,000 Confederate States Call Certificate – Criswell 135, Ball 275

Description

,000 Confederate States Call Certificate – Criswell 135, Ball 275
Offered for your consideration is a call certificate issued by the Confederate government in late 1863, acknowledging the receipt of ,000 deposited in the treasury at Charleston, South Carolina. This document was cataloged by the late Grover Criswell as Cr. 135 and by the late Dr. Douglas Ball as B-275. The central vignette depicts a fully rigged sailing ship traversing a turbulent sea from right to left, with several other ships in the background. Immediately above, printed in an arc, is “
Call Certificate
Authorized by
”, while to the left and right is “
ACT OF CONGRESS, MARCH
23D, 1863
”. Below this is a lengthy financial obligation which reads (in part) that “
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED, THAT
Twenty Thousand
Dollars, in Treasury Notes, issued in the Month of
December
186
3
, have been deposited in the Treasury at
Charleston, S. C.
by the person to whom this Certificate is indorsed by the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, or Depositary
…
and that like Notes will be delivered to said person
…
at the said place, or at the Treasury at Richmond, at any time within Six Months, from the first day of the said Month, with Interest
…
at the rate of five per cent per Annum
…”. It further states that “…
if not so converted, this Certificate shall be exchanged for Bonds, or Registered Stock of the Confederate States bearing Interest at the rate of six per cent per Annum, payable thirty years after date, redeemable at the pleasure of the Government, any time after five years.
”. As stated at the top, “
This Contract is authorized by an Act of Congress approved March 23d, 1863
”, with the document being signed in “
Richmond
Nov 2
186
3
” by “
Ro; Tyler
” in his capacity as “
Register of the Treasury
”. All of the foregoing material is enclosed in a rectangular frame, with clam-shell like elements at each corner. The back of this document, in common with many similar type pieces, was originally blank, though it now bears several manuscript endorsements. The first instructs the viewer to “
pay to order J R Emery Auditor
/
Charleston Decr 3 1863
”, signed by “
W. Y Leitch
” in his capacity as “
Asst Treas
”, followed by instructions to “
pay to order of A H Dunkin
” signed by “
J R Emery
” as “
Auditor
”. This is followed by a column of figures regarding the principal and accrued interest on this particular piece, after which is a statement indicating that there was “
Received Amt of Principal and Interest from W Y Leitch Esq Asst Treas
” on “
April 1, 1864
”, guaranteed by the signature of “
Alfred H Dunkin
”. The certificate was “
Engd. & Lithogd. by Geo. Dunn & Compy.
” as evidenced by their imprint at the lower left corner near the border. An interesting, large denomination document that would make a great addition to any Confederate bond collection, especially with the various endorsements on the back.
Robert Tyler
was the son of John Tyler, the 10
th
President of the United States, and served as the register of the Confederate Treasury from August 13, 1861 until the close of the war. He received his position mainly through the influence of his father and not due to any special abilities of his own. It is interesting to note that during his father’s administration, Robert spent a great deal of time in the White House, and his wife served for some time as the official hostess.
The presently offered specimen exhibits signs of expected period use, followed by many years of less than ideal storage. Toning is noted across the entire surface, imparting to the paper a beige to light tan appearance. A few darker stains are present, the largest of which are outside the border and could be matted over if the piece was framed. Numerous foxing spots can be seen scattered throughout the design, only a few of which are detrimental to the overall eye appeal of the document. Ink erosion is present at all of the manuscript material, with minor paper loss at some of the letters (this erosion can cause some confusion when reading the material, as the endorsements on the back are at 90% to the printing on the front). Several small pinholes can be seen when the piece is held to the light, as can some thin spots that probably occurred during production. Two “X” cancellations can be found at the bottom of the document, one on each side. Three vertical storage folds are present, as are several additional short folds or creases (these folds have adversely impacted the integrity of the paper, though no separations are noted at this time). The certificate exhibits three relatively wide margins, while the fourth, on the left, seriously affects the inner border and the clam-shell designs. This high-denomination certificate measures approximately 8¾ x 11½ inches and would make a great addition to any Confederate bond collection. Larger denomination pieces are generally rarer and less likely to appear on the market. A wonderful opportunity to add one to your set.
A .95 charge will be added to the winning bid for postage and insurance.
A .00 charge will be added to any item picked up in person at our physical location.
If you have any questions regarding this item, please ask before purchasing.
Buy or Bid with Confidence – American Coins & Collectibles President Richie Self has worked 6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator. He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of “The Comprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2
nd
Edition” with Douglas B. Ball, Ph.D., Henry F. Simmons, M.D., Ph.D. and James R. Desabaye. Mr. Self is a life member of the American Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors, as well as numerous regional numismatic associations. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. American Coins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.
American Coins and Collectibles
Shreveport, LA