DALLAS — The Americana & Political Signature® auctions on June 11 and 12 at Heritage may not have been as riotous as the Boston Tea Party, but the nearly $1.6 million in sales was enough to inspire some high spirits. At the bow was a bottle of tea leaves from that historical event, collected on December 17, 1773, from the beach of Dorchester Neck, Mass. Believed to be Bohea tea, one of the confirmed varieties destroyed during the sacking of incoming cargo by the Sons of Liberty, the sample has an impressive provenance, including the American Antiquarian Society and the Massachusetts Historical Society. The bottle passed into private hands in 1895 and sold for $87,500, more than eight times its estimate. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. A more extensive review of this auction to follow in a future issue.