Old Railroad fuel receipt? Is it real?

[CDucote]

I have had this for as long as I can remember. I have absolutely no idea where it came from or if it is authentic. The cursive on it is all hand written and the stamp appears to be real. Any ideas if this is real or worth anything? I just never had any idea of who to ask about it, so I figured I would give you guys a shot at it. It is in pristine condition.

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

Railroad stuff is collectible. it looks authentic

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I love the old writing. You can compare the writing style with my ancestors discharge paper from 1866. I would try to find out if there was any importance on that date in Albany NY or on that particular train. Very cool piece of railroad memorabilia.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I definitely think this document is the real deal, this isn't the type of piece that someone would go to the trouble to fake.
It looks like a receipt for cord wood delivered to the railroad, this was then mailed from the New York Central Railroad Company offices.
It was been written using a quill pen with iron based ink, you can tell by how the ink gets lighter as the writing moves across the paper.

Anything railroad related is very collectible, I would think anyone who collects NYCRR memorabilia would happily pay to have this piece in their collection.

I found this c1860s NYCRR baggage tag east of Toronto in 2018.
Dave

 

[Doubter in MD]

I'm amused that someone had the title of "Wood Measurer". Ignoring the obvious jokes to be made about that particular job title, talk about a niche job.

Prospective Employer: "What special skills do you have?"

Applicant: "I'm a fantastic wood measurer."

Prospective Employer: "Excuse me? What is your skill again?"

Applicant: Yeah. "I'm a wood measurer. I used to measure wood for the railroad before they started usin' coal. You got wood you need measured I'm your guy. I've been measurin' wood for almost 30 years now. Ain't nobody better at measurin' wood than me. You can take that to the bank."

Prospective Employer: "Thanks. We'll get back to you."

EDIT: And because I forgot to say this in my haste to make a stupid joke, That piece is SO cool! I love it.

 

[Red-Coat]

I'm amused that someone had the title of "Wood Measurer". Ignoring the obvious jokes to be made about that particular title, talk about a niche job.

Prospective Employer: "What special skills do you have?"

Applicant: "I'm a fantastic wood measurer."

Prospective Employer: "Excuse me? What is your skill again?"

Applicant: Yeah. "I'm a wood measurer. I used to measure wood for the railroad before they started usin' coal. You got wood you need measured I'm your guy. I've been measurin' wood for almost 30 years now. Ain't nobody better at measurin' wood than me. You can take that to the bank."

Prospective Employer: "Thanks. We'll get back to you."

I love it.

Prospective Employer: "Oh. Before you go, do you have any other special skills?"

Applicant: "Yup. I'm an optimistic positive thinker."

Prospective Employer: "Can you give me an example?"

Applicant: "Sure. When can I get started measurin' some wood for y'all?"

Very nice piece of railway history. I would be sure many collectors would want that.

 

[Anduril]

What is the purpose of the two-cent bank check stamp?
Why is it on the document?

 

[smokeythecat]

I like it.

 

[rick67]

You would think wood pulp paper would be totally yellow from age.

 

[Noah_D]

You would think wood pulp paper would be totally yellow from age.

I think if it is kept between the pages of a book or maybe sealed up somewhere, that it might stay whiter... it turns yellow cause of oxidation and exposure to sunlight or something.

...maybe, I could be wrong though.

 

[Red-Coat]

What is the purpose of the two-cent bank check stamp?
Why is it on the document?

This is a concept you inherited from Britain. Via the “1765 Stamp Act”, we imposed a direct tax on American colonies to help pay for our ‘protective’ military presence after the French and Indian War. Printed materials including legal documents, contracts, magazines, newspapers and even packs of playing cards had to be printed using paper embossed with a revenue stamp of a particular value… the payment for which went into British Government coffers.

Your own independent (Union) government also thought this to be a splendid way of raising revenue for unexpected eventualities and revived the concept in August 1862 to help fund the huge costs of the Civil War. The tax applied to a variety of goods, services and contracts in varying rates and ready-embossed paperwork was soon replaced by adhesive stamps in denominations from 1 cent to $200 such that they could be affixed to either the taxable item or the paperwork associated with it. Embossed ones on original documentation are generally rare since they were only in use for a short time. The stamps were ink-cancelled after the transaction was completed such that they couldn’t be used again.

For certain documentary purposes, stamps of this kind were still being printed until 1958 in denominations up to $10,000

 

[CDucote]

My Thought Exactly

You would think wood pulp paper would be totally yellow from age.

This is exactly why I was asking if it was real. It just looks to "new" to be almost 154 years old. It has been kept in an envelope inside of a safe as long as i can remember.

 

[Red-Coat]

This is exactly why I was asking if it was real. It just looks to "new" to be almost 154 years old. It has been kept in an envelope inside of a safe as long as i can remember.

It's the lignin in paper that turns yellowish or brownish as a result of oxidation. Typically, you can see a colour difference in most papers after about 10 years or so. That process is promoted by sunlight and also by moisture in the air. A paper item kept in a dry place without exposure to sunlight could last tens of years without showing any change at all and a lot longer with only a minor change.

I do hope it's genuine. The Bank Check duty stamp certainly looks authentic and the ink cancellation mark runs continuously over the stamp and the document itself. I think it unlikely someone went to the trouble of finding an uncancelled stamp, sticking it to a faked document and then also faking the cancellation mark.

 

[CDucote]

I hope it is Genuine also. I dont know why anyone would want to fake what is basically a receipt anyway. I found a New York Central Railroad Museum in Indiana, I think I will contact them and possibly donate it to them.

 

[Red-Coat]

The other thing of course is that anyone resourceful enough to produce a sophisticated fake of this kind surely wouldn't be stupid enough to neglect some artificial aging of the paper.

 

[bradyboy]

IMO - i would have expected some bleading of the ink and discolorationbapaer seems a bit white for its age
IMO
Brady

 

[DigDug216]

The writing looks to be the style for that period. The paper now being more yellow could be a red flag but I have seen old papers that were well taken care of that were not yellow. Thanks for sharing.