A few eBay offerings for your consideration and debate:
1. V.V.s Eyes- Owned & Initialed by Lizzie Borden, 1913. This is the same seller who has another supposed Lizzie-owned book for sale on eBay.
The appearance of this one makes me wonder about the provenance of the other. The initials on this one are very similar, almost exactly like, another discredited book’s marking that appeared on eBay in the past. What is right about this marking? It is slanted to the right and it is in pen, apparently. Other than that, please, please, please, make the seller prove where they got this book before you invest in a possible signature of Lizzie Borden. If it is from Lizzie’s estate there should be a bill of sale, I would think. Many of Lizzie’s books also contained a Maplecroft seal. If this really is Lizzie’s signature, the book should probably sell for $800 – $1500. A starting bid of $8.99 is suspicious.
Says the auction ad:
This book was owned by Lizzy Borden who was a New England spinster who was tried for the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in the late 19th century. Although she was acquitted, she has remained a notorious figure, and dispute over whether she was guilty continues to this day. It is a true first edition of “V.V.’s Eyes” by Henry Sydnor Harrison, 1913, Houghton Mifflin & Company, Boston. The book is inscribed: “L.A.B” on the flyleaf and is from the Borden estate of Maplecroft.
2. Shots in the Dark by Gail Buckland True Crime Pictures. This book has very clear Borden crime scene photos in it. Opening bid is only 99 cents and with an inexpensive shipping charge, how can you go wrong?
