This complimentary e-digest, now published bi-monthly, covers significant acquisitions and sales, manuscripts lost and found, rare books and ephemera, document conservation, and more news in this digest.
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Founding Documents Share the Block
Artnet News, January 23, 2026
The agreement that launched Apple just logged $2.5 million at auction. In the same sale, a rare copy of the US Constitution brought nearly triple that. History rules.
Superman Soars Higher
Rolling Stone, January 9, 2026
Last fall the new record price for Superman No. 1 — or any comic book — was $9.12 million. Today it’s $15 million, for a copy of Action Comics No. 1. Why so much? Nicolas Cage.
Honus Wagner Scores
Boston.com, February 25, 2026
How many Honus Wagner T206 baseball cards are there? One more than collectors knew. A card passed down in a family for 117 years has surfaced. It was only graded PSA 1, but …
‘What Have We Done?’ Enola Gay Journal for Sale
Detroit News | Washington Post, February 26, 2026
From the copilot seat, Capt. Robert A. Lewis counted down the hours to the first atomic blast. His blow-by-blow record captures the impact. And it’s for sale.
Rothschild Mahzor Returns
Finestre sull’Arte, February 12, 2026
In 1842 the Rothschilds bought a lavish medieval prayer book. In 1938 the Nazis took it. The book vanished from public view until 2021. Now it’s back, at quite a price.
Yale Library returns Polish manuscript looted by Nazis.
Letter’s Sale (Re)Kindles Debate
Forward | JTA, February 19, 2026
A few years ago, amid tight finances, the Jewish Theological Seminary sold a letter from a famed 18th-century rabbi. When it reappeared at auction, the questions started. Again.
Archive Find Shows Galileo’s Hand
Science, February 26, 2026
It couldn’t be. But it was. The handwriting in the margins of an ancient Ptolemy text was … Galileo’s. What the discovery says about archival research. Also about Galileo.
Alcott Comes Home to Concord
Concord Bridge, February 26, 2026
The Concord Free Public Library has a trove of material on local icon Louisa May Alcott. And the trove has grown, with help from two collectors. How they came together.
• Visit the library during the Manuscript Society’s annual meeting.
NASA Library Shuts Down
Greenbelt News Review, February 18, 2026
Goddard Library is NASA’s largest research library. Or it was. Did its recent closure only fast-track a 20-year plan? If so, where are the hundreds of boxes reportedly trucked out?
Postmark: Denmark, RIP
Fox News, January 17, 2026
PostNord has delivered its last letter in Denmark, the end of a 400-year era. Package delivery continues, but no more letters. How Danes are coping — and who’s next.
