Auction review: Alexander Hamilton letter brings $9K USD

A military letter signed by Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S., recently brought $9,000 USD at an auction by Withrell’s in California.

Offered as Lot 10 of the Jan. 24 “Weapons and War Auction: Objects of Heroism and Tragedy,” the letter was signed by Hamilton in his rank of colonel, which he held towards the end of the American Revolution. It reads: “You will much oblige me by getting the captain of the troop to sign the enclosed receipt and send it to me by the bearer. Alexander Hamilton.”

Hamilton was promoted to colonel by U.S. Congress in 1783 in recognition of his service to the budding republic, which was established only seven years prior.

“The promotion was short-lived, just three months in length, but this letter … was written by Hamilton in that time period,” reads a blog post published by Withrell’s.

“At the time of its writing, Hamilton was likely practicing law in New York City and Albany, New York. He specialized in defending Tories and British subjects, as in Rutgers v. Waddington, in which he defeated a claim for damages done to a brewery by the Englishmen who held it during the military occupation of New York.”

Last year, hundreds of documents, manuscripts and letters from Hamilton’s former office were auctioned in New York with realizations totalling about $2.6 million USD.

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