March 4th is quite a day in US History.
On March 4th 1789 the Constitution of the United States went into effect. And on March 4th 1861 Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated.
Of course George Washington was the first President to be inaugurated, in 1789.
It was at this inauguration that George Washington first repeated the words inscribed in the Constitution:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States"
Washington chose to add the following four words:
"So help me God"
A custom followed by every President since.
Today we are able to offer you a piece of American history relating to that very first inauguration. A single piece of paper, almost 220 years old.
There are just four of these known to exist...
One is in The Library of Congress, Washington DC.
Another resides at the New York Historical Society.
A third is at the New York Public Library...
The fourth is now in our vault.
It is the first edition of the Order of Ceremonies for the inauguration of George Washington, the First US President.
This is the third document printed by the Federal Government.
The first two, dealing with the rules of the House, are known to exist ONLY in institutions.
They are in the Library of Congress and the Adams Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society. They will never be seen on the open market again.
The Order of Ceremonies that is stored safely in our vault is the only opportunity to ever purchase one of these documents, relating to George Washington's inauguration, of which only four are known to exist.
Once this item is sold it is very unlikely it will ever be offered to the public again. These things tend to end up in museums, and rightly so.
This is your unique opportunity to invest in a piece of American History.
Contact me for more information.
I'd be pleased to send the full description, images and...
The price...
(Considering a single Abraham Lincoln letter recently sold at auction for a world record $3m...)
It's probably not as much as you think it is.
Call on +44 (0)1481 708 277
Email aroose@stanleygibbons.co.uk
Toll Free from the USA 1 866 644 6146
Regards
Adrian Roose