25348

Perhaps the Scarcest "Presidential" Autograph to

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 700.00 USD
Perhaps the Scarcest  Presidential  Autograph to
<B>Perhaps the Scarcest "Presidential" Autograph to be Found! The East Coast's own "Emperor Norton" Daniel Pratt</B></I> Autograph sentiment signed of Daniel Pratt, 7" x 2" affixed to a larger sheet removed from an autograph album. In full: "The Great American Traveler; Born in Prattville, Chelsea (Massachusetts) April 11 1809. Boston Oct. 17th 1885. Daniel Pratt." Daniel Pratt (1809-87) was a carpenter by trade but, as detailed in <I>Appleton's,</B></I> "his mind becoming affected, so he spent his time in wandering about the country, living on charity. He was widely known as the "great American traveler," which was the name by which he called himself. For many years he made the tour of the New England colleges annually, until his visits came to be regarded almost as a regular feature of college life. His addresses, which were sometimes delivered to hundreds of students, and received with great applause, were remarkable for their long words, bombastic phrases, and curious figures of speech; and the same was true of his "proclamations" and other contributions that occasionally found their way into print. One of his delusions was that he had been elected president of the United States but defrauded of the office." Most of the major colleges and universities along in the East have records related to Pratt's visits... but not a single scrap of his writing! This is most certainly one of the only extant examples of his signature. A fun rarity! <I>Accompanied by COA from PSA/DNA.</B></I>