"Up for auction is the rarest most unique collection of paper ephemera I have ever seen," says the eBay seller making this collection of invoices
available.
According to the listing, the collection of invoices comes from the estate of Jesse Beadle of Shickshinny, Pa. Mr Beadle was the patriarch of a family whose business enterprises were varied in the extreme. Apparently his children and extended family were very active in commerce. Although this box is marked "Invoices" (and there are probably 500+ of the from eastern PA, but also throughout the state and nation) there are also business letters, receipts, private letters, one intriguing letter from a man written to Jesse Beadle telling about the extremely difficult time he is having in trying to check out a piece of land that Mr. Beadle is interested in.
"I believe the tract was 28 miles long and 8 miles wide," says the seller. "Unfortunately, the man's hand writing is so bad I can't quite make out where it is. The majority of entries are for George Beadle, but Jesse, William, and I believe Robert are all represented in here."
The seller continues, "The box itself is missing one side and the top. It seems to be of wood. There are alphabetized pockets inside for the material. There are probably 20-30 on the average in each pocket. Like I said, at least 500 Invoices/receipts from hundreds of different vendors for almost any product known in the late 19th century. This is a veritable treasure chest from the past. Here is a chance to own a truly unique piece of Luzerne County, Pa history."
"If it doesn't sell," the seller concludes, "I might piece it out for advertising material, but I really don't want to break up this fabulous collection."
