In case the walls of your study need a little additional intellectual pedigree, consider the autograph auction October 11 at Swann Auction Galleries. You can score signed letters from the leading men of American history: George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and Ethan Allen.   

For people who didn't necessarily write with a quill pen, you can get a signed photograph of Hemingway, or a great shot of Marlon Brando in what looks like a pair of pajamas (above).  And if you're in the mood to feel like a rock god, you can bid on a panoramic shot of a crowd at a Tampa Bay concert signed by the members of Led Zeppelin (below).

--David Coggins