Auction Date:2012 Feb 15 @ 18:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Virtually nonexistent personal check, written entirely in Poe’s hand, 6.5 x 2.5, payable to Harnden & Co. for $30.00, May 14, 1846. Poe instructs his lawyer, L. A. Godey, Esq, “At three days’ sight, please pay to the order of Harnden & Co. Thirty Dollars, and charge the same to my account. New York. May 14, 1846. Edgar A. Poe.” Docketing on the reverse in another hand reading, “E. A. Poe, May 15/46, $30.-,” and “Harnden Co.” In very good condition, with several vertical creases and some light surface creasing, scattered light soiling, a few trivial ink spots, light show-through from the docketing on the reverse, and three expected cancellation lines through the signature.
Louis A. Godey, an American publisher, bookseller and editor, owned Godey's Magazine and The Lady's Book, and from May-October 1846 ran a series of articles by Poe entitled "The Literati of New York City," resulting in anonymous letters "requesting us to be careful what we allow Mr. Poe to say of New York authors." Godey defended the author by replying, "We are not to be intimidated by a threat or the loss of friends, or turned from our purpose…Mr. Poe has been ill, but we have letters from him of very recent dates, also a new batch of the Literati, which show anything but feebleness either in body or mind."
Poe sent his articles via Harden & Co., the first express company which sent mail via rail; the publisher, in turn, would see that Harnden was paid for its services. That year Poe also brought a libel suit against editor Hiram Fuller and the Evening Mirror which had called the writer "a poor creature…in a condition of sad, wretched imbecility" (July 20, 1846) as well as having a "habit of misrepresentation…and malignity is so much a part of his nature, that he continually goes out of his way to do ill-natured things" (July 23, 1846). Some of this verbal abuse stemmed between the very public feud between Poe and one of the newspaper's writers, Thomas Dunn English, whom he knew but in the "Literati" stated "I do not personally know Mr. English." It was a lie, but the Mirror's vicious, unrelenting libel on Poe resulted in the court upholding the author’s suit and he received $225 in damages. This extremely rare check is the only known check written entirely in Poe's hand, and offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Previously auctioned at Sotheby's in 2001.
Auction Location:
5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
Previewing Details:
Visit www.RRAuction.com
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
20% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Up to $100 $10.00
$101-$500 $15.00
$501-$1,000 $20.00
$1,001-$3,000 $35.00
$3,000-$10,000 $45.00
Over $10,000 $100.00
Payment Details:
Paypal address: mandy@rrauction.com
Accepted Payment Methods:
- VISA
- Master Card
- Discover
- Money Order/Bank Draft
- Check/Cheque
- PayPal
Buyer's Premium
A 20% buyer's premium will be added to each winning bid, with a 2% discount for those paying by check, cash, or money order.
Your bid is a contract
Placing a bid online means you agree to abide by the terms and conditions listed by RRAuction.
Payment methods accepted
Money Order, Cashier's Check, Personal Check, or Wire Transfer.
Payment for items won in auction 353 is due by Monday, February 27, unless prior arrangements have been made. Late payment may result in suspension of your bidding privileges.
Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, or Discover are only accepted up to $5,000 without prior arrangement: please contact Mandy Eaton-Casey.
Further descriptions
You can call us or email us if you'd like us to answer questions about these items.