Kestenbaum To Auction Fine Judaica: Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Ceremonial Objects & Graphic Art

Kestenbaum & Company’s forthcoming auction of Fine Judaica will take place on Thursday, June 26th at 3:00 pm at the company’s gallery in New York City. The auction is comprised of an extensive selection of Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Ceremonial Objects and Graphic Art. After an extremely successful sale of Holy Land travel books from the collection of Nathan Lewin, that was offered for auction by Kestenbaum in the spring of 2013, the current auction will feature Mr. Lewin’s collection of Holy Land maps.

Among the numerous books being offered at auction, buyers can choose from many categories including American Judaica, Antisemitica, Chassidic Texts, Early Printed Books, Passover Hagadot and materials relating to the Holocaust. A fine example in the Americana section is the United States Chronicle dated 23rd September 1790, containing the full texts of the historic exchange of “To Bigotry No Sanction” letters, written between Moses Seixas of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island and President George Washington, at an estimate of $8,000-10,000 (Lot 2). Also of note is an oration by Rev. Samuel Ullman, Birmingham, 1892, famed for his poem, Youth, estimate $5,000-7,000 (Lot 22).

Highlights among the Chassidic Books include an exceptionally rare edition of the book that gave rise to Chassidism: Ya’akov Yoseph of Polonoye’s Toldoth Ya’akov Yoseph, Koretz, 1780, estimated at $30,000-40,000 (Lot 49) and a scarce edition of the Chamishah Chumshei Torah with commentary by Chaim ibn Atar (the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh), Shklow, 1785, at an estimate of $14,000-18,000 (Lot 108)….