In 1846 Upcott's rariora were sold by Sotheby at Evans's auction-rooms, 106, New Bond Street, and realised £4,125 17s. 6d., and that at a time when the science of autographs was in its infancy. In the "Dictionary of National Biography" reference is made to the large paper copy of the Upcott catalogue now in the British Museum as once belonging to Dawson Turner. Numerous purchases were made for the national collection, which now form the series known as additional MSS. 15841 to 15957. Amongst these 116 volumes are the papers of John Nicholas, the papers of Brown and Evelyn, Burton's diary, Curtius's letters, the Dayrolles correspondence, the letters addressed to Sir Christopher Hatton, Shenstone's poem, the "Snuff-Box," and many other items of extraordinary interest, including Prior's papers while in Paris, and the papers of the French Army in Italy.

The following are fair examples of the prices realised at this memorable sale of January 22-24, 1846:—

Lot 43.Dayrolles Correspondence.—1,368 Letters and Documents and Diplomas (A.L.S. fr. Harley, Boyle, Bothmer, St. John, Addison, Craggs, Stone, Holdernesse, George II., Newcastle, Chesterfield, Pelham, &c.)£11000
Lot 67.Autographs of Kings of France on Vellum.—Original Documents from Philip V., 1319, to Napoleon, 2 vols.£7100
Lot 140.Navy.—535 Letters and Documents from Papers of Adm. Norris w. Portraits (e.g., Blake, Monk, Pr. Rupert, Pepys, Byng, Rooke, Oxford, Lestock, Wager, Anson, Sandwich, Warren, Nelson, Keith, Cornwallis, Popham, S. Smith, St. Vincent, &c.)£1000
Lot 166.Sidney Correspondence.—66 Letters addressed to Sir Ph. Sidney and his family (e.g., Leycester, Danby, Thanet, Ormond, Sir J. Temple, Robert Sidney, father of Algernon, &c.)£576
Lot 199.Voltaire—MS. copy of La Pucelle d'Orleans w. marginal notes by V., 1755£230
Lot 211.Napoleon, as First Consul; Do. as Emperor from Wilna and from Moscow, 1812; Portion of Las Cases' Life of Napoleon corrected by N. at St. Helena; Marie Louise as Regent, and various papers£1600
Lot 228.Letter of Washington, 1790. Letters and signatures of Adams, Madison, Monroe, Jefferson, Von Buren, &c.£3100
Lot 421.383 Letters of literary men of XVI., XVII. and XVIIIth centuries, most addressed to John Evelyn, w. 62 Portraits (Addison, Attenbury, T. Browne, Boyle, Congreve, Marvel, Pope, Prynne, Newton, Flamstead, Pepys, Orrery, Waller, Vanbrugh, Sloane, &c.)£8000
Lot 422.752 Letters of literary men of XVIII. and XIXth Centuries, w. 181 Portraits (Boswell, Blair, Beattie, Gifford, Herschel, Horne, Hoole, Percy, Wilkes, Young, &c.)£3300
Lot 423.1,279 Letters of literary men XVIII. and XIXth centuries, w. 109 Portraits (Astle, Byron, Cary, Ducarel, Gibbon, T. Paine, Pownall, Scott, White, &c.)£4200
Lot 424.1,768 Letters of literary men XVIII. and XIXth centuries, w. 29 Portraits (Chalmers, Dibdin, Foscolo, Hazlitt, Lort, Malthus, Pinkerton, Steevens, Whalley, Dr. Parr, &c.)£1600

The examination of this truly marvellous catalogue not only shows the extent of Mr. Graves's loss, but that the increase of prices between 1827 and 1846 had been infinitesimal. The earliest indications of a noteworthy upward movement are discernible at the Donnadieu Sale of 1851, and still more markedly so at the dispersal of the collections of Mr. Young and Mr. Dillon in 1869. It was reserved for the present year of grace to see a Keats letter sell for £500, and one of Charlotte Brontë for £50. My friend Dr. Scott is quite in despair over the prices of February 28, 1910, and regards the figure at which the Brontë autograph sold as "positively wicked"!

One of the most industrious (but not always discriminating) collectors who followed was Sir Thomas Phillipps, of Cheltenham (1792-1872), who not unfrequently acquired the whole contents of a dealer's catalogue en bloc. Sales from the Bibliotheca Phillippica have taken place at intervals since 1892, and the store is not yet exhausted.[75] I am personally grateful to this voracious accumulator of autographic treasure, as I picked up at one of the sales seven volumes of eighteenth-century water-colour sketches of Dorset buildings and scenery for—five shillings!

In 1832 he wrote the following letter (now in my possession) to the late Sir Henry Ellis:—

February 16 1832

Dear Sir,—You expressed a wish that I would consent to part with my Library of MSS to the British Museum. It cannot be expected that I should make a gift of them after the enormous sum I have paid for them, but I am willing to cede them, if the nation will pay my debts, which I now owe. The number of MSS I consider to be above 8000 Vols, containing probably 20,000 articles.

Believe me to be yrs truly
Thos Phillipps

PS.—I must observe that the money thus paid, will not be lost to the nation, while the manuscripts will be gained.