bigscoop
Gold Member
- Jun 4, 2010
- 13,535
- 9,072
- Detector(s) used
- Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Here's another little tid-bit from Bigscoop's old Beale vault that might be of interest to some. Over the years I have observed thousands of old correspondences in the form of letters and one thing stands out when comparing the alleged Beale letters to nearly all of these other old correspondences.
Back in the day a man's signature was his reputation and his identity, never have I seen personal letters of the distinguished concluded without a formal signature. Yet here we have the alleged Beale letters concluded with only initials, "TJB". I can't tell you just how odd this is, practically unheard of back in the day, especially at the end of important business correspondences or letters of personal sincerity. So why just initials?
You see a signature is identifiable, whereas initials are not. Had the person who wrote those letters used an identifiable signature then there would be much to risk, versus only initials, that at best, are only suggestive. If those letters had been the real deal then no doubt they would have concluded with a signature and not just initials, the signature presenting obvious issue for the hand who actually wrote them. Now you can take from this whatever you wish but I think this, along with other issues in the letters, pretty much concludes that the letters are not authentic and that they were penned at some later date and time.
PS: And this is not just my opinion, but also the opinion of many people in the field who I likewise consulted who also agree with this summation.
Back in the day a man's signature was his reputation and his identity, never have I seen personal letters of the distinguished concluded without a formal signature. Yet here we have the alleged Beale letters concluded with only initials, "TJB". I can't tell you just how odd this is, practically unheard of back in the day, especially at the end of important business correspondences or letters of personal sincerity. So why just initials?
You see a signature is identifiable, whereas initials are not. Had the person who wrote those letters used an identifiable signature then there would be much to risk, versus only initials, that at best, are only suggestive. If those letters had been the real deal then no doubt they would have concluded with a signature and not just initials, the signature presenting obvious issue for the hand who actually wrote them. Now you can take from this whatever you wish but I think this, along with other issues in the letters, pretty much concludes that the letters are not authentic and that they were penned at some later date and time.
PS: And this is not just my opinion, but also the opinion of many people in the field who I likewise consulted who also agree with this summation.