Constituting America – 2022 Christmas Auction
Auction Ends: Nov 17, 2022 10:00 PM EST

Collectibles

Handmade Pen From Grant Cottage Accompanied By The General's Famous Memoirs And Ornament

Item Number
177
Estimated Value
$300 USD
Sold
$150 USD to jm3919935
Number of Bids
1  -  Bid History

Item Description

Imagine owning a pen actually made from wood from the historic Grant Cottage where General Grant spent the last six weeks of his life writing his memoirs.

Generously donated by Constituting America's good friend, Bob DeMartino of History Salvaged, this collection of items related to the 18th President of the United States, General Ulysses S. Grant contains: 

  • A beautiful pen made of actual wood from the Grant Cottage on Mount McGregor in Moreau, New York, where General Grant spent the last six weeks of life finishing his memoirs, just before his death

But Wait - There's More: 

  • Bob has also included the Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: often cited as the greatest presidential memoirs in the history of our country! 

AND...

  • A beautiful Christmas ornament commemorating the Grant Cottage. 
  • See below for even more information about each of these fascinating items sure to please the history lover in your life! 

 

Thank you: 

Bob DeMartino
History Salvaged, LLC
PO Box “76”
West Creek, NJ 08092
848-992-6117 (cell)
www.HistorySalvaged.com

Item Details: 

 

1.Ulysses S. Grant - HSP Grant Cottage 24K Ballpoint

Description
Grant Cottage - Ulysses S. Grant - HSP Signature Gold Ballpoint

Handcrafted ballpoint featuring the only Authentic Witness Wood® ever removed from a property associated with our 18th President - Ulysses S. Grant. The Grant Cottage Witness Wood® used in the Ulysses S. Grant twist ballpoint is handcrafted and paired with premium quality 24K Gold Plated hardware.
History Salvaged is honored to be able to work with original construction Witness Wood® from the last home of General Grant and his family. The Grant Cottage is where General Grant wrote his acclaimed memoir and passed away just days after its completion on July 23, 1885.
Engraved: Grant Cottage
Made in the USA
Each pen is individually handcrafted and therefore may vary in look and feel
Grain and species vary in each pen 
Each Grant Cottage pen sale benefits The Friends of Grant Cottage
Final Home of 18th President – Ulysses S. Grant
National Historic Landmark - Grant Cottage
History Salvaged, LLC and The Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage have partnered to create a comprehensive line of handcrafted heirloom gifts and collectibles made from original Witness Wood®, literally history you can hold, sourced from maintenance, repair, and/or restoration of the U.S. Grant Cottage Historic Site, Mt. McGregor, NY, the final home of Ulysses S. Grant in 1885. 

The History Salvaged and Grant Cottage partnership - the last home of the Commanding General of the U.S. Army & 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant – was formed to create an exclusive collection of Grant Cottage heirlooms from Witness Wood® and other original materials removed during maintenance, repair, and preservation of Grant Cottage.

The Grant Cottage pens are functional pieces of history and art that along with our other heirlooms should be “Used, Collected and Gifted” as each along with the story they contain helps “Keep History Alive®”. 

Built-in 1872 as a hotel, the cottage was moved in 1882 to make way for the new 200 guests, state of the art, Hotel Balmoral that featured electricity. In 1885 the Grant Family’s stay at the Cottage was enhanced by amenities provided by Hotel Balmoral 

While at the Cottage, Grant wrote his memoir, welcomed guests including Mark Twain (his friend and publisher), and died on July 23, 1885, just days after completing one of the world’s most critically acclaimed memoirs and thus securing his family’s financial security.

Opened as a Historic Site in 1890 the Cottage remained, though a fire destroyed the Balmoral in 1897, and has survived multiple manifestations of the surrounding property that has included a sanatorium, NY State Prison, and more. 

In 1989 The Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage was formed to operate and maintain the last residence of this beloved American figure.

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All pens are handcrafted by Master Pen Craftsman and are made in America.

Each is individually handmade and each varies in look and feel both in grain and shape.

Each pen in the numbered Limited Edition arrives in a presentation box and includes a Certificate of Authenticity with custom tamper proof corresponding hologram, history, and provenance 

1.Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant - Elizabeth D. Samet
The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant is an autobiography by Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, focused mainly on his military career during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, and completed as he was dying of throat cancer in 1885. The two-volume set was published by Mark Twain shortly after Grant's death.

Twain created a unique marketing system designed to reach millions of veterans with a patriotic appeal just as Grant's death was being mourned. Ten thousand agents canvassed the North, following a script that Twain had devised; many were veterans who dressed in their old uniforms. They sold 350,000 two-volume sets at prices from $3.50 to $12, depending on the binding (roughly $110 to $360 in 2021). Each copy contained what looked like a handwritten note from Grant himself. In the end, Grant's widow, Julia, received about $450,000 ($13,571,670 in 2021), suggesting a gross royalty before expenses of about 30%.

The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant has been highly regarded by the general public, military historians and literary critics. Positive attention is often directed toward Grant's prose, which has been praised as shrewd, intelligent, and effective. He portrayed himself in the persona of the honorable Western hero, whose strength lies in his honesty and straightforwardness. He candidly depicts his battles against both the external Confederates and his internal Army foes.[

2.Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant - Elizabeth D. Samet

Elizabeth D. Samet has produced the most ambitious edition of Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs yet publishes.

One hundred and thirty-three years after its 1885 publication by Mark Twain, Elizabeth Samet has annotated this lavish edition of Grant’s landmark memoir and expands the Civil War backdrop against which this monumental American life is typically read. No previous edition combines such a sweep of historical and cultural contexts with the literary authority that Samet, an English professor obsessed with Grant for decades, brings to the table.

Whether exploring novels Grant read at West Point or presenting majestic images culled from archives, Samet curates a richly annotated, highly collectible edition that will fascinate Civil War buffs. The edition also breaks new ground in its attack on the “Lost Cause” revisionism that still distorts our national conversation about the legacy of the Civil War. Never has Grant’s transformation from tanner’s son to military leader been more insightfully and passionately explained than in this timely edition, appearing on the 150th anniversary of Grant’s 1868 presidential election.

 

3.Grant Cottage 4" Oval Color Witness Wood® Ornament

Authentic Grant Cottage Witness Wood® 4" Oval Ornament

This History Salvaged Grant Cottage 4" Oval Color Witness Wood® Ornament is produced from  Authentic Original Construction Grant Cottage Witness Wood®.

The Grant Cottage Ornament features Gran t Cottage color-painted on an authentic piece of original construction Witness Wood® from the last residence of our 16th President Ulysses S. Grant.

This limited availability (36 pieces) Ornament can proudly be displayed year-round by any Ulysses S. Grant or American History enthusiast.