Description:

Pinkerton National Detective Agency
Chicago, IL, May 25, 1875
1875 Pinkerton's National Detective Agency Letterhead, Beautiful Example of "We Never Sleep" Logo
Partial Letterhead

Two fragments of "Pinkerton's National Detective Agency" letterhead, including the top third of the letterhead, featuring a beautiful example of the "We Never Sleep" eye logo, 8.125" x 3.875"; and a clipped printed name of the addressee as "To Allan Pinkerton, Dr.," 4.375" x .875." The location and date are partly inscribed near the top as Chicago, Illinois; May 25, 1875. Underneath the elaborate company masthead, Allan Pinkerton's name is listed as Principal, along with George H. Bangs as General Superintendent. The top of the letterhead lists three company headquarters in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. The eye logo fringed with lashes above the slogan "We Never Sleep" measures almost 1.5" x 1" alone. Docketed and partly hand-stamped verso. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds. Lightly discolored by pervasive water-staining. Else near fine.

The predecessor agency of what would become the Pinkerton National Detective Agency had been co-founded around 1850 by Scottish policeman Allan Pinkerton. Pinkerton's corps of discrete and professional investigators became a household name after the Civil War. Its detectives offered private security services, recovered lost or stolen property, and undertook intelligence and surveillance operations. This partial letterhead dates from the apogee of the agency, ca. 1870s-1890s. During that era, Pinkerton's became a formidable strike-breaking tool employed by companies to infiltrate organized labor unions and conduct corporate espionage.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: largest piece measures: 8.125" x 3.875"
  • Medium: Partial Letterhead

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

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August 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000