Deep Cuts is your monthly digest tracking the hottest and most high-value collectibles entering the market—from rare cultural artifacts to headline-grabbing sales. 

It’s a small scrap of manuscript with a huge price tag: a slip of paper containing a rare written declaration by George Washington is now up for sale at Raab Collection, priced at $10,000.

The snippet carries the phrase “Fathers of the Senate!” which is nowhere found in surviving Washington documents. The expression is borrowed from ancient Roman Senate—specifically the Latin patres conscripti, or “Conscript Fathers”—and quite possibly wasn’t the patrician tone Washington intended to set for a young republic. It is unknown why or how it was used in this case as the manuscript from which the fragment was cut is long lost.

The little excerpt was clipped in the early- to mid-19th century and sent to a private collector by Jared Sparks, a Washington biographer who was known to slice up the president’s papers to satisfy autograph hunters. Famously, Sparks cut up and dispersed the manuscript of Washington’s undelivered first address; recovered pieces of that document are today in institutional archives including the Massachusetts Historical Society or in private hands.

The George Washington fragment reading “Fathers of the Senate!” Photo courtesy of Raab Collection.

“This is a true mystery,” Nathan Raab of the Raab Collection said of the enigmatic artifact, “and an exciting reminder that there remains things yet to discover in our understanding of our nation’s first president.”

The sale coincides with the 250th anniversary of America’s independence—a milestone that has already seen Christie’s sell a draft of the United States Constitution for $7.3 million and Sotheby’s auction off a 1778 letter from Washington to the Marquis de Lafayette for more than $1 million. 

Also on the Market

– Rare Manuscripts: The 120-foot long scroll on which Jack Kerouac banged out the breathless Beat classic On the Road is headed to Christie’s, where it could rake in $2.5 million–$4 million on March 12. The artifact is coming from the collection of the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, whose trove of more than 400 pop cultural treasures is also up for grabs.

British quad poster for Horror of Dracula (1958) by Bill Wiggins. Photo courtesy of Propstore.

– Film Memorabilia: Some 900 vintage movie posters are expected to realize in excess of $1.2 million at a Propstore auction from March 6–8. There are some rarities to pick from, such as a one-sheeter for the 1942 masterpiece Casablanca (estimate: $15,000–$30,000) and a British quad poster by artist Bill Wiggins for the 1958 gothic landmark Horror of Dracula (estimate: $20,000–$40,000).

– Sports Memorabilia: Rarely do Olympic medals make it to the auction block; rarer still do those from the first-ever modern Games. But Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen is selling one such specimen on March 1: a silver winner’s medal from the 1896 event in Athens, engraved by Art Nouveau pioneer Jules-Clément Chaplain. It could net up to €40,000 ($47,170).

– Archival Fashion: As John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s tumultuous relationship gets a dramatic replay on Ryan Murphy’s new TV series, pieces from the latter’s iconic wardrobe have resurfaced on the market. Four items, including CBK’s favorite Prada coat (estimate: $20,000–$30,000), are on offer at the Fashion Auctioneer through March 3.

Bruno Peek (center) with the Jubilee Crystal Diamond at the Tower of London, 2012. Photo: Dominic Lipinski / PA Images via Getty Images.

– Royal Artifacts: Six pieces of royal regalia that Queen Elizabeth II used in historic ceremonies will be up for auction at Bonhams from March 3–23 to benefit Cancer Research U.K. Among them are the metal and glass torch she wielded during her 2002 Golden Jubilee and the glass “diamond” that marked her 2012 Diamond Jubilee, designed by the late queen’s long-serving pageant master Bruno Peek.

– Film Memorabilia: Screen legend Whoopi Goldberg is parting with a hoard of things amassed over a 40-year career to support her chosen charities. The March 10–11 sale at Julien’s Auctions will feature highlights like memorabilia from Sister Act 2 and The Color Purple, a Keith Haring drawing on a brown envelope (estimate: $6,000–$8,000), and a pair of candlesticks by Tiffany Studios (estimate: $15,000–$25,000).

Chanel Graffiti Backpack, from the collection of Sebastien Jondeau. Photo courtesy of Joopiter.

– Archival Fashion: Over at Joopiter, Karl Lagerfeld’s long-time assistant Sebastien Jondeau is selling his archive of material that defined his life and work with the late designer. There are artworks by Helmut Newton and Andy Warhol, and designer wares by Hedi Slimane and John Galliano. A Chanel Graffiti backpack (estimate: $15,000–$20,000) from the house’s still-highly coveted 2014 collection is up for grabs, too. The auction ends March 3.

– Fine Wine: When not busy reshaping 20th-century sculpture, the late Joel Shapiro assembled a formidable wine cellar, which is going to auction at Sotheby’s on March 6. Here, we’ll find vinos by producers in the Loire and Napa valleys alongside blue-chip Burgundys and Bordeaux dating to the 1990s. A 12-bottle case of a 1993 La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti anchors the sale with a high estimate of $42,000.

The Hot Lot

David Lynch, 2011. Photo: Mark Davis / Getty Images.

The Pokémon fandom may have driven a Pikachu Illustrator card to a record-setting $16.4 million at Goldin, but another obsessive community has also been busy with the bids. Earlier this month, the estate of David Lynch quietly put the final objects from his archive up for sale on eBay, following the $4.25 million auction of his personal collection at Julien’s Auctions last June. Among the sought-after offerings were the late auteur’s still cameras, production notes, and an asymmetrical sculpture that went for $7,200. 

One especially prized item came from Lynch’s Swatch collection: a 1990s Gent Lemon Time watch, scuffed from repeated wear, that fetched $5,800 after 75 bids. The filmmaker apparently owned several of the same wristwatch—he’s seen wearing one in the 2016 documentary The Art Life—donning it almost as part of a working uniform (another yellow Swatch he owned sold for $4,905). The current market value for the timepiece is $43.