Antique Blog

Maxwell's Code

Sold for $103,500

The copy up for sale was one of the few copies in known existence and even fewer copies not in an institutional collection.


Maxwell's Code was the first criminal and civil legal code for the Northwest Territory. During the summer of 1795, Governor Arthur St. Clair and two judges, John Cleves Symmes and George Turner, met in Cincinnati to adopt a legal code for the Northwest Territory. When completed these laws, known as Maxwell's Code, consisted of thirty-seven different laws. The Code was named for William Maxwell, a local printer who set the type, bound the books and distributed the copies of the Code with the help of his wife and a single apprentice.

St. Clair and the judges decided that all of the laws had to have been passed previously in one of the original thirteen states. The laws restructured the court system then in effect in the Northwest Territory. They also protected residents against excessive taxes and declared that English common law would be the basis of legal decisions and laws in the Northwest Territory. Maxwell's Code marks one of the first attempts of Northwest Territory residents to move from a lawless, frontier society to a community based on law and order.

The Bride of Frankenstein

Sold for $334,600.00

(Universal, 1935). One Sheet (27" X 41") Style D. With a plot suggested by a portion of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's original novel "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus," published in 1818, this, the greatest of the Universal horror films, concerns itself with the creation of a female creature by Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and newcomer Dr. Pretorius, played with evil relish by British actor Ernest Thesiger. Of course, Clive and Boris Karloff masterfully recreate their roles, as creator and created, from the previous film, joined by a stunning young Elsa Lanchester who not only brings the unnamed female creature to glorious un-life, but also essays the monster's true creator, Mary Shelley, in the prologue. Building upon his own creation from the first movie, director James Whale oversaw this, the work that was to become his masterpiece. With a deft mix of dark humor, gothic horror, and superb craftsmanship, Whale created a sequel that surpassed its original in almost every way. As great as the other films in the Universal horror canon undoubtedly are, none of them can compare to "Bride" for the completeness of its realization. Earlier films, like "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," lack the sure hand that comes from working within an already proven franchise; later films suffer from a lack of the unique creative vision that Whale was able to bring to this picture. The result is a film that must be considered as one of the immortal classics of the early cinema. Offered here is the unique Style D one sheet which, until now, had only been seen in the pressbook for the film released some 72 years ago! Long held in a private collection, the importance of this discovery cannot be overstated. A copy of each of the other two style one sheets have previously surfaced, but never this glorious beauty! It therefore writes a new chapter in the history of Universal horror poster collecting. Kept with extreme care over the years, the poster was folded with very minor chips from the corners, and there were minor crossfold separations with tiny chips present. Several tears within the image and some fold separation were noted, all of which have been expertly restored. The breathtaking image that graces this priceless beauty was totally untouched and completely intact, with colors as vibrant as the day it was printed! Minor restoration and linen backing has been done professionally and with great care, resulting in a poster that should delight and chill viewers for another 72 years or more. Never before seen and perhaps never to be seen again, this fabulous original one sheet from the Golden Age of Horror is a pearl beyond price, and a true cinematic treasure that is not to be missed. Fine+ on Linen.

Bette Davis Eyes

A Bette Davis signed black and white photograph, 1940s
A vintage print of the star looking pensive with her green fountain pen ink signature inscribed in the lower right-side reading "For Nina / from / Bette Davis."
14 x 11in. Sold for $425 plus Premium




Her hair is Harlowe gold
Her lips sweet surprise
Her hands are never cold
She's got Bette Davis eyes
She'll turn her music on you
You won't have to think twice
She's pure as New York snow
She got Bette Davis eyes

And she'll tease you
She'll unease you
All the better just to please you
She's precocious and she knows just
What it takes to make a pro blush
She got Greta Garbo stand off sighs
She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll let you take her home
It whets her appetite
She'll lay you on her throne
She got Bette Davis eyes
She'll take a tumble on you
Roll you like you were dice
Until you come out blue
She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll expose you, when she snows you
Off your feet with the crumbs she throws you
She's ferocious and she knows just
What it takes to make a pro blush
All the boys think she's a spy
She's got Bette Davis eyes

And she'll tease you
She'll unease you
All the better just to please ya
She's precocious, and she knows just
What it takes to make a pro blush
All the boys think she's a spy
She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll tease you
She'll unease you
Just to please ya
She's got Bette Davis eyes
She'll expose you, when she snows you
She knows ya
She's got Bette Davis eyes

1923 Terra-Cotta Cornerstone Figural Piece From the Original Yankee Stadium

Final price $45,000.00

This large and extraordinarily historic piece is one of the original terra-cotta decorative displays featured directly above the main entrance to the original Yankees Stadium. Along with the famous white façade, this piece, often referred to as a “cornerstone,” is one of the defining architectural elements of the original Yankee Stadium, which greeted every player and the millions of fans who came to the most hallowed grounds of baseball from the day of its grand opening in 1923 until it was carefully taken down during the renovations in 1973. Its placement above the front entrance can be seen in every detailed stadium photograph and even in the original blueprints for the building. The decorative design consists of two baseballs in the center of a scrolled pattern, below which is a yellow “sunrise.” Over the course of fifty years millions of sports fans passed beneath this piece as they made their way through the turnstiles. From the day of its opening, Yankee Stadium has been the most celebrated of all sporting venues. Home to baseball’s first huge drawing card and greatest slugger, Babe Ruth, it has long been referred to as “The House that Ruth Built” in his honor. The history of stadium includes the feats of legends such as Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, and countless other Yankee greats who contributed to an astounding twenty championship seasons between 1923 and 1973. The stadium was also home to the football Giants as well as many other significant sporting events including the famous Joe Louis/Max Schmeling heavyweight championship fight. The piece exhibits some natural wear from having endured the elements for fifty years but, aside from a few minor chips, remains in Excellent condition overall. This is an extremely decorative piece, ideal for display, as intended. It was preserved as the ultimate souvenir of the most revered of all stadiums. Barry Halper had such a reverence for this piece that he had a section of a wall removed from his collecting room in his home to allow for the Yankee cornerstone to be inserted directly into the wall for ideal display. Theoretically several additional original Yankee Stadium cornerstones could exist, but to the best of our knowledge only three survive. One cornerstone was long ago exhibited at the American Museum of Folk Art. The only other Yankee Stadium cornerstone we have ever seen appeared in Robert Edward Auctions' July 2000 sale where it sold for $9,600. Dimensions: 16 x 19 x 3.5 inches. Weight: Approximately 50 pounds.

Confederate "Liberty or Death" Flag

Sold for $107,550

Confederate "Liberty or Death" Flag Captured by Custer's Cavalry from Stuart's Cavalry During the Retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Confederate 1st national flag; believed to have been taken from the baggage train at Jack's Shop, Virginia during the Confederate retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg when Stuart's cavalry was protecting Lee's retreat. It was captured by William Goodman, Company I, Fifth Michigan Cavalry (Custer's Cavalry). He enlisted from Salem, Michigan August 19, 1862 and was taken prisoner at James City, Virginia on October 11, 1863. Goodman remained a prisoner of war and died at the infamous Andersonville, Georgia prison on July 24, 1864. Accompanied by Private Goodman's family photograph album, which includes a 1/6th plate tintype of him standing with a cavalry saber. Also his kerchief with other personal and family effects, including a GAR medal.

Authentication: Flag is a variation of the 1st national flag of the confederacy, the "Stars and Bars." Measuring overall 34 3/8" on the hoist (staff edge) by 53" wide on the fly. The field is composed entirely of cotton and consists of three horizontal bars - red uppermost, 11 inches wide but with a gap at the top of an inch. The center bar is 9¾" wide and the lowest red bar is 12¼" wide. Inset into the upper staff corner but extending only through the top red bar is a medium blue canton 12¼" high on the hoist by 12½" wide bearing 13 white cotton 5-pointed stars each 3¾" across their points appliquéd by hand to the obverse side, possibly cut away on the reverse. The leading edge of the flag is hemmed to a depth of 3/8" and once bore 4 hand sewn buttonhole eyelets. The lower and fly edges are decorated with a dark blue silk curtain 1¼" wide secured by floral decorated tape ¼" wide. In the center of the white bar is 16½" from the hoist edge is a 3 line motto, LIBERTY/ OR/ DEATH" in red cotton large block letters with serifs 1 3/8" tall.
The 'Liberty or Death' motto was a common declaration during the Civil War, a demand made by the Virginian and Revolutionary War hero Patrick Henry in 1775 at St. John's Church in Richmond. Many Confederates believed the Civil War to be the second American Revolution in which many of their ancestors had fought and died. Indeed Patrick Henry's grandson was William Roane, the former United States Senator from Virginia. Henry's sister's grandson was Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston. 'Liberty or Death' was still very much a mindset during the Civil War.
Letters of authenticity and research from renowned Civil War flag expert and author Howard Madaus.

Provenance: Captured by William Goodman, 5th Michigan Cavalry
The Don Tharpe Collection of American Military History

Exhibited: The Liberty Heritage Society Museum *****

The Famous Painting of Major General Philip Sheridan

The Famous Painting of Major General Philip Sheridan by Thomas Buchanan Read (1822-1872) Sheridan's Ride From Winchester Thomas Buchanan Read was a celebrated artist even before the Civil War, when he worked as a Major on the staff of General Lew Wallace, giving talks and creating propaganda art for the war effort. Also a poet and a sculptor, he was known as early as 1840 for his portraiture art having completed a very celebrated commission for a portrait of William Henry Harrison. But he favored historical pictures with a poetic flair. In this painting of a hard-charging Major General Philip Sheridan on horseback riding his saddle blanket in the midst of the Battle of Winchester, Read created his most magnificent work. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1822, Thomas Buchanan Read exhibited his art at the Pennsylvania Academy and the National Academy of Design. After his service with General Wallace he briefly set up a studio in New Orleans with the express purpose of completing a portrait of General Sheridan. He would later return to Europe and Rome, Italy to complete this exquisite picture of Sheridan in battle. This 54" x 38" striking oil on canvas depicts Sheridan at the highest point of his Civil War career at the Battle of Winchester. Sheridan is charging into battle astride his famous horse Rienzi, his courageous mount that he renamed 'Winchester' after this battle. Considered a hero of the war himself, Winchester was preserved after his death at the Smithsonian Institution. Sheridan has his saber in hand, rallying his troops who have started to retreat until they see their valiant General rushing to the battlefield from twenty miles away upon hearing of their dismay. While his horse is straining at the bit, Sheridan is shown with his hat turned up at front by the rushing wind, racing through scattered cannon balls, shattered canteens and broken rifles giving evidence of the battle that is raging about him. Signed and dated 'T. Buchanan Read, Rome, 1870', the colors of this painting and the dynamism of Read's characterization of Sheridan's ride give evidence of Read's poetic work. Indeed, Read composed a famous poem to coincide with the picture. Titled Sheridan's Ride, Read describes the General's gallop to the battlefield in eloquent prose that he translates into art in this picture. Sheridan's horse "with his wild eye full of fire" and of Sheridan, "Hurrah! Hurrah for Sheridan! Hurrah! hurrah for horse and man!" This striking painting is superbly framed in a 4 ½" carved ornate wood and gilt frame decorated with stars at the upper corners, laurel at the sides with a rosette and an elaborate stand of arms and flags at each of the lower corners. There is a medallion at the center bottom and a plaque denoting the painting and the artist. There are small flecks at the top right of the frame, but the painting is in excellent condition, bright and vivid in color, a true masterpiece capturing the essence of this Civil War hero.

Provenance: The Tharpe Collection of American Military History

Exhibited: The Liberty Heritage Society Museum

1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie Card

This card brought $200,000 at auction.

Graded GOOD 2 by PSA. Presented is a newly discovered example, only the tenth example known to exist in the universe, of the card many consider to be the single most important and miraculous baseball card in the world: the 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card. This card features Ruth as an unknown minor league rookie straight out of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Only nine other 1914 Baltimore Ruths are known to date, including the one owned by the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore. The Babe Ruth rookie card is part of a 1914 set issued in Baltimore featuring stars of the city's two professional baseball teams, the Terrapins of the Federal League and the Orioles of the International League. Cards were issued in red-and-white and blue-and-white. The newly discovered card is the blue-and-white variety. The reverse features the "At Home" and "Abroad" schedules of the Orioles team beneath the headline "Compliments of the Baltimore International League." Cards from this set were also issued with "Read the Baltimore News" printed at the top of the reverse. This card has been saved for decades by a Providence, Rhode Island-area family. The grandfather's collection included a modest sampling of cards from several eras, ranging from a few 1910-era tobacco cards to 1970s TCMA collector issues, and a little bit of everything in between. This gentleman was a somewhat casual collector, not part of the organized hobby, simply collecting on his own for his personal enjoyment. The prize of his collection was this 1914 Baltimore News Ruth rookie card, though at the time, the great significance of this card was not yet appreciated, as it was so rare that it was not yet formally documented, checklisted or even known to exist in the organized hobby. The owner apparently had some connection to the Baltimore area and was a great fan of Babe Ruth. It is interesting to note that he lived in Providence, which of course also has a strong connection to Babe Ruth. (Ruth played for the Providence Grays of the International League late in 1914, following the sale of Ruth to Boston by Baltimore owner Jack Dunn.) When the grandfather passed away in 1985, the family put his cards away. The collection did not see the light of day until 2004, when a family member brought the Ruth card into a convention to see what it might be worth. He was offered $8,000 in cash by a dealer. Though the offer was very tempting, the family fortunately decided to hold off on selling at that time, and the card went back into storage. Two years later, when a family member happened to hear about the Robert Edward Auctions sale of a similar card at a much higher price level, the family contacted REA. In 2004 Robert Edward Auctions offered the first-ever PSA-graded example of the 1914 Baltimore News Ruth with a minimum bid of $10,000. That card sold for $243,000 in Vg-Ex condition, instantly establishing the Babe Ruth rookie as the second most valuable card in the world, trailing only the T206 Honus Wagner. In 2006, a PSA 1 example was offered by REA, also with a reserve of $10,000. That example sold for $150,800. In light of learning of its extraordinary value, which is far more than the family had ever guessed possible or previously contemplated, they are very excited and happy to offer their card at auction, also with a minimum bid of $10,000.

Condition: This is an extremely strong example. The front of the card is a strong Vg-Ex, with almost perfect centering, some light border creases in the lower right and a single small, light crease in the center of the left border. These creases are not distracting and do not even enter into the image area of the card. The four corners are strong and square. There is minimal wear and chipping to the edge of the borders, far less than is usually the case with cards from this set (which because of its flush-to-the-border design chip so easily). The card is extremely bright and clean, both front and back. On the reverse is a small area of paper loss affecting approximately 2% of the back, affecting several letters of advertising text. This is the only flaw which keeps this card from grading a solid VG-EX 4. Obviously, this card has a far superior eye-appeal than a GD 2, though it has been appropriately downgraded due to the minor paper loss on the reverse. This is an extremely attractive card and in our opinion one of the strongest in terms of overall eye-appeal of all Babe Ruth rookie cards in existence. The paper loss on the reverse (and resulting lower technical grade) will no doubt keep the price down, but has little impact on the stunning appearance of the card. This is a tremendous card. There is no question that the hobby's most important cards are highly prized by collectors in all grades. In recent years it has become routine for T206 Wagners graded PSA 1 to sell for a minimum of $100,000. Approximately sixty T206 Honus Wagners are known to exist compared with only ten 1914 Babe Ruth rookie cards.


Robert Edward Auctions' president Robert Lifson has long picked the 1914 Baltimore News of Ruth as the greatest baseball card of all time, and has for many years expressed the opinion that the 1914 Ruth may someday exceed the value of the T206 Wagner to become the most valuable card in the world. That trend has been in motion for years, even as both cards have escalated in value over the years. The first 1914 Baltimore Ruth to ever appear at auction (the card was previously unknown) sold in the late 1980s for $6,600 to legendary collector Jim Copeland. That card was sold with the rest of his collection at the famous Copeland auction in 1991, where it realized $18,700. Barry Halper's example sold at the famous Barry Halper auction in 1999 for $79,500. The Robert Edward Auctions' sale at $243,000 in 2005 more than tripled that record. The sale of a PSA 1 example of the red-and-white variety at $150,800 in 2006 was all the more noteworthy as this price exceeded the public auction sale price of any similarly graded Wagner card (of which there have been many). Because of its far greater rarity, the 1914 Babe Ruth rookie is a card that hits the market with far less frequency than the T206 Wagner. Of the ten different examples of the Babe Ruth rookie card known to exist, over the years REA has handled the sale of six of them (with one card sold twice). Like the occasional Wagner that is found in an original collection of T206s, there is always the possibility of another Babe Ruth rookie being discovered, but we don't know when, where, or if such a discovery will occur. There are very few cards which transcend the world of card collecting and whose great significance can so easily be appreciated by collectors and non-collectors alike. The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card is one of the few, and its great significance and rarity define it as one of the collecting world's greatest treasures.