Subject: Re: a rare autograph
From: D. (darjr@shore.net)
Date: Fri May 12 2000 - 11:06:36 GMT
Tim (and list),
This item was recently auctioned on Ebay. It was purchased by the
bookseller who put this listing up on alibris and abebooks.com for
significantly less than the $50,000 tag. Think it went for $4,000+ as I
recall. The auction did have pics of the envelope, both front and back,
and with the 1967 Windsor, VT postmark, I have no doubt it was the Real
Deal. I'd have to look on the hard drive at home, but I believe I did
download the jpgs from that auction--I'll be glad, if I really do have
them, to pass along, in private e-mail, copies of those photos to anybody
interested in seeing them. Follow-up forthcoming later this evening about
whether they are still on the home machine.
I agree. $50,000 seems excessive to me, too. Perhaps in light of the
Maynard letters auctioned by Sotheby's last year (this made it to "Who
Wants to be a Millionaire" recently), the dealer thinks he can jack up the
price? This same dealer has a *verified* (signed for a NYC religious
charity) signed copy of Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon" that he wants $20,000
for, too, that I don't think he's going to get any time soon either.
D.
At 10:25 AM 5/12/00 -0400, you wrote:
>I was doing some research today on www.alibris.com and thought I'd see
>whether they had any interesting material in their "autograph"
>section. Imagine my surprise when I found this astonishing item. Do they
>really expect to haul in $50,000 for AN ENVELOPE?
>
>Title:
>SIGNED HAND-WRITTEN ENVELOPE BY THE AUTHOR OF THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, J.
>D. SALINGER
>
>Author:
>SALINGER, J. D. [SIGNED]
>
>Product I.D.:
>7047116679
>
>Publisher:
>VERMONT
>
>Year Published:
>1967
>
>Attributes:
>
>Description:
>VERY GOOD CONDITION A RARE AND INTERESTING FRAGMENT FROM THE LIFE OF THE
>GREAT 20TH CENTURY LITERARY ICON. SIGNED HAND-WRITTEN ENVELOPE BY THE MOST
>RECLUSIVE JEROME DAVID (J. D.) SALINGER. SIX LINES WRITTEN BY SALINGER IN
>INK ON THE FRONT, AND HIS SIGNATURE ON THE BACK. ADDRESSED TO FR. (FATHER)
>JAMES CILETTI, S.J., THIS IS POSTMARKED AND STAMPED WINDSOR VERMONT 1967,
>WITH ALL THE POSTAL MARKS INTACT. LOGO OF "THE NEW YORKER" ON BACK. A
>TRULY AWESOME AND UNEQUALLED RARITY. SALINGER HAS SAID THAT HE WOULD
>"NEVER SIGN ANYTHING" BUT IN FACT COMMUNICATED WITH CILETTI. PROVENANCE IS
>IRON-CLAD, VERIFIED BYJIM CILETTI OF AAMSTAR BOOKS HIMSELF WHO WAS
>STUDYING TO BE A JESUIT PRIESTAT THE TIME BUT HAS "SINCE LEFT THE
>JESUITS". IN VERY GOOD CONDITION - COMES LAID IN A 1951 COPY OF THE
>CATCHER IN THE RYE. A STAGGERING ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE INDEED.
>
>Topic/Subject:
>SALINGER
>
>Price:
>$ 50000
>
>
>--tim o'connor
>
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