Auction recap / RR Auction

RR Auction Realizes $1,791,647 in Spirit of '76 Anniversary Sale

A twice-signed Benjamin Franklin promissory note leads a perfect 100% sell-through rate for the historical memorabilia auction.

PC Auction DeskSeptember 8, 2026Source reviewed / 15 citations / 3 sources

RR Auction Realizes $1,791,647 in Spirit of '76 Anniversary Sale — Illustration: Pricing Culture Studio

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Auction Math · 45 public lot recordsPC Auction Desk

$1.8M

Total realized

—

Estimate range (Σ)

100%

Sell-through

—

vs Σ high estimate

Auction highlights

Benjamin Franklin Twice-Signed 1,500,000-Livre Promissory Note Binding the United States to Repay France for Funding the Revolutionary War - Printed on Franklin’s Own Press (1782)
EstimateFrom $250K
Sold$484,151
Constitution Signers: Complete Set of (40) Autographs with Founding Fathers George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison
EstimateFrom $80K
Sold$190,249
John Hancock and Samuel Adams Letter Signed on American Radicals' Disaffection with British Colonial Policies and "notorious Violations of their Property" (1766)
EstimateFrom $150K
Sold$180,315
George Washington War-Dated Letter Signed to Major Benjamin Tallmadge with Original Franked Address Panel, Directing Culper Ring Intelligence Courier Routes and Referencing Founding Spy Abraham Woodhull (1779)
EstimateFrom $80K
Sold$99,850
Declaration of Independence: Force Print from W. J. Stone's Copperplate (c. 1833)
EstimateFrom $20K
Sold$85,560
Thomas Jefferson Signed First Edition of the 1791 U.S. Census, Accounting for Free Whites and Slaves - "Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the Several Districts of the United States"
EstimateFrom $80K
Sold$75,020
George Washington Signed 1768 Mountain Road Lottery Ticket - One of About 25 Examples Known
EstimateFrom $20K
Sold$52,805
John Adams Revolutionary War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to John Hancock, Written While Finalizing the Treaty of Paris Ending the Revolutionary War
EstimateFrom $30K
Sold$37,460
Gouverneur Morris Twice-Signed Oath of Allegiance Renouncing King George III, Witnessed and Countersigned by Thomas McKean (August 8, 1781)
EstimateFrom $3K
Sold$36,978
Paul Revere Autograph Document Signed, Receiving Payment from a Wealthy Patron of His Silver Shop
EstimateFrom $25K
Sold$34,371
George Washington Memorial Portrait Pendant with Locks of Hair Attributed to George and Martha Washington, Descended Through the Family of Major General Benjamin Lincoln
EstimateFrom $20K
Sold$33,284
Washington Headquarters: Orderly Book of the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment with the Newburgh Address and Proclamation of Peace (1782-1783)
EstimateFrom $20K
Sold$33,258

	Estimate	Sold price
Benjamin Franklin Twice-Signed 1,500,000-Livre Promissory Note Binding the United States to Repay France for Funding the Revolutionary War - Printed on Franklin’s Own Press (1782)	From $250K	$484,151
Constitution Signers: Complete Set of (40) Autographs with Founding Fathers George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison	From $80K	$190,249
John Hancock and Samuel Adams Letter Signed on American Radicals' Disaffection with British Colonial Policies and "notorious Violations of their Property" (1766)	From $150K	$180,315
George Washington War-Dated Letter Signed to Major Benjamin Tallmadge with Original Franked Address Panel, Directing Culper Ring Intelligence Courier Routes and Referencing Founding Spy Abraham Woodhull (1779)	From $80K	$99,850
Declaration of Independence: Force Print from W. J. Stone's Copperplate (c. 1833)	From $20K	$85,560
Thomas Jefferson Signed First Edition of the 1791 U.S. Census, Accounting for Free Whites and Slaves - "Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the Several Districts of the United States"	From $80K	$75,020
George Washington Signed 1768 Mountain Road Lottery Ticket - One of About 25 Examples Known	From $20K	$52,805
John Adams Revolutionary War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to John Hancock, Written While Finalizing the Treaty of Paris Ending the Revolutionary War	From $30K	$37,460
Gouverneur Morris Twice-Signed Oath of Allegiance Renouncing King George III, Witnessed and Countersigned by Thomas McKean (August 8, 1781)	From $3K	$36,978
Paul Revere Autograph Document Signed, Receiving Payment from a Wealthy Patron of His Silver Shop	From $25K	$34,371
George Washington Memorial Portrait Pendant with Locks of Hair Attributed to George and Martha Washington, Descended Through the Family of Major General Benjamin Lincoln	From $20K	$33,284
Washington Headquarters: Orderly Book of the 3rd Massachusetts Regiment with the Newburgh Address and Proclamation of Peace (1782-1783)	From $20K	$33,258

Lot rows show the price fields disclosed in the source record.

Market context · Memorabilia · 2026 YTDPC Auction Desk

RR Auction

$29.3M

Goldin

$19.5M

Christie's

$10.9M

Juliens Auction

$6.4M

Sotheby's

$1.9M

#4 of 17 RR Auction sales this yearMemorabilia YTD $68.1MAvg sell-through 98%Leader RR Auction

Contextual data provided by Pricing Culture Analytics; this is not an exhaustive list. Pricing Culture Analytics organizes publicly available auction data to analyze and produce insights.

RR Auction concluded its Spirit of '76: America's 250th Anniversary Auction with a total of $1,791,647 realized^[1] [1]. The specialized sale achieved a perfect 100% sell-through^[1] [2], finding buyers for all 45 of its offered lots. According to the official results published by RR Auction [3], the auction focused on foundational documents, correspondence, and signatures from the American Revolutionary era.

Auction highlights

Sale file

Benjamin Franklin Twice-Signed 1,500,000-Livre Promissory Note Binding the United States to Repay France for Funding the Revolutionary War - Printed on Franklin’s Own Press (1782) | sold for $484,151 (within estimate)^[2] [4]
Constitution Signers: Complete Set of (40) Autographs with Founding Fathers George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison | sold for $190,249 (within estimate)^[3] [5]
John Hancock and Samuel Adams Letter Signed on American Radicals' Disaffection with British Colonial Policies and "notorious Violations of their Property" (1766) | sold for $180,315 (within estimate)^[4] [6]
George Washington War-Dated Letter Signed to Major Benjamin Tallmadge with Original Franked Address Panel, Directing Culper Ring Intelligence Courier Routes and Referencing Founding Spy Abraham Woodhull (1779) | sold for $99,850 (within estimate)^[5] [7]
Declaration of Independence: Force Print from W. J. Stone's Copperplate (c. 1833) | sold for $85,560 (within estimate)^[6] [8]
Thomas Jefferson Signed First Edition of the 1791 U.S. Census, Accounting for Free Whites and Slaves - "Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the Several Districts of the United States" | sold for $75,020 (below the low estimate)^[7] [9]
George Washington Signed 1768 Mountain Road Lottery Ticket - One of About 25 Examples Known | sold for $52,805 (within estimate)^[8] [10]
John Adams Revolutionary War-Dated Autograph Letter Signed to John Hancock, Written While Finalizing the Treaty of Paris Ending the Revolutionary War | sold for $37,460 (within estimate)^[9] [11]

This auction represents RR Auction's #4 sale of 17 concluded this year by realized value. Across all its sales year to date, the house has realized $29,346,759^[1] [12] [13] with a year-to-date sell-through of 100%^[1] [14]. In the broader memorabilia category, which has realized $68,090,291^[1] [15] across tracked houses this year with an average sell-through of 97.6%^[1] [16], RR Auction continues to lead the category.

Source note: The auction house publishes this official lot page as part of the sale, providing a direct first-party source for the listed object.^[3]^[2]

Source note: The auction house publishes this official lot page as part of the sale, providing a direct first-party source for the listed object.

RR Auction Realizes $1,791,647 in Spirit of '76 Anniversary Sale

Sources