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Lot 97: 1755 Benjamin Franklin Newspaper

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,080.00 USD Estimated At:1,800.00 - 2,200.00 USD
Lot   97: 1755 Benjamin Franklin Newspaper
<b>Autographs</b><hr><b>Mention of “Colonel Washington”
in Newspaper Printed by Benjamin Franklin</b>

<b>(BENJAMIN FRANKLIN), May 15, 1755, THE PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE, Philadelphia, PA, Fine.</b>
Number 1377, 3-column layout, 15.25” x 10”, 4 pages. Lightly toned, with moderate dampstaining, worn edges and small tears. Reinforced left edge with tape. An early example of a paper that was published by Benjamin Franklin and D. Hall--although this example is missing a “half-sheet” that might have listed the names of Franklin and Hall. The large, dark woodcut in the masthead is still present, as is the motto, and a wide assortment of news and “advices” from around the world. Page 1 has an “Essay on Friendship,” and on “Freedom of Enquiry” and “Liberty of the Press.” Page 2 has a long passage from the Governor of Virginia, reporting from Williamsburg, and mentioning General Braddock and Colonel Washington in his account of military operations in the colonies. Nice woodcuts on pages 2, 3, and 4, lots of contemporary advertisements and notices, and a warning by an irate husband, Samuel Cochran, that his wife, Elizabeth, “hath eloped from her said husband,” and that he would not pay any of her debts from this date forward. An excellent example of this period newspaper.