An Important Historical Document Signed by Amelia Earhart About Her Doomed Aircraft Has Been Discovered
In her own hand, she prepares for her final race by describing in detail the aircraft in which she would disappear less than a year later
The document, thought lost to time, was recently discovered after a half century in an attic box and will be offered for sale by Raab
Part of an archive that showcases the pioneers of women in aviation, it is valued at $75,000
PHILADELPHIA, PA – June 27, 2018 – The Raab Collection, the nation’s leading dealer in important historical documents, announced that it has discovered and will be offering for sale an important and newly discovered historical document signed by Amelia Earhart, the only known document of hers to be offered for sale where she writes out and describes her ill-fated aircraft, in which she would disappear less than a year later. This was her first and final national race in the Lockheed before attempting her voyage. The document, along with the accompanying archive, is valued at $75,000.
The discovery
The archive was gifted by its original owner to a colleague more than a half-century ago. It was re-discovered this year by that man, hidden in a box at the back of his attic.
Part of a large and unpublished archive signed by the leading aviators of the Golden Age of Aviation
The iconic 1936 National Air Races were a breakthrough for female aviators, with women broadly eligible to compete with and against men for the first time. Many of the pioneers of aviation took part, and the women dominated the races. Along with Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Louise Thaden, Laura Ingalls, Grace Prescott and Helen MacCloskey competed, and Thaden became the first woman to ever win the prestigious Bendix prize. The entire archive, which is sold together, consists of 64 filled out documents, in which the great aviators of the era sign and list the specs of theirs planes and motors, their aviation information, and other details. It is an important and thought-lost primary resource.
