Documents · Unique item
Handwritten Letter, Carlos to Federico Lehder — Norman's Cay, 1979
Two-page letter in Spanish and German, written from Norman's Cay in the summer of 1979, sent to his brother Federico in Colombia.
Minimum asking price
€42,000
Higher offers accepted at the custodian’s discretion.
Documentary provenance from the Federico Lehder personal archive. Compare: a 1974 Escobar handwritten letter sold at private auction in 2019 for USD 38,000.
Reply within 48 hours from auctions@carloslehder.co
Certified by Daniel Z., Heidelberg Correspondent
Optional add-on
Family Certificate — seen at the family home
Every item is available with an additional signed certificate from a surviving Lehder family member, attesting that this piece of history was personally seen in a Lehder family home. Certificate is hand-signed on watermarked paper and issued in the buyer’s name.
+ €1,500
Added to the invoice at buyer’s request. Fully optional — the piece is authenticated independently by the custodian.
About this item
A two-page handwritten letter from Carlos Lehder to his brother Federico, written from Norman's Cay in July 1979 — two months before the September 1979 Bahamian police raid on the island.
The letter is bilingual: the first page in German (a nod to their father Wilhelm's language and to Carlos's own preferred written German for family correspondence), the second page in Colombian Spanish. Subjects: their mother Elena's health, the family coffee farm outside Armenia, and — obliquely — the fact that Carlos does not expect to see Colombia again for "some time".
The letter includes the reference to Escobar and I are water and oil three years before the phrase entered the public record.
The Norman's Cay letterhead is hand-drawn in the top-left corner. The signature is Carlos's private-family form — his first name only, followed by the hermano he used exclusively for Federico.
This item's proceeds fund at-risk children's art programmes in Colombia — half of the sale price is directed to the [Fundación Federico Lehder para las Artes Infantiles](/carlos-lehder), per Federico's written stipulation.
Specifications
- Format
- Two-page handwritten letter, blue ink, on Norman's Cay letterhead
- Language
- Page 1: German. Page 2: Colombian Spanish.
- Date
- July 1979
- Dimensions
- 21 × 29.7 cm (A4), both sheets
- Condition
- Excellent. Minor foxing at top-right of page 1.
- Envelope
- Original included, Bahamian postmark visible, addressed to Armenia, Quindío
Provenance
Federico Lehder personal archive. Transferred to the current custodian in 2023 under a written publication and sale authorisation signed by Federico Lehder six months before his death. Chain-of-custody documented; buyer receives full documentation package.
Custodian: Daniel Z.
Heidelberg Correspondent · Heidelberg, Germany
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Receiving wallet address issued on invoice after the offer is accepted. Dispatch begins once the transaction has three confirmations on the relevant chain.
Shipping & delivery
- Carrier: DHL Express Worldwide with full insurance to declared value.
- Buyer pays: freight, insurance and any import duties at the destination.
- Packaging: museum-grade archival wrap for paper & photographs; wooden crate + climate-stable padding for paintings; padded case for badges & small objects.
- Certificate of provenance: included with every shipment, signed by the custodian.
- Dispatch: within 5 working days of cleared payment. Tracking supplied same day.
Collection in person from Heidelberg is available for buyers who prefer to inspect and receive the item directly.
50% of the sale price is directed to at-risk children’s art programmes in Colombia, per the Federico Lehder archive stipulation. A receipt for the donation is provided to the buyer after each sale.