Original print of 'Star-Spangled Banner' from York could fetch $200K to $300K
A simple spelling error was all it took for Chris Coover to realize the sheet music in front of him was authentic.
The 196-year-old copy of "The Star-Spangled Banner," originally purchased for $50, is now worth about $200,000. And the York-area couple who bought it are giving it to the highest bidder Friday.
The couple, antique dealers, bought the two-page sheet music from a small auction house in 1989 for $50. They asked Christie's auction house to keep their identity anonymous.
Coover, a senior specialist for Christie's, has been selling American letters, documents and printed books for the past 30 years. He recognized the sheet music as a first-edition print as soon as he saw the spelling error at the top of the first page.
"These are complicated things to identify and authenticate," he said. "There's a wonderful typographical error on it. That's one of the hallmarks you can confirm that it's a first edition."
An error: The title of the song is misspelled on first-edition prints. The document states, "The Star Spangled Banner. A Pariotic Song," instead of "patriotic."
Experts believe Thomas Carr, the music publisher, was in such a rush to print the song he made two mistakes - leaving the writer's name off the music and misspelling the title. The misspelling was caught after Nov. 18, 1814, and the copperplate to print the music was re-engraved to read, "The Star Spangled Banner. A Celebrated Patriotic Song."
Poet Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the British Royal Navy ships bombard Fort McHenry in the Chesapeake Bay during a battle in the War of 1812. It was printed and sold at Carr's Music Store in Baltimore in 1814. The song became the national anthem in 1931.
One of 11: "Several hundred (copies) were published but lost or destroyed over the years," Coover said. "This is only one of the 11 that survived."
The 10 other copies are owned by public institutions, including the New York Public Library, the White House and the Maryland Historical Society.
The last sale of an original "Star-Spangled Banner" was in 1967 and it went for $23,000, which Coover said was significant for its time. He expects this copy to sell for between $200,000 to $300,000.
"I can vouch for its extreme rarity," Coover said. "I tried to figure out the fairest estimate. The one we're offering Friday should do as well - or better."
Coover said he can't compare this document to others he has sold, but he has made other remarkable sales for various literary works. In 1994, he was responsible for selling Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Hammer, a collection of scientific writings, to Bill Gates for $30.2 million.
The sheet music is part of the Barnitz Album, along with 48 other pieces of popular sheet music of the era up for sale, according to the Christie's website.
The name of York native Mary Barnitz, original owner of the music, is affixed to the top corner of "A Gale of Love," one of the songs bound with "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Her ownership links the collection to the Barnitz and Spangler families, two early prominent families from York County, the site says.
After 21 years with the sheet music, Coover said the current owners are looking forward to the auction Friday.
"I think they're excited, but it's bittersweet," he said. "They enjoyed owning and protecting it. We're confident it will find a good home."
Place your bid
The last private copy of "The Star-Spangled Banner" will be auctioned Friday in New York City. You can place your bid online at Christies.com - lot 85, sale 2361.
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