Autograph and Manuscript
Our next autograph and manuscript auction will be held on April 28, 2026. Consignments are welcome until mid-January. We look forward to receiving your offers!
We can already announce some highlights:
Novalis: Autograph letter to Ludwig Tieck dated January 1, 1801, the penultimate known letter by the poet, written barely three months before his death
Ludwig van Beethoven: Lengthy letter to the conductor and music publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister, dated April 22, 1801
Man Ray: His famous manifesto “Dadamade” on the beginnings of Dadaism, Ramatuelle, July 8, 1958
Johannes Brahms: Three important notebooks from 1853/54 with numerous aphorisms, text and poem excerpts, titled “Schatzkästlein des jungen Kreislers” (The Young Kreislers’ Treasure Chest), “Schöne Gedanken über Musik” (Beautiful Thoughts on Music) and “Des jungen Kreislers Schatzkästlein”
Friedrich Schiller: Beautiful letter to the Berlin publisher Spener, to whom he sends his poem “Das Spiel des Lebens” (The Game of Life), Jena, October 10, 1796
J. A. Stargardt’s first autograph auction took place in 1859. We have been holding one or two auctions a year since the 1950s, which are among the highlights in the international trade and are attended by many private collectors, librarians, archivists and dealers from all over the world.
A comprehensive catalogue with detailed descriptions of all autographs is published for the auctions. Scans of all items are available online.
Due to our many years of experience and our unique market position, our auctions offer the ideal environment to achieve the best possible prices for your autographs. We are always interested in inquiries and offers for our auctions. We will be happy to advise you comprehensively and without obligation on all aspects of a sale.
The auction catalogue will be published in early April, both in print and online.
You can order a copy of the printed catalogue here:
Contact usDigital media make it possible to easily participate in our auctions from a distance.
We have been working successfully with the Internet auction platform Invaluable for years. After a simple registration process, you can follow the auction live and bid online.
Please note that there is a total bid limit of €7500 for live bidding on Invaluable. If you would like to remove this limit, please complete your details here. Sales via Invaluable are subject to an additional premium of 3%.
Of course, bids can also be submitted in writing, by telephone or by email. However, the best way to participate in an auction is still to be there in person!
The list of results with the hammer prices from our auction on April 8, 2025 can be found here.
Our auction catalogs are available as elaborately produced print versions or as free PDFs on our website. Scans of all items in the auction are available online.
If you would like to order the current or an older catalog (€ 25 to Europe, $ 60 abroad, including shipping), please use the contact form.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Letter to actress Caroline von Heygendorf
Franz Schubert
His songs „Das gestörte Glück“ (D309) and verso „Die Sterne“ (D313)
Friedrich Schiller
An important letter to Hamburg theater director Friedrich Ludwig Schröder regarding the premiere of "Don Carlos"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Envelope for a letter from his mother to his father, with autograph additions
Karl Marx
Letter to the printer of the French edition of "Das Kapital"
Immanuel Kant
Early friendship book page with a quote by Sallust
Heinrich Heine
Letter to the composer Ferdinand Hiller, announcing his visit
Fryderyk Chopin
The complete piano score of his song "Wiosna" op. posth. 74 No. 2
George Frideric Handel
Letter to his librettist Charles Jennens
