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Auction: 314 - Numismatic Collector's Series Sale
Lot: 1123

Vanderbilt, Cornelius American shipping magnate known as "the Commodore" (1794-1877); began by operating ferries in the New York area; branched out to steamboats, breaking the Fulton Company´s monopoly; later turned to railroads, forming the New York Central and Hudson; established the family fortune. Most unusual third-person early Autograph Document Signed "C. Van Derbilt" in body, 1 p, narrow oblong 8vo (2.75" x 8.15"), NY, March 29, 1827. A receipt prepared by Vanderbilt for "fifty Dollars on account of Varnishing the Cabbons of the Swan." Also signed by the payee, "Otis B. Prescott." Docketed on verso. Slightly uneven edges, normal age-toning, otherwise VG. Vanderbilt´s employer, Thomas Gibbons, had died in 1826, and at the time of this document, Vanderbilt worked for his son and heir, William Gibbons. The Swan had replaced the Commodore´s previous boat, the Emerald, which had mysteriously caught fire one night in late 1826 while moored in New Jersey. Before long, the younger Gibbons would put his share of the business up for sale at a price Vanderbilt could not afford, and the Commodore would strike out on his own.

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