[Scam] "Grand Chance for a Fortune!" Broadside--London, New Jersey November 28, 1864

1864. [Scam] "Grand Chance for a Fortune!" Broadside--London, New Jersey November 28, 1864

Broadside, printed on very lightweight paper measures 21 x 8.5 inches. Verso is blank but shows extensive ink bleed from recto. Several small chips and tears, especially at previous folds. No printers slug. Good Condition.

Classic mid-19th century lottery scam, especially prevalent in the 1860's. Perpetrators would mail solicitations to sell lottery tickets using fictitious, yet legitimate sounding organizations, to sell tickets to win a "Fortune". In this case, the managers (Browne, Sherman & Co.) of the "Cosmopolitan Art Union Association" of London, New Jersey announce a public drawing on Monday November 28, 1864. Not only is the "Cosmopolitan Art Union Association" made up, but there is also no such town of London New Jersey. These broadsides often were accompanied by a formal letter offering legitimacy to the scheme.

These schemes apparently were short-lived but all followed variations on a theme and were likely the work of a small numbers of traveling 'humbug' artists. Among the names used in these schemes are Alexander Van Dusen; Thomas Boult & Co.; E. F. Mayo; Geo. P. Harper; Browne, Sherman & Co.; Hammett & Co.; Charles A. Herbert; Geo. C. Kenneth; T. Seymour & Co.; C. W. White, Purchasing Agency and others. As P.T. Barnum supposedly said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

We find no exact record of this iteration in OCLC or in commerce as of March 2024.