A Beethoven autographed manuscript sold for $225,000 at RR Auctions as part of its “Art, Literature, and Classical Music” sale Thursday night, marking the first time a complete version of this rare pre-1800 manuscript has ever sold publicly.
Beethoven manuscripts are highly coveted by collectors, with one example from one of his final compositions selling for more than $2 million at Sotheby’s in 2003.
Another famous Beethoven manuscript was uncovered by an employee of Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University, where it was found in a filing cabinet in 2005. The seminary sold it for $1.5 million, using the funds to clear the institution of all its debts.
Another autographed document sold at RR Auctions, a letter penned by "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien to an 8-year-old fan in 1961, sold for $38,750, far exceeding the $25,000 estimate placed by the auction house.
The recipient, whose mother had read him “The Hobbit” as a bedtime story, remembers being so moved by the book he decided to read it on his own. Years later, he said, “The magical effect of reading words that created pictures in my mind amazed me. I could see the dragon, Smaug, in his lair, the Dwarves in their mountain halls, Wizards, Orcs, and of course, Hobbits.”
In another lot, a unique postcard signed by Pablo Picasso fetched $22,000. While on vacation in France, Picasso sketched the sun on a postcard in 1919. He then used it to write to an art critic.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.