An Illustrated Guide to Buying George Washington Autographs & Documents
A Brief Survey of Washington Signed Historical Documents Collectors Can Look for on the Market George Washington is regarded as a legendary leader,...
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Out Now: The Hunt for History, by Nathan Raab
"A thrilling work of detection through the eyes of an expert, with false leads, forgeries and scoundrels—a fast and fascinating read.” The book, which has received a coveted Kirkus starred review, chronicles our hunt for original objects and documents all over the world, and teaches important lessons about history and what it means to us today. The Hunt for History is published by Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster.
The Raab Distinction
A Passion for History, An Eye for the Exceptional
An internationally recognized name in important historical autographs and documents. We have earned this recognition because of our focus on quality, authenticity, importance, and beauty. Simply put: we search the world, finding important historical documents and bringing them to our historically passionate clientele. This requires an in-depth knowledge of history and decades of experience, as well as relationships with institutions, media, historically important families, and collectors, all built over time.
What began as a passion of one collector developed into a major international name. Uncovering important documents, building great collections. We count among our clients many of the most historically passionate collectors, those forming great private collection, and also collecting institutions, among them the Library of Congress and the British Library. We have handled many of the notable historical documents to reach the market in the past three decades.
Authenticate and Discover
Determining if a historical document is authentic requires an examination not only of the signature but of the context. Below are just a few things we look at each time we are presented with a new piece.
- The signature. - Does the autograph appear as you would expect it and in the location where it ought to appear?
- Who is the recipient? - Determining who received the letter or document will help track its provenance and provide additional context. This Lincoln letter was sent to his Attorney General.
- What kind of paper was used? - The kind of paper can shed light on authenticity. Is the format correct? The stationery right? This is on Executive Mansion letterhead, first used by President Lincoln.
- Is the paper folded? - Sometimes even the folds in the paper can shed light on authenticity. Here the paper is folded as one often sees it.
- What is the historical context? - Knowing whether the letter or events is known is additional information. Here, we know that this is a published letter and relates to known people and events.
- What is the date? - Make sure the date makes sense within the life of the person. We know Lincoln was President in 1862 and also not yet assassinated.
Raab Newswire
Stay current with new acquisitions and historical discoveries of autographs, documents, and collections provided by The Raab Collection.
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Nathan Raab on TV’s “The 700 Club”
In a news program that aired worldwide, Raab discussed a Revolutionary War-era archive sold by The Raab Collection The Raab Collection was featured...
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Tipping Points: 1776 & the American Revolution
Does change take place slowly, over long periods of time, imperceptible at proximity, only visible with perspective and distance, or does the world evolve...
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