Loss of Common Sense

by Anita Bartlett-Picarella, AAA, for Bartlett & Picarella
1/29/2006

Recently, the Thomas Paine Museum, located on North Avenue in New Rochelle, NY, has come under the scrutiny of the Attorney General’s Office and past Board Members for selling off a portion of its collection to a private dealer.  One of the most important documents sold was the only known extant “signed” copies of Bell’s first edition of Common Sense.  This news received a great deal of regional media attention as well as an article in the New York Times.  The greatest criticism was that the items were sold privately rather than being consigned for auction.

As an appraiser since 1978, I was referred to the Board president, Brian McCartin, to inventory, catalogue and appraise the remaining contents of the archive which are most impressive. As the appraisal company selected by the Chubb family to appraise Mrs. Chubb’s estate, which included a most impressive rare book collection, our firm formed a network of experts in this field to assist in the project

After conducting exhaustive market research, in our professional capacity, we have concluded that the monies received via this private sale vis-à-vis an auction venue, are on target, based on information gleaned from past comparables.  However, this is hypothetical since the outcome of an auction sale is unpredictable, at best.  A case in point was an Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript we consigned to Sotheby’s with an estimate of $15,000 - $20,000.  The lot went unsold.  During the ensuing year, we contacted more than 15 libraries and collectors to try and sell the manuscript privately without success.  Two years later, at our client’s request, we again offered the manuscript for auction, this time at Christie’s, with an estimate of $5000 - $8000.  The manuscript sold the second time around for $15,000.  How does one explain this?

When Mr. McCartin assumed stewardship of this museum, he inherited a “nightmare”.  Declining membership, an impressive but deteriorating building, and escalating costs, are but a few of the issues which with he had to cope.  The lack of funds, “working” board members and declined grants for restoration and conservation are others.  Monies were needed badly and immediately, not two years down the road.

With the funds received by the sale, Mr. McCartin has prioritized the most important entity being the guardianship of the collection.  A substantial amount of money is being spent for Collections Management.  The funds are also being used to repair water damage, a deteriorated roof, install a security system, obtain necessary insurances and prepare for a Spring re-opening.  The task is formidable given the amount of money available from the sale.

In addition to the rare books and manuscripts, the artifacts include Thomas Paine’s Traveling Writing Box, his Pair Cased Watch, locks of his hair, his wallet, his spectacles and the like.  These items are accompanied by documents attesting to their provenance from the William Van Der Weyde archive, also housed in this museum.  William Van Der Weyde and Thomas Edison were the museum’s first President and Vice President. 

Click here to read an article in the Journal News on this topic.

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