World War II Enigma Machine Highlights Doyle's November 7 Auction in New York

Featuring a Fashion Archive of Jacqueline Kennedy as First Lady

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Oct 31, 2017, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A rare World War II era Enigma Machine will be auctioned in New York on Tuesday, November 7. Estimated at $80,000-120,000, the fully functioning Enigma 1 highlights the sale of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps at Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers.

Three-Rotor Service Enigma Machine (Engima 1), [Heismoth & Rinke]: 1940s. Source: Doyle New York

The Enigma Machine was used by the German Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe during the War to encode orders and instructions, using a complex system of rotors and patch cables. The German High Command believed the Enigma cipher to be totally secure; British cryptographers at Bletchley Park under Alan Turing were able to break it, giving Britain and its allies a huge military advantage that may have shortened the War by as much as two years.

Also featured in the auction is an important fashion archive of Jacqueline Kennedy and her favored designer, Oleg Cassini. It is estimated at $10,000-15,000. The archive spans 1960-1963 and comprises original dress designs, swatches, ephemera and notes from the First Lady. Portions of this fascinating archive were displayed in the landmark 2001 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years.

Certain to attract attention is an early letter from George Washington to his brother-in-law Burwell Bassett estimated at $15,000-20,000. It is dated August 9, 1759, just 8 months into the first year of Washington's marriage to Martha Custis. The letter regards the procurement of items for Mount Vernon mentions Mrs. Washington twice, as well as notable Virginians associated with Washington, including William Mercer, Henry Churchill and Colonel George William Fairfax.

British surveyor John Montressor's 1767 A Plan of the City of New-York was produced in secret for the purpose of mounting defenses of British strongholds as the Stamp Act Riots engulfed New York. This first edition is quite scarce and precedes the better known "Ratzer Plan" of the city by two years. It is estimated at $8,000-12,000.

The sale also offers a wide assortment of material ranging from early illuminated manuscripts to modern literary first editions.

The public is invited to the exhibition on view from Saturday, November 4 through Monday, November 6. Doyle is located at 175 East 87th Street in Manhattan.

The auction catalogue and a video demonstrating the Enigma Machine may be viewed at www.Doyle.com

SOURCE Doyle New York