Rare Faneuil Hall lottery ticket dated June 1765, 3 x 1.75, boldly signed at the bottom in black ink, “John Hancock.” Ticket reads, in full: “Faneuil-Hall Lottery, No. Five. The Possessor of this Ticket (No. 3990) is intitled to any Prize drawn against said Number, in a Lottery granted by an Act of the General Court of the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay for Rebuilding Faneuil-Hall; subject to no Deduction.” Matted and framed with a portrait of Hancock to an overall size of 8.5 x 12. In very good condition, with overall dampstaining affecting the appearance of the signature but not the boldness or legibility of ink, and a small central cancellation cut.
In Colonial times, lotteries were a highly regarded method of financing worthwhile projects—such as the rebuilding of Faneuil Hall, the famous Boston marketplace and meeting hall that had been destroyed in a 1761 fire. At the time, such money-making efforts were seen as investments, and were endorsed by local leaders, including John Hancock. Interestingly, Hancock would later come to disdain public lotteries as a method of fundraising, concluding that they encouraged gambling while producing meager results. Although thousands of such tickets were printed in Colonial America, not all were signed by Hancock, and only a small percentage of those signed examples have survived the centuries. This is an excellent example. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
(inquire for price)
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
