Known as “The Autograph Lady-USA”, Benjamin owned Walter R. Benjamin Autographs. Started by her father in 1887 with wagon-loads of papers signed by presidents and well-known authors he rescued just as they were about to be destroyed, the company was one of the country’s leading dealers in autographs and manuscripts.
Benjamin’s 1946 book Autographs: A Key to Collecting * is still considered the standard guide in determining the authenticity of autographs. She died November 30 in New York at 93.