Collector Pointers

“What’s a ‘Fair Copy’ ?” Before the advent of carbon paper and photocopies, social and business correspondences were copied by hand or copy press (more about copy presses in the next Collector’s Pointers).

Shown here is a “fair” or file copy of a response from Assistant Quarter-Master General Henry Whiting’s Office conveying an Invoice (presumably with payment) and Bill of Lading for “Two Boxes of ordnance” to E. Colt in Hartford, Conn. as noted. The obverse of this foolscap response (folded in thirds to fit a conventional 19th-century letter file drawer) bears docketing “Gen Henry Whiting / Q Master N York / 31 July 1849”.

The clerical Spencerian hand of this copy was characteristic of better secretaries, almost all of whom were male in the business world, and certainly entirely so in the military, in this case Henry H. Hall (sp.?) until after the First World War.

Collectors with accurate information can make the best educated choices about pursuing their manuscript Americana interests. We stand ready to assist.