Documenting America at War, 1775-1970: Rare Historical Material from the Eric C. Caren Collection to be Offered June 30
“Old Soldiers Never Die Young Ones Do” Kent, Ohio, ca. 1968-70 | Estimate $150-250
This summer, Freeman’s is pleased to present How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X on June 30, 2026, featuring material spanning more than three centuries of American history. This single-owner auction represents one of the most extensive documentations of American history in private hands. Included within the sale is a focused selection of works examining the American experience of war from the Revolutionary era through the Vietnam War, with objects documenting conflict, patriotism, protest, and public memory across nearly two centuries.
This group includes books, manuscripts, photographs, broadsides, posters, and ephemera related to pivotal moments in American wartime history. Highlights explore the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the World Wars, and Vietnam-era activism, illustrating how Americans recorded and responded to periods of national conflict both on the battlefield and at home.“It is an honor not only to put together an auction from the over one million items in Mr. Caren’s collection, but also to be able to personally choose the material with him that illustrates American history shown through objects that were meant to be saved but few survived,” said Darren Winston, Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia.
The Freeman’s sale marks the tenth major auction of Mr. Caren’s extensive and carefully curated holdings. The previous nine sales have attracted international attention and strong institutional and private bidding.
A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: A 1777 Continental Army Recruitment Poster | Estimate $6,000 – 9,000
Auction Highlights:
A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: A 1777 Continental Army Recruitment Poster
Estimate: $6,000 – 9,000
Boston: Benjamin Edes, ca. January 28, 1777. A rare and early Continental Army recruitment poster, issued only months after the Declaration of Independence, seeking to entice men from Massachusetts to join the fight for independence. Printing the resolutions of the Continental Congress and the Massachusetts Legislature, this broadside lists the inducements offered to potential recruits, including a $20 bounty, 100 acres of land, and a new suit of clothing. It goes on to offer soldiers "disabled in the Service of the United States of America" a disability pension, as well as a further $20 if they enlist with a "good effective Fire-Arm, and also a Bayonet, or in Lieu thereof, a Sword, Hatchet or Tomahawk, a Cartridge Box and Knapsack". Finally, every recruit shall receive "a good Blanket," or a reimbursement of 18 shillings if they provide their own.
Old Soldiers Never Die Young Ones Do
Estimate: $150 – 250
Kent, Ohio, ca. 1968-70. Color screen-print. A bright example of this anti-Vietnam War poster, a very different sentiment from the recruitment poster above, printed almost 200 years later.
One of the Only Surviving Letters from Ernest Hemingway to His Third Wife, Journalist Martha Gellhorn
Estimate: $7,000 – 10,000
Very rare World War II-dated letter from Ernest Hemingway to his third wife and fellow war correspondent and writer, Martha Gellhorn, while a war correspondent for Collier's. He writes while attached to an advancing American military unit in Nazi- occupied France. Gellhorn famously destroyed most of her files and correspondence shortly before her death, including some to her from Hemingway. This letter is one of a very small number from him to her to survive in general, and it is possibly one of only two that remain in private hands.
The First Report of the Battle of Bunker Hill Printed in England
Estimate: $3,000 – 5,000
The London Gazette, July 22, 1775. Very rare issue, containing the first English appearance of Colonial Governor Thomas Gage's account of the Battle of Bunker Hill. He offers an inflated account of the conflict, emphasizing rebel losses while downplaying those of the British. Despite his attempts to control the narrative of the conflict, Gage was dismissed from his office three days after his report was received. This is the only known copy of this issue to ever be offered at auction.
How to Bid
How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X will be offered at auction on June 30 at 10 AM ET in our Philadelphia saleroom. Bidding will be available in person, over the phone, and via absentee or live online bidding.