documents

Rare 1790 Census Up For Auction

Filed under: Auctions

This year's census was a massive undertaking but things were a little simpler at the time of the first census back in 1790. A rare copy of the 1790 census conducted under the direction of Thomas Jefferson will highlight the bi-coastal Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts Auction on October 4. Simulcast to New York, the Los Angeles based sale is comprised of fine and rare first-edition books, maps, manuscripts, and ephemera.

The census being sold is one of the rare copies signed by Jefferson on the final page. It has been handed down through the family of Gideon Granger, Postmaster General during Jefferson's administration, and is believed to be his copy. It is annotated with all sorts of calculations. This rare piece of American history is estimated to sell for $80,000 to $120,000.

The sale also includes historical photographs and maps and atlases including John Melish's Map of the United States with the Contiguous British and Spanish Possessions (1816) which is estimated at $50,000 to $70,000. Other items include a signed 1922, first edition, first printing of F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, The Beautiful and Damned; an original 4-panel daily strip of Charles Schulz's Peanuts and a single page printed and typed report detailing a blood test taken from Mohandas Gandhi ten days before his assassination, indicating that, although he is generally healthy, his white blood cell count is high. A New York preview is scheduled for September 23-25 and the Los Angeles preview will be held October 1-3.

Tags: bonhams, census, documents, historic, historic documents, historical, history, thomas jefferson

Dunhill Lets Cameras Roll In Their Workshop

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Men's Style

For the first time in over a hundred years, we get an inside view of how Dunhill manufactures its beautiful leather goods. Never before has Dunhill shown the outside world how the world class craftsman create their products. In this clip we get to see a portion of the film demonstrating the making of Dunhill's Double Document Case.

While we have always admired the finished product, watching the craftsmen at work makes it all that more interesting. It happens in the Walthamstow workshop and all by hand. Each leather artisan is responsible for the construction of a piece from start to finish and includes a stamped card with their name on it inside the finished product. The sense of personal pride taken by the master craftsmen translates into the highest quality and standard of work for Dunhill.

From the consumer's perspective, watching the skills and techniques involved helps one understand the price tag of over 1,800 British Pounds Sterling for this special bag. The company has a hundred and sixteen years of experience and the same processes that were used in the beginning are still being employed in the crafting of their leather goods today. Anyone who has an interest in fine products should find this glimpse, albeit orchestrated for film, into the manufacturing process at Dunhill fascinating.

Tags: documents, Double Document Case, DoubleDocumentCase, Dunhill, leather, leather goods maunfacturing, leathergoods, LeatherGoodsMaunfacturing, video

Rare Copy Of The Declaration Of Independence Found

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence has been found in England. The AP reports that British researchers discovered the "Dunlap print," named after a printer, in the National Archives several months ago but was only announced after it was cataloged (and just in time for July 4th).

There are only around 200 original copies and finding a new one in good condition is extremely rare, only around 26 Dunlap prints are believed to still exist. Officials aren't sure how the document ended up in the archives but it may have been on a ship that was intercepted by the British navy. It was discovered by an American bookseller doing research at the archives in Richmond, Surrey. The last Dunlap print found was sold at an auction for $8.14 million in 2000. The National Archives have no plan to sell this document.

Tags: declaration of independence, DeclarationOfIndependence, documents, independence day, IndependenceDay

Yves St Laurent Muse Document Case

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels

From the fall runway collection, Yves St Laurent's Muse Document Case is practical, but stunning to look at. You can see the craftsmanship from a distance on chocolate leather accented with bold topstitching and a gold D-ring tab on the flap closure. The bag is ideal for travel, especially on a business trip where you need to travel light. It has narrow pockets for tickets, passports, travelers' cheques and, of course, various documents. As long as you are using your blackberry - as opposed to a laptop, which would require a separate bag - on your trip, you should have absolutely no trouble staying organized and mobile with a case like this one by your side. Price: $495.