Rarely Offered 1862 Texas Certificate Fundable in 8% State Bonds

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Rarely Offered 1862 Texas Certificate Fundable in 8% State Bonds:
$1495.00

Offered for yourconsideration is a partly-printed certificate, issued in mid-1862, entitlingthe recipient to a specified amount, fundable in 8% bonds of the state. Itstates that “This Certificate entitles F M Lewis to Five hundred twenty one dollarswith 8 per cent. interest from date, fundable in the 8 per cent. bonds of theState of Texas, when presented at the State Treasury, in sums of One ThousandDollars: for all sums less than one thousand dollars, a certificate like thiswill be issued. ~”. It is dated “the 10th July A D 1862”and is signed at the conclusion by “J H Thomason” in his capacity as “Agent of Military Board of the State ofTexas”. The back was originally blank, though it now bears a manuscriptstatement which indicates that there was “Recd Austin March 7, 1863 of the MilitaryBoard Bond No. 767 for one thousand dollars bearing interest from 10thJuly 1862 at 8% per annum and twenty nine 28/100 dollars in Currency in full ofannexed certificates”. This statement is signed by “JeremiahRandolph”, with the signature of “F. M. Lewis”, the bearer of thecertificate, appearing below. From the wording of this statement, it appearsthat two certificates, as noted in the principal obligation, were presented,since a one thousand dollar bond was issued, as well as some change (it isinteresting to speculate how the 28 cents were paid, since neither theConfederacy nor the state of Texas issued coinage or fractional currency atthis time). Documents of this type are rarely offered on today’s collector’smarket, presumably since most were destroyed when exchanged for bonds or afterthe close of the war. An example of one of these certificates is illustrated inthe reference book on Confederate interim deposit receipts, though no rarity orvalue is listed. They do not appear to be mentioned in any reference book onTexas financial material, though one author believed that there were no morethan 10 of these forms in existence (whether this number is accurate, thepieces are certainly rare and almost never offered to collectors). A great itemto add to your collection of Civil War bonds or Texas related material.

JeremiahRandolph, who signs the back of the certificate, was born onNovember 23, 1803 in Hawkins County, Tennessee. As an adult, Randolph relocatedto Alabama, living first in Madison County and later in Jefferson County. He islisted as a farmer in the latter county in the 1850 census, though two yearslater, he moved to Texas and settled near Huntsville, in Walker County. Here heowned a sawmill and part interest in a mercantile store, a wonderful outlet forthe furniture and toys that he built. Active in local politics, Randolph waselected as a representative for Walker County to the Ninth Texas Legislature in1861, serving from February 2, 1863 to November 2, 1863 (?). Jeremiah Randolphwas mortally wounded by a horse on December 17, 1873 and was buried in MarthaChapel Cemetery in Walker County, Texas.

No additional informationappears readily available for F. M. Lewis or J. H. Thomason, though the selleris fairly certain that a local Texas historian would be able to locate theseindividuals.

The presently offereddocument exhibits signs of expected period use, though it remains in relativelygood condition for its age and intended purpose. Light toning is noted acrossthe entire surface, imparting an off white to beige hue to the paper. Thistoning is slightly more pronounced along the folds and at the edges, whichadditionally exhibit several darker stains (these stains only seriously affectone letter in Lewis’ name). As previously noted when referring to the toning,several storage folds are present, though none of these seems to have seriouslyimpacted the integrity of the paper). The edges are slightly irregular, with afew small paper issues noted, generally associated with the folds. Due to thethinness of the paper used, all of the manuscript additions are visible tovarying degrees on the side opposite where they were written (this isparticularly true of the lengthy endorsement on the back penned by Randolph). Measuringapproximately 4 x 6¼ inches, this piece would make a great addition to anyCivil War era collection.

A $5.95 charge will beadded to the winning offer for postage and insurance.

A $5.00 charge will be added to any item picked up in person at ourphysical location.

If you have any questionsregarding this item, please ask before offerding.

Buy or offer withConfidence – American Coins & Collectibles President Richie Self has worked6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator. He has contributed to numerousreference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of “TheComprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2nd 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, theSociety of Paper Money Collectors, as well as numerous regional numismaticassociations. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamondfounding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of theIndustry Council forTangible Assets. AmericanCoins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.

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