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Sale 58: The Winter Sale

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Free Franks - Presidents

Lots 395-404 Lots 405-414 Lots 415-424 Lots 425-429

Lot 395    

George Washington, 1732-1799, 1st President 1789-97. Manuscript free frank "G. Washington" as General of the Continental Army on folded cover addressed in his hand to "Thomas Mumford Esq. in Groton - near New London", docketed on reverse "Genl. Washington, 15 September 1780", two vertical file folds, Very Fine; signed by Gimelson in pencil on reverse.
Estimate    $5,000 - 7,500.

A WONDERFUL GEORGE WASHINGTON FREE FRANK FROM ONE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF THE UNITED STATES.

A colonel in the French and Indian War, he resigned after his election to the House of Burgesses. Concluding that reconciliation with Britain was no longer possible, he was chosen a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses. There, he was selected to lead the Continental army against the British and Hessian troops. Defeating the British in Boston, Trenton, and Princeton, he enlisted the help of France. Their combined strength forced Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown. After the victory, he returned home, but was elected President of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Unanimously elected President twice, his Presidency served as a role model for others. He proclaimed neutrality in the European wars, suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania, approved Jay's Treaty with England and Pinckney's Treaty with Spain, and gave a farewell address warning against political parties and foreign entanglements. He died three years later at Mount Vernon.

Realized: $7,000

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Lot 396    

John Adams, 1735-1826, 2nd President 1797-1801. Bold manuscript free frank "J. Adams" as ex-President on 1802 ALS of John Quincy Adams (son of John Adams) addressed in J.Q. Adams' hand to his brother, Thomas Boylston Adams, Esq. (Son of J.Adams) in Philadelphia, letter signed by "J.Q.A.", "Boston Jan 27" cds with straight line "Free" handstamp, letter docketed by Thomas Boylston Adams,

Letter reads,

Quincy 25 January

I have kept the within letter until this time, for the sake of bringing it out here, and now find little or nothing to say in addition excepting that our parents and friends here are well. Boylston Adams was married last week - And by the way, speaking of marriages, by the natural transition from cause to affect I may tell you that our friend Quincy has a son - born about ten days ago. By way of encouragement to you and to confirm and establish your tottering virtue of patience I shall add that after a month experience in my office, I find no interruption whatsoever of my learned leisure no perplexing calls for the obliterated black letter lore. N'importe I have succeeded in filling my whole time with employment that I find none for fretting, and never in my whole life felt more ease and contentment.

N.B. Please to call upon Mr. Ustick, N.79. North 3rd, extract and pay for him for a sett of Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History which he sent your father - Let me know the amount and charge it to my account.

J.Q.A., light vert. file fold not affecting signature, edges reinforced, Extremely Fine.
Estimate    $3,000 - 4,000.

A FASCINATING LETTER AND FREE FRANK, ASSOCIATING THE FATHER AND SON PRESIDENTS, AND JOHN QUINCY'S SIBLING.

A lawyer and early supporter of the independence movement, Adams defended the British soldiers accused of the Boston Massacre. In the Continental Congress, he helped Jefferson and Franklin draft the Declaration of Independence, which he signed. As Washington's Vice President, he founded the Federalist Party. Elected President in 1796, his term was marked by problems, such as the XYZ Affair with France and passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts. In his retirement, he carried on an extensive correspondence, and saw his son, John Quincy Adams, elected as the sixth President. He died at the age of ninety on July 4, 1826.

Realized: $4,250

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Lot 397    

Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President 1801-09. Neat manuscript free frank "Free Th. Jefferson Pr. U.S." as President on folded cover addressed in his hand to Daniel Fisher in New York, manuscript postmark "Milton, Va., 12 Aug.", docketed on reverse "Thos. Jefferson, 12 Augt 1805", two vert. file folds, Very Fine.
Estimate    $3,000 - 4,000.

A BOLD JEFFERSON PRESIDENTIAL FRANKING SIGNATURE ON A COVER THAT ENTERED THE MAILS AT MILTON, VIRGINIA.

Milton is located on the Rivanna River near Charlottesville and Monticello. Its post office was an entry point for mail from Jefferson's estate.

One of the most well-rounded and influential Americans ever, Jefferson began as a lawyer and member of the House of Burgesses. Later, he was a Continental Congressman and a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, which he drafted. He subsequently served as the wartime Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Washington's Secretary of State and Adams's Vice President. In 1800, he defeated Adams for President. His accomplishments include subduing the Tripoli pirates, who demanded ransom to let American ship pass unmolested, financing the Lewis & Clark expedition, waging an unsuccessful embargo against belligerent France and England, and purchasing the vast Louisiana territory from Napoleon. After he left office in 1809, he was deeply in debt, so the United States bought his personal library and used it to found the Library of Congress. His last great achievement was starting the University of Virginia, for which he designed both the buildings and curriculum. He died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Realized: $4,250

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Lot 398    

James Madison, 1751-1836, 4th President 1809-17. Bold free frank "Free James Madison" as ex-President on 1820 folded cover to Professor Silliman in New Haven, manuscript "Orange C.H. (Va.) / 30 May 1820" with matching "free" rating, some minor ink smears in postmark, Very Fine.
Estimate    $500 - 750.

When Madison left office in 1817, he retired to Montpelier, his tobacco plantation in Orange County, Virginia, not far from Jefferson's Monticello.

Realized: $725

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Lot 399    

James Monroe, 1758-1831, 5th President 1817-25. Free frank "Department of State / James Monroe" as Secretary of State on 1816 folded cover to Messrs. R.H. & Wm. Douglas at Baltimore, light strikes of "Washn. City May 18" cds and matching "Free" straight line handstamp, Very Fine.
Estimate    $500 - 750.

Short letter written and signed by, S. Pleasonton.

As per Wikipedia, With the War of 1812 going poorly and worried that the British would attack Washington, Secretary of State James Monroe tasked Pleasonton with preserving the books and papers of the State Department. Pleasonton acquired several coarse linen bags, and filled them with all the Department's records. This included the still-unpublished secret journals of Congress, the commission and correspondence of George Washington, the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution, and all the treaties, laws, and correspondence of the Department made since 1789. He had all of this placed in coarse linen sacks and carted to a grist mill two miles beyond Georgetown. Before he left, he noticed the Declaration of Independence had been forgotten and was still hanging in its frame on the wall, and took that as well.

Realized: $450

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Lot 400    

John Quincy Adams, 1767-1848, 6th President 1825-29. Manuscript free frank "J.Q. Adams" as ex-President in his infirm hand on 1832 cover to Philip R. Fendall Esq. in Washington, D.C., light red manuscript "Quincy, Mass., Oct 24" postmark and matching "Free" rating, docketed on reverse "Adams, John Quincy / Quincy Octr. 24, 1832 / Recd Oct. 28", Very Fine.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Son of John Adams, he was Minister to the Netherlands, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain, and negotiated the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812. He was a Senator from Massachusetts and Secretary of State under Monroe. In 1824, he ran against Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, and though Jackson received more votes, the election was thrown into the House of Representatives. There, House Speaker Clay swayed members to vote for Adams, who then appointed Clay Secretary of State. Following his defeat in 1828, he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served from 1831 until his death.

Realized: $350

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Lot 401    

Andrew Jackson, (1767-1845) 7th President of the United States, 1829-1837, bold manuscript free frank on undated (ca. 1840) folded letter sheet to J.K. Tefft in Savannah, Ga., blue "Nashville, Te., Mar 23" cds, no year docketing; letter sheet missing sideflaps, still Very Fine, a very attractive example of Andrew Jackson's free frank signature; with 2013 P.F. certificate.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

Realized: $1,300

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Lot 402    

Andrew Jackson, 1767-1845, 7th President 1829-37. Manuscript free frank "Free Andrew Jackson" on 1838 folded cover to Francis P. Blair, Esq., Editor of the Globe in Washington, D.C., blue Nashville, Ten. cds with matching straight line "Free" rating handstamp, inside is lengthy ALS signed by "A.J. Donahue", cover datelined "Hermitage"; cover with some staining and corner wear at left corners, F.-V.F.
Estimate    $500 - 750.

President Andrew Jackson viewed the Indian tribes as obstacles to American expansion. His Indian Removal Act and other federal legislative initiatives sought to separate Indians from the path of white settlement. By 1840, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the American military had relocated more than 30 tribes to areas west of the Mississippi River.

Realized: $625

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Lot 403    

Martin Van Buren, 1782-1862, 8th President 1837-41. Manuscript "Free M. Van Buren" free frank as President-elect on cover addressed in his hand to Exeter N.H., postmarked by red "Washington, D.C. Apr 20" cds with matching straight line "Free" handstamp, Extremely Fine.
Estimate    $400 - 600.

This style of datestamp indicates 1837 use following the 1836 election of Van Buren as President-elect.

Van Buren was Senator from New York and Governor of New York, but resigned to become Jackson's Secretary of State. Later, he was Jackson's second Vice President and his choice to succeed him. Defeating William Harrison in 1836, his administration was quickly plagued by the Panic of 1837, when banks failed and the economy soured for the duration of his term. Defeated by Harrison in 1840 because of economic problems, he retired to New York.

Realized: $400

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Lot 404    

William Henry Harrison, 1773-1841, 9th President 1841. Manuscript "Free, W.H. Harrison" free frank as Member of Congress on folded cover addressed in his hand to David K. Este Esqr., Cincinnati Oh.; edge tear with light tape stain, still Very Fine and rare.
Estimate    $2,000 - 3,000.

Harrison served in the Indian Wars and was Governor of the Indiana Territory. In 1811 he defeated Tecumseh at Tippecanoe and in the War of 1812, became a national hero by defeating the British at the Battle of the Thames. He then became a Congressman, Senator and Minister to Columbia. He lost to Martin Van Buren in the 1836 Presidential election, but, in 1840, using the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too", handily defeated Van Buren to become the second oldest President. During his inauguration on a cold March day, he wore no hat or gloves and delivered a one hundred minute speech. He caught pneumonia and died thirty one days later.

Realized: $1,450

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Lots 395-404 Lots 405-414 Lots 415-424 Lots 425-429

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