The "Law" requiring a seal press embosser:
Provenance-Having ascertained from two prior dealers representing high end American Patriotic Historical Collectors they all understood this Merriam Eagle Seal Press was purchased in Baltimore, many many years ago, bears good reason. Not widely know that for a time Merriam had a shop located in Baltimore on Gay Street !. Upon inspection of the seal, considering the excellent paint (most 150 plus year old seals have little if any original finish and ones that do not only are the best examples of the style but also have a premium value) Lacking these chips as signs of wear, this piece obviously wasn't moved much. It was used in an office setting, out of the way. The bright chromatic paint highlights, indicate this seal has not traveled far, nor overly used for impressions (close look where handle presses internals that come down and impress the seal message)
In 1862 five districts were formed and Van Lear in 1865-66 was the Baltimore 3rd. dist tax Internal revenue collector.Did each buy an expensive seal as there were other local die sinkers (seal makers/sellers)
Lincoln and the Federal Government arrested many Marylanders as Southern Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War, in general its citizens resented the North. Our Merriam seal may have been an antagonistic Union Patriotic symbol after the war, more likely located at a Federal Facility, the grand custom house than with the ' ordinary citizen' district tax collector. |
In "The Custom House" in the Major American Port of Baltimore one can surmise the Internal Revenue Collector ordered this expensive seal from Boston/Merriam to make an impression, and used the "not subject to duty" very sparingly as they wanted the revenue. On Oct.1, 1872, all stamp taxes were repealed except on bank checks.
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Around 1820 the government began to rent a wing of the Merchants' Exchange Building to house the Customs Service. Designed by Maximilian Godefroy and Benjamin Henry Latrobe in an 'H' shaped structure and constructed in 1816-1820, the Merchant's Exchange Building was the largest domed building of its kind in America and a landmark of the city. Lincolns Bier lay in state here in 1865. It continued to house the U.S. Customs Service, along with the U.S. Courthouse, Post Office and a branch of the Bank of the United States and separate wings for the first City Hall and another mercantile wing for offices of shipping companies, brokers, attorneys and related maritime businesses through the end of the 19th century. One can image a plethora of seal presses many probably from the Merriam shop/Gay Street, in this environment and any of these entities had a potential use for this mercantile related embossment tax seal.
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Published: October 10, 1865 Special Dispatches to the New-York Times.
WASHINGTON, Monday Oct. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury will issue, to-morrow, with all the necessary forms, the circular heretofore referred to in these dispatches, providing that payment of government tax and charges on cotton be made hereafter in the port to which it may be shipped instead of the point from which the cotton is sent. The ports named to which such shipment and payment may be made are New-York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, New-Orleans, Cairo, and St. Louis. WM.H. WOODBURY, special agent of the Treasury Department, has gone to Baltimore to examine into the affairs of the Custom-house in that city, to ascertain what, if any, reforms can be effected in the management of the government affairs. A similar investigation will be made into the affairs of the Custom-houses in New-York, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. |
Based on the Nor Cal Seal Collector research team, there is circumstantial evidence the seal may have been used by LEOPOLD BLUMENBERG, who became an American Officer in the Civil War and then appointed a Federal Civil Service agent; born in the province of Brandenburg, Prussia, Sept. 28, 1827; died at Baltimore Aug. 12, 1876. He served in the Prussian army in the Danish war of 1848, enlisting as a private and being promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He was decorated for his services, but the anti-Semitism prevalent deprived him of his medal. Resenting such treatment, he left for America in 1854, settling in Baltimore, where he was a foreman in an umbrella factory as the city was once so closely associated with the manufacture of umbrellas that an unfounded myth had it that the devices were invented here. Umbrella manufacture relied on German/Jewish Immigrant "Needle Trade" skills.
As foreman in a shop until 1861 and suspect was familiar with ordering equipment, at that time anyone ordering anything either had a printed catalog or relied on ubiquitous thick paper mercantile newspaper published business directories, some over 1000 pages. These publications were the main source of cross state advertisement and some pages nicely reproduced herein. The huge trade at the Port of Baltimore made these widely available. More likely it was a local purchase, since in the post-Civil War years lead to particular growth in the area, with banks and insurance companies making their headquarters on Gay Street. The UNITED STATES CUSTOMS HOUSE was located at 40 S. Gay Street. Merriam had his shop at 17 S. Gay Street !
Blumenberg joined the reform temple, Har Sinai, where he was an active member. There is an historic letter from Lincoln to the War Secretary asking that Jewish soldiers such as Blumenberg suffer no discrimination. As was an avowed abolitionist he narrowly escaped being lynched by a secessionist mob in Baltimore in early April, 1854. During the Civil War Blumenberg commanded his regiment as colonel at Antietam, where he was severely wounded. President Lincoln appointed Blumenberg provost marshal of the third Maryland district, with headquarters at Baltimore. He held this office from 1863 to 1865, making himself very unpopular by a strict enforcement of the laws. He was mustered out of the Army in January, 1865, and President Lincoln appointed Blumenberg superintendent of the Warehouses at the Baltimore Custom House.
Our hypothesis is 1865 after his service, commencing his new federal appointments, Blumenberg may have used a tax seal. His later commission by president Andrew Johnson in the "Federal Revenue department" in Baltimore indicates the President was aware of Blumenbergs financial skills, the Federal Government having sent investigators to the Custom House in 1865. One suspects key issues were funds were not shorted revenue with stamp tax issues. When President (1865-1869) Andrew Johnson appointed him to a position in the revenue department, he also commissioned him brigadier-general United States volunteers.
Blumenberg as a long time resident in Baltimore, was extremely popular with the German and the Hebrew element of that city. He held the office of president of the National Schuetzen-Verein of America, (Very popular German -American Shooting and leisure clubs in their day- Of historical note: "the carved wooden eagle is the symbol of the Schützenfest. In ancient Germany legendary, an eagle viciously attacked a small child. An alert "Schuetze" (archer or marksman) killed the eagle and saved the life of the child. The grateful townspeople praised him for his skill as a sharpshooter and looked upon him as a special hero and treated him almost like a king. Compare the carved like features of the Merriam Eagle to a wood carver's work from Europe or the Black Forest/German style wood carved eagle-no doubt a very familiar and well known style to German Empire born Blumenberg. Each year the event was commemorated and so the local Baltimore Schützenfest was born.
Below is a typical omnipotent noble eagle themed Prussian army Medal perhaps like the one Blumenberg longed for and never received. One can imagine his reasons for wanting a profound very officious eagle symbol associated with him and his daily duties. Most certainly as a medal winning Prussian soldier, as a decorated and wounded Union Officer/Soldier, as a federal Appointee twice over by two presidents, as a proud Jewish-American immigrant, as a gun club president marksman with an eagle eye and logo/historical eagle imagery, and his Military Union discharge document typically had a fine Eagle picture top part (see below), the form very similar to the Merriam Eagle. All of these artifacts would have been proudly displayed by him. Considering his background, one may infer if in fact Blumenberg had an opportunity to acquire this grand Merriam Seal Press and would have desired it. We can surmise as a keenly motivated, most industrious and proud individual, may even have walked by and stopped in the Merriam shop, thereafter wanted and may have gotten his missing eagle on many levels. A portrait Of Blumenberg, unknown artist.
-curator Ehrlich sept/2013
As foreman in a shop until 1861 and suspect was familiar with ordering equipment, at that time anyone ordering anything either had a printed catalog or relied on ubiquitous thick paper mercantile newspaper published business directories, some over 1000 pages. These publications were the main source of cross state advertisement and some pages nicely reproduced herein. The huge trade at the Port of Baltimore made these widely available. More likely it was a local purchase, since in the post-Civil War years lead to particular growth in the area, with banks and insurance companies making their headquarters on Gay Street. The UNITED STATES CUSTOMS HOUSE was located at 40 S. Gay Street. Merriam had his shop at 17 S. Gay Street !
Blumenberg joined the reform temple, Har Sinai, where he was an active member. There is an historic letter from Lincoln to the War Secretary asking that Jewish soldiers such as Blumenberg suffer no discrimination. As was an avowed abolitionist he narrowly escaped being lynched by a secessionist mob in Baltimore in early April, 1854. During the Civil War Blumenberg commanded his regiment as colonel at Antietam, where he was severely wounded. President Lincoln appointed Blumenberg provost marshal of the third Maryland district, with headquarters at Baltimore. He held this office from 1863 to 1865, making himself very unpopular by a strict enforcement of the laws. He was mustered out of the Army in January, 1865, and President Lincoln appointed Blumenberg superintendent of the Warehouses at the Baltimore Custom House.
Our hypothesis is 1865 after his service, commencing his new federal appointments, Blumenberg may have used a tax seal. His later commission by president Andrew Johnson in the "Federal Revenue department" in Baltimore indicates the President was aware of Blumenbergs financial skills, the Federal Government having sent investigators to the Custom House in 1865. One suspects key issues were funds were not shorted revenue with stamp tax issues. When President (1865-1869) Andrew Johnson appointed him to a position in the revenue department, he also commissioned him brigadier-general United States volunteers.
Blumenberg as a long time resident in Baltimore, was extremely popular with the German and the Hebrew element of that city. He held the office of president of the National Schuetzen-Verein of America, (Very popular German -American Shooting and leisure clubs in their day- Of historical note: "the carved wooden eagle is the symbol of the Schützenfest. In ancient Germany legendary, an eagle viciously attacked a small child. An alert "Schuetze" (archer or marksman) killed the eagle and saved the life of the child. The grateful townspeople praised him for his skill as a sharpshooter and looked upon him as a special hero and treated him almost like a king. Compare the carved like features of the Merriam Eagle to a wood carver's work from Europe or the Black Forest/German style wood carved eagle-no doubt a very familiar and well known style to German Empire born Blumenberg. Each year the event was commemorated and so the local Baltimore Schützenfest was born.
Below is a typical omnipotent noble eagle themed Prussian army Medal perhaps like the one Blumenberg longed for and never received. One can imagine his reasons for wanting a profound very officious eagle symbol associated with him and his daily duties. Most certainly as a medal winning Prussian soldier, as a decorated and wounded Union Officer/Soldier, as a federal Appointee twice over by two presidents, as a proud Jewish-American immigrant, as a gun club president marksman with an eagle eye and logo/historical eagle imagery, and his Military Union discharge document typically had a fine Eagle picture top part (see below), the form very similar to the Merriam Eagle. All of these artifacts would have been proudly displayed by him. Considering his background, one may infer if in fact Blumenberg had an opportunity to acquire this grand Merriam Seal Press and would have desired it. We can surmise as a keenly motivated, most industrious and proud individual, may even have walked by and stopped in the Merriam shop, thereafter wanted and may have gotten his missing eagle on many levels. A portrait Of Blumenberg, unknown artist.
-curator Ehrlich sept/2013
other-Merriam and Co. Research die sinker, seal press seller
The Frog or Toad Percussion Press aka Salamander
2013 Merriam Civil War Token/ store card values continue to rise significantly