Handwritten Anne Frank poem offered in Dutch sale

A poem handwritten by Anne Frank in 1942 is selling at Bubb Kuyper in Haarlem, Netherlands on November 23.

The lot is from the collection of Dutch author Jacqueline van Maarsen, who was Anne Frank's best friend during their early years and half-Jewish.

Anne Frank poem
The poem dates to March 1942, five months before Anne's family went into hiding

Anne originally wrote it in a "poezie album" (poetry album) belonging to Christine van Maarsen, Jacqueline's older sister.

It opens "Best CriCri" and is followed by a short poem encouraging Christine to work hard and do her best.

Jacqueline explains: "My sister (nicknamed Cricri) tore this page out of her poezie album and gave it to me around 1970.

"I know that my sister was not as attached to this verse from Anne to her as I am to the verse Anne addressed to me, and that is the reason that I am now putting it up for sale (....)".

Anne and Jacqueline met soon after the Nazis invaded Amsterdam in 1940. All Jewish children were removed from their former schools and placed into a segregated system.

The pair spent time at each other's homes and formed a table tennis club they called The Little Dipper Minus Two (the constellation has seven stars but there were five girls in the club - hence "minus two").  

In 1942, Anne's family went into hiding while Jacqueline's managed to escape.

Jacqueline would not find out what happened to her friend until after the war. She was contacted by Anne's father, Otto, and was among the first people to read Anne's diary.

Thanks to her remarkable diary, people around the world feel a deep connection to Anne Frank.

Memorabilia associated with her is very rare and when pieces occasionally surface, they tend to achieve high prices.

A set of letters to pen-pals in the US made $165,000 in a 1988 sale.

The present lot is valued at $33,299-55,500, a sum it could well exceed.

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about autograph auctions.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock