Happy Election Day

Hard Choices Book Hand-Signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton

It's election day - make sure you get out and vote! Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is this autographed edition of Hard Choices, a memoir of former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton giving her account of her tenure in that position from 2009 to 2013. Brand new First Edition hand-signed on the first free end page by Clinton. Provenance Barnes and Noble signing 11/2014. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

Happy Birthday President Obama

Audacity of Hope Book Autographed by President Barack Obama

Happy birthday to President Barack Obama! Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is this hand-signed copy of Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream hardcover book with corresponding photo from the book-signing event. Obama's black ink signature is located on the title page with no inscription. This is the second book written by then-Senator Barack Obama, and it explores many subjects that became part of his 2008 campaign for the U.S. Presidency. Fine condition. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

Happy Birthday George Washington

Full George Washington Signature Display with Swatch of his Coat and His Hair

Happy birthday George Washington! Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is this framed 14.75 x 15.25 inch display featuring an autograph of George Washington, a square piece of Washington’s coat and a lock of approximately six strands of Washington’s hair. The items are attractively framed with an engraved metal plaque and a 4.5 x 6.5 inch reproduction of a Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington. Washington’s signature is featured on a partial document which was originally part of a large March 17 1769 indenture between George Washington and Robert Thompson. The location of this signature has been identified on a lifesize color reproduction of the 21 x 17 inch original document from which the fragment was excised, which is included in this lot.

The display also features a piece of George Washington’s cloak from the family of his personal secretary Colonel Tobias Lear, who was also one of Washington’s best friends. It was purchased in a lot of other material sold at auction in February 5, 2010. Complete provenance is included. The lock of six strands of George Washington’s hair comes from from the Custis-Powell family. Librarians at Mount Vernon and at Woodlawn Plantation (both in Virginia) have commented that it was commonplace for Martha Custis Washington to give her husband’s hair as a gift both during his life and after his death. Colonel Levin Powell (1738-1810) was an intimate friend of Washington and a Revolutionary War hero. A certification of authenticity from noted American dealer and collector Charles Hamilton is included.

More Presidential autographs here!

Happy Birthday Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter and aide jump the fence at LaGuardia Airport

Happy 91st birthday to Jimmy Carter - the 39th President of the United States (1977 - 1981) and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is a hand-signed leatherbound collector's edition of his memoir Sharing Good Times. In it, he recalls the pleasures and excursions that he experienced that helped shape his positive outlook. Mint unread copy from the Easton Press. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

Happy Presidents' Day

Full George Washington Signature Display with Swatch of his Coat and His Hair

Happy Presidents' Day! Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is this framed 14.75 x 15.25 inch display featuring an autograph of George Washington, a square piece of Washington’s coat and a lock of approximately six strands of Washington’s hair. The items are attractively framed with an engraved metal plaque and a 4.5 x 6.5 inch reproduction of a Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington. Washington’s signature is featured on a partial document which was originally part of a large March 17 1769 indenture between George Washington and Robert Thompson. The location of this signature has been identified on a lifesize color reproduction of the 21 x 17 inch original document from which the fragment was excised, which is included in this lot.

The display also features a piece of George Washington’s cloak from the family of his personal secretary Colonel Tobias Lear, who was also one of Washington’s best friends. It was purchased in a lot of other material sold at auction in February 5, 2010. Complete provenance is included. The lock of six strands of George Washington’s hair comes from from the Custis-Powell family. Librarians at Mount Vernon and at Woodlawn Plantation (both in Virginia) have commented that it was commonplace for Martha Custis Washington to give her husband’s hair as a gift both during his life and after his death. Colonel Levin Powell (1738-1810) was an intimate friend of Washington and a Revolutionary War hero. A certification of authenticity from noted American dealer and collector Charles Hamilton is included.

More Presidential autographs here!

Happy 90th Birthday President Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter and aide jump the fence at LaGuardia Airport

Happy 90th birthday to Jimmy Carter - the 39th President of the United States (1977 - 1981) and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is a hand-signed leatherbound collector's edition of his memoir Sharing Good Times. In it, he recalls the pleasures and excursions that he experienced that helped shape his positive outlook. Mint unread copy from the Easton Press. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

JFK Assassination Report Signed by President Gerald Ford - Collector's Treasure of the Day

JFK Assassination Report of the Warren Commission Signed by President Gerald Ford

On this day in history in 1974, Vice President Gerald Ford (1913-2006) was sworn in as President following Nixon's resignation. Before his death in 2006, Ford was also the final surviving member of the Warren Commission, which had been established by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is this leather bound, numbered limited edition of the Assassination Report personally autographed by President Ford shortly before his death. Brand new condition. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La plus publisher's certificate of authenticity.

Remembering Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - Collector's Treasure of the Day

Kennedy Original Wedding Invitation Framed Display

Today marks the birthday of Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929- 1994). She was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and is remembered for her contributions to the arts, her efforts in historic preservation, and her status as a fashion icon. Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is Jackie and JFK's original wedding invitation from 1953! The invitation reads: "Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Dudley Auchincloss request the honour of your presence at the marriage of Mrs. Auchincloss' daughter Jacqueline Lee Bouvier to the Honorable John Fitzgerald Kennedy United States Senate on Saturday, the twelfth of September at eleven o'clock/ St. Mary's Church/Spring Street/Newport, Rhode Island." Matted and framed with a photograph of the couple cutting the wedding cake to an overall size of 16.25 x 15.75 inches. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

Happy Independence Day - Collector's Treasure of the Day

Happy Independence Day! What better way to celebrate than with memorabilia from the Father of Our Country? Our Collector's Treasure of the Day is a framed display featuring an autograph of George Washington (1732-1799), a square swatch of Washington’s cloak and a lock of his hair. Full and complete historical provenance. A certification of authenticity from noted American dealer and collector Charles Hamilton is also included. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

George Washington Autograph Display with Coat Swatch and Lock of Hair

Happy President's Day from Collector's Shangri-La!

George Washington Autograph, Hair, and Coat Display

Collector's Treasure of the Day: a beautifully framed display featuring an autograph of President George Washington (1732-1799), a square piece of Washington’s coat, and a lock of approximately six strands of Washington’s hair. A certification of authenticity from noted American dealer and collector Charles Hamilton is included. Authenticity guaranteed for life by Collector's Shangri-La.

The Autograph Legacy of a Society Hostess

Guest books can be a treasure trove for the autograph enthusiast—especially if the guest book belongs to someone famous in their own right. I’ve recently acquired for my personal collection a guest book used by Cobina Wright (1887–1970), an American opera singer and actress who later became a syndicated gossip columnist. She was quite famous as a society hostess, and her guest book that covers the years 1950-1967 contains hundreds of pages of autographs of A-list celebrity guests. It’s no wonder she had so much inside “intel” to fill her society columns—she was a true insider in the celebrity worlds of her day: Hollywood, Broadway, politics, high society, music, and art. It’s clear in studying this book that all of these worlds were inextricably linked, and it is utterly fascinating to see who was hobnobbing with whom! In alphabetical order, a sampling of the luminaries include:

Muhammad Ali, Army Archerd, Gene Autry, Anne Baxter, Edgar Bergen, Red Buttons, Rory Calhoun, Hoagy Carmichael, Jack Cassidy, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Coburn, Nat King Cole, Gary Cooper, Robert Cummings, Arlene Dahl, Marion Davies, Delores Del Rio, Phyllis Diller, Walt Disney, Doris Duke, Irene Dunne, Edward-Duke of Windsor, Henry Fonda, Joan Fontaine, Clark Gable, Eva Gabor, Reginald Gardiner, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Janet Gaynor, Paulette Goddard, Howard Hawks, Susan Hayward, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Hedda Hopper, Ross Hunter, Van Johnson, Shirley Jones, Hedy Lamarr, Esteé Lauder, Liberace, Art Linkletter, June Lockhart, Fred MacMurray, Jayne Mansfield, Tony Martin, Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, Patricia Neal, Richard Nixon, Hugh O’Brian, Merle Oberon, Louella O. Parsons, Norman Vincent Peale, Mary Pickford, Cole Porter, Otto Preminger, Anthony Quinn, Nancy Reagan, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson, Buddy Rogers, Ginger Rogers, Gilbert Roland, Cesar Romero, Jane Russell, Rosalind Russell, Wallace Seawell, Norma Shearer, Nancy Sinatra, Edith Sitwell, Red Skeleton, Robert Stack, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Mark Taper, Norman Taurog, Elizabeth Taylor (Todd), Mel Tormé, Gloria Vanderbilt, Robert Wagner, Wallis-Duchess of Windsor, John Wayne, Clifton Webb, Mae West, Natalie Wood (Wagner), and Jane Wyman.

Autographs of Lillian and Walt Disney and others

The book itself is a beautiful object—an oversized volume bound in mauve-colored leather and embossed in gold-ink on the front cover “Cobina.” Her guest book takes one into the private celebrity world behind the veil. By looking at the personal sentiments, funny drawings, and “in-jokes” the reader gains a sense of the relationships and humanity beyond the celluloid and print artifacts we usually get to see.

On February 16, 1963 George Hamilton jokes, “hope you don’t mind going out with an old man!” At the time he was 24 and had just played the playwright Moss Hart in the film Act One. Wright was 76.

John Wayne displays his sense of humor in his 1953 entry, “We’re flat on our backs / Our room rent is due / But never mind about us dear / Happy Birthday to you”.

Art Linkletter playfully flirts, “once again My heart trembles as I meet Cobina—‘the other woman’”. He signs as “Art Linklet- ter + wife” while years earlier he had written: “Art Linkletter (a man you spent the night with) over the Atlantic—remember -”.

Not to be outdone in affection, Phyllis Diller signs on Bob Hope’s birthday in 1967 with a self portrait and hearts, “the other half of the Screen Team says Cobina is a silly broad who is lovely and adorable...I love you Cobina...meet my darling Warde Donovan”. This was Diller’s blockbuster year starring in Eight On the Lam with Bob Hope, the animated special Mad Monster Party, and her own Phyllis Diller Show.

Autographs of Judy Garland, Paulette Goddard, Otto Preminger, others

It’s a shame most of us don’t use guest books anymore. It’s an invaluable tool for subsequent generations to be able to peek into another time—and another world.

For more information on Cobina Wright, pick up a copy of her memoir I Never Grew Up (Prentice-Hall, 1952).

article by Kevin Segall, published in Manuscripts Volume LXIV- Number 3 Summer 2012 (a publication of the Manuscript Society)

Calendar of Celebrity Autograph Signings for December 2011

As a service to our fellow autograph collectors out there, Collector's Shangri-La provides a monthly calendar of selected celebrity autograph signings through our blog at: http://collectorsshangrila.blogspot.com/

Sign up to follow our blog to stay up-to-date!

Regis Philbin Signed Photo

12/1/2011 at Anderson's Bookshop - West Jefferson Avenue. Naperville, IL.

Regis Philbin, host of “Live with Regis and Kelly” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, signing his book How I Got This Way

12/1/2011 5:00 PM at Books & Books - Aragon Avenue. Coral Gables, FL.




Bill Clinton, President of the United States, signing his book Back To Work

Superman Photo Signed by Margot Kidder

12/2/2011 - 12/4/2011 Steel City Con at the Monroeville Convention Center - Monroeville, PA.

Scheduled guests include: Linda Blair, Erika Eleniak, Margot Kidder, Doug Jones, Henry Winkler, and more.

12/2/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Bluebonnet Road. Baton Rouge, LA.

12/5/2011 7:00 PM at Books & Books - Aragon Avenue. Coral Gables, FL.





12/6/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - East Colonial Drive. Orlando, FL.


Shaquille O'Neal, basketball star, signing his book Shaq Uncut

Friday the 13th Jason Reunion Poster Signed by 20

12/3/2011 3:00 PM at Horrobles - West Roosevelt Road. Berwyn, IL.

Kane Hodder, star of "Hatchet" and “Friday the 13th”, signing his book Unmasked

12/4/2011 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.

Jane Lynch, star of "Glee", signing her book Happy Accidents

My Song: A Memoir Signed by Harry Belafonte

12/4/2011 8:00 PM at the 92nd Street Y - Lexington Avenue. New York, NY.

12/7/2011 6:00 PM at Hue-Man Bookstore - Frederick Douglass Blvd. New York, NY.

Harry Belafonte, popular Calypso singer and social activist, signing his book My Song

12/7/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Union Square. New York, NY.

Stephen Sondheim, Broadway composer, signing his book Look, I Made A Hat

12/7/2011 7:00 PM at Books & Greetings - Livingston Street. Northvale, NJ.

12/8/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - East 86th Street. New York, NY.

12/10/2011 12:00 PM at Mendham Books - East Main Street. Mendham, NJ.

12/15/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - MainStreet. White Plains, NY.

12/16/2011 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Greyrock Place. Stamford, CT.

Peter Yarrow, singer/songwriter from Peter, Paul and Mary, signing his book The Night Before Christmas

12/8/2011 7:30 PM at the Philadelphia Free Library - Vine Street. Philadelphia, PA.

Tom Brokaw, news anchor, signing his book The Time of Our Lives

12/9/2011 4:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - East 86th Street. New York, NY.

Bill Frisell, jazz guitarist, signing his CD All We Are Saying...

12/10/2011 7:30 PM at Egyptian Theatre - Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA.

Piper Laurie, star of "The Hustler" and "Carrie", signing her book, Learning to Live Out Loud

Happy Days Cast Photo - Autographed by 7

12/11/2011 1:00 PM at Fisherman's Spot - Burbank Blvd. Van Nuys, CA.

Henry Winkler, Fonzie from the TV show "Happy Days”, signing his book  I've Never Met an Idiot On the River

Information sometimes changes. Before showing up, please contact the event location to verify accuracy, and let us know if there are any errors in our listing. Thanks!

Thanks to the following resouces for schedule information: 92nd Street Y, American Cinematheque, Amoeba Music, Barnes and Noble, Book Ends, Books & Books, Books and Greetings, Book Passage, Book Soup, Celebrity Signings & Events, Chiller Theatre, Collectormania, Creation Entertainment, Dragon*Con, Garden State Comic Con, Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show, LA Comic and Sci-Fi Con, Malaprop's, McNally Jackson Books, Mendham Books, Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, Outwrite Books, Politics & Prose Bookstore, Powells, Steel City Con, Vroman's Bookstore, Warwick's, West Hollywood Book Fair, Wizard World

Former First Lady Betty Ford Dies: Lifted Taboos on Addiction and Cancer

Former U.S. First Lady Betty Ford, an outspoken advocate for women's rights and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse, died last night at the age of 93.

Betty Ford was a champion for women's rights - openly discussing premarital sex and abortion. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer while at the White House, and became an advocate for breast cancer research and awareness. After her husband's term as President, Betty Ford admitted and sought treatment for an addiction to alcohol and painkillers.  She founded the Betty Ford Center in 1982, still one of the best treatment centers for substance abuse.

 

Politics Today Magazine Signed by Gerald Ford and Betty Ford