1862 Bank of Charleston (SC) Share Certificate - Northern Shareholders

Description

1862 Bank of Charleston (SC) Share Certificate - Northern Shareholders
Offered for your consideration is a small-sized Civil War dated certificate for 12 shares in a South Carolina bank, with an interesting manuscript breakdown of the distribution on the back. Headlined “
Bank of Charleston, So. Caro.
”, this certificate announces the transfer of “
12 Shares
” in “
CHARLESTON,
” on “
26
th
April
18
62
”. This small certificate bears no vignette, just a financial obligation which states that “
This Certifies, That
The President & Directors for the Stockholders
will be entitled to
Twelve
SHARES in the Bank of Charleston, S. C. when all the Instalments are paid in, (First and Second only, paid at this date.) This Certificate transferable only at this Office, in person or by Attorney, and upon the delivery of the same. Failure to pay the Instalments, as they become due, will incur forfeiture of the Shares.
”. It is boldly signed at the conclusion by “
J Cheesborough
” in his capacity as “
Cashier
” and “
J. K. Sass
” as the “
President
”. A decorative border encloses three of the sides (the border at left has been halved due to the document’s removal from a ledger of some type), with only the right edge undecorated. The certificate was printed by “
A. E. Miller, pt.
”, as evidenced by his imprint at the lower left. The back was originally left blank, though this particular certificate bears what appear to be the signatures of nine individuals, with a notation at the top which reads “
3 out for New England
” (presumably these were among the stockholders, though they were unable to be present due to the war). While not particularly ornate, or for that matter, attractive, this piece is very interesting due to the notation on the back referring to the New Englanders. Many New England residents would come to Charleston throughout the war, though they were part of the Union military forces. We do not see a large amount of share certificates issued by private companies from the war years, especially involving a Southern entity. This is a great opportunity to add one to your collection.
The presently offered document exhibits signs of significant period use, followed by many years of storage. Light toning is present across the entire surface, imparting to the paper a mottled beige (front) to light brown (back) hue. Several brownish stains are scattered throughout the piece, somewhat more pronounced on the back. Though some ink show through is noted, due to the type of paper used, only a few small areas of erosion can be seen when the piece is held to the light. Numerous folds, in all directions, are present, though none appear to threaten the integrity of the paper. Much more serious are the six one-inch long “+” cancellations that were done when this piece was redeemed (these cancellations were done in two rows of three each, with the amount, the date, and the signatures all being affected). The bottom and left edges are ragged, while those at the right and top are straight. Very small tears along the top are mentioned for accuracy, as these are quite short and do not affect any of the elements. Measuring approximately 4 x 7 inches, this document would make a nice addition to any Civil War era collection.
A charge of .95 will be added to the winning bid for postage and insurance.
If you have any questions concerning 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