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Book signed by George Washington up for auction in Knoxville

The book was signed by the first U.S. president and given to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.

A rare book from the personal library of President George Washington will be up for auction this weekend at a Knoxville auction house.

The book was given to his early biographer and friend Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, and later inherited by a descendant living in Chattanooga, according to auction and appraisal firm Case Antiques.

The book is a leather-bound copy of Volume 1 of the Massachusetts Magazine. It is signed by Washington on the title page, and contains an account of Washington's inauguration and his memoirs.

A book signed by President George Washington and given to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall will be auctioned in Knoxville on Saturday, Jan. 27. Photo courtesy Case Antiques.

"The subject matter is contemporary to the time of Washington, so when you open up this book, there's information about George Washington's inauguration of 1789," John Case, president of Case Antiques, said.

The book was passed down through Marshall's family to Charles Boyd Coleman Jr., of Chattanooga, Case said. Coleman died in 2017.

The book is being offered for a preliminary catalog estimate of $28,000-$32,000 but Case expects it to sell for much higher.

The book is one of nearly 900 items included in the auction on Saturday, Jan. 27, beginning at 9 a.m.

The auction will be held at the Case Antiques gallery in the Cherokee Mills Building, 2240 Sutherland Avenue. Online, absentee and phone bids will be accepted.

A preview will be held at the gallery on Friday, Jan. 26, from noon to 6 p.m.

Other items in the auction include a letter written and signed by George Washington to John Marshall, and a copy of Marshall's biography of Washington that is signed by Marshall.

There will also be several documents signed by other presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and Andrew Jackson, according to Case Antiques.

The complete auction catalog with full descriptions, price estimates and photographs for the items in the order they will be sold can be found at www.caseantiques.com.

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