Exceptionally Rare George Washington Scallop Top Ship Passport as President 1796

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Exceptionally Rare George Washington Scallop Top Ship Passport as President 1796:
$34750.00

President George Washington Signs 1796 Ship Passport for Brig Harmony as Neutral American Shipping Enters a Period of Escalating Risk. Very few of these ships passports come to market. Grok estimates only 5-10 are probably in existence signed by Washington. This is considered the rarest type of George Washington signed maritime documents.George Washington Scallop Top Ship Passport Signed as President ("Go: Washington"). One partially printed page of vellum, 11 3/4 x 18 1/4 inches. Portsmouth, NH; December 15, 1796. Maritime vignette at top margin and embossed white paper seal at lower left. Beautifully matted and framed for display to an overall size of 26 x 22 inches.Very early Passport No. 9 issued to the "Brig Harmony," captained by John Shackford and crewed by ten men. It authorized the ship, which had "the burthen of Two hundred & thirty two tons or thereabouts...TO PASS with her Company, Passengers, Goods and Merchandize, without any hindrance, seizure or molestation..."Signed, "Go: Washington" as President, and countersigned by Timothy Pickering as Secretary of State.Our subject is more than likely John Shackford (1761-1800), a Portsmouth, New Hampshire mariner active in the coastal and Atlantic trade during the post-Revolutionary period. Shackford appears in regional shipping and mercantile records as part of a network of New England shipmasters navigating the expanding but volatile commerce of the 1790s, moving goods through a system increasingly shaped by neutrality disputes and maritime risk. He is believed to have died in 1800 while captaining the brigCherub, reportedly lost at sea-a fate not uncommon given the hazards faced by captains operating in the late eighteenth-century Atlantic trade.Issued in the final months of Washington's presidency, as American shipping faced mounting pressure from the wars between Britain and France, the document situates Shackford's command of theHarmony within a narrow window when federal protections like this passport were essential yet far from absolute.Condition: Not examined out of frame. Overall, very good with flattened folds, minor toning, and minor scattered soiling. Slight ink fading to Washington's signature in a few areas, with a small area of archival repair to the 'sh' of Washington's signature. See photo. Minor wear to seal. References: Portsmouth, New Hampshire Shipping Records and Custom District Registers, 1790s. Authenticity certificate is pending. 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 sale houses.   