Confederate Presidential Election Ballot — Virginia Electoral Ticket for JEFFERSON DAVIS and ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS, ca. November 6, 1861 / SOLD
$450.00
Description
Confederate Presidential Election Ballot
Virginia Electoral Ticket for JEFFERSON DAVIS and ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS, ca. November 6, 1861
Printed paper ballot (Virginia state ticket) listing the 2 at-large electors—John R. Edmunds (Halifax) and Allen T. Caperton (Monroe)—followed by the sixteen district electors (Joseph Christian through E. H. Fitzhugh). Bold display lines read: “FOR PRESIDENT, JEFFERSON DAVIS, of Mississippi” and “FOR VICE-PRESIDENT, ALEX. H. STEPHENS, of Georgia.”
Reverse bears a period ink inscription “William S. Robley” written down the back, likely the original voter or the person who carried the ticket to the polls.
Format & typography: Single-sheet ticket on medium-weight wove stock, set in mixed display and small caps with divider rules and numbered list for the district electors. Typical of Confederate-era local job-printing.
Condition: Very good overall with light age toning, small scattered foxing and handling spots, a faint pencil mark at center right, and minor edge/ corner wear; strong, legible impressions throughout. No fold impressions; paper remains crisp and sound. The Robley inscription on the verso is clear.
Significance: Confederate election tickets from Virginia are sought after and scarcer than most Union counterparts, owing to wartime paper shortages, hard use at the polls, and post-war discard. The presence of Allen T. Caperton—later a notable post-war U.S. senator from the region that became West Virginia—and a full printed slate of district electors enhances research and display value. The named back inscription provides a desirable touch of provenance and potential for local history identification.
Dating note: Davis and Stephens were first chosen as provisional leaders in February 1861; this printed ticket corresponds to the general Confederate presidential election of November 6, 1861 for the six-year term commencing February 22, 1862. State parties circulated pre-printed “Electoral Tickets” like this for voters to deposit at the polls.
Comes housed in 8 x 14 riker display case with red velvet and descriptive card.
Inventory Number: CON 631
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