SteveH

We've had it looked at by an expert and we are 98% certain it was "authorized" by a clerk with the signature "I.M.Singer & Co" not by Singer himself.

sews

HEW Bank Jany 17/63 reads as New York, Jany 17/63 (1863)

and "the Folding Top" as one Folding top, IMO

(love this kind of stuff :-) )


173/162??? where's that?

sews

"In 1863, I. M. Singer & Co. was dissolved by mutual consent..." <<< according to Wikipedia, adds to its significance maybe....

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Singer)

yobrosew

Maybe. More than likely. Good info find.

yobrosew

Well, I.M. Singer was a polygamist with four wives. Here is some more on the fellow and his company with a pic of the guy. http://www.auspostalhistory.com/articles/1338.php

oreo1912

Wonder what the amount of the charge was.

yobrosew

"The firm was incorporated in New York as the Singer Manufacturing Company in June 1863," from http://scripophily.net/sinnvnetan20.html

yobrosew

On June 13, 1863 I. M. at the age of 52 married a young lady age 22. They named many of their children with names familiar today amongst sewers. Some more personal history on the guy http://marriage.about.com/od/celebri...ingerboyer.htm

yobrosew

On ebay two documents signed by Isaac M Singer. One listed for over $11,000 and the other over $22,000. Yeah, that is the correct amount of zeros.

SteveH

So, here is the current "translation" (English to English hehe) The Underlined Italics portions are still up for debate
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Jany 17/63
173 [/b](written over 162)

Missiers I.M. Singer & Co NY.


Please send P.B. Goodsell Esqr
of the "Boston Traveller" Boston, Mass, one Folding
Top Family Sewing machine as a gift and charge it to
advertising account
Wayne Lowe




Written vertically over the document is:
Accepted
I.M. Singer & Co
--------------------------------------------------------------


Some research so far:

Boston Traveller
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Evening_Traveller
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84022244/

P.B. Goodsell, Esq.
Lots of references to documents printed BY P.B. Goodsell (as the printer/publisher)