497: 1902-06 Joseph A. Hoffman U.S. Navy Sailors Archi Start Price USD 1,800.00 Current Price USD 1.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, December 04, 2008 End Time Thursday, December 04, 2008 Location 6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45232 See more about '497: 1902-06 Joseph A. Hoffman U.S. Navy Sailors Archi' Description click for larger image497: 1902-06 Joseph A. Hoffman U.S. Navy Sailor's Archi1902-06 Joseph A. Hoffman U.S. Navy Sailor's Archive, this archive includes an embroidered patriotic silk escutcheon with J.A. Hoffman's cabinet card portrait in Navy uniform holding a U.S. flag, in embroidered U.S. shield surround with inscription at top In Remembrance of My Cruise/In/China Japan/Philippine Islands., over spread-winged eagle clutching anchor that pierces the U.S. shield, surrounded by flags of various nations over oval portrait of ship in embroidered silk with inscription From 1902 To 1906/U.S.S. Cincinnati/E. Pluribus Unum in original gold leaf frame, 24" x 29". This is one of the finest of these escutcheons we have had the privilege to sell. The archive includes Hoffman's chip- and scratch-carved dovetailed Chinese elm ditty box with lift out shelf and compartment in lid. It has a three-masted frigate on lid with his name, star and anchors and U.S.N./1902 and one side has a chip-carved 5-pointed star, 14" x 19" x 9" high. The ditty box has a wonderful selection of photographs including the following cabinet cards: one of Joe Hoffman and Summers Scott, inscribed on reverse U.S.S. Cincinnati Summer & Scott Not to be Trusted with each standing in front of turret cannon with imprint of L. Yuk Sun, PLUS one with imprint of Made In Japan Photo/Graph with sailor on deck dressed in traditional Chinese garments, inscription on reverse reads For Joe A. Hoffman a shipmate of mine on U.S.S. Cincinnati Asiatic Fleet 1903 to 1905. The lot includes photographs: a cabinet card-sized image on slightly larger card stock with imprint of R. Yamamoto, Itchome Aioicho Yokohama, with 5 sailors dressed in traditional Japanese garments, inked inscription reads First on right sitting is J.A. Hoffman taken in 1903, mine on U.S.S. Cincinnati Asiatic Fleet 1903 to 1905, PLUS cabinet card-sized image on slightly larger card stock, portrait of generic ship with inked inscription on reverse reading For John Hoffman U.S.S. Cincinnati in Shanghai China 1904. J.A. Hoffman was on this ship from May 1902 to fall of 1905; two cabinet cards sized silver print on slightly large card stock of the U.S.S. Wisconsin ship's mascots, two small dogs, one with single dog standing on box with U.S.S. Wisconsin hat band, on hind legs and dressed in goggles with pipe in mouth, crossed U.S. and Naval flags in front and 2nd with both dogs; one on box with patriotic banner, crossed flags and cap and second on deck below, both completely adorable; card of sailor on deck with ship's mascot, a small dog dressed as King of the Sea Neptune, standing on hind legs on leather satchel with imprint of Lai Sin & Co., Wei-Hai-Wei, inscription on reverse reads Gaynor of U.S.S. Wisconsin 1906 This man loned $20.00 from me and it was never paid back; another portrait of the ship's mascot, again in crown, cap and with a pipe in mouth, seated on hind legs, while a second small dog looks on, both are on top of a sea chest with a phonograph, in imitation of Victor's "His Masters Voice" scene, with imprint of Yee Chan, Hong Kong with inked inscription on reverse reading Taken on the deck of U.S. Battle Ship Wisconsin, the ship J.A. Hoffman was on up to the time this photo was taken; an unmounted cabinet card image of this same small dog, seated on patriotic embroidery and U.S. flag, wearing crown with pipe in mouth. Other photos include a 3.7" x 4.7" silver print on larger card stock of group of sailors on deck with ink inscription reading taken on board U.S.T.S. Lancaster this was the sailing ship I made my training in U.S. Navy. In rear of fore mast starboard side 1902 with names of 4 of the sailors including Hoffman; a 3" x 4" silver gelatin print on larger card stock of 3 sailors with ink inscription Deck scene of the U.S.S. Cincinnati June 20/1903 at Colombo Ceylon India left to right J.A. Hoffman, Cincinnati, O., Gy Foote, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vincent, Jersey City, New Jersey, reverse with additional inked inscription Joe Vincent and Gy Foot ship mates U.S.N. on board the S.T.S. Lancaster; 1.75" x 2.5" oval on cabinet card stock portrait of Hoffman in Navy whites. This archive also includes a group of 12 cabinet card and slightly larger photographs mounted on cards of the Russian fleet that escaped the destruction by the Japanese fleet at Port Arthur in 1905, as well as some ships that did not escape. The archive includes Hoffman's 8vo diary/notebook with his notes on operation of various deck guns, indicating that Hoffman was a gunner or gunner's mate aboard the U.S.S. Cincinnati, watercolor drawings of signal flags, list of all the ports the U.S.S. Cincinnati stopped at during his cruise and a wonderful first-hand account entitled The Conflict of Feb. 7th/04 between the Russian cruisers Variag and Gunboat Koretz and a squadron of the Japanese fleet under the command of Rear Admiral S. Yrin. This 10pp manuscript account describes in detail the destruction of these two Russian warships in the Korean Harbor of Chemulpoon, Feb. 14, 1904, that was witnessed by a group of foreign warships from Britain, France, Germany, U.S. and others. This account includes the transcript of the letter sent to all foreign warships by the Japanese Rear Admiral, followed by a truly grueling account of death and destruction aboard the Cruiser follows and the sinking of the smaller gunboat. Included with diary are three 3.75" x 10.75" silver gelatin photographs on slightly larger card stock of these two unfortunate Imperial Russian warships after the naval battle. The diary also contains newspaper clippings and 26 copies of The Badger Bulletin printed aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin in 1906 on Hoffman's voyage home. At the end of his service Hoffman was transferred to the Wisconsin from the Cincinnati, which was remaining in the Pacific. The archive includes his winter uniform including wool tam-o-shanter with U.S.S. Wisconsin hat band, wool tunic with gunner's patch and two stripes, blue wool uniform pants, and sailor's handmade woven white belt. The archive also includes a framed group of artifacts including woven hat band from the Wisconsin, silver boatswain whistle with attached woven sailor's neck cord, hand-colored photograph of two U.S. warships, a sailor's knot, U.S.N. anchor pin, gutta-percha Navy button, and more, all in gold leaf frame, 19" square. Lot also includes two pieces of sailor's knot-work, a kerchief knot with silk lining and unknown piece of hemp cord, PLUS a cdv-sized tintype of Hoffman and three other crew members in uniform, other photographs including an outstanding large portrait of Hoffman's family done by a Japanese artist from a photograph Hoffman provided him in original tin tube. In addition, the archive includes two watercolor portraits of ships, one likely of the U.S.S. Cincinnati and the other of the Rosencrans, both ca 10.5" x 17". There are many other documents and photographs and an unopened pack of 1906 Chinese fire crackers, Anchor Brand, two canvas ditty bags with name stenciled on sides, brass stencil, burial flag presented to the family at Hoffman's military funeral and more.Condition ReportMost VG, with some wear.Auction House Cowan's Auctions, Inc.6270 Este AveCincinnati, OH United States 45232513-871-1670Additional Notes to eBay biddersNotes to eBay bidders: This item will be sold in a live auction. These notes address questions asked or problems encountered by online bidders. For our full terms & conditions, see the other box. Posted sale time: The sale times for live auctions only refer to the date of the sale: for example, if the sale end time is 7:00pm PST, it does not mean you have until then to bid; the item will sell whenever the lot comes up on the auction floor. Additional information about a lot: If you need additional information or photographs for a lot, please make your request as early as possible before the sale. Our auctions are held in several locations around Cincinnati, and items must be moved to the auction site several days before a sale. They may not be available to take additional photographs, measurements, etc. for several days. We receive dozens of requests for photos, and our sales often exceed a thousand lots. Please be patient. We will try to get you the information as soon as the items are unpacked, but that may be the day before the sale. We cannot take photos or answer questions 24 hours before a sale begins, even if the item comes up in a later session. Estimating shipping costs before the sale: We cannot estimate shipping on large items such as furniture. These must be shipped by freight or trucking companies and we cannot quote their rates for you. We will try to provide contact information for the companies, but you can also check with a local mover in your area. We can sometimes give you a "ball park" estimate for small items shipped to U.S. addresses, although final costs are also dependent on insurance costs, which are in turn dependent on sale price. International estimates are a bit more difficult. International bidders: We can ship smaller items to many countries around the world, but we have had problems with others. If you register from one of these "problem areas," we will try to notify you that we have had problems there, and bidding will be at your own risk. If we ship an item and it does not arrive, we will not refund your purchase amount. Cowan's will not insure any package shipped to any location other than within the continental United States or Canada. Some international shipping companies will provide insurance, however, most common carriers (UPS, Federal Express, USPS) will not make full restitution for damages or loss. For this reason Cowan's recommends that successful international buyers secure their own insurance. For Customs purposes, international buyers should be aware that Cowan's will NOT declare less than the full purchase price of any lot. We can mark the antiques as 100+ years old (if it is). Please do not ask us to break the law! Registration: Please register to bid well before the start of the sale. You must be approved before you can leave an absentee bid on eBay. We have a manual approval process, so it generally takes at least a day to finalize your registration. This means there is a human involved, it is not automated. Once the sale begins, we may not be able to approve your registration. The human also has to sleep, and cannot approve your registration in the middle of the night (EST). The computer platform also changes when the sale begins, and registration often slows significantly when we do try to register bidders. Bid Priority: If you leave an absentee bid on eBay, eBay will execute the bids in the order received. The earliest bid entered is executed first and will "block" any live bidders trying to bid during the sale until the maximum bid amount is reached. The eBay priority does not apply to floor bidders. What does happen on occasion is that a lot will sell to a floor bidder for the amount left by an eBay bidder. This is usually just the "luck of the draw." For example, you leave a bid of $300 for an item: the bidding opens at $225 and your online bid is recognized by the auctioneer; the floor advances to $250; your online bid is recognized at $275; the floor bids $300. The floor bidder takes the lot since eBay cannot advance to $325 on your behalf, and you cannot bid $300 because you would be bidding against your $275 bid. (Technically, you did not bid $300, even though you left that as the maximum; only $275 was bid on your behalf.) That is, just because you left a bid of, say, $300 two weeks before the sale does not mean you get the lot because your bid was earlier. You are bidding against other people in a live auction. This does not mean we "discriminate" against online bidders. Often online bidders get lots for less than their maximum bid, and typically 15 - 20% of our lots sell on eBay. In addition, eBay does not let us see the amount of an absentee bid. We know a bid has been left, but not how much, so we cannot be aware of your maximum. Nor can we "fix" the bidding so that eBay bidders do not win the lot (we sell too fast to do this, anyway). Besides, if a lot sells for, say, $200, why should we care whether it sells to someone on eBay or someone on the floor? $200 is $200. Invoices: We will send invoices for the entire sale within three days after the end of the entire auction. If you purchased an item early in the auction, you will need to wait until the entire sale is completed before we compile invoices. We are going back to snail mail since many email servers are blocking all business email addresses in an attempt to block spam. Please let us know if you do not receive one after a week or so. We can fax, email or re-send the invoice. It takes a few days to calculate shipping, and often bidders are successful on multiple lots. We combine these on the invoice and do our best to combine shipping charges, also, to save buyers a bit of shipping expense. (We may have to ship items separately because of size, shape or fragility, however.) Shipping: Please allow at least 14 to 21 days after payment for us to ship your lot. Feedback: We will make every attempt to leave feedback, but with a large sale we may have over a hundred successful eBay bidders and several hundred lots to leave feedback on. We may not be able to do it the day you pay for your lot, but we try to get to it within the allotted 90 days.Condition Reports and Photo RequestsCondition reports are a courtesy of the auction house and are answered in the order they are received. We will make every effort to respond within 24 - 48 hours of receipt. As such, it is suggested that all requests are submitted at least 48 hours prior to the sale to allow time for the house to respond and for bids to subsequently be entered. We, at Cowan's, make every effort to be fair and conscientious with our descriptions and condition reports; however, potential bidders must acknowledge that antique items often show normal signs of use and wear, which might not be specified in a condition report. Additionally, a lack of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition, or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. If you are a very particular client with expectations of perfection for the items you purchase, it is advisable that you inspect items in person.Online-Only SessionThe second session of this sale (Dec. 5) will be online only. It will still be a live auction with real time bidding on ebay. Any absentee bids left on ebay will be executed when the lot comes up for sale. Absentee bids will be executed competitively for this session, just as they are for other live auctions and lots will come up in lot number order, just as they do in other live auctions. Some bids will show on the bid history as "live auction floor bidder," but these are absentee bids left with us. Please call Cowan's if you have questions about how the online sale will work. Terms & ConditionsBy registering and bidding in an auction conducted by Cowan's Auctions, Inc. ("Cowan's"), bidders (whether present in person, by telephone, by agent, by written or telephone absentee bid instruction, or through a live internet connection) agree to be bound by these terms. These are the complete and only terms and conditions on which all property is offered for sale.1) REGISTRATIONAll bidders must register their name, permanent street address (no P.O. Boxes), and telephone number prior to the auction. Unless known to Cowan's, all registrants are required to present two forms of identification, at least one of which must include a current photograph. Bidders may be required to present a valid Visa or MasterCard.2) ACCEPTANCE OF TERMSBidding on any item, whether in person, by phone, by absentee bid or via a live internet auction indicates the bidder's agreement to be bound by these Terms and Conditions for Bidders. Any right of bidder under this agreement shall not be assignable and shall only be enforceable by the original buyer. The rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed by the laws of the state of Ohio. All bidders submit to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in Ohio.3) TERMS OF SALEAnnouncements made the day of auction take precedence over any previous communication. The auctioneer reserves the right to withdraw any lot at any time before its final sale and to reject any bid for any reason. The highest bidder for each lot acknowledged by the auctioneer shall be the "buyer". If any dispute arises as to any bidding, or between two or more bidders, at the sole discretion of the auctioneer, the successful bidder will be determined or the disputed lot shall be put up again at the last undisputed bid and resold.4) BUYER'S PREMIUMBuyers shall pay the final bid price (the "hammer price") of the lot, plus a buyer's premium for the lot equal to 20% of the hammer price up to and including $200,000, plus 15% of the amount by which the hammer price exceeds $200,000. Un-catalogued gallery auctions and purchases made though live online auctions may have different buyer's premium calculations.5) ESTIMATES AND RESERVESPresale estimates are intended to be guides and may or may not reflect the ultimate hammer price of a lot. Cowan's retains the right to change estimates on any lot up to time of sale. A reserve is a confidential minimum price agreed upon by the seller of the lot and Cowan's. In the case of reserved lots, the seller has authorized Cowan's to bid on seller's behalf until the reserve price is reached. In no case will the reserve be higher than the low presale estimate. Cowan's standard house reserve on all property at auction is one-half of the low estimate.6) WARRANTIES AND DISCLAIMERSCowan's makes a limited warranty only to the original buyer of record concerning the authenticity of each lot for a period of 14 days after bidder's receipt of merchandise. If a buyer is not satisfied that the lot purchased is genuine, the buyer may, at his or her own expense, obtain the opinion of two mutually agreed upon recognized experts in the field of the disputed lot. If these experts determine that the item is not genuine, the buyer's sole and exclusive remedy shall be the rescission of the sale and refund of the amount paid for the item. It is specifically understood and agreed that the rescission of the sale and refund is exclusive and in lieu of any other remedy which might otherwise be available as a matter of law or in equity, and such remedy is conditioned upon the buyer returning the property in the same condition as at the time of sale. Cowan's shall not be liable for any incidental or consequential damages. All sales are final, with no returns or refunds except as provided in this limited warranty.Except as provided in the immediately proceeding paragraph, EVERY LOT IS SOLD "AS IS", without any representations or warranties by Cowan's or the seller as to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, condition or value of the property, or the correctness or completeness of the catalog or other description of the property, and no statement, whether written or oral shall be deemed such a representation, warranty or assumption of liability. Cowan's makes no representation or warranty that the buyer of manuscript material, photographs, prints or works of art will acquire any copyright or reproduction rights. Cowan's does not guarantee the working order of any clock, watch, electronic or mechanical device. Dimensions given in our descriptions may be approximate.7) INSPECTIONExcept for On-Line Only Auctions, all lots are available for inspection prior to the auction. Condition reports for most items can be found online, and prospective bidders are encouraged to contact Cowan's directly for additional information regarding the condition of any lot. Cowan's does not warrant the condition of any item. Buyers interested in the condition of an item are encouraged to contact Cowan's and, to the best of our ability, we will document for the prospective bidder the condition status on any lot. Condition is always a subjective evaluation and final responsibility rests with the buyer to assess the condition of any item sold by Cowan's.Absentee and telephone bidding is offered as a free service to our customers and prospective bidders. Cowan's shall not be responsible for any errors or failures in executing bids, either absentee, telephone or via the internet.8) ABSENTEE BIDDINGAbsentee bids are accepted via mail, phone, fax, email, or on our website. Such bids will be posted with the time and date of arrival, with ties being awarded to the earliest bidder.All absentee bids must be made on Cowan's absentee bid form. An absentee bidder unknown to Cowan's may be required to submit a bank letter of credit prior to the auction, or, using a credit card, deposit with Cowan's a fee equaling 30% of the absentee bid.All absentee bids are executed competitively by a member of the auction staff. The auction staff will try to purchase the lot for the lowest price possible and will bid up to the amount designated by the absentee bidder only if necessary. Cowan's does not accept "buy bids," or absentee bids which have no limit. In the event of a tie bid between a floor and absentee bidders, the floor bid will be honored.All absentee bids must be received no later than 6:00 p.m. eastern standard time, the day before the start of each auction session.9) TELEPHONE BIDDING / (Not Available for On-Line Only Auctions)Bidding live via the telephone is available on a first come, first served basis for those lots with a low estimate of $500 or greater. In order for Cowan's to efficiently serve the needs of those who wish to bid by phone, please note the following:To participate in the auction by telephone, potential bidders must complete the absentee bid form and check "I WISH TO BID BY TELEPHONE" for the designed lots.Telephone bidders are advised to indicate an "insurance bid," which amount will become an absentee bid, pursuant to the absentee bidding process set forth above, if Cowan's can not reach the bidder by telephone for a particular indicated lot.Telephone bidders must disable any caller ID or other call blocking mechanism.Cowan's sells about 100 lots per hour, so telephone bidders should plan accordingly. Cowan's will attempt to reach each telephone bidder, but Cowan's is in no way responsible for missed calls.All reservations for telephone lines must be received no later than 6:00 p.m. eastern standard time, the day before the start of each auction session.10) INTERNET BIDDINGInternet bidding via ebayliveauctions.com may be available for certain auctions. There may be terms which apply to internet bids that should be reviewed on line at the time of sale. Cowan's is not responsible for any failure to execute a bid due to interruption of internet line service which is beyond our control.11) BIDDING INCREMENTSThe following increments are used at the auction. Absentee bids must fall within these increments. Cowan's will automatically reduce any absentee bid to the closest increment if the bid falls outside the published range of increments.For Bids falling Between Bidding Increment$0-100 $10$101-500 $25$501-1000 $50$1001-3000 $100$3001-5000 $250$5001-10000 $500$10001-50000 $1000$51000-10000000 $5000 or at the discretion of the auctioneerCowan's reserves the right to modify increments at any time during the auctionAFTER THE AUCTION12) BUYER'S RESPONSIBILITYUpon the fall of the hammer, title to the offered lot shall pass to the buyer and the buyer immediately assumes full risk and responsibility for the lot, including liability for loss or damage.13) PURCHASE PRICE AND PAYMENTThe purchase price for each lot shall equal the hammer price, buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, all packing, handling, insurance and shipping costs. Payment may be made with cash (In House Only), personal or traveler's check, Visa or MasterCard.Buyers who are present at the auction must pay the full purchase price at the time of the sale. Buyers who bid by telephone or who are absentee bidders will be invoiced within 5 days after the close of the auction and must pay the full purchase price for each purchased lot within 14 days after the date of the auction. By signing the absentee bid form or placing an absentee bid by telephone, an absentee bidder authorizes Cowan's to charge the purchase price (hammer price, plus buyer's premium) for each lot for which such bidder is the successful bidder to the credit card number provided by telephone or on the absentee bid form, unless payment in full or alternative payment instruction is received within 14 days after the date of the auction. No property will be released by Cowan's unless the purchase price has been paid in full.Institutional billing may be available, and should be arranged prior to the auction.14) SALES TAXBuyers are required to pay any applicable state and local sales tax.15) SHIPPINGAt the request of the buyer, Cowan's will ship purchased items at the buyer's risk. Cowan's generally ships within two weeks after payment has been received. Shipment is generally made via UPS, but unless buyer requests a specific method of shipping, the shipping method shall be in the sole discretion of Cowan's. At Cowan's discretion, purchases may be packed and shipped by a packaging store or by Cowan's Auctions. We are happy to provide names of shippers at the request of the buyer. Cowan's is in no way responsible for the acts or omissions of independent handlers, packers or shippers of purchased items or for any loss, damage or delay from the packing or shipping of any property.16) SHIPPING CHARGESBuyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial.17) REMOVAL AND STORAGE OF PROPERTYIf purchased property has not been removed, or Cowan's has not received shipping instructions within 21 days after the auction date, a $10 per item per day storage fee may be charged to the buyer.18) CANCELLATION OF SALEIf purchased property remains in the custody of Cowan's for a period of 60 days following the auction, Cowan's may, at its option, cancel the sale, retaining as liquidated damages any payments made by the buyer, or resell the property at auction or by any other commercially reasonable means, and in such event, buyer shall be liable for the payment of all of Cowan's costs, including but not limited to storage and costs of sale.Buyer's PremiumUSD 0 - USD 200000  20 %USD 200001 +   15 %ShippingBuyer Pays Shipping Cost. PaymentWe do have a PayPal account. We can also take checks, money orders, MC and Visa.TaxesLocal Taxes Apply. If you are an Ohio resident, please advise if you have a resale license.ContractYour bid is a contract.Place a bid only if you're serious about buying the item. If you are the successful and winning bidder, you have entered into a legally binding contract to purchase the property bid on from the seller. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding.RegistrationBidders are required to:a) Sign up for this auction& b) Complete bidding approval formApproval is at the discretion of the Auction House.HelpHelp with biddingImages Online Auction services by LiveAuctioneers Place a Bid!