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Ralph K. Bennett Estate Auction #2Presented by HIT Auctions LLC & Mark Ferry Auctioneers Inc. This is the second of three online auctions to settle the estate of Ralph Kinney Bennett, a distinguished American journalist whose career spanned more than three decades. Best known for his work with Reader’s Digest, Bennett conducted interviews with notable figures including Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bob Hope. He also contributed to publications such as The National Observer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New Haven Register, and maintained a lifelong passion for automobiles, history, and literature. This auction offers a diverse and well-curated selection of collectibles. Featured is a strong Coca-Cola advertising collection, including button signs in multiple sizes, as well as tin, cardboard, and blackboard advertising pieces, along with coolers, glassware, and soda-related memorabilia. A wide-ranging assortment of vintage toys includes pressed steel Tonka trucks, Marx toys, a Tippco 1938–1942 tin lithographed wind-up tank, a Wen-Mac Texaco Jet Fuel tanker truck, battery-operated vehicles, toy soldiers, and other collectible toys. A rare Cold War-era Fort Knox DVC-T17-102 Armor Vehicle Identification Kit is also included. Automotive-related items reflect Bennett’s personal interests and include 1940s Mopar parts, shop manuals, tools, and vintage license plates. A major highlight of this auction is the extensive personal library assembled by Bennett over many years. The collection spans a wide range of subjects, including automotive history, aviation, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Russia, military power, nuclear arms, politics, religion, humor, poetry, and presidential history. Notable literary highlights include an early printing of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway; a second printing of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell; and multiple vintage editions of Dracula by Bram Stoker, including examples with unverified early signatures. Additional highlights include a First Edition of The American Claimant by Mark Twain; ‘A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne featuring illustrations by Maxfield Parrish; ‘Knickerbocker’s History of New York’ by Washington Irving (1900 edition); and a signed 1923 edition of ‘Elbert Hubbard’s Scrap Book’ by Elbert Hubbard. Further offerings include 1880s Harper’s Magazine bound volumes, antique children’s books, a collection of works by Charles Dickens, the 1910 Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and a specialized NASA Apollo and lunar landing book collection. The depth and variety of this library reflect Bennett’s broad intellectual interests and offer something for collectors, historians, and casual readers alike. Additional items in the auction include baseball programs and vintage magazines such as Time and Life dating back to World War II, as well as original artwork including a hand-colored lithograph depicting the Signing of the Declaration of Independence and Reader’s Digest cover prints. Furniture and decorative pieces include Oriental wool rugs, an antique 30-drawer pharmacy cabinet, a Liberty & Co. London cabinet, a mahogany secretary desk with glass doors, a Chippendale-style camelback sofa, a Regency mahogany adjustable music stand, and other period furnishings. Also included is a Singer Featherweight 221-1 sewing machine. A third and final auction, to be announced, will feature designer clothing, shoes, and accessories.