Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 43

Manuscript and Collectibles Auction

Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 343		Bartlett, Josiah (1729-1795) Signer of the Declaration of Independence for New Hampshire; Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature and Governor of New Hampshire. AD signed in the text, 2¾" x 5½", n.p., 1765 June 11. A receipt written in Bartlett's hand for money due from the estate of the widow Miriam Bean, for which David Weed signs in receipt. Fine. Estimated Value $400 - 600. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $504
Lot 344		Floyd, William (1734-1821) American Revolutionary War leader; Signer of the Declaration of Independence from New York. He was a member of the First Continental Congress (1774 - 1776) and the first U.S. Congress (1780-1791). ADS ("W:m Floyd"), 1p, 6¾" x 8", n.p. [New York], 1781 May 31. A promissory note in Floyd's hand: "For value Recd I do promise to pay or Cause to be paid unto Mr. Jonathan Nicoll Havens of Shelter Island the sum of Three hundred pound New York currency in Specie at the End of one Year from this Date with Interest of Seven percent per annum fromthe twenty third of May Instant untill paid, as witness my hand. W:m Floyd." Witnessed by John Grenell. Notes on the verso record the payment of the note. Fine; light age toning and minor show-through from notes on verso. William Floyd is among the rare group of Signers. A desirable document. Estimated Value $2,000 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $2,990
Lot 345		Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) American statesman, philosopher, author, inventor, printer, and scientist; signer of the Declaration of Independence. DS ("B Franklin") as Commissioner to France, 2pp, 12½" x 8", Passy, France, 1872 August 7. Franklin vouches for the fact that a naval commission as Captain in the U.S. Navy was issued to Gustavus Conyngham (c. 1744-1819), the famous "Dunkirk Pirate." The commission had been seized by the French in 1777 when his ship, the Surprise, his crew, and his prizes were seized while in the French port of Dunkirk. Franklin boldly signs his name to the document, which reads: "I do hereby certify whom it may concern, that the Commissioners of the United States of America at the Court of France, did issue on the first Day of March One Thousand Seven hundred & Seventy Seven, to Captain Gustavus Conyngham a Commission of Congress appointing him a Captain in the Navy of the said States and to command a Vessel then fitting out at Dunkerque on their Account to cruise against their Enemies, in which Vessel he took the English Packet Boat going from Harwich to Holland. But their [sic] being no War at that Time between France & England, and the Clandestine Equipment of an armed Vessel in a French Port to cruise against the English being therefore an unjustifiable Proceeding, he was apprehended by Order of the French Government and his Papers seized, among which was the said Commission, which was never restored, and cannot now be found. It is therefore at the Request of the said Capt. Conyngham, and to ascertain the Fact that such a Commission was issued to him, I give this Certificate at Passy, this 7th Day of August, 1782. B. Franklin Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the Court of France." Irish-born American naval officer Gustavus Conyngham was in command of a small ship called the Charming Peggy from September 1775, when he sailed for Ireland with a cargo of flax seed, intending to return to the U.S. with military supplies. He purchased the supplies in Holland, as planned, but the British consul in Ostend was informed of the military cargo, and prevailed upon the Dutch government to prevent the sailing of Conyngham's ship. The stranded Conyngham escaped to Dunkirk. The American commissioners at the Court of France appointed Conyngham Captain in the U.S. Navy, filling out one of the blank "commissions for fitting out privateers in France" signed by the President of Congress and dated March 1, 1777, and gave him command of the lugger Surprise, partly owned by Congress and partly by William Hodge, a Philadephia merchant in France. The ship was fitted out with ten guns and went to sea about May 1, returning almost immediately to Dunkirk with two prizes, one of them an English mail packet from Harwich. The British expressed their outrage to the French (the Treaty of Utrecht, concluded between France and England in 1713, expressly closed the ports of either power to the enemies of the other), and the French had no choice but to order the arrest of Conyngham and his crew, taking his papers from him and seizing the ship. The American commissioners obtained Conyngham's release and he was appointed Captain in the Continental Navy under a new commission (dated May 2, 1777) and given command of the 14-gun cutter Revenge. Conyngham wreaked havoc with the Revenge, taking 60 prizes in just 18 months and creating panic in Engand. Insurance rates went up--boats running between Dover and Calais had to pay ten per cent--and travelers were afraid to go to sea. Prints were issued in London and Paris, referring to him as the "Dunkirk Pirate" and caricaturing him as a ferocious pirate with a belt full of pistols and a sword in his right hand. Within 18 months, he had taken 60 prizes, his cruises (often from Spanish ports) taking him as far away as the Azores and the Canary Islands. On February 21, 1779, he returned to Philadelphia and his ship was fitted out as a privateer. Setting sail again, he was captured by the British naval vessel Galatea on April 27, 1779, off New York. He was sent to Mill Prison, Plymouth, England in irons, from which he escaped on his third try (November 3, 1779), and he embarked from Holland on John Paul Jones' flagship, the Experiment. The vessel was taken by the British on March 17, 1780 and Conyngham found himself in Mill Prison for another year; he was exchanged shorly before news of peace arrived. After the war, Conyngham returned to the merchant service. He tried to re-enter the Navy but failed. He also failed to get compensation for his services during the war; however, Benjamin Franklin, who, when Conyngham was captured, had said, "He has done so much harm to the enemy that he can expect no mercy at their hands," intervened on his behalf and Conyngham's March 1, 1777 naval commission as Captain in the Navy was restored on August 7, 1782 by means of the letter offered here. The letter is written on laid, watermarked paper. Ironically, the watermark on one page shows a robed Britannia seated beside a rampant lion within the enclosure of a picket fence; Britannia supports a spear holding a hat; to the left of the spear is "Pro Patria"; on the other page is "GR" below a crown. Fine, with a magnificent, large and bold signature of Franklin and the red wax seal intact at the left. There are a few small edge splits at folds and mounting remnants down one edge of the verso of the integral blank leaf. The letter is housed in a handsome blue slipcase with red leather labels printed in gold. A significant and utterly fantastic document showing the American government helping a privateer who was of immense aid to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. Estimated Value $35,000 - 50,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $40,250
Lot 346		(Franklin, Benjamin) - Engraving Without Spectacles. "Published Sept. 23rd 1785 by J. Fielding, Pater Noster Row." A portrait of Franklin facing front without spectacles, wearing an open collar shirt and fur-trimmed jacket. The image measures 5 13/16 x 3 5/8" on a full untrimmed 8¼ x 5" sheet. An atypical image of the statesman and scientist. Very good. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $150
Lot 347		(Franklin, Benjamin) - Life-time Portrait. Engraving by Desrayes and le Beau, Paris, titled "Benjamin Franklin, Né à Boston dans la Nouvelle Angleterre, le 17 Janvier 1706," published before Franklin's death in 1790. The image measues 6½ x 4 3/8" on a full untrimmed 10½ x 7 3/8" hand-laid sheet. Fine. Estimated Value $250 - 300. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 348		Hall, Lyman (1724-1890) American Revolutionary leader, member of the Continental Congress, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Governor of Georgia. Extremely rare ALS ("L. Hall"), as Governor of Georgia, 1p, 13½" x 8¼", Georgia, 1786 April 7. Addressed on the verso, in Hall's hand, to To Capt. Elmer Street in Wallingford [Connecticut]; the letter was hand delivered by Capt. Atwater. Hall writes to Capt. Street about his agricultural crop: "D[ea]r Sir, Reccd. the peach stones, grafts & beans safe--the grafts dead, the peach stones so…hard, I suspect they will not come up--none as yet. I think the only way will be to plant them there as the peach is Eat, plant the Stone in a little Box of Earth, standing in the Garden, & in the fall or Winter Transport that Box. We thank you for your trouble. The Butter-nuts had like to have forgot, we have planted a Number of them--hope they may come up. Respect.g the Rice Crop, I can now give you pretty Exact Information, with what we have Reserved for seed & what we have beat out, the whole last years Crop, amounts to two Hundred Barrells…& still as much push.d for Money as ever--& for Years shall be if I live unless I can sell my plantat.n to the southw.d. Debt I hate, but blessed be God we have plenty of food & Rayment with which I am content. I have but a poor Opinion of this World. We are brave in Health, Except the Smallpox, wh.h has made an Attack upon. Wish all Health to you & Sara & all the Family. I have not by this Opp.y Time to write another Letter. Give my Love to all in which Mrs. Hall & son Join. Yr. dr. L. Hall." Fine. Written on laid paper, watermarked with a seated Britannia inside a double circle with a crown bearing a Maltese cross above; Britannia has a shield at her feet, a trident in one hand and a torch (?) in the other. The seal tear has been closed, affecting nothing. Hall is one of a small group of Signers whose letters and/or documents rarely come on the market. Only Button Gwinnett and Thomas Lynch, Jr. are rarer. Estimated Value $10,000 - 15,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $10,350
Lot 349		Hancock, John (1737-1793) First president of the Continental Congress (1775-1777), first Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Massachusetts (1780-1785; 1787-1793). AL as Governor of Massachusetts, 1p, 8½" x 7¾", Boston, 1783 May 7. This is Hancock's retained copy of his letter to fellow Signer Robert Morris, "Superintendant of Finance," regarding Colonel Richard Gridley. Fine; light creasing; some archival fold repairs on verso. In full: "Sir Your fav.r of March 18 I have had the Honor of Receiving relative to Colonel Gridley. The Inclosures will inform you of the Agreement made with Colonel Gridley at an early Period of the Contest, and of all the Transactions upon that Subject, I cannot find that any other Advances Grants or Payments have been made to him than are mention'd in the Inclos'd paper, the General Court having Refer'd the Matter to Congress. The Sacrifice Coll. Gridley made in the Loss of his half pay by entering the Service of the United States merits the Attention of the Publick, and I am persuaded you will do all in your power that the Old Gentleman may Receive an Adequate Compensation. As soon as our General Court meets I shall lay your other Letters before them and will Transmit their Resolutions to you…." Colonel Richard Gridley (1710-1796) was a veteran of the French and Indian War. He was commissioned chief engineer and colonel of artillery at the outbreak of the Revolution. He supervised the construction of earthworks on Breed's Hill and was wounded in the battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June. He was appointed Chief Engineer of the Continental Army after Washington took command in July 1775. Gridley retired in 1781 at the age of 70 and, as evidenced by this letter, was still owed money from his Revolutionary War service. The present-day United States Army Corps of Engineers considers Gridley to be its founding father. Robert Morris (1734-1806) was known as the Financier of the American Revolution. He signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Ironically, because of financial losses suffered from land speculation, he was sent to debtor's prison in later life. Estimated Value $6,000 - 8,000. The Hancock-Chase Collection, formerly housed at the National Museum of American History. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 350		Hancock, John. AL as Governor of Massachusetts, 1p, 13" x 7¾", Boston, 1782 April 23. Hancock's retained copy to Isaac Sherman, commissary officer of the garrison at Dartmouth. Very good; overall toning; archivally reinforced with japan paper on verso; two lines of text at horizontal folds have tiny areas of paper loss, but still legible. Boldly penned. In this letter, an incensed Hancock fires Sherman for insubordination, after Sherman defied the state constitution and appealed directly to the General Court for funding. In full: "By a Resolve of the General Court which has been laid before me in consequence of a Petition from you as Commissary, I find you have been in Boston & have undertaken to lay a State of the Fort & Garrison at Dartmouth, its Defects & the necessaries wanting, before the Court, & Applied for their Aid; had you have been an officer appointed by the Court, & Amenable to them, there might have been some propriety in the mode of your Application, but as in the present instance you have gone directly counter to the Constitution, which very explicitly points out the Line of your Duty, & as you have thrown such an open Contempt upon me as Commander in Chief, to whom only you were Amenable, I am now to inform you that it is my positive order that you immediately on Receipt of this deliver to Lieut. William Gordon what Public Stores & Provisions belonging to this Common Wealth you may have in your hands, and Exhibit the whole of your Accounts in order to a Settlement; I have appointed Mr. Gordon Commissary to the Troops that may be station'd at Dartmouth, by order of the Governor of this Common Wealth, whom I shall Depend will strictly conform to the Constitution & Regulate his Conduct thereby." Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,500. The Hancock-Chase Collection, formerly housed at the National Museum of American History. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 351		Hancock, John. ALS ("JH") as Governor of Massachusetts, 1p, 9¾" x 7¾", Council Chamber, Boston, 1783 Feb. 10. Hancock's retained copy, addressed to "Gentlemen of The Senate, & Gentlemen of the House of Representatives," requesting reimbursement of expenditures for billeting the French army. In full: "The several Resolves of the General Court, authorizing the Gentlemen Selectmen of the Town of Boston, to prepare Accomodations suitable to the Rank of the Officers of the French Army upon their Arrival in Boston, have with great attention & punctuality been attended to by the Selectmen. I have the Satisfaction to inform you that the General of that army the Count De Viomenil assur'd me, that he with the other General & Subordinate officers were accommodated in a manner very agreeable, & that he with the other officers were perfectly Satisfied, & had a grateful Sense of the ready & polite attention that was paid them. In Consequence of this Transaction, Gentlemen, considerable Expences have arisen, & agreeable to the Resolve of the General Court, I have by Advice of Council drawn a Warrant on the Treasure for Five hundred pounds, in part, I have Directed the Secretary to lay the several Accnts. relative to this Transaction before you, by which you will observe that there Remains a Balance due for this Service of Four hundred & nine pounds & three shillings & six pence and as the Persons who are to Receive this Ball[an]ce have applied many times for payment, I Beg Leave to Refer the Settlement of it to your Consideration. JH" On September 23, 1782, the French army left Williamsburg, Virginia, where it had been instrumental in Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, and set out for Boston, where it would embark for the West Indies. The Comte de Rochambeau bid farewell to his troops at Providence, Rhode Island and turned over his command to the Comte de Vioménil. The French entered Boston on December 7 and set sail on December 24. Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 352		Hancock, John. Partly printed DS as Governor of Massachusetts, 1p, 12½"x11¼", [Boston, MA], 1781 July 1. Handsomely matted and framed to an overall size of 15"x13¾". Fine; scattered foxing and one tiny area of paper loss in blank upper right margin; the paper state seal is intact. The Revolutionary War appointment of "Lemuel May Gentlemen…Captain of a Company in the First Regt. of Militia in the County of Suffolk…." Hancock's signature is large and bold. Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $5,100
Lot 353		Harrison, Benjamin (1726-1791) American Revolutionary leader; member of the Continental Congress (1774-1778); signer of the Declaration of Independence; Governor of Virginia. He was also the father of William Henry Harrison, the 9th U.S. President, and grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd U.S. President. ALS ("Benj Harrison"), and initialed ("BH"), 1p plus integral address leaf, 9¼" x 7¼", Virginia, 1771 July 19. Addressed in Harrison's hand to "Mr. John Beckhouse, mercht in Liverpool" and sent by ship with Capt Breakhill, ordering goods from England. Very good; overall toning and partial splits at horizon fold; paper loss from seal tear at left margin affects one word of text; the address leaf has paper loss from seal tears and some small areas of varmint damage, not affecting the address in Harrison's hand. In part: "Inclosed you have Bills of Lading for eight H[og]h[ea]ds of Tobacco, which I wish safe…my Quantity falling short this year occasions my sending but a small Invoice…please to have the goods put into a Trunk as our Linen is much Injured every year by the Dampness of the Ship, and this probably will preserve them…." He pens a list of items wanted, including Irish linen, sheeting, and 28 pair of "Calimanes Pumps" in various sizes, with intitials beside each one, probably referring to his children. He adds a note, "If Mrs. Harrison should have sent the measures by Capt. Breakhill the Pumps must be sent to them. BH." A note on the verso, date 1797 Jan. 31 and signed by Henry Gardner, states that this paper was exhibited before him and three commissioners, who also signed, possibly having something to do with the probate of Harrison's estate. Estimated Value $4,000 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 354		Hooper, William (1742-1790) Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Extremely rare Revolutionary War date ALS ("Wm Hooper") on laid, watermarked paper, 1p, 9"x7¼", New Bern, NC, 1777 Nov. 27. Fine; seal tear at left margin affects nothing. With integral leaf addressed in Hooper's hand to a fellow North Carolina signer: "Joseph Hewes Esquire / Edenton [NC}." Fine; boldly penned and signed. Housed in a one-quarter-calf case with gilt lettering. In full: Dear Hewes, Yesterday morning I gave Cummings a long letter for you with the expectation & indeed upon his assurance to leave this immediately. He has my letter & I dread asking for it lest I should give his little Majesty offense. Part of the letterhowever requires an immediate answer therefore I catch a moment to repeat a request which I then made to you that you would make an enquiry wit a delicacy that you can easily exercise whether S. Johnston would act as a judge for 1500 p. Ann & Iredell for 800. You know how much my feelings interest me in the appointment of such Characters & therefore you will write me upon the subject as soon as may be. Yours with regard, Wm Hooper. November 27, 1777, Newbern." Hooper signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. His home, Finian, was burned by the British, as well as a house he owned near Wilmington. His wife and children were forced to flee and take refuge with her brother, Gen. Clark. The depredations suffered by Hooper at the hands of the British might account for the paucity of his holograph letters. He is usually ranked fifth in rarity for Signers. This letter is particularly significant because it is to a fellow Signer and was written during the Revolutionary War. Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $9,200
Lot 355		Huntington, Samuel (1732-1796) Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Connecticut, seventh President of the Continental Congress, first President of the United States in Congress Assembled, and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Leather-bound volume, Memoirs of the Life and Reign of Frederick the Third, King of Prussia by Joseph Towers, signed on one of the front end pages, "Saml Huntington's book / Norwich 1790 / price 9/6." Signed just below by Colbert Huntington, son of Samuel's nephew and adopted son Samuel Huntington, Jr. The book was published in Dublin and Printed For Mess. White, Byrne, and Jones, 1789, 8" x 5½", 471pp. The replaced spine has a title label and gold-stamped decorations. One small filled-in paper loss below signtures but not affecting them. Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $1,208
Lot 356		(Rodney, Caesar). 12¼" x 8¾" etching of the Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware signed by the artist, Max Rosenthal, under the plate, which is 7" x 4¾", n.p., n.d. Very fine. Max Rosenthal (1833-1918) was a prominent Philadelphia lithographer. Estimated Value $300 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $575
Lot 357		Rutledge, Edward (1749-1800) Youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence; governor of South Carolina. ALS ("Ed: Rutledge"), 1p, 9"x7½", n.p., 1795 Mar. 24. With integral address leaf in Rutledge's hand to Thomas Euchish. Fine; light overall toning, with some darker toned spots down one verical fold. In part: "You will have the goodness to write to Mr. Ep: Ramsey, & fix with him a period, when he will meet you, for the purpose of finally settling all the affairs of B: Key & Co., & Colo. Euchish….If he is not able to pay…you will fix it by a Bond, payable at a convenient period….I would not wish to be rigid in the recovery of Interest from Him….only get the affairs closed - if possible…." Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $2,530
Lot 358		Walton, George (1740-1804) Signer of the Declaration of Independence; chief justice and governor of Georgia; U.S. senator. ADS ("Geo Walton") "A true extract & copy" on laid paper, 1p, 9"x7¼", Burke County (Georgia), 1794 Feb. 20. Fine; document is inlaid, with fold reinforcement on verso and a 3½" tape repair to a thin vertical slit toward the right edge, not greatly affecting the aesthetics of the page. Titled "Extract from the presentments of the Grand Jury for the county of Burke, in February Term, 1794," one extract refers to "the insufficiency of the Jail" and recommends replacements for two commissioners who have moved out of the county. The second extract states, "We present as a grievance of an alarming nature, that Enlistments are going on in our State, and we are not knowing for what purpose. We, therefore, recommend the necessary steps be taken to prevent the same." The text and signature are bold and legible. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 359		(Wilson, James). 11¼" x 7¼" etching of the Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania, signed by the artist, Max Rosenthal, under the plate, which is 7" x 5", Philadelphia, 1890. Very fine. Max Rosenthal (1833-1918) was a prominent Philadelphia lithographer. Estimated Value $300 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold