MIDDLETON, HENRY, President of the Continental Congress . Partly printed document signed ("Henry Middleton") AS PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, co-signed by Thomas Lynch [Sr.] (1720-1776), Benjamin Huger (1746-1779), Miles Brewton, and (in faint red ink) Roger Smith, Charleston, South Carolina, 20 April 1775. 1 page, an oblong, 120 x 155mm. (4 1/2 x 6 in.), accomplished in manuscript, a loss to upper right corner affecting part of the state name, several small holes from ink erosion, the usual wear and tear to be expected in the case of circulated paper currency . Extremely rare. SOUTH CAROLINA COLONIAL CURRENCY SIGNED TEN DAYS AFTER THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, BY THE RAREST PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS An attractively engraved 20L note issued and validated on the eve of the American Revolution, bearing the signatures of four notable South Carolinians. The note, technically an indented promissory note, was created, according to one source "to finance war expenditures prior to the organization of the Provincial Congress" (Eric P. Newman, The Early Paper Mopney of America , 3rd edn., p. 411). The note, printed on thin paper, was issued in L20 and L50 denominations. The recto carries the certification: "we jointly and severally Promise to pay to the Bearer on demand...Current Money of the Colony." The verso bears an elaborately engraved design (probably to discourage counterfeitors) featuring the coronet and thistle emblem of Scotland, the coronet, rose and three feathers emblem of the Prince of Wales, and a small (Irish?) harp. Thomas Lynch Sr., a co-signer, was the father of Thomas Lynch, the South Carolina Signer whose signature is a legendary rarity. Henry Middleton (1717-1784), the second President of the Continental Congress, succeeded Peyton Randolph and held office from 22 October 1774 until 10 May 1775. Due to failing health Middleton resigned from Congress and turned his seat over to his son, Arthur Middleton who voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. Autographs of Henry Middleton are of great rarity and are almost unobtainable as President of Congress. Not one Middleton letter or document has appeared at auction since at least 1960, according to American Book Prices Current. H. E. Klingelhofer, author of "Presidents of the Continental Congress," in Autograph Collector's Checklist , 1990, p. 11, ranks Middleton "excessively rare."
MIDDLETON, HENRY, President of the Continental Congress . Partly printed document signed ("Henry Middleton") AS PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, co-signed by Thomas Lynch [Sr.] (1720-1776), Benjamin Huger (1746-1779), Miles Brewton, and (in faint red ink) Roger Smith, Charleston, South Carolina, 20 April 1775. 1 page, an oblong, 120 x 155mm. (4 1/2 x 6 in.), accomplished in manuscript, a loss to upper right corner affecting part of the state name, several small holes from ink erosion, the usual wear and tear to be expected in the case of circulated paper currency . Extremely rare. SOUTH CAROLINA COLONIAL CURRENCY SIGNED TEN DAYS AFTER THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, BY THE RAREST PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS An attractively engraved 20L note issued and validated on the eve of the American Revolution, bearing the signatures of four notable South Carolinians. The note, technically an indented promissory note, was created, according to one source "to finance war expenditures prior to the organization of the Provincial Congress" (Eric P. Newman, The Early Paper Mopney of America , 3rd edn., p. 411). The note, printed on thin paper, was issued in L20 and L50 denominations. The recto carries the certification: "we jointly and severally Promise to pay to the Bearer on demand...Current Money of the Colony." The verso bears an elaborately engraved design (probably to discourage counterfeitors) featuring the coronet and thistle emblem of Scotland, the coronet, rose and three feathers emblem of the Prince of Wales, and a small (Irish?) harp. Thomas Lynch Sr., a co-signer, was the father of Thomas Lynch, the South Carolina Signer whose signature is a legendary rarity. Henry Middleton (1717-1784), the second President of the Continental Congress, succeeded Peyton Randolph and held office from 22 October 1774 until 10 May 1775. Due to failing health Middleton resigned from Congress and turned his seat over to his son, Arthur Middleton who voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. Autographs of Henry Middleton are of great rarity and are almost unobtainable as President of Congress. Not one Middleton letter or document has appeared at auction since at least 1960, according to American Book Prices Current. H. E. Klingelhofer, author of "Presidents of the Continental Congress," in Autograph Collector's Checklist , 1990, p. 11, ranks Middleton "excessively rare."
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
