Who Buys Rare Baháʼí Historical Manuscripts? We Have Two Original Handwritten Travel Diaries from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s 1912 U.S. Visit

Hi Reddit, I’m hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

Our family owns two original, handwritten travel diaries by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh and the head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921.

As many of you know, these journals document his historic 1912 trip to the United States, during which he gave talks on racial unity, gender equality, and world peace—decades before these topics became mainstream.

The diaries are contemporaneous, written in Persian, with notes from various stops on his journey, including New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

They are incredible artifacts of both religious and cultural significance, not just to Baháʼís, but to scholars of early 20th-century interfaith dialogue and Middle Eastern-American history.

We’re trying to figure out: • Who collects or buys this kind of manuscript? • Would museums, universities, or Baháʼí institutions be interested? • Are there reputable rare manuscript dealers or auction houses who handle religious or historical items like this?

We’re not looking to make a hasty decision—just trying to understand the best path for preservation, valuation, and potentially sale to the right person or institution who would truly value their importance.

If you have any leads—whether you’re a collector, historian, or just someone who knows rare books—please reach out or comment. Open to DMs as well.

Thanks in advance.

P.S. As some of you may know, ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá was invited to travel on the Titanic, but declined and instead took a simpler ship. These journals predate that tragedy by just days. If he were on the ship we may never have the incredible influence of these manuscripts.