MAIL BONDING: This 1788 letter from George Washington to a fellow general fetched $1.2 million at Christie’s yesterday. In it, the Father of His Country urged the ratification of the US Constitution. (
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A deep-pocketed history buff yesterday shelled out $1.2 million at auction for a rare letter penned by George Washington.
The anonymous telephone buyer won the piece in heated bidding at Christie’s on the Upper East Side, after an in-person bidder put down her paddle and opted out after the price topped $1.1 million.
Washington penned the letter to Gen. John Armstrong on April 25, 1788. Sent from Mount Vernon, the seven-page missive urged the adoption of the US Constitution and was written at the height of a national debate over ratification.
“It is one of the finest Washington letters we’ve ever handled,” senior rare-books-and-manuscript specialist Chris Coover told The Post after the sale.
At the time, Washington was “heavily invested in the success of the American Republic,” and was urging other states to sign.
Armstrong shared Washington’s belief “in the importance of the ratification,” Cooper said.
Bidding on the letter — which had been expected to bring as much as $2 million — opened at $500,000. With fees to the auction house, the buyer will pay $1,443,750 for the letter.
It last changed hands in 1968 for and undisclosed sum.
Christie’s has said it sold a similar letter in 2009 for $3.2 million.