclusion.
"It would give us great pleasure to place the full results of our labors before our fellow workers and the scientific societies of the world without delay, if aviation remained a strictly scientific study; but since it has now become a very practical and valuable art we can no longer give pictures and details of our experiments with the same freedom that we used four or five years ago. We appreciate your offer of space in your excellent paper and thank you for it; and but for business reasons would have been glad to avail ourselves or your kindness.
"The incredulity which greeted the first news of our success has almost died away. The governments which have sent representatives to Dayton no longer question the truth of the news regarding our work, nor doubt its importance. Differences regarding terms of purchase will finally be adjusted. Though we feel unable to publish the information which we are offering to sell, we will be glad as heretofore to furnish news that we think may be of interest to the readers of the Mittelilungen…"
A Very Fine and enlightening Wright Brothers document.
Estimate 4,000 - 6,000
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Lot 222 |
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Wright Brothers (Orville), Letter Signed, full page, 8½ x 11, "Wright Brothers (O.W.)", Dayton, O., February 22, 1908, Wright Brothers letterhead to a Major Moedebeck, Strassburg, Germany speaking of Hauptmann Hildebrand's study of the Wrights' 1905 flights and thanking Moedebeck for the invitation to "contribute to the pages of the Aeronautische Mitteilungen". Two filing holes in left margin, Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 223 |
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Wright Brothers (Orville), Letter Signed, ½ page, 8½ x 11, "Wright Brothers (O.W.)", Dayton, O., January 4, 1910, Wright Brothers letterhead to dictionary publishers, Funk & Wagnalls,
"Referring to your letter of December 30th, addressed to our Mr. Wilbur Wright, will say that one or the other of us will be pleased to assist the editors of the department of Aeronautics of the Standard Dictionary by passing upon definations [sic] of new words."
Pencil note in lower blank space in another hand "Sent a circular letter 12/30/1909." Light paper clip stains at top and left, Fine.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
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Lot 224 |
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Wright Brothers (Wilbur), Letter Signed, full page, 8½ x 11, "Wright Brothers W.W.", Dayton, O., December 15, 1910, Wright Brothers letterhead to dictionary publishers, Funk & Wagnalls,
"We should apologize for our delay in answering your letter of September 1st [an original copy of which is included], but as we had already written you that we could no longer assist in your work on account of apparently irreconcilable differences in ideals of what a dictionary should be, we laid the letter aside till a more convenient time…
"For reasons hitherto stated we cannot consent to have our names used as sponsors for the aeronautical section of the dictionary. We strongly disapprove of the policy of encumbering the dictionary with expressions whose real meaning is more clearly and correctly set forth by the words themselves than by the attempted definitions, and with a multitude of new words coined by persons having no standing in the art, and which have not been accepted by other writers or students. Therefore we must again decline any formal association with your work.
"Nevertheless, if you should consider it practicable and desirable, when the work on this department has been completed, to send us the full list at one time, we will merely as a duty to the public and without any remuneration…take the trouble to go through the list and indicate the parts which we think should be dropped entirely, and mark any glaring errors in the remaining terms."
Very Fine.
Estimate 7,500 - 10,000
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Lot 225 |
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Wright Brothers (Wilbur), Letter Signed, ½ page, 8½ x 11, "Wright Brothers WW" [the "WW" is faint and is located about ¾" below the end of "Wright"], Dayton, O., April 4, 1910, Wright Brothers letterhead to dictionary publishers, Funk & Wagnalls, responding as an aeronautical specialist to dictionary suggestions for new words or meanings:
"The phrase ‘Ballon-sonde’ is but French of the English equivalent ‘sounding balloon’, which is good English. It should be inserted with a cross reference to ‘sounding balloon.’.
"We are not familiar with the expression ‘ballon d’essai’, but the expression ‘pilot balloon’ is in common use in English, and refers to small unmanned balloons sent up prior to an ascension for the purpose of determining the direction and force of the upper air. [the French ‘ballon d’essai’ translates to ‘trial balloon’. Ed.]
"The word ‘beat’ is not used in speaking of screw propellers, but only of flapping wing machines."
Handwritten note in lower blank space in another hand, "Specialist’s comments noted on slips". Tape stains where tears have been repaired in lower right corner and edge creases, none of which affect signature, Fine.
Estimate 5,000 - 7,500
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Lot 226 |
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Wright, Orville and Wilbur, Signed Photo, 7 x 5, September 9, 1908, Collier's Weekly news photo by J.H. Hare of the Wrights' military flyer over the parade grounds at Ft. Myer, Va., while a crowd of spectators looks on from the ground. Signed in the sky by both brothers. Very Fine and quite rare.
Estimate 12,000 - 15,000
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Lot 227 |
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Wright, Orville and Wilbur, Signed Photo, 7 x 5, September 9, 1908, Collier's Weekly news photo by J.H. Hare, another view of the same event. Signed in the sky by both brothers; Wilbur's signature, while strong, is in a dark area of the sky so there is not much contrast. otherwise Very Fine and quite rare.
Estimate 10,000 - 15,000
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Lot 228 |
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Zeppelin, Count Ferdinand von (1838-1917), Inventor of the rigid airship, the craft with which his name has become synonamous.
Autograph Letter Signed, "G.F. Zeppelin", full page plus a 6-line postscript on inside of a single folded leaf, 5½ x 8½ Friedrichshafen, Germany, July 3, 1907, not translated but mentions military and "collector of aeronautical curiosities"; inside bears the handstamp of the Moedebeck Archive. Filled file holes at top not affecting text;Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 229 |
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Zeppelin, Count Ferdinand von, Autograph Note Signed, 5½ x 7¼ Berlin, Germany, November 20, 1914, four-line note in German [not translated] on Hotel Atlantic letterhead. Filled file holes in left blank margin, Very Fine.
Estimate 400 - 600
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Lot 230 |
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Zeppelin, Count Ferdinand von, two Autograph Signatures, first (June 1910) on address side of an unmailed German postcard featuring a Zeppelin Airship in flight (mounting damage on picture side), the second (April 1913) on a printed "Sincerest thanks for the friendly gift" card; Very Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 231 |
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[The Aviators], Group of eight: 1.) Harold Gatty, Australian aviator and inventor, Wiley Post's navigator on record round-the-world flight, signed airmail envelope (undated, not flown); 2.) Albert S. Heinrich, with his brother, Arthur, built and flew an early monoplane (1910), ANS, 1959, expressing appreciation for his correspondent's interest in pioneer aviation; 3.) Jimmie Mattern, flew solo around the world in 1933 in a series of borrowed planes after the one he started in, Century of Progress, crashed, signed airmail cover, Aug 9, 1933, less than a week after completing his historic flight; 4.) Brig. Gen. Wm. "Billy" Mitchell, World War I combat pilot, organizer of the Army's air forces and "father" of the U.S. Air Force, LS, 1921 on Air Service letterhead to Rear Admiral W.F. Fullam in appreciation of Fullam's "unselfish and broad interest in the organization for defense of our country."; 5.) Earle Ovington, First pilot commissioned by the U.S.P.D. to carry mail by air, signature on 1931 cover commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the first Air Mail flight; 6.) Clyde Pangborn, known as "Upside-Down Pangborn" was an American aviator who performed aerial stunts during the 1920s; with co-pilot, Hugh Herndon, Jr., the first to fly non-stop across the Pacific, two items: ALS, 1954 to publishers Simon & Schuster inquiring as to the "…disposition of my manuscript 'The Sky Was Our Home'…" [it was apparently never published] and an Autograph Signature on verso of a government postcard; 7.) Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace, LS, 1959, as Chairman of the Board of Eastern Airlines, in response to a letter of complaint from a passenger who has charged an EAL staff member with discourteous treatment; 7.) Chuck Yeager, modern day test pilot, Signed & Inscribed 8 x 10 color photo; Very Fine group.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 232 |
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[Female Aviators] Group of three, first Jacqueline Cochran, a ¾-page Typed Manuscript Signed (undated), excerpted from her book, "The Stars at Noon", telling of her belief in extra-sensory perception, her lucky number 13 and of pilot Bill Odom losing his life in a 1949 air race while flying her newly acquired plane after finding an excuse not to first paint her number 13 on it as she requested; also autographed covers from Ruth R. Nichols (1950) and Blanche Stuart Scott (1938); the manuscript has light mildew damage, not affecting the signature, otherwise a Very Fine group.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 233 |
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[The Inventors], Group of three: 1.) Octave Chanute, successful railroad engineer turned aviation pioneer; first to collect, organize and publish aviation research; invented the "strut-wire" braced structure that would be used in all biplanes; enthusiastic supporter and publicist of the Wright Brothers, ALS, Oct 12, 1906, to George Francis Myers mentioning a Mr. A. Post of the Aero Club; torn in two and repaired but affecting only one word of text; 2.) Lee de Forest (1873-1961), responsible for numerous advances in radio and popularized the term "radio" as opposed to "wireless", ALS, Los Angeles, 1940, correcting misinformation about his inventions and experiences; 3.) J. Floyd Smith (1884-1956), pioneer pilot and inventor of the manually operated parachute (1918); first to use nylon instead of silk for parachute construction, ANS, Manchester, Conn., 1941, response to an autograph collector; F-VF group.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 234 |
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[The Manufacturers & Executives, etc.], group of seven (11 items): 1.) William E. Boeing, 1953 LS to an autograph collector declining to sign a photo; 2.) Glenn Curtiss, cut signature (1909); 3.) Geoffrey de Havilland (3), a 1947 LS to an autograph collector, a signed Carte de Visite and an unsigned photo of the DH-4 bi-plane; 4.) Donald W. Douglas, signed Carte de Visite; 5.) William T. Piper, Early American airplane manufacturer known as "the Henry Ford of Aviation", 1956 signed check and 1958 typed document signed (the latter with severe water damage, not affecting signatures; 6.) John K. Northrup, 1976 LS to Mr. Dennis Cooper disclaiming credit for designing the DC-3; 7.) Juan T. Trippe, president of Pan-American Airways (2), signed Time magazine cover (March 28, 1949) and cut signature superimposed on an 8 x 10 photo of a Boeing 314 Yankee Clipper.
Estimate 500 - 750
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