Eric C. Caren began collecting baseball cards, stamps and coins when he was 5 years old. Today he owns over one million historical collectibles dating back to the 16th century. In 2001, the Newseum in D.C. acquired more than 30,000 historical newspapers from Caren’s archive to build the majority of its permanent collection.
Soon, Swann Auction Galleries will put Caren’s collection of iconic American posters on the selling block including Haskell Coffin’s 1918 “Joan of Arc Saved France.” The U.S. Treasury Department used the seminal poster to incite American women to buy war savings stamps during World War I. Over one billion dollars was raised by the sale of such stamps, which were bought primarily by women and children. Coffin, facing financial ruin, later committed suicide in St. Petersburg, Florida.
