The 600+-lot auction will be held in the firm’s gallery at 74 Merrick Road in Lynbrook, N.Y.
LYNBROOK, N.Y. – Rare vintage posters for the Beatles and Janis Joplin, a Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco certificate from 1856, and a broad selection of military swords spanning multiple conflicts, generations and countries will be just part of what bidders can expect at a two-day auction planned for the weekend of December 17-18 by Weiss Auctions.
The Beatles poster is from 1961 – pre-Ed Sullivan Show – and advertises their debut appearance at Hambleton Hall in Huyton, England. The group has top billing, as “The Sensational Beatles” and the poster is exceedingly rare. The Janis Joplin poster is for the singer’s 1968 appearance at the Aerodome venue in New York. Also sold will be a Rolling Stones Let it Bleed color variant pressing, Bill Graham Fillmore posters, posters for Ray Charles and the Grateful Dead and more.
The Committee of Vigilance of San Francisco certificate was presented to Frank G. Edwards and signed by committee members on May 15th, 1876. The lot also includes three “Witching Balls,” the largest of which is 12 inches tall and a fine example of Americana, with chromolithographic scraps. Included is his name in floral wreaths, fire pumper, animals a hot air balloon and more.
The selection of swords is long and impressive. Fans of the genre will be able to select from Japanese swords (Samurai, World War II-era, field officers, etc.), a late 19th century French military sword, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) swords, a U.S. Naval sword with scabbard, Civil War-era swords, a Polish World War I sword, British 18th and 19th century swords (pattern and dress), a Bavarian sword for Prince Alfons Von Bayern, and assorted presentation swords.
The militaria category will also feature a collection of high-end and rare British helmets, 19th century handguns, World War II German hats, pins and documents, Civil War images, patriotic covers and artwork, World Wars I and II posters from France, Britain and the U.S., a military appointment signed by Hitler, two powder horns and a hand-stitched, 13-star American flag.
Advertising items will feature a collection of 1940s large Coca-Cola cardboard posters, an early and rare 1902 Coca-Cola poster, railroad advertising and memorabilia (to include a scarce Union Pacific metal herald crest with wings sign), automotive signs, store display cabinets and more.
Native American objects will include Van Briggle Indian head vases, a large pair of Skookum display dolls, prints, tobacco jars, Weller vases, totems, blankets, porcelain, pottery and more. Related artwork will feature an oil on Masonite of an Indian chief by George Benjamin Luks (1867-1933), an oil on canvas by William Penfold, a watercolor showing an Indian war dance by Frank Thayer Merrill (1848-1923), and a Western oil illustration by Harold Brett (1880-1955).
Other artworks will include oil on canvas portraits of Civil War Generals Hancock, Burnside and McClellan, an Indian portrait by Ralph Waldo Emerson Meyers, and two oil on canvas paintings by Albert Tilburne (1887-1965) titled Dance to the Sun and Crazy Horse. Historical material will include autographs, a signed portrait of Winston Churchill, presidential memorabilia and more.
The rare books category will feature a small but nice selection of first-editions, to include a signed British first-edition and a signed American first-edition of Bram Stoker’s The Snake Pass, a rare signed copy of DNA pioneer James D. Watson’s book The Double Helix (and many books signed by Watson and Crick), a signed copy of John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony, and art books.
The Saturday session will also include a Grumman lunar module model, signed limited-edition books written by astronauts, a barometer by H.A. Clum (Rochester, N.Y.), a Unis France Educa stereo viewer (plus stereo cameras, stereo optician slides and images), a Mormon U.S. Treasury note dated Jan. 20, 1849 and signed by Brigham Young, an Italian-Greek broadside from 1813, J. Van Hoogstraten’s Staat en Zedekundige (1731) and Vincenzo Riccati’s Delle Corde, and more.
On to Sunday, where, in addition to the rock ‘n’ roll items already described, the session will boast an outstanding collection of original one-sheet movie posters for films such as The Astounding She-Monster (1952), the cult classic Marihuana (1936) and others. World’s Fair memorabilia will feature several original posters from the 1939 New York fair, china and a Drink Sensation at the World’s Fair cardboard sign (“Just Like Champagne, 25 cents a bottle”).
A fine collection of travel posters will include a 1950s Air France (Great Britain) example. Also sold will be a 1933 Mistinguett poster (Atelier Konig, Weninger), World Wars I and II posters and French posters. The ocean liner category will feature a White Star Line color lithograph for the Titanic, plus paper ephemera, dishes and more. Sunday will also have 1994 Prime Time Emmy Award presented to Cicely Tyson and an archive of Polaroids from TV’s The Sopranos.
The auction is scheduled to begin both days at 10 am Eastern time, and Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and Proxibid.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. Previews will be held Dec. 14 (10-5), Dec. 15 (10-8), Dec. 16 (10-8) and Dec. 17 (8 am-9:45 am)
Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, estate or a collection, you may call them at (516) 594-0731; or, you can send an e-mail to Philip Weiss at [email protected]. For more information about Weiss Auctions and the big auctions planned for December 17-18, visit www.WeissAuctions.com. Updates are posted often.
