Jim Havel's Page

What kind of member are you? Industry professionals must use their real names and identify themselves as such. (You don't have to pick just one!)

Collector, Dealer

What do you collect, or want to start collecting?

History/Politics, Books/Literature

Tell us more about your collection, specific areas of interest, etc.:

50-year collector of political, literary, religious, and scientific autograph material. Maintain website of signature references and guide to political Americana, with approximately 2,000 items for sale at http://www.havelshouseofhistory.com

What is your level of expertise?

Professional

What is your favorite autograph in your collection?

Too many to choose--signed Russian-language first edition of "Cancer Ward" (Paris), inscribed photo to me from JFK (in person), Martin Luther King, Jr., Dalai Lama inscribed book, Inscribed (to me) 1st edition of "To Kill a Mocking Bird," etc.

Why do you collect?

Learning about history and various subjects through signficant personages, the excitement of discovery each time the mail arrives, the challenge of research, building worthwhile collections and preserving history. Beats getting bills in the mail!

You can ask anyone living or dead for their autograph. Who would it be?

Plato, Aristotle, Jesus, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Tolstoy