MARK OF JOSEPH RICHARDSON JR., PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, CIRCA 1783

The engraved monogram is that of Ebenezer and Abigail Hazard, married in 1783 and mentioned in the later presentation inscription added to the base in 1896 by their great grand daughter. Ebenezer Hazard (1744 - 1817) was the third Post Master General under the Continental Congress, serving from 1782 to 1789. He then went on to edit and publish his two-volume Historical Collections, which became the primary source for historical documents related to the United States of America for the next century.