Description:

(1749 - 1779) Signer of the Declaration of Independence as a representative of South Carolina, the second rarest of all of the Signers. A LYNCH SIGNATURE WITH PROVENANCE FROM COLLECTOR LYMAN C. DRAPER Exceedingly rare black ink signature "Lynch" boldly penned on a 2 3/4" x 7/8" slip. The slip has been mounted to a larger, aged 5" x 3 1/4" sheet which is in turn mounted to a quarto sheet. On a 5 1/2" x 3 1/4" note mounted beneath appears the signature's provenance, written and signed by legendary collector LYMAN C. DRAPER. He writes, in full: "This 'Lynch' signature was discovered & obtained since the printing of the essay on The Autographs of the Signers, clipped from a volume of Swift's Works, Lond[on]. 1766, preserved in the family of a sister of T. Lynch, Jr. & is guaranteed to be genuine. Lyman C. Draper". The signature and attribution are housed in a beautiful tri-fold leather presentation folder, 34" x 16 1/4" overall, red burgundy leather with gilt trim and lettering, with a small engraving of Lynch and descriptive note. The note offers the text of Draper's attribution, and also notes that the signature is from "Group 1", ie: ca. 1766, per Dr. Joseph Fields' 1951 article: "Thomas Lynch, Jr. And His Autographs" (copy included). The article also notes that signatures were taken from Lynch's signed copies of Swift's works, and he even cites Draper's work on Signers, as Draper did in his provenance, in the article. There simply could be no better provenance than that of these two nationally recognized experts in their field. Lynch is a rarity of the greatest order - only 64 examples of his signature are known to exist, making it much rarer than that of his fellow signer, Button Gwinnett. Thomas Lynch was elected a member of the Provincial Congress of South Carolina on February 11, 1775, serving with Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, Henry Laurens, Arthur Middleton, Henry Middleton, and Thomas Heyward Jr. Lynch became a company commander in the First South Carolina regiment on June 12, 1775 and led a march into Charlestown, South Carolina but fell ill and was forced to relieve himself of his duties. During his recovery, he received news about his father's declining health. At about the same time, he received news of his appointment to the Continental Congress on March 23, 1776, and traveled to Philadelphia to meet his father. After signing the Declaration of Independence, father and son, both still ill, set out for home but Lynch, Sr. suffered a second stroke and died in Annapolis in December 1776. After two more years of illness in South Carolina, Lynch and his wife sailed for respite to St. Eustatius, and the ship was never heard from again. Lyman Copeland Draper (1815-1891) was a librarian and historian who served as secretary for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. An ardent student of the American Revolution, he left the society over five hundred volumes of records, including military and government records, interviews, Draper's own research notes, and many rare letters and documents.

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February 18, 2019 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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