USA: The first Christmas card ever printed headlines an auction at Sotheby's New York

Parts of Christmas history are going up for auction at Sotheby's New York. Holiday books, manuscripts, drawings - even the very first Christmas card - will hit the auction block on December 12. Highlighting the auction are four of the very first Christmas cards ever printed. Designed by Henry Cole and printed in 1843, the cards picture a family toasting the health of the addressee, and people performing various acts of Christmas charity. The cards, some of which are printer's proofs, will be sold separately and are estimated to fetch from $10,000 (USD) to as much as $50,000 (USD) each. The first known publication of one of the most well-known Christmas poems, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," or as it's often called, "Night Before Christmas," will be up for sale. Printed in the Troy Sentinel newspaper on December 23, 1823, the poem is most known for its opening line, "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The poem was published without author Clement Clarke Moore's name because Moore considered it a mere trifle. From that point forward, said Sotheby's Senior Vice President Selby Kiffer, the poem took off. "It was published anonymously in 1823 in the newspaper. From there it caught on and started to appear in other newspapers and almanacs and finally after about 10 years Moore acknowledged his authorship, started to appear in books, and then it became the subject of great illustrators starting with Thomas Nast, and is probably now one of the most printed and most recited poems in the English language," said Kiffer. One of the most famous Christmas stories, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," will be represented in the sale with eight, first edition copies of the 1843 classic. Estimates for the books range from $3,000 (USD) to as much as $25,000 (USD). An original illustration from the first American edition of "A Christmas Carol" will hit the block for $20,000 - $30,000 (USD). Created by Arthur Rackham, the original ink and watercolor wash drawing depicts character Fezziwig ready to dance with his wife. Originally created for the Montgomery Ward department stores in 1939, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has become a classic children's icon. Expected to sell for $1,000 - $1,500 (USD), Sotheby's is offering a package detailing the beloved reindeer's first appearance as a give-away item from the department store. Another children's favorite, Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is available in a first edition, 1957 release. The book is expected to garner between $1,500 - $2,500 (USD). Kiffer said that the high price tag is due to the fact that children's books are rarely found in good condition. "Another thing about "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is that it was a children's book and children are very rough with books and so copies that survive tend not to be in very good condition. So the fact that this is a children's book in fine condition, as well as signed by the author, is what makes it particularly desirable," said Kiffer. The Christmas collection will be on public display in New York City until the auction day. Sotheby's expects the sale to bring in as much as $1 million dollars.

ITN Source | December 9, 2006

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