Description:

George Müller Signed Receipt Acknowledging Donation for Orphanage, Bibles, etc.

A partly printed half sheet signed and partly handwritten by German-born philanthropist George Müller (1805-1898) as "George Müller" at center. Müller has filled out the date, the donation amount, the name of the donor, three lines of explanation, and an extended salutation for an approximate total of 37 words in his hand. Docketed verso. Expected light paper folds and isolated foxing. The reinforced left edge shows some mounting traces verso. Else near fine. 7" x 4.5."

The receipt reads in full:

"[printed] 21, Paul Street, Kingsdown,
Bristol, [handwritten] Aug 19th, 1858.

[printed] The receipt of [handwritten] Three Pounds, [printed] from [handwritten] Miss Lean, [printed] taken for [handwritten] the Orphans £1, for the circulation of the Scriptures £1, for the clothing Fund 10/1 and, as so kindly desired, for myself 10/1, [printed] is gratefully acknowledged.

[signed] George Müller

[handwritten] With christian love. Psalm 42. Psalm 56.

[printed] P.S. I am obliged to resort to this mode of acknowledging the receipt of donations, on account of the multiplicity of my engagements. Each receipt, however, is signed with my own hand."

George Müller, a German-born evangelist preacher, founded the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England in 1849. By 1870, over 1,700 orphans lived in a dormitory complex funded through unsolicited charitable giving. Müller's orphanage provided shelter, food, clothing, religious instruction, secular education, and professional training to over 10,000 orphans during Müller's lifetime. Müller's enterprises, both in directing the orphanage and establishing Christian schools, were entirely funded by private donation. Receipts to donors were meticulously prepared--and always personally signed by Müller--so that the public could review the organization's records at any time.

In his handwritten salutation, Müller evokes Psalms 42 and 56. These psalms are noted for their optimism and their emphasis on celebrating God's love, messages which doubtlessly appealed to Müller's evangelism. See especially the middle portion of Psalm 42, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God"; and from Psalm 56, in part, " In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word.  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee."

It’s estimated that Müller collected and distributed £113 million for his charitable endeavors over the course of his philanthropic career, built upon donations very similar to our donor's. Miss Lean's contribution of £3 in 1858 is the equivalent of approximately £386.50 in 2021 currency.

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!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide 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 who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, 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.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 26, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

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