Jack Kerouac's original typescript scroll for On the Road the 37 metre (121ft) long roll of paper on which he typed his defining Beat novel in a three-week burst will go under the hammer at Christie's in March, with a sale estimate of 1.8m to 2.9m ($2.5m to $4m). The scroll is one of the centrepieces of the Jim Irsay Collection, one of the most extensive private collections of music, literary, film and sports memorabilia ever assembled.
For some eminently wealthy individuals, amassing a first-class art collection is an ideal way to spend their money. And while some high-profile art collectors end up donating their collections to museums or other cultural institutions, others take a different approach, reselling their art after a certain amount of time. Which brings us to this week, when billionaire David I. Koch's collection of Western art hit the auction block at Christie's, setting a number of records in the process.
"Rembrandt's etchings were an enduring passion for the late Sam Josefowitz, whose collection of the Dutch master's graphic works remains unparalleled by any other 20th-century collector," the house said in a statement.
Christie's is set to auction off a rare 1932 draft of the Tube map created by Harry Beck, an Essex-born electrical draughtsman. It features hand-written annotations from Beck and Frederick Stingemore, who designed London Underground maps produced between 1926-1932. Beck created the map while unemployed, shortly after he was laid off by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London. While initially considered radical, his pioneering approach to the sprawling network set a benchmark for every Tube map officially circulated since.
Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- a disease that would later be known as Lou Gehrig's disease -- in 1939 and played only eight games that season before being forced to retire. His then-record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played would end, but he stayed with the Yankees and delivered lineup cards to umpires. The uniform sold at auction was photo-matched by MeiGray Authenticated to Oct. 5, 1939, the last time Gehrig wore a Yankees uniform at home.
