Carl Linnaeus letter sells for record price – most valuable Swedish letter ever auctioned

Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of science. Through his system for naming and classifying plants, he laid the foundations of modern botany, and his work continues to be used worldwide to this day.

The record-setting letter, sold on Monday evening, was written in Amsterdam during a pivotal period in Linnaeus’s scientific career. In the letter, he discusses, among other topics, his botanical publications, several plant species, and the development of the classification system that would make him internationally renowned. Following intense international bidding, the letter was sold at SEK 1,875,000, setting a new auction record for a Swedish letter sold in Sweden.

Strong international demand for Linnaeus manuscripts characterized the auction. In total, the eight lots of Linnaeus correspondence sold for more than SEK 6 million, contributing significantly to making this season’s edition of The Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts Sale the most valuable book auction ever held by Stockholms Auktionsverk.

“This remarkable result demonstrates the extraordinary appeal that Linnaeus continues to command nearly 250 years after his death. These letters offer a unique insight into how some of his groundbreaking ideas evolved through dialogue with fellow scholars across Europe. We are delighted and proud to see this record achieved, as it so clearly underscores the international significance of Sweden’s scientific heritage,” said Katharina Fahlstedt, Head Specialist for Books, Maps and Manuscripts at Stockholms Auktionsverk.

Among the other highlights of the auction was the richly illuminated 18th-century Arabic manuscript Dala’il al-Khayrat, which sold for SEK 1,175,000; the hand-coloured first edition of Svenska foglar (Swedish Birds) by the von Wright brothers, which realized SEK 312,500; and three letters by Albert Einstein, which together sold for nearly SEK 1 million.

The auction also provided a fitting finale to the story of the unique original manuscript of Frans G. Bengtsson’s classic Viking novel The Long Ships (Röde Orm)—a discovery featured earlier this year in the Botkyrka episode of Swedish Television’s Antiques Roadshow Sweden (Antikrundan). The manuscript achieved a strong result, selling for SEK 275,000.