BOSTON, Mass. - October 12, 2005 – www.skinnerinc.com -- Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art and a major force in the sale of rare and beautiful books, prints, and manuscripts, will host a wonderfully diverse auction of rare Books & Manuscripts on Sunday, October, 30, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at 63 Park Plaza in Boston. The auction will feature over 600 lots of rare books, manuscripts, presidential paper, rare natural history prints, some of the best maps that Skinner has ever offered, and a wonderfully unusual collection of antique playing cards. Many offerings will interest collectors of Americana and European decorative arts, as well as historical document collectors, serious book collectors, antique book dealers, and bibliophiles from around the world. The Boston Book Fair will be held at the Hynes Convention Center , 900 Boylston Street in Boston , October 28-30, 2005.

Rare Audubon Folio
One of the rare gems in the sale is lot 189, a fine Audubon Second Folio Edition of THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, New York, 1860, second double folio edition with four text volumes, in superb condition, estimated $300,000-$400,000. The print came to Skinner from a Boston -area family, in which it had descended, and was probably purchased around the turn of the century. The folio had spent the last 30 years stored away in a closet in the family home. “This is one of the finest large size folios I have ever had the pleasure to offer at auction,” notes Stuart Whitehurst , Director of Rare Books & Manuscripts. “Furthermore, it is completely intact, which is a rarity with Audubons, and it is in superb condition – a factor that is critically important when discussing paper, especially Audubon prints. I expect this to be one of the most highly sought after lots in the sale.”

Collection of Antique Playing Cards
One of the quirkiest and most unusual offerings is a collection of antique European playing cards that came from a private collector, who amassed the cards over a span of 50 years – from the 1920s through the 1970s. The majority of cards date back to the 1920s and 30s, with some decks as late as the 1950s and 60s. This collection is in outstanding condition and features a wide variety of cards including transformation, heraldic, tarot, trappola, minchiate, educational, historical, and standard cards. Also offered will be several books on the history of playing cards. Card lots begin at lot 445 through lot 597, and range in estimate from $200-$300, up to $3,000-$5,000.

Fine Selection of Maps
Map collectors will be delighted with the offerings in this sale, as these are some of the best maps that Skinner has ever brought to auction. The Boston maps are especially fine examples. Lots 433 and 434 are American Revolutionary War Maps of New England, both estimated $7,000-$9,000. Lot 434 was printed in London , 1775 for Sayer & Bennett and is an extremely rare view. Lot 420, attributed to Jacques Nicholas Bellin, is a map of Boston , North America , estimated $5,000-$7,000. According to record, two other copies of this image are known – one in the British Museum , and the other formerly in the collection of Dr. James Ayer of Boston . Lot 421 is a rare and interesting letterpress map depicting Boston and its vicinity, estimated $3,000-$4,000. Other offerings include maps of New England , New York and New Jersey , Virginia , Asia , Africa , North and South America , Egypt , Nubia , East Indies , West Indies , Europe , the Artic Polar Region, The Holy Land, Germany , Switzerland , France , Italy , the English Channel , and Canada.

Presidential Material
Skinner’s books auctions typically feature a wide array of presidential material and this sale has some very interesting examples. Most notable is lot 39, a rare and important silver late plaque from the hearse of Abraham Lincoln, c. May 4, 1865 . The plaque is an oval disc with entwined strapwork border and central engraved monogram AL . It is inscribed “In Memoriam, Springfield May 4 th, 1865 ,” with nail holes top and bottom. The plaque is one of a pair used in the decoration of the hearse on the occasion of the burial of President Lincoln in Springfield , IL . The lot descended in the family who purchased the Albert H. Hoppe funeral business located in St. Louis , Missouri , which was formerly owned by Thomas Lynch, an undertaker who was contracted to build Lincoln ’s final funeral hearse. The plaque is estimated $10,000-$20,000. Other fine Lincoln-related lots include lots 37 and 38, two commission documents signed by Lincoln estimated $3,000-$5,000 and $8,000-$12,000 respectively. Lot 73 is an autographed letter from George Washington, signed Philadelphia , May 30 th, 1775 , as delegate to the Continental Congress, estimated $10,000-$15,000. Also to be offered is lot 26, a John Hancock signed letter dated June 11, 1791 , as Governor of Massachusetts, estimated $8,000-$12,000. Other presidential lots include lot 8, a fine bound autograph album, including Abraham Lincoln’s signature and other historical figures, estimated $10,000-$20,000. Other presidents represented by material in the sale include John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, Benjamin Harrison, Herbert Hoover, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, James Madison, James Monroe, Franklin Pierce, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft.

Literary and Historical Notables
Several interesting letters and signed documents highlight the historical and literary section of the sale. Lot 116 is an important letter from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to Henry S. Salt of Brighton England , concerning his thoughts on vegetarianism and Henry David Thoreau. The letter states that Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience made a deep impression on Gandhi. Salt was one of the first biographers of Thoreau. The lot is estimated $8,000-$12,000. Lot 113 is an Ian Fleming signed letter dated July 6 th, 1956 , to reviewer Richard Osborne, concerning his review of “Live and Let Die.” It is estimated $8,000-$10,000. Lot 132 is a signed and inscribed drawing on paper by Jack Kerouac entitled Mexico Street Neons. It is estimated $12,000-$15,000.  

Rounding out the sale is autograph material from celebrated authors, artists, and historical figures such as Louisa May Alcott, Clara Barton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Agatha Christie, Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Henry James, Joseph Conrad, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Franz Liszt, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Jack Kerouac, to name just a few.

Preview Dates & Times
Previews for the auction will be held on Friday, October 28, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. , Saturday, October 29 from 1 to 7 p.m. , and Sunday, October 30, from 9 to 10 a.m. An illustrated catalog of the sale (#2300) is available for $29 by mail ($35 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner at 978-779-6241 ext. 240. Prices realized at the auction are available in real-time during the auction at www.skinnerinc.com sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, fax 978-779-5144, or visit www.skinnerinc.com.

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Note to Editors:
Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.

About Skinner:
With galleries in Boston and Bolton , Mass. , Skinner is a one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art. As a full-service auction house, Skinner provides both auction and appraisal services for single items, group or entire collections, and its appraisal experts are regularly seen on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20 th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com