The  AHA!  Event  of  the  Month

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Some of the Principal Inhabitants of the Moon, as they Were Perfectly Discovered by a Telescope brought to the Greatest Perfection since the last Eclipse; Exactly Engraved from the Objects, whereby the Curious my Guess at their Religion Manners. (Royalty, Episcopacy and Law.) Engraving. Inscribed with text before. 27.1 x 30.4 cm.

On a platform above the clouds as raised centre figure the pope who lets the money machine spit by means of a prayer book – and thus demonstrating how words can be turned into riches. At his right the monarch – his head being either a crown-piece or a guinea – receiving the moon ball as fief, additionally with symbols of fine arts. Throning on the left as the third of the alliance the law as the personified sword, not least a protector of prosperity figuring at its feet. Further two warriors and servants of the Lord. All by the way faceless. – Impression on strong paper from the plate reworked by the Royal engraver James Heath (1757 – London 1834) about 1822. "Even these impressions became relatively rare today" (Kunstgalerie Esslingen 1970). – Trimmed below in the extremely wide platemark.
Offer no. 7,881 / EUR  118. (c. US$ 187.) + shipping

– – – The same. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). (1806-09.) Inscribed with the text above. Paper size 27.3 x 21 cm.

Trimmed within the somewhat foxing or time-stained wide white platemark.
Offer no. 8,905 / EUR  202. (c. US$ 320.) + shipping

What  one  can  only  dream  of  today

Proclamation (6874) by the Imperial and Royal district office Graz of May 13, 1819, concerning the free foreign exchange export by Polish citizens from Austria to Poland. No printer + place (1819). 33.2 x 20.5 cm. 1 page. With the printed signatures of district captain Franz Edler von Werner and the 1^st district secretary Michael Kaltenegger.

Framing-fine  broadsheet on untrimmed wide-margined laid paper. – For the purpose of execution of article 18 of the convention of May 3, 1815, between Austria and Russia it is promulgated according to court decree of April 8 + gubernial ordinance 8862 of April 21/30 "That the amount realized of property (of whatever origin) sold in the Austrian states may be exported to the Kingdom of Poland without deduction by the individuals propertied in Poland". And thus without any restriction either.
Offer no. 10,774 / EUR  71. (c. US$ 113.) + shipping

Appeal by the central administration in Carinthia of April 22, 1797, to the "citizens and inhabitants of the country of Carinthia" concerning the need of cover for the bonds circulating in the country. No place + printer. (1797). Sm. fol. 3 pp. With printed signature by Franz Count of Enzenberg.

Broadsheet  intended  daily  use  and  accordingly  rare

regarding the dramatic depreciation in value of the bonds issued by banks instead of cash as a special form of banknotes due to the turmoil of war. Which already "a considerable time before the marching in of the French army ... reduced (the) circulation of cash substantially, and most payments were done with the so-called bonds ... (as one) effect of the grown discredit for these bonds which one wants to get rid of while laying by the cash for coming cases and in the end tried to take with out of the country. The spirit of speculation ... did its best to disparage the bonds from the dignity of a representing coin to an article of commerce.".

Sentimentally wrapped thus the appeal to the citizens' patriotism to prefinance the "foundation of a bonds dissolution fund" by changing cash to, at first, "insurance bonds", later than "for true bonds or (again) cash, too". But those who nevertheless resist to be put to the patriotic way, for those "unfeeling egotists ... the ways of most shameful enrichment they pursued (would be) turned into ways of impoverishment". Only by lawful means of course. Thus just as 200 years later those expropriated forty years before by then so-called totalitarian rulers remain dispossessed as comparable lepers by a now democratic constitutional state – and not least to its advantage.

Contemporary registration no. + receipt paraph on page 1 and the white fourth page resp. The nearly torn asunder centre fold backed acid-freely. Otherwise on untrimmed wide-margined laid paper.
Offer no. 13,072 / EUR  101. (c. US$ 160.) + shipping

“ Subject: Thanks!

Thanks for your kind reply. I wanted to comment that your thoughts on freedom (the quote that you had on the end of your message to me) are exactly the same as my beliefs.

I write, however, because I was surprised to get it from Europe … Although an American, almost all my early family were Huguenots … In fact, my relative, Jan C. is noted as the earliest C. to have arrived in N. America (in 1636, I think) … ”

(Mrs. C. F., November 14, 2003)