This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/28/2018
Alexander Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, serving as the founder of the nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the U.S. Coast Guard, and The New York Post. He was also the first Secretary of the Treasury. More recently, he has come to the forefront of attention in entertainment as writer and composer Lin Manuel Miranda's 11-time Tony Award winning musical, "Hamilton", has taken the world by storm. Offered here is an 8" x 9.75" document, dated January 27, 1795, written in the hand of Alexander Hamilton, remitting a fine that had been laid on John F. Fitch, "owner of two Distilleries" under the unpopular excise tax. This tax sparked the Whiskey Rebellion, and was later repealed. The whiskey tax was one of the principal sources of revenue Hamilton prevailed upon the U.S. government, and was its attempt at revenue. Hamilton left office just two days later so this uncommon document format was probably part of his "cleanup" ahead of leaving office. The document exhibits some toning and foxing, as well as evidence of repairs to two horizontal folds. The lower 1/4 of the document has been lost, resulting in the loss of some text on the first page. The Treasury Department seal is affixed to the top left. Alexander Hamilton signatures are extraordinarily rare in any form, but to be in conjunction with a handwritten document completely in his hands, with such important content - this is simply unheard of! Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services (BAS).