1863 APPOINTMENT, SIGNED BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN AS PRESIDENT

LINCOLN, Abraham. Engraved document signed. Washington: July 1, 1863. Single vellum sheet (13-1/2 by 17 inches), partially printed and finished in a secretarial hand; floated, silk matted and framed, entire piece measures 20 by 23 inches. $19,800.

Splendid Lincoln Civil War document appointing Augustus G. Carey a Third Lieutenant in the Revenue Services, countersigned by Salmon P. Chase, Treasurer of the United States.

Established in 1790, the United States Revenue Cutter service was charged with the enforcement of maritime law along the eastern seaboard. During the Civil War, Revenue Service cutters were stationed at every major port in the Union, and were recruited as needed for military operations. The service became part of the Coast Guard in 1915. This commission is handsomely engraved with a vignette of an eagle in a naval setting. The recipient of this appointment, Augustus G. Carey, was a witness at the famous Battle of Hampton Roads between the Monitor and the Merrimac in 1862; after the war he served aboard the steamship Great Eastern until his retirement in 1874.

A few minor spots, Lincoln signature quite bold.