HIGHLY IMPORTANT POSSIBLY EARLIEST EXTANT HAMBURG-AMERICAN CONTRACT / CONTRACTUAL / DOCUMENTS DATING TO 1875 FOR OCEAN LINER CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER VOYAGE PASSAGE
As shown these TWO (2) CONTRACTS for PASSENGER SERVICE on the HAMBURG-AMERICAN CRUSIE SHIP OCEAN LINER may very well come to be the earliest extant examples of CONTRACTS for passage on a HAMBURG-AMERICAN steam ship - as we can not find anything this old on the Internet or in any internet based ocean liner museums. As we are not experts on Ocean Liner collectibles, could be wrong and we will let the people of eBay decide.
The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), often referred to as Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citizens such as Albert Ballin (Director General), Adolph Godeffroy, Ferdinand Laeisz, Carl Woermann, August Bolten, and others, and its main financial backers were Berenberg Bank and H. J. Merck & Co. It soon developed into the largest German, and at times the world's largest, shipping company, serving the market created by German immigration to the United States and later immigration from Eastern Europe.
The HAMBURG-AMERICAN line we have learned did not become the biggest ocean liner service until about 1881. These documents on offer predate 1881 by 6 years.
The booking agent for the large May 15, 1873 CONTRACT is "N. P. FREDERICKSEN."
With the original hand cancelled Germanic EXCISE STAMP dated "MAY 15, 1875."
The larger contract is dated the 15th of May, 1875 for a departure date of May 19th, 1875 and is for a SECOND CLASS 'SALON' for American "N. N. QUINCY" of Boston (actually CHARLES F. QUINCY - as all other documents that were found with these TWO contracts so indicate).
This is indicated as being "PASSENGEER CONTRACT NO. 143."
The smaller document is dated 1875 in upper right. IT IS NUMBERED "NO. 42." We did not translate the words - but it appears to be some sort of companion contract piece that came with the large main contact - perhaps a baggage receipt or contract for luggage?
The larger CONTRACT measures 13" x 11 1/4" and the smaller measures 7 1/2" x 9 1/4" in size,
Each item has several folds, glue marks on verso, buckling and unevenness to the paper, some minor nicks and may 1/4" tear hear and there to an edge. The verso to each shows old repairs and areas of old paper it was glued to years and years ago. Wear throughout consistent with age and use but overall displays nicely. Please see all photos as they are part of the description.
Very rare and EARLY HAMBURG-AMERICA contractual documents.
SOLD AS SHOWN ABOVE - SOLD "AS IS." NO RETURNS.
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