I asked this question once before about three years ago. No-one found
the answer, so I'm upping the price substantially.

I've got a set of engravings of the US Presidents through Eisenhower.
Handwritten on the envelope are the words "American Presidents
Treasury Engravings". I've been unable to find any reference to these,
not even at Ebay, so I suspect that they may not actually be Treasury
engravings.

Each sheet is white cardboard, 8" x 6", with the actual engravings about 2" x 2". 

Any info on these would be appreciated.

Thank you!

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 07 Nov 2005 19:39 PST

porkribs-ga,

A couple of things:

--smelt-ga is not a Google Answers Researcher (whose names generally
appear in blue hyperlinked text).  Anyone can offer information in the
Comments section below, but only GA Researchers can actually post a
formal answer and collect fees.

--Please have a look a this site of historical collectibles and let me
know how closely these resemble your collection:


http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?documentid=3107115&start=1&page=13


Note that the description of the engravings includes this identifier:

"Imprinted: "Bureau of Engraving and Printing" at lower margin."


You may want to look at your engravings to see if they include that as well.  

The above link should give you an idea of the market value for these
sorts of things.


Let us know if there's anything else you need.  

If you feel that smelt-ga adequately answered your question for you,
then there's no need for me to post a formal answer -- you get a
freebie!

On the other hand, if you would like any additional information -- or
if the above link adds significantly to the information on these
engravings -- then let me know, and I will post my information as a
formal answer to your question.

Hope this isn't confusing...GA isn't always the simplest process in
the world, but it is awfully handy now and then!

Cheers,

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by porkribs-ga on 08 Nov 2005 09:31 PST

Pafalafa: thanks for the info. It would have been useful if google
named their researchers differently than the rest of us: like X-ga for
non-researcher folk and X-gr for researchers.

But that's getting away from the main issue. The engravings that have
been pointed to here - my engravings are packed away in a box, and I
will find them this weekend, see which (if any) match, and answer more
then.

Thank you!

Porkribs

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 08 Nov 2005 09:45 PST

Sounds great.

And you're right...GA can be a mite confusing in the way it's set-up. 
Glad you were able to work your way through it.

Look forward to hearing back from you after you've had a look at your
collection of Presidents.

paf

something like this
http://www.bep.treas.gov/store/section.cfm/70/88/182

Yeah, that's it!

Smelt, what would you think about trying to see if there are antique
versions of these? If you find something definitive, great; if not, go
ahead and claim the $100.

Thanks!

Do they resemble this:
http://www.philaprintshop.com/images/bouchjefferson.jpg

Smelt, I will find my engravings this weekend and see if there's a match then. 

Thank you!

Porkribs

Hi Porkribs,

Your best bet is to contact the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 
They should be able to help determine the authenticity and age of your
collection.  If you have a complete set of Bureau engravings of the US
Presidents through Eisenhower, I imagine it?s going to be worth more
than the single prints listed at historyforsale.com.

http://www.bep.treas.gov/section.cfm/16

p.s. 

Ask the bureau about conservation. You'll want to be sure that you are
storing them properly to maintain their condition and value.

The Philadelphia Print Shop offers free Ball-park Valuations

Many want to know the 'ball-park' value of their map or print, but do
not want to pay for an appraisal. We certainly understand this, but as
professional appraisers we cannot give out values at no charge.
Therefore, we have set up some 'ball-park' categories of prints which
we can use to provide at least some information on your items without
charging. These categories do not include a dollar value, but give a
general sense of the 'valuation' of the item in question. In many
cases this will be sufficient; if it is not, then please read about
our formal appraisal and POVs.

If you would like a ball-park valuation, please feel free to contact
us, but do not send digital images.

http://www.philaprintshop.com/apprais.html#ballpark