Thomas Edison Signed 1929 Check — Edison’s Search for American Rubber
n original Edison Botanic Research Corporation check personally signed by Thomas Alva Edison, documenting one of the celebrated inventor’s final great scientific endeavors.
Issued at West Orange, New Jersey, in June 1929, check No. 1621 orders the payment of $80 to a recipient whose name appears to read “H. Hillman.” Edison signed the check prominently in blue fountain pen as “Thos. A. Edison.” Bank endorsements, dated processing stamps and punched cancellation marks establish that the check was actually negotiated and paid.
The Edison Botanic Research Corporation was founded in 1927 through the combined efforts of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. Concerned about America’s dependence upon foreign rubber, the three industrial pioneers launched an ambitious search for a domestic plant capable of producing commercially useful latex. Edison and his researchers examined thousands of plant specimens, ultimately concentrating on specially cultivated varieties of goldenrod.
This check dates from the height of that historic research program and provides a tangible connection to Edison’s remarkable late-life attempt to solve a problem of national industrial importance. He was approximately eighty-two years old when he signed it and remained personally involved in the corporation’s experimental work.
Details
- Edison Botanic Research Corporation check No. 1621
- West Orange, New Jersey
- June 1929
- Amount: $80
- Signed “Thos. A. Edison” in blue fountain pen
- Drawn on the Savings Investment & Trust Company, East Orange
- Printed by the William Mann Company
- Bank endorsements and cancellation stamps on reverse
- Original punched and pen cancellations
- Expected folds, handling wear and minor toning
- Edison’s signature remains bold and readily identifiable
n original Edison Botanic Research Corporation check personally signed by Thomas Alva Edison, documenting one of the celebrated inventor’s final great scientific endeavors.
Issued at West Orange, New Jersey, in June 1929, check No. 1621 orders the payment of $80 to a recipient whose name appears to read “H. Hillman.” Edison signed the check prominently in blue fountain pen as “Thos. A. Edison.” Bank endorsements, dated processing stamps and punched cancellation marks establish that the check was actually negotiated and paid.
The Edison Botanic Research Corporation was founded in 1927 through the combined efforts of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. Concerned about America’s dependence upon foreign rubber, the three industrial pioneers launched an ambitious search for a domestic plant capable of producing commercially useful latex. Edison and his researchers examined thousands of plant specimens, ultimately concentrating on specially cultivated varieties of goldenrod.
This check dates from the height of that historic research program and provides a tangible connection to Edison’s remarkable late-life attempt to solve a problem of national industrial importance. He was approximately eighty-two years old when he signed it and remained personally involved in the corporation’s experimental work.
Details
- Edison Botanic Research Corporation check No. 1621
- West Orange, New Jersey
- June 1929
- Amount: $80
- Signed “Thos. A. Edison” in blue fountain pen
- Drawn on the Savings Investment & Trust Company, East Orange
- Printed by the William Mann Company
- Bank endorsements and cancellation stamps on reverse
- Original punched and pen cancellations
- Expected folds, handling wear and minor toning
- Edison’s signature remains bold and readily identifiable
