1853 State of Missouri $1,000 Bond of the Bank of Commerce – Signed by Sterling Price 

Description

1853 State of Missouri $1,000 Bond of the Bank of Commerce – Signed by Sterling Price 

 

An outstanding and highly desirable $1,000 State of Missouri Bond issued to the Bank of Commerce in the City of New York and dated April 15 , 1853. This impressive engraved financial instrument bears the bold manuscript signature of Sterling Price, then Governor of Missouri, together with the signature of the Secretary of State, making it a remarkable artifact from the decade preceding the Civil War.

 

Printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, one of America’s foremost nineteenth-century security engravers, the bond features exceptional period engraving with ornate borders, allegorical vignettes, and the embossed Great Seal of the State of Missouri. The certificate promises payment of One Thousand Dollars in lawful money of the United States, with interest payable semi-annually under authority granted by the Missouri legislature.

 

The bond is issued under the provisions of the Act to Provide Means to Pay the State Debt of Missouri, approved February 21, 1853, and is made payable to the Bank of Commerce in the City of New York, reflecting Missouri’s reliance upon eastern financial institutions to market state debt and fund public improvements during a period of rapid economic expansion.

 

Of particular significance is the signature of Sterling Price (1809–1867). Before becoming one of the Confederacy’s best-known major generals, Price served with distinction in the Mexican-American War, was elected Governor of Missouri (1853–1857), and later emerged as one of the most prominent Confederate commanders in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. Financial documents signed by Price during his governorship are increasingly sought after, as they bridge his distinguished political career and his later military prominence during the Civil War.

 

Large-format state bonds bearing Price’s signature are considerably scarcer than routine checks or military documents and are prized for their historical importance, attractive engraved design, and direct association with one of the nineteenth century’s most recognizable American military and political figures.

 

Inventory Number: CON 703