Letter to James F. Prince, Treasurer of Wright Aeronautical Corporation

New York (October 1, 2002)—One of the very few items Charles Lindbergh carried on his historic non-stop solo trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris on May 20-21, 1927 was a letter to James F. Prince, Treasurer of Wright Aeronautical Corporation.

"I am glad to mail you this letter from Paris, upon completion of my non-stop flight from New York to Paris, the first time this flight has been accomplished," he wrote. "This letter was written in New York and was carried by me in the plane during the trip. I felt confident of success as I had the right combination to insure it."

The typed letter signed, on Wright Aeronautical stationery, along with the original Air Mail envelope signed and inscribed by Lindbergh and the original diplomatic pouch envelope in which the missive was sent, are featured at Swann Galleries' November 14 Autographs auction.

Because of the excess weight of the plane from the enormous amount of fuel needed to make the flight, Lindbergh was unable to bring many personal items with him. Until now, only ten other items were known to have been carried by Lindbergh on the flight, and only three were letters with covers, making this newly-discovered piece of aviation memorabilia, which has remained in Prince's family, one of only four known air mail letters carried by Lindbergh on his historic flight. It is expected to bring $50,000 to $75,000.

Also from the James F. Prince collection is an American flag, with a typed note signed by Lindbergh indicating that the flag was carried by him in the "Spirit of St. Louis," which will be sold with a handsome photograph of Lindbergh and his plane, signed and inscribed to Prince. This lot is estimated at $30,000 to $40,000.

The auction contains many other examples of historic Americana, ranging from a check signed by George Washington, to John Brown's last letter written from jail, to a May 1, 1944 issue of Newsweek signed by Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eddie Rickenbacker and "Hap" Arnold. In addition, the sale contains important autographs pertaining to a variety of other collecting fields, including music, literature, and art.

The auction will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 14. Illustrated catalogues, with information on bidding by mail and fax, are available for $25 from Swann Galleries, 104 East 25 Street, New York, NY 10010, and online at www.swanngalleries.com.

For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact Jeremy Markowitz at tel. 212 254 4710, extension 27, or by e-mail: jmarkowitz@swanngalleries.com.

CATALOGUES AND DIGITAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST

Media contact:

Contact: CAROLINE BIRENBAUM
SWANN Auction Gallery
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
www.swanngalleries.com
TEL: 212 254 4710 ext 19
FAX: 212 979 1017
E-MAIL: cbirenbaum@swanngalleries.com