ephemera

France 300 Francs Bank Note #87 1938

From the estate of an avid collector to the auction block of eBay comes this 1938 France 300 Francs bank note #87.

The seller explains, "We are selling off items from the estate of my fiancé's late-father who was a WWII Veteran and an avid collector throughout his lifetime. Although we do as much research as possible before listing, we are certainly not experts in this field."

So, is this a good deal or not? Check out the listing by clicking the link above. Let's hear from the paper money collectors.

1868 Presidential U.S. Grant GOP Electoral Ticket

Up for bid on eBay is an original California 1868 National Union Republican Electoral Ticket with Ulysses S. Grant for President and Schuyler Colfax for Vice President. 

The Presidential Election of 1868 saw Grant and Colfax successfully run against New York Democratic Governor, Horatio Seymour (for President) and Francis Blair, Jr. (for Vice President). As a result of the election, Ulysses S. Grant became the 18th President of the United States, and became the first President elected since the abolishment of slavery. Interestingly, says the seller, Grant had visited California while he was an army officer in 1852, and thus became the first president to have made the trip to California.

According to the listing, the document contains the portraits of Grant and Colfax in ovals with an eagle holding a ribbon with the words President and Vice President over the respective candidate.  

"There is a portion of the ticket missing in the upper left hand corner, eliminating the letters Natio in the word National and part of the U in Union," says the seller I found this ticket in a book many years ago, and apparently it was being used as a bookmark.  Other than the noted defects, the item is in excellent condition, and was well protected in the book for almost 150 years."

The seller adds, "Presidential ephemera related to Ulysses S. Grant, specifically paper items are very hard to locate. This ticket is very rare, and I could not locate an identical piece for sale anywhere on the Internet. The item would look great framed, perhaps starting the matting just above the word Republican, hiding the missing portion."

WWI Red Cross Working for the Allies Poster

Up for bid on eBay is an antique, original World War I-era Red Cross poster.

The poster is designed to clear up the common misconceptions about the purpose behind the Red Cross in an attempt at fundraise. "A very rare piece of World War I ephemera," says the seller.

President Harry S. Truman Signed Legal Document

Up for bid on eBay, is this signed document by President Harry S. Truman.

According to the listing, Truman signed this legal document in 1932 . It is two pages on onion skin. This document was from when Truman was a judge in Missouri. He signed his approval of a Notice of Condemnation for a parcel of land.

Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong Astronaut Signed Cover 1969

Up for grabs on eBay is an Apollo 11 signed first day cover by Astronaut Neil Armstrong.

The seller says, "This is an Apollo 11 Manned Lunar Landing - Pacific US Navy Recovery Force first day issue cover/envelope. This wonderful old piece has a great, vintage design...canceled on July 24, 1969, onboard recovery ship USS Hornet. Hand-Signed by Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. [It is] from the estate collection of Charles D. Clary."

Charles D. Clary was a long-time employee of NASA and other space-related endeavors--totaling more than 51 years. He was the man who actually put Astronaut Ape's/Monkey's Ham and Ines into their Mercury Space Capsules, according to the seller's description.

JFK Assassination Document from Dallas Trip 11-22-63

This memo from memo from JFK's Assistant Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff's estate is up for bid on eBay.

According to the listing, this is an original period copy of the memo Kilduff carried on the Dallas Texas Trip with his handwritten notes. This first pages notes are copied on the page. The second page has hand-written notes and corrections made by JFK's Assistant Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff. Later, Kilduff would make the sad announcement that Kennedy had been killed.

"A rare relic from one of America's darkest days," says the seller. "A Dallas relic that was there and used."

Italian Order Award Signed By Mussolini

This original Award Document for acts of Bravery or Meritorious Service to Italy is up for bid on eBay. It is made out to recipient Amedeol Strazzera. One of the signatures is that of Mussolini and the other by P. Boselli.

"These Italian Orders are extremely rare and even rarer when they come with their original Award Document," say the seller. "This Order was also awarded by the then Mussolini Fascist Government to high ranking German  Officers during World War II.

The Order of the Crown of Italy (Ordine della Corona d'Italia) was an conferred by the Kingdom of Italy. Established by King Victor Emmanuel II on 20 February 1868 to commemorate the Italian unification, the Order was awarded to both civilian and military for Bravery and also for Merit. 

After Italy became a republic in 1946, the Order was effectively replaced by the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Founding Father Alexander Hamilton Autograph 1790

This original Alexander Hamilton autograph is up for bid on eBay.

According to Wikipedia, Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755  – July 12, 1804) was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and political philosopher. Aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, he was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution; he was one of America's first Constitutional lawyers, and wrote most of the Federalist Papers, a primary source for Constitutional interpretation. Hamilton was the primary author of many of the policies supported by the Federalist Party.

Original Rare Breathalyzer Kit by RCMP

Up for auction on eBay is this extremely rare, complete Breathalyzer kit used by the R.C.M.P. in British Columbia.

"Everything is there," says the seller, "and I see no reason why it wouldn't function. I have not tried it though. It was bought years ago at a public auction and has remained in its case inside a garage for years. A great conversation piece for any pub or bar, home or public, and a chance for the police memorabilia enthusiasts to get a hold of an item that is not only rare but limited to just a few that might ever become available."

NYC Fire Department Annual Report for 1863

Up for bid on eBay is the Annual Report of the Chief Engineer of the Fire Department of the City of New York, 1863.

According to the listing, the book contains 165 pages of "some of the most valuable information that you will ever see from the early volunteer fire department of NYC. It shows number of fires and number of alarms for each of the 8 districts for the previous year (1862). The Chief Engineer was John Decker and all of his assistant engineers are listed along with their occupations and addresses, etc.

"You will go a long way to find one book with as much history and information as you will find here," says the seller.