Autograph and Manuscript

Our auction of April 28, 2026

We concluded our autograph auction on April 28 with many outstanding results. Here are some highlights and their hammer prices:

Novalis: Autograph letter to Ludwig Tieck dated January 1, 1801, the poet’s penultimate known letter, written barely three months before his death: €40,000

Ludwig van Beethoven: Substantial letter to the Kapellmeister and music publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister, April 22, 1801: €85,000

Man Ray: His famous manifesto “Dadamade” on the beginnings of Dadaism, Ramatuelle, July 8, 1958: €10,000

Johannes Brahms: Three significant notebooks from 1853/54 containing numerous aphorisms, text and poetry excerpts: €50,000 / €38,000 / €48,000

Friedrich Schiller: Detailed, substantive letter to his friend Christian Gottfried Körner, Jena, March 15, 1793: €26,000

Marie-Antoinette of France: Her famous manuscript on the education of the Dauphin, July 25, 1789, cited by Stefan Zweig in his biography: €50,000

Mary Queen of Scots: Encrypted secret letter signed to the Spanish ambassador in England, September 16, 1568: €50,000

Karl Marx: Largely unpublished letter on the death of Ferdinand Lassalle, October 16, 1864: €60,000

Our Auctions

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.

Auction catalogue

The auction catalogue is now available, both in print and online.

VI. Theatre and Film

Conditions of Sale

Index of Names

Index of Places

You can order a copy of the printed catalogue here:

Participate

There are several ways to participate in our auctions:

In person in the auction room. You register to participate and receive a bidder number.

In writing. Send us your maximum bids by mail or email, and we will bid on your behalf during the auction. You can find a form for your bids here.

By phone. After registering in advance, you can have us call you for your lots (with estimates of €500 or more).

Online. Our auctions can be followed live on the Drouot and Invaluable platforms. After a simple registration process, you can participate in the auction and bid online.

On both platforms, we provide scans of all items up for auction.

Venue, Time table

Viewing:

• Monday April 20 until Thursday April 23, 10:00 am until 6:00 pm: At our offices, Xantener Strasse 6, 10707 Berlin

• Monday April 27, 10:00 am until 6:00 pm: Hotel Bristol, Kurfürstendamm 27, 10719 Berlin

Auction:

• Tuesday April 28, 10:00 am: Literature, Science, Arts (Lots 1-347)

• Tuesday April 28, 3:00 pm: History, Music, Theatre and Film (Lots 348-649)

Hotel Bristol, Kurfürstendamm 27, 10719 Berlin

List of Results, Post-Auction Sale

You can download the list of results with the hammer prices here.

Most of the unsold lots are available for post-auction sale at the reserve price (usually 75% of the estimate) plus buyer’s premium (and VAT, if applicable). The auction terms and conditions printed in the catalogue apply.

Order or download catalogues

Our auction catalogues 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 catalogue (€ 25 to Europe, $ 60 abroad, including shipping), please use the contact form.