Here is my oldest and best autograph. The 1st President of the United States, George Washington.
Signature “G:º Washington” on the lower portion cut from an ornately bordered Mountain Road Lottery ticket with the printed date “1768”, 3.75” x 0.75”. On laid paper. Lightly foxed. Fine condition.
The Mountain Road Lottery was a fund raising project conceived in 1767 by George Washington and others to finance the building of a road through the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, and construct a resort in the Hot Springs and Warms Springs of Augusta County, which were reputed to have healing properties. Washington acted as manager of the lottery. 85% of the proceeds would be paid out in prizes; the remaining 15% would be kept for the Mountain Road project. Each lottery ticket cost £1. As there were other lotteries being run at the time, Washington’s lottery was not a success. In 1769, King George III banned all lotteries in the American colonies. The Mountain Road was built in 1772, however, when the Virginia legislature voted a sum of £300 pounds for the purpose of “clearing a safe and good road from the Warm Springs in Augusta County to Jennings Gap.”
