Joe Bananas, Bill Clinton, And Charles Manson

Another fall auction of Americana occurs this week right in time to find that Christmas present for your history buff. This time our friends at Alexander Autographs Inc. have a provocative mix of documents and artifacts that detail misdeeds on the presidential and social stage. Consider Lots 908-909, which detail Bill and Hillary Clinton's legal payments worth nearly $4 million in the Whitewater, fundraising, and Lewinsky scandals. Or Lot 1872, a rare self-portrait of mass killer Charles Manson.

Our fave: Lot 1865, mobster Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno's National Republican Congressional Committee 1985 membership card. The auction occurs Wednesday and Thursday, and you can either go to Alexander's offices in Stamford, Conn., call or use its website at www.alexautographs.com

By Paul Bedard