Details
JAY, JOHN, President of the Continental Congress, Chief Justice. Printed document signed in full as Governor of New York, Albany, 14 February 1799. One page, oblong 4to, printed in a curious mixture of types, LARGE WAX SEAL OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, 70mm. (2 3/4in.) in diameter, suspended at bottom from blue silk ribbon (paper covering lightly browned). Jay certifies the appointment of Henry Brown of Hosack as Coroner of Rensselaer County.
The seal, impressed on a 1/4 inch-thick wafer of wax with paper covering applied, is a very unusual survival. While a good number of such documents were probably issued during Jay's tenure as Governor (1795-1800), very few preserve the fragile official seal intact.
The seal, impressed on a 1/4 inch-thick wafer of wax with paper covering applied, is a very unusual survival. While a good number of such documents were probably issued during Jay's tenure as Governor (1795-1800), very few preserve the fragile official seal intact.