Christopher Coover
Biography
Chris Coover, with some 35 years' experience in the field of rare books and manuscripts, has appraised, catalogued, and sold a wide range of autograph manuscripts, letters and documents, including historical, literary, musical, and scientific papers. He has served as trustee of the Manuscript Society since 1989 and from 1994-1996 as president, and has lectured on American historical documents and the writings of Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde.
A highlight of Mr. Coover's career was the sale of the Leonardo da Vinci Codex Hammer (1508-1510), containing observations on water, winds and cosmology, sold in November 1994 for a record $30.2 million, the highest price paid for any autograph manuscript. He also oversaw the dispersal of the legendary collection of the late Malcolm Forbes. Christie's six-part auction of the Forbes Collection of American Historical Documents (2002-2007) set records for at least 15 different presidents' letters and brought at total over $40 million, the highest for any American collection of books or manuscripts. In 2001, Mr. Coover had the honor of writing the catalogue for the sale of a great beat icon: the original 119-foot scroll typescript of Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957), which sold for a record $2.46 million.
Mr. Coover admits that although he is sometimes out of his depth, he is never bored, and enjoys the unique aspects of every item he handles.
Recent Appraisals
appraisal
1737 German Celestial & Terrestrial Atlas
VALUE: $10,000 - $15,000 AUCTION
appraisal
Abraham Lincoln-inscribed Speech & Funeral Invite
VALUE: $77,500
appraisal
1704 Bible
VALUE: $100 - $200 AUCTION
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