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I'm Skeptical
sellitstore
Posts: 2,482 ✭✭✭✭✭
What do you think?
https://ebay.com/itm/1864-10-The-Confederate-States-of-America-Civil-War-Note-Gen-Robert-E-Lee-RARE/193670985536?hash=item2d17b0b740:g:unAAAOSwKQNfYXVu
Collector and dealer in obsolete currency. Always buying all obsolete bank notes and scrip.
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Me, too.
The ink looks printed. No bleed thru and too dark.
It wasn't written upon during the 19th century as the ink would have soaked through the paper. It appears as though someone wrote that on the note with a slight chisel nibbed felt tip calligraphy pen.
Well, somebody else wasn't. Sold @ $399.
IMO the color doesn't look right.
I would have asked the seller to prove it. Who ever bought that will meet sorrow once he/she tries to sell it to a knowledgeable dealer. Read SaorAlba's comment. Don't think they had felt tip pens in 1865.
You would think something like that, if authentic, would be worth way more than $399 or maybe even be part of a collection in a museum.
Yeah, the dark color of the ink first caught my eye. It should look older and more oxidized.
Then the shaky, blurred, execution looks questionable, too.
The seller doesn't make specific claims about this note being signed at Appomattox at the surrender, so it could be a CSA note that wasn't actually there but commemorates the event. However, the inscription doesn't look old to me and apparently to others as well.
Pass not for me
Bad to the bone.
Abram B Lawrence was Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the James. He collected many souvenirs from the Confederacy, some of which have been sold by Heritage's Militaria Department. The inscription on this note is consistent with inscriptions he made on other items.
Well then maybe we all shouldn't be so sure. If "vonlettow" is the former "lettow", he knows of what he speaks. And even if he isn't, this information needs to be considered.
The question now is does the ink on any other items sold by Heritage or others look like this? Anyone want to browse the Heritage archives and post a few pics?
It could be genuine or our forger may have researched it a bit? It's either a forgery or we are all not quite as smart as we thought. Both are possibilities.
I'm the same guy. I dont come here often. CU did not like my 5 character password and changed it on their own. The account was linked to an email address that no longer exists so I had to start a new account.
As QM, Lawrence would have been in charge of captured enemy property. He got his hands on things like the last Confederate flag to fly over Richmond.
For many years of my youth I collected Civil War artifacts. It took a good many years to learn to separate the authentic from the counterfeit. One of the tricks of the 'trade' was: If you want to make a good deal of money attach a Name, Battle, Place, etc. to the item. I know that there were so many fired bullets dug from the Gettysburg battlefield sold on EBay that you could build a four lane highway out of them from New York City to Philadelphia! Provenance is the key. That is letters, family diaries etc. that describe your artifact. Now, my doubts.
Of all the Civil War documents I purchased I never saw ink that color. It appears to have been recently written.
Any decent Professor of History versed in the Civil War could have authenticated the document. Why not?
Well, it says it sold for $399.00 so we'll see if it comes back around.
Hey everyone - I bought the note... was worried about the pen, it does go thru to the front a little... but I saw the comments above and am going to return it.
That's alright outtacash. As long as the seller accepts returns and don't feel bad. There isn't a one of us here who hasn't made a buying or selling mistake. Keep up the hunt.
For anyone who feels they have an actual Civil War artifact there are a few places to go for help Below is two of them.
https://civilwartalk.com/
http://www.crutchwilliams.com/BogusCSA_RoTx.html