HERITAGE: CONTINENTAL CURRENCY SIGNERS

Our upcoming March 9 Winter U.S. Colonial Showcase Auction features an exciting 60 lots of Continental Currency which include uncut sheets, counterfeit detectors, contemporary counterfeits, high-grade examples, and rarities. Amongst several examples of collector favorites, notable offerings include notes signed by Benjamin Levy and John Hart, two distinguished figures from Colonial America whose legacies continue to live on in both American and numismatic history.

Collectors interested in famous colonial signatures can expect to find two notes signed by Benjamin Levy, remembered to numismatists for being the only confirmed Jewish signer of Continental Currency. Looking beyond this signature, collectors might be interested to know that Levy and his family contributed importantly to early American and Jewish-American history. Benjamin's father Moses Levy arrived in New York from England in 1695 quickly established himself as a successful trade merchant and real estate investor. Benjamin and his brother Samson both signed the Non-Importation Agreement of 1765, aimed at the repeal of the British Stamp Act implemented the same year.

Another brother, Nathan Levy, settled in Philadelphia and joined with religionist David Franks to form Levy & Franks, the first Jewish-owned business in the city. The firm engaged in international shipping, and it has long been believed that the Liberty Bell traveled from London, where it had been cast, to America aboard one of their ships, the Myrtilla . Even more, when Nathan's young son tragically died in 1738, Levy applied to William Penn's son Thomas, then serving as chief proprietor of Philadelphia, for a plot of land to be used as a place of burial, given that no Jewish cemetery yet existed in the city. With that action, Nathan effectively established the first Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, Mikveh Israel Cemetery, which can still be visited today. Luckily for interested collectors, our upcoming auction features two attractive offerings signed by Benjamin Levy, doubling the chances for interested bidders to take home an exceptional piece of Jewish-American history.

Another notable signer found in this upcoming auction is John Hart, an American Founding Father and signer of the Declaration of Independence. His noteworthy signature is featured on this attractive New Jersey £3 PMG AU 55 example. Hart was a lesser-known signer of the Declaration, and he was also one of the oldest, being one of just seven signers who were sixty years of age or older. Born in New Jersey in 1713, Hart rose from local and community committees to state government roles to serving as a New Jersey delegate to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. In 1776, Hart was elected to the New Jersey Provincial Congress and was designated to sign "Bill of Credit" notes offered by New Jersey. Hart remained an active patriot in the Revolutionary War and in June 1778, he invited General George Washington and the Continental Army to make camp on his farm in New Jersey in June 1778, hosting around 12,000 soldiers who went on to fight and win the Battle of Monmouth on June 24, 1778. Sadly, Hart passed away in 1779, four years before the end of the Revolutionary War, meaning he was never able to see the founding of the Republic he dedicated his life to helping establish. This offering is especially compelling, given that Hart's signature is quite rare on any note from the February 20, 1776, emission. These attractive and well-preserved examples present incredible opportunities for collectors to take home stunning notes with invaluable ties to American Colonial History, and they are sure to draw attention from our excited bidders in our Winter US Colonial Showcase Auction - March 9.

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