Description:

N. Biddle ALS With Spectacular Financial Content 4 Months After Losing 2nd U.S. Bank Charter

A 1p autograph letter signed by Nicholas Biddle (1786-1844), as "N Biddle" at lower right. Written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 29, 1836. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a minor closed tear along the left edge, else near fine. Displayed in a vintage ebonized frame with églomisé or reverse-painted mount. Isolated paint flecking, loss, and areas of cloudiness to the reverse-painting, else very good. An early twentieth-century catalog description is affixed to the frame backing. Not examined out of the frame. The sight size of the letter is 7.875" x 9.625" while the frame overall measures 13.5" x 15.25" x .325." From a recently discovered collection that has not seen the light of day for over 70 years!

Nicholas Biddle wrote this private and confidential letter to "M. Allen" of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania just four months after the federal charter of the Second Bank of the United States had expired. It is not clear whether the "Bank" referred to by Biddle five times in the letter was the Second Bank of the United States, though it is a distinct possibility since Biddle contrasts the role of the Bank before and after a significant change ("…Bank will hereafter…Bank too being no longer charged with…" etc.) The letter is loaded with superb financial content relating to lending, currency, interest rates, and markets.

In full:

"(private)

Phila. July 29, 1836

Dear Sir,

Your two favors of the 19th + 21st inst are duly received + are very welcome, as will be all your letters whenever you have leisure to write.

In respect to the first, my only wish was to avoid if possible scattering the funds of the Office to places from which they could not readily be recalled. The strength of the office Bank will hereafter be in the concentration of its means. The Bank too being no longer charged with the regulation of the currency + the exchanges has no special interest, as it once had, to bring the exchanges down to the lowest limit of price. That duty is devolved on others and the Bank now instead of making the rates takes them as it finds them. I would not therefore take bills on remote places without a full remuneration (of course a moderate one) for the loss of time + the difficulty of getting back our funds. This you will soon perceive - and I have no doubt you will soon get on very well.

In respect to the second - I thank you for your kindness + your counsels to our friends of the Committee. Mr. Shane has written a letter to me - in which he intimates his desire of publishing his letters from the Bank. I have answered that if he is content to commit such a breach of trust he is at liberty to publish every letter he ever received from the Bank. My letter is the best proof of his unfitness for the station which he complains of not obtaining.

With great respect
yr

N Biddle

M. Allen Esq.
Pittsburgh
Pa."

The dispute surrounding centralized banking is sometimes referred to as the "Bank War," and it was a decisive factor in determining the 1832 U.S. presidential election. Nicholas Biddle, who had served as President of the Second Bank of the United States since January 1823, was aided by National Republican political allies in advocating for the early renewal of the Bank's 20-year charter, set to expire in 1836. 7th U.S. President Andrew Jackson and fellow Democrats strenuously opposed this renewal, viewing such control as an over-extension of federal power. Following the expiration and non-renewal of the charter, the Second Bank of the United States reincorporated under a Pennsylvania state charter and operated as the United States Bank of Pennsylvania until 1841. President Jackson farmed out the responsibilities of Biddle's Bank to state banks.

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

Unless otherwise indicated, 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. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

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.

November 2, 2022 11:00 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