THIS COLLECTION WAS ASSEMBLED BY THE FAMOUS NEW YORK CITY AUTOGRAPH DEALER THOMAS MADIGAN (LINK TO HIS COA). IN HIS DAY, MADIGAN WAS A PROMINENT DEALER WHO AUTHORED MANY ARTICLES AND HE WROTE THE CLASSIC BOOK ON AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING WORD SHADOWS OF THE GREAT- THE LURE OF AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING THAT IS STILL SOUGHT AFTER TO THIS DAY. HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE MADE EVEN MORE OF AN IMPACT IN THE FIELD IF HE HAD NOT DIED IN HIS MID-FORTIES.

ALBUM-OVERALL SIZE OF 13.25 IN X 10.25 CARDINAL RED MOROCCAN LEATHER BOUND ALBUM WITH THE AMERICAN EAGLE EMBOSSED ON FRONT AND BACK COVERS AND TITLE "PRESIDENTS OF AMERICA" ON THE SPINE. INTERNALLY IT HAS SILKED END PAPERS AND EMBOSSED DECORATIVE MARGINS ON INNER COVERS. THE PAPER IS HEAVY STOCK., THE VOLUME WAS BUILT AROUND STEEL ENGRAVINGS OF THE PRESIDENTS FROM WASHINGTON TO WILSON THAT WERE PUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM BY E.F.THAYER AND COMPANY OF BOSTON AND NEW YORK IN 1879. OPPOSITE THE ENGRAVINGS AND SEPARATED BY A SINGLE SHEET OF ONION SKIN PAPER ARE AN ASSORTMENT OF LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY EACH PRESIDENT. ALL OF THE ITEMS ARE AFFIXED TO THE ALBUM PAGE OPPOSITE THE ENGRAVINGS. THE LARGER ITEM FOLD OUT FOR DISPLAY OR VIEWING.TEN OF THE ITEMS WERE SIGNED AS PRESIDENT. TWO PRESIDENTS ARE REPRESENTED TWICE-ONCE AS PRESIDENT AND ONCE AS SECRETARY OF STATE. MADISON IS REPRESENTED A THIRD TIME ON A LAND GRANT. THE ALBUM ITSELF IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AS SHOWN.

GEORGE WASHINGTON- THERE ARE THREE ITEMS ON THE WASHINGTON ALBUM PAGE. FIRST THERE IS A CUT 'WASHINGTON' ON A 3 IN X 1 IN SLIP OF PAPER AND A NAME, POSSIBLY CUT FROM AN ADDRESS LEAF,'GEORGE TORS" ON A 3.5 IN X 1.25 SLIP OF PAPER. THE NAME AND THE ADDRESSEE ARE WRITTEN IN WASHINGTON'S HAND. THE THIRD ITEM IS A 5 IN X 7.5 IN PIECE OF PAPER THAT IS A RECEIPT. COL GEORGE WASHINGTON IS REFERENCED.. AT THE BOTTOM MARGIN OF THE RECEIPT WASHINGTON WROTE DEC. 20TH,1774-THIS RECEIVED FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON FOR THE USE OF THOMAS PHILLIPS ABOVE IN AMOUNT OF TWO POUNDS, NINETEEN SHILLINGS AND THREE PENCE.

JOHN ADAMS-THIS DOCUMENT 2.5 IN X 4 IN SLIP OF PAPER THAT IS A RECEIPT FOR A BUSINESS TRANSACTION ON WHICH JOHN ADAMS PLACED HIS NAME,THE NOTE IS DATED AUGUST 28TH, 1792

THOMAS JEFFERSON- A DOCUMENT 17 IN. X 20 IN. BEING A FOUR LANGUAGE SHIPS PAPERS AND IT IS SIGNED AS TH JEFFERSON AND JAMES MADISON AS SEC OF STATE. THE DOCUMENT IS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH INTACT SEALS. THERE ARE SOME PAPER SEPARATIONS ALONG THE BOTTOM MARGIN AND ONE OF THE TRANSFOLDS GOES THROUGH TH JEFFERSON SIGNATURE. THE DOCUMENT IS

DATED MAY 18TH. 1807 AND THE PAPERS WERE ISSUED FOR THE SCHOONER MARY ANN BOUND FROM NEW YORK TO ST.THOMAS. THIS IS A STANDARD FOUR LANGUAGE SHIPS PAPERS. THE DOCUMENT IS AFFIXED TO THE ALBUM PAGE ALONG ONE MARGIN THAT ALLOWS THE DOCUMENT TO BE FOLDED OUT OF THE BOOK FOR VIEWING.

JAMES MADISON-THERE ARE TWO JAMES MADISON SIGNATURES IN THE VOLUME.. ONE SIGNATURE IS ON THE SHIPS PAPER AS DESCRIBED AND ONE IS ON A LAND GRANT GRANTING LAND TO A VETERAN OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY. THE LAND GRANT IS ON VELLUM, 12 IN X 15 IN AND WAS DATED FEB 21,1811. THE ACTUAL RECIPIENTS WERE THE ASSIGNEES OF STROTHER JONES WHO SERVED AS CAPTAIN FOR THREE YEARS IN THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY. THE MADISON SIGNATURE IS FAINT BUT READABLE AND THERE IS SOME DOCUMENT LOSS ALONG THE INFERIOR MARGIN NOT MATERIALLY AFFECTING THE SIGNATURES. THE MADISON SIGNATURE IS LIGHT BUT LEGIBLE. THERE IS A TAPE REPAIR OF THE DOCUMENT AFFIXING THE LOWER THIRD TO THE UPPER THIRD OF THE DOCUMENT AND THE DOCUMENT HAS COME CLOSED FROM AN ALBUM PAGE. THE DOCUMENT IS ALSO SIGNED BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS- BEING AN 8 IN X 10 IN AUTOGRAPH DOCUMENT SIGNED ON BIVALVE STATIONERY, DATED JULY 17, 1821, AND THE TOP LEAF FOLDS AWAY TO EXPOSE THE INNER TWO PAGES OF THE DOCUMENT. THIS DOCUMENT WAS DRAFTED BY JQA AND CONCERNS THE ALLEGED ILLEGAL TRADING ACTIVITY OF A FRENCH SHIP APOLLAN. JQA DETAILS THE APOLLAN MATTER IN HIS MEMOIRS.

JAMES MONROE- BEING A 13 IN X 9 IN DOCUMENT INTRODUCING A DIPLOMAT TO THE COURT AND KING IN PORTUGAL AND SIGNED BY JAMES MONROE AS PRESIDENT AND JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AS SECRETARY OF STATE. HAS A BEAUTIFUL INTACT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES AFFIXED TOP THE DOCUMENT.. THERE IS A TAPE REPAIR HOLDING THE BOTTOM ONE QUARTER OF THE DOCUMENT IN PLACE AND THE REPAIR WAS WELL DONE FOR THE TIME. THE REPAIR IS AWAY FROM THE SIGNATURES.

ANDREW JACKSON- BEING A 13 IN. X 15 IN. NAVAL MILITARY APPOINTMENT DATED MARCH 9, 1808 FOR ROBERT B. HITCHCOCK AS A LIEUTENANT AND IT IS SIGNED BY ANDREW JACKSON AND MAHLON DICKERSON AS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. THE DOCUMENT IS IN FINE CONDITION WITH AN INTACT SEAL. THE JACKSON SIGNATURE IS BOLD AND DARK. JACKSON NAVAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SCARCE .

MARTIN VAN BUREN-BEING A AUTOGRAPH LETTER DATED JULY 19,1843, PLACE INDISCERNIBLE BUT POSSIBLY KINDERHOOK, NY, WRITTEN ON BIFOLD STATIONERY, 8 IN X 10 IN WITH WRITING ONLY ON FIRST AND SECOND PAGES, THE LETTER CONCERNS SOME PERSONAL MATTERS, TRAVEL PLANS FOR HIS DAUGHTERS, ETC AND IS SIGNED M VAN BUREN. ACCOMPANIED BY A SEPARATE ADDRESS LEAF THAT IS SIMILARLY SIGNED. THE LETTER IS IN FINE CONDITION.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.- BEING A BANK CHECK DATED JAN.20, 1815 AND SIGNED BOLDLY WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON THE CHECK IS OF COURSE MOUNTED ON AN ALBUM PAGE BUT IT IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. THE SIGNATURE IS BOLD AND DARK.

JOHN TYLER- BEING AN ENDORSEMENT FOR A MILITARY UNIT IN VIRGINIA ON AN 8 in x 5 in BIFOLD STATIONERY LEAF, n.p, n.d. ENDORSED BY SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS INCLUDING JOHN TYLER. THIS ENDORSEMENT CONCERNS STRICTLY MILITARY MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. TYLER SPENT MUCH TIME IN VIRGINIA AS VICE PRESIDENT AND HAD TO BE SUMMONED FROM THERE WHEN W,H, HARRISON DIED. THE MANUSCRIPT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.

LINK TO PART II