Lot 2

1880s NY Custom House Manuscript Poem to Appraiser Jacob Hess

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1880s NY Custom House Manuscript Poem to Appraiser Jacob Hess

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Estimate: $250 - $350

Starting Bid: $70

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by East Coast Books
August 6, 2026 3:00 PM EDT
Timed Auction
PO Box 849
Wells, ME, US 04090

An exceptional, complete three-page original handwritten manuscript poem from the 1880s, serving as a powerful political tribute to Jacob Hess, a prominent Commissioner and Appraiser for the Port of New York Custom House. Written in an elegant, highly educated 19th-century cursive script, this unpublished piece of private New York political ephemera uses grand, classical, and chivalric imagery to celebrate Hessâs survival of a bitter administrative battle against rival factions. The text explicitly mentions "'Mong friends assembled here to render praise" and "as we gather here we crown," indicating it was composed by a fellow Customs official or clerk to be read aloud as a formal toast at a New York political victory dinner. Of significant historical interest is the author's sharp use of Gilded Age political terminology and anti-corruption rhetoric aimed at the infamous "spoils system" of the era. The text explicitly lambasts the "placeman's hackneyed phrase" (a 19th-century term for corrupt individuals appointed purely for partisan loyalty) and denounces "the Carpet Knight in weak and ruling phrase" alongside backstabbing political sycophants who "flatter to the face and stab with stealthy blow." Despite intense political mudslinging ("fierce detraction's charge"), the poem celebrates Hess as a man who stands with a "conscience clear" and an unblemished reputation ("escutcheon clear"), concluding with a rallying cry of "Hess and Victory!" Condition: Good antique condition. Displays expected horizontal folding creases from historical storage, with minor edge wear and localized toning consistent with age. Text remains dark, crisp, and 100% legible throughout.

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