4050

Banking House of James King of William Exchange Sheet, c.1850s [195471]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Paper Start Price:50.00 USD Estimated At:100.00 - 120.00 USD
Banking House of James King of William Exchange Sheet, c.1850s [195471]
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Very rare; FH notes these have not shown up for many years! Sheet with a First and Second of Exchange, unused, with fantastic paddlewheel steamer vignette. Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co., Philadelphia and New York. 8.75 x 8.75" King opened his own bank in San Francisco in 1849. On a return trip from New York from a meeting with his backers Corcoran & Riggs, King met Augustus Humbert, appointed to the newly formed US Assay Office at San Francisco. In March, 1851, King sent Humbert gold coins of Dubosq, Baldwin and Schultz & Co. for assay. (Please see the original letter in this regard in the numismatic section of this sale.) King was outraged, and sent copies of Humbert's letter to every newspaper in San Francisco. This caused him to earn the full distrust and disgust of many.. By 1854, King was bankrupt, which he blamed on the competition. His assets were sold to Adams & Co. in 1854. The next year he started a newspaper that was every bit as controversial as his Assay Office letter. He was a member of the first Vigilance Committee, but it didn't do him any good. King was assassinated on May 14, 1856 by one of the people he "accosted" with his newspaper writings. The Vigilance Committee grabbed the murderers and hung them in the public square.
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Date: c.1850s
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City: San Francisco
Provenance: Douglas McDonald Collection