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For Immediate Release
Surf's Up at Bonhams &
Butterfields
Exceptional Collection
of Surfing History and Memorabilia on the Auction Block
Fine arts auctioneer Bonhams &
Butterfields is pleased to offer Fine Books & Manuscripts
auction on October 19, 2009. Included within the 525-lot
sale is an amazing selection of surfing history and
artifacts? from the Collection of Mark Blackburn, Honolulu,
Hawaii. The collection covers the history of surfing
from the wave-riding of the indigenous Hawaiian people
through the fiberglass boarding of the present day.
Highlighting the offerings are the
mammoth signed framed handprints of the legendary Godfather
of surfing Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (est. $8,000-12,000).
The "Duke" was an iconic figure in the sport
for many years and powered himself to several record
breaking swimming victories in the Olympics of 1912
and 1920 with his strong hands. Able to paddle quickly,
the "Duke" is famed for riding a wave for
over one mile at Waikiki Beach in 1929 - the longest
ride ever recorded to date. The handprints show that
his hands measured a staggering 9-inches long and 6-inches
wide each.
Featured highlights from the Collection
include a letter and early black woolen "Bathing
costume" from early hot-dogger John "Hawkshaw"
Paia, known for his unique ability to play the ukulele
while surfing ($1,000-2,000), and a "passport-style"
invitation, embroidered patch and signed poster commemorating
big-wave pioneer Rick Grigg's participation in the Duke
Kahanamoku Invitational Surf Championship which he won
in 1967, conquering the North Shore of Hawaii (est.
$2,000-3,000). The auction also includes an archive
of California surfing history, featuring photographs,
letters and printed items from sporting greats Bruce
Brown, Doc Ball and Lance Carson.
An incredibly rare first edition
of the 1931 surfing text The Art of Wave Riding, inscribed
by the author Ronald Blake Drummond, is expected to
make in excess of $500. It was published several years
before Tom Blake's The Hawaiian Surfboard, the first
definitive book on the subject; a presentation copy
of the first edition of that work is also included in
the sale (est. $3,000-5,000).
From the early 1800s, the Collection
also features one of the earliest known depictions of
a surfboard - an engraving titled Habitations, c. 1830
- which is being sold with another engraving titled
the Hawaiian Sport of Surf Playing, from the 1836 edition
of William Ellis' Polynesian Researches (est. $200-300,
for the pair).
Additional items of note from the
fall sale include two remarkable documents dating from
the birth of the State of California will also be featured
during the fall sale: The first is a registrar leaf
from the 1849 California State Constitutional Convention
signed and inscribed by 46 members of the delegation.
Signatures include those of Henry W. Halleck who would
later serve as a Union general in the Civil War; Robert
Semple, president of the Convention; and John Sutter,
owner of the land where gold was first discovered in
California. Each leaf includes the signatures, place
of birth, residence, and age of each Delegate "convened
in general Convention on the 1st day of September 1849
"at Monterey, to frame a State Constitution for
California."
The documents have descended together
through an old California family with ties to the Santa
Clara valley region. The pair is expected to bring $10,000-15,000
on October 19th. Public previews for the documents in
both Los Angeles and New York are timed to coincide
with the 160th anniversary of the Convention.
The October sale also boasts an
archive of rare correspondence and black and white photographs
related to the personal life of Winnie-the-Pooh author
A. A. Milne, his wife, and his son Christopher Robin.
Contents of note include three charming letters written
by Christopher Robin, the earliest at age nine, and
six rare snapshots dating from 1928-1930 capturing images
of the Milnes at home, including two rare pictures of
Christopher Robin with his beloved Winnie-the-Pooh bear
(est. $3,000-5,000).
Catch the wave at Bonhams &
Butterfields!
Previews: September 9-11, 2009, New York; October 16-18,
Los Angeles
Auction: October 19, 2009, Los Angeles, simulcast to
Bonhams New York
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Press Contact: Jannelle Grigsby,
(310) 567-7990, jannelle.grigsby@bonhams.com
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