Lot 420
Lincoln, Abraham. Document signed in full as President, 1p, 13½ x 17 in., Washington, 4 April 1861. Countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward. One month after becoming President, Abraham Lincoln appoints David W. Cheeseman of California "Treasurer of the Branch of the Mint of the United States, at San Francisco, California…during the pleasure of the President of the United States for the time being, and until the end of the next session of the Senate of the United States, and no longer." Fine; one tiny spot at lower edge, light toning, and a few crinkles in the paper below the clean, intact seal. Lincoln's signature is an especially fine and bold example. Matted with a portrait of Lincoln and framed to an overall size of 23 x 37 in. Ready for display.
David W. Cheeseman (1824-1884) was an Indiana lawyer who went to California for the 1849 Gold Rush. In 1859 he was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of California, and in 1860 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention from California. In 1861 President Lincoln appointed him Treasurer of the U.S. Mint at San Francisco.
The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia was overwhelmed with the task of turning into coins the gold found during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Additionally, the transportation of so much gold was time consuming and fraught with peril. In 1850 President Milliard Fillmore proposed that a branch of the U.S. Mint be established in California. Congress approved the plan in 1852 and in 1854, the San Francisco Mint opened and produced $4,084,207 in gold pieces the first year. The Mint moved to a larger building in 1874 and the Mint's production continued uninterrupted for 32 years, until the earthquake of 1906. Operations resumed shortly thereafter and continued in the same location until 1937, when the Mint moved to its present-day facility.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 8,000.
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| Realized $14,950 |
