DAY 1: Historical, Medical, Scientific, Rare Books & Native American, DAY 2: American, European, Modern & Jewelry
Wed, Feb 11, 2026 09:00AM EST
Live Auction
Lot 344
Whitney Arms Co. (1863-1888) Letter Copy Book
Estimate: $300 - $500
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $200 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
A letter copy book (used before carbon copy methods) kept by The Whitney Arms Company, New Haven Connecticut for the years 1869 -1872. Contains nearly 700 pages of letters sent to various customers, orders to vendors, some probate info., etc. "Jany. 7 '69 P.J. Mehan, Esquire...NY...We have 1000 new Springfield muskets good serviceable arms which we should be happy to sell you at the low rate of $5.00 ea. cash..." another "Gentlemen, We have 5 Navy Pistols with ivory stocks handsomely engraved at $16.00 each...Do you want them?". All contained in a ledger style book with an index at the front. 3/4 leather with green cloth covered boards. The spine is gilt stamped "Letter Book". This book contains a near complete picture of the company operations for about 4 years.
Whitney Arms Company began as The Whitneyville Armory founded by Eli Whitney, Sr. in 1798. It was the first major commercial arms maker in the US. After Whitney Sr's death, the company was run by his son, E.W. Jr. and reorganized in 1863 as The Whitney Arms Company. It was sold to Winchester Repeating Arms of New haven in 1888.
H 12 in. W 10 in.
Condition
The book is in very good condition, with only some minor losses. While not every page has been turned due to the fragility of the thin paper used to make these copies, we believe all pages are present, except for the bottom half of p 698 (torn away). The binding with wear, soiling, and scuffing. The spine bottom with 2" splits on front and rear hinges, but intact. Lacks front free end paper.
Shipping/Pickup
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