Description:

Navy Dept Request to Witness Self Righting Boat Experiment

Single page autograph document signed, 8" x 9.5". Dated April 9, 1858.. Signed by "I. Toucey" to U.S. Navy Admiral La Vallette. Expected folds and creases, light stains, small paper loss along right edge. 

Toucey writes U.S. Navy Admiral La Vallette to witness experiments with Robert Holmes' self-righting life and surf boat for the purpose of saving human life and property upon the coast:

"You will be pleased to report to Comm. Joseph Smith at the Navy Yard Washington on Monday the 12th inst. at 11:00 o'clock  a.m. as a member of a board to witness experiments to Mr R.C. Holmes' self righting life and surf boat".

Elie Augustus Frederick La Vallette (3 May 1790 – 18 November 1862) was one of the first rear admirals appointed in the United States Navy when President Abraham Lincoln created the rank in July 1862.

President Buchanan appointed Isaac Toucey to be the Secretary of the Navy in 1857. The Navy that Toucey inherited was out-of-date, in poor condition, and small. Appropriations had previously been requested from Congress to improve it but were never granted. Toucey continued to ask for funds but with no success. The national financial crisis brought about by the Panic of 1857 actually caused Congress to decrease its funding of the Navy.

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