George Washington Commission Was Presidential For Potter & Potter – Antiques And The Arts Weekly

CHICAGO — Potter & Potter Auctions conducted its ninth sale of the Eric C. Caren collection on April 18, titled “How History Unfolds On Paper.” The sale offered 559 lots, including works owned and signed by America’s founding fathers, rare broadsides and iconic photographs and papers regarding pop culture, social movements and political ideologies. Earning the sale’s highest price was a document that the auction house deemed “the most important George Washington document in private hands”: George Washington’s commission as general and commander in chief of the army of the United Colonies. Signed in Philadelphia on June 19, 1775, the document was one of only two originals and was written entirely in the hand of Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress. It measured 12¾ by 15¾ inches and was made of sheepskin vellum. This important piece of American history sold for $88,800 with buyer’s premium. Additional results from this auction will be covered in an upcoming issue.