Hake’s anti-slavery to civil rights auction highlights rare historic artifacts

By AI, Created 4:31 PM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – Hake’s online Anti-Slavery to Civil Rights Auction is open now and closes June 23, with 366 lots spanning early abolitionist material to civil rights-era memorabilia. The sale is anchored by rare pieces tied to Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Martin Luther King Jr., plus items from the Rex and Patti Stark collection.

Why it matters: - The auction brings together objects that document more than 150 years of Black history, abolitionism and civil rights in one sale. - Several lots are expected to draw intense bidding because they are rare, historically specific and tied to major figures and turning points. - The sale also highlights the collecting focus of Rex and Patti Stark, plus consignments gathered by Hake’s Americana Director Scott Mussell.

What happened: - Hake’s Anti-Slavery to Civil Rights Auction is online now and closes Tuesday, June 23. - The sale includes 366 premier lots. - The auction spans material from the 1780s through the Obama presidency. - Hake’s says the catalog is part of its June 2-July 1 auction schedule. - The online catalog is available at the fully illustrated catalog.

The details: - A circa-1872 canary-yellow broadside advertises a Maine Republican Party rally with Frederick Douglass and former Maine Gov. Israel Washburne as speakers. It measures 29 inches by 21 inches and carries a $10,000-$20,000 estimate. - A circa 1859-1860 stoneware jug reads, “Dec. 1st 12 O’clock P.M. Gov. Wise Sleeps With One Eye Open Expecting The Rescue Of John Brown.” The 11½-inch jug is also estimated at $10,000-$20,000. - A circa-1856 Copeland, Staffordshire Parian porcelain statuette of “Tiff” from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Dred was made by African American sculptor Eugene Warburg. The 12-inch sculpture carries a $10,000-$20,000 estimate. - A thin cardboard placard reading “I Am A Man” measures 13¾ inches by 21¼ inches and was used during the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. The placard is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. - The auction includes a glossy button showing Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington at their October 16, 1901 White House dinner, which was the first time an African American was invited to dine at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. - The Roosevelt-Washington button is estimated at $7,000-$10,000, and the paired poster is estimated at $2,000-$5,000. - Lot 59 is a circa-1820 Staffordshire anti-slavery statue, 6¼ inches tall, showing an enslaved man and his master on an octagonal base. It has a $5,000-$10,000 estimate. - Lot 60 is a circa-1830s Staffordshire emancipation statue, 6½ inches tall, showing a man emerging from slavery as broken whip and chains lie beneath him. It also carries a $5,000-$10,000 estimate. - A circa-1820s anti-slavery tortoiseshell and horn tea caddy includes a kneeling enslaved figure in chains under a verre eglomise domed glass cover. It is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. - A circa-1830 Wedgwood double-sided anti-slavery seal fob includes intaglios reading “Am I Not A Man And A Brother” and “Am I Not A Woman And A Sister.” It was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum’s 2022-2023 “Fictions of Emancipation: Carpeaux Recast” exhibition and carries a $2,000-$5,000 estimate. - Lots 50 through 57 include mostly anti-slavery medallions and wall plaques, plus one pincushion, dating from the 1810s to the 1830s. Estimates range from $1,000-$2,000. - Additional notable lots include a French circa-1820 porcelain nautilus shell inkwell, a French porcelain encrier with anti-slavery imagery, and a circa-1840 tri-color transferware pitcher attributed to Staffordshire.

Between the lines: - The strongest material in the sale leans on objects with direct links to abolitionist messaging, making the auction as much a history collection as a decorative arts sale. - Several pieces combine rarity with symbolism, which helps explain the aggressive estimates. - The “I Am A Man” placard and the Douglass broadside connect the sale’s earliest anti-slavery material to the modern civil rights era. - The auction’s mix of ceramics, paper, medals and memorabilia shows how anti-slavery imagery circulated across consumer goods as well as protest culture.

What’s next: - Bidding remains open online until June 23. - Hake’s offers a free printed catalog and more information by phone at +1 866-404-9800 or +1 717-434-1600, or by email at hakes@hakes.com. - Collectors can register and bid through the auction catalog online at the company’s announcement.

The bottom line: - Hake’s is pairing rare abolitionist artifacts with civil rights material in a sale that aims squarely at serious collectors of American history.