Lot 42

Andrew Jackson Signed Ship’s Passport Co-signed by John Forsyth

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Andrew Jackson Signed Ship’s Passport Co-signed by John Forsyth

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Current Bid: $450

(6 Bids)

by University Archives
July 28, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
88 Danbury Road
Suite 2A
Wilton, CT, US 06897

Andrew Jackson
New York, NY, February 19, 1836
Andrew Jackson Signed Ship's Passport Co-signed by John Forsyth
Partially printed DS

ANDREW JACKSON, Partially Printed Document Signed, Ship's Passport for Ship Gladiator, February 19, 1836, New York, New York. Also signed by Secretary of State John Forsyth and New York Collector of Customs David Lyon. Includes blind embossed paper seal. 1 p., 11.75" x 15.25". On vellum; expected folds; light soiling at bottom. This partially printed ship's passport was issued to the ship Gladiator, sailing out of New York City.

The Gladiator was a packet ship that primarily traveled between London and New York. On February 15, 1836, Captain Thomas Britton (1800-1851) and the owners of the Gladiator hosted a reception for "an elegant company of ladies and gentlemen" in "a cabin as spacious as any that ever floated on our waters." J. Gordon Bennett, the editor of The Herald, attended and praised the event: "the glory of New York in her packet ships, her enterprising captains, her scientific ship builders and spirited capitalists. The Gladiator was viewed with admiration by all present—the collation was excellent—the Captain and owners polite—and the ladies enchanting. May smacking breezes always send her safely to her destined port!" On February 20, the Gladiator left New York for London under the command of Captain Britton.

In September 1836, the ornithologist John James Audubon arrived in New York from London aboard the Gladiator. He brought 230 live birds with him. The ship also carried "25,000 sovereigns [£1 gold coins] for the Bank of America." Also in 1836, Captain Britton was recognized for the fastest trip from London to New York ever accomplished by a sailing ship. In 1838, John Van Buren, son and official representative of President Martin Van Buren, traveled aboard the Gladiator to the coronation of Queen Victoria. In the mid-1840s, Captain Britton retired to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, after crossing the Atlantic Ocean 183 times as captain of various ships, including the Gladiator.

Excerpt
"By the President of the United States of America
"SUFFER the Ship Gladiator of New York Thomas Britton master or commander of the burthen of 649 78/95 tons or thereabouts mounted with No guns navigated with Twenty nine men
"TO PASS with her Company Passengers Goods and Merchandize without any hinderance seizure or molestation the said Ship appearing by good testimony to belong to one or more of the Citizens of the United States and to him or them only
"Given under my Hand and the Seal of the United States of America the Nineteenth day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty six.
"Andrew Jackson
"By the President
"John Forsyth Secretary of State."

Historical Background
When the United States signed a treaty with Algiers in 1795, it developed this Mediterranean Passport, commonly called a ship's passport, to ensure safe passage for the ship in the Mediterranean without interference. For years, the United States had paid tribute to the Barbary states. Later treaties extended these provisions to other Barbary states. Such passports were issued to vessels completely owned by citizens of the United States.

The document was modeled after a similar British form, called a Mediterranean Pass, which England used for the same purpose. The American passport was printed on vellum and featured two engravings centered in the upper half. It included the signatures of the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and the Customs Collector in the lower right-hand corner. The embossed Seal of the United States appears in the lower left-hand corner.

Like the British passport, the American passport included a scalloped line of indenture across the top, used as a method of authentication. Passports were cut along the wavy line, and the top portion was sent to U.S. Consuls along the Barbary coast of northern Africa. The Consuls provided copies to the commanders of the U.S. fleet in the area, and they let all vessels pass that had passes that fit the scalloped tops.

Every American vessel sailing in the Mediterranean was to have a ship's passport as part of its papers. The penalty for sailing without one was $200. The master obtained the document from the collector of his departure port and paid a $10 fee. The master also had to sign a bond to ensure that he used the passport properly; the collector canceled the bond when the master returned the passport. The law did not require new passports for each foreign voyage, but they could not be transferred to another vessel and were to be returned to the original port if the ship was wrecked or sold.

The President and Secretary of State pre-signed Mediterranean passports and sent them to the various customs districts, where the collector inserted the vessel's name and tonnage, master's name, number of crew members, and the number of guns mounted on the vessel into the appropriate blanks and signed the document. Collectors were supposed to return unused and outdated passports to the Treasury Department after first canceling them by cutting holes through the seals.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 11.75" x 15.25"
  • Medium: Partially printed DS

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000