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Lot #179
Alan Turing

Immensely rare signature from the father of artificial intelligence

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Estimate: $12000+
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Description

Immensely rare signature from the father of artificial intelligence

Influential British mathematician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist (1912–1954) considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. Coveted fountain pen signature, “A. M. Turing, Dec 18th–21st." on an off-white 7.75 x 10 sheet removed from the guest register for Abbey Grange and Westcott House, a boarding house associated with the Sherborne School in Dorset; Turing attended the independent school beginning at the age of thirteen in 1926, before studying as an undergraduate at King's College. In fine condition. Turing first made his name as a code-breaker for Great Britain during World War II, where he devised methods for cracking German ciphers, including contributions toward defeating the Enigma machine; Winston Churchill said that Turing made the single biggest contribution to Allied victory in the war against Nazi Germany. In his work on artificial intelligence he developed the ‘Turing test,’ an attempt to define the standard by which a machine could be called ‘intelligent.’ Certainly included in the unofficial top three heroes of the world’s computer community, Turing frequently appears on Times’s list of the greatest names of the 20th century. Due to an early death at 42 and relative obscurity during life, his autograph is virtually unobtainable, this being just the second example we have offered. An exceedingly rare autograph of immense historical importance to our technology-driven existence. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autographs And Artifacts
  • Dates: #495 - Ended March 15, 2017





This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
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