A private cover dating from 1867–1868, sent by Sir Stafford Henry Northcote (1818–1887), a leading British Conservative statesman, to Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) while Disraeli was serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The front is manuscript-addressed: “The Right Honble. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Grosvenor Gate” and prominently marked “Private.” At the lower left appears the full autograph signature of Stafford Northcote. The cover can be relatively precisely dated to 1867–1868. During this period Northcote served as Secretary of State for India, while Disraeli was Chancellor of the Exchequer in Lord Derby's third administration. The reverse flap bears an official blind-embossed India Office device, incorporating a heraldic emblem and the wording “Secretary of State for India.” This official embossing provides an important connection to Northcote's government office and strongly supports the dating of the cover. The envelope has a black border characteristic of Victorian mourning stationery. Northcote was an important senior Conservative and political associate of Disraeli. Later, in Disraeli's second administration, Northcote himself served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1874 to 1880, and became one of the government's principal leaders in the House of Commons after Disraeli's elevation to the peerage. An attractive Victorian autograph and political-history item combining direct correspondence between two leading Conservative statesmen, Stafford Northcote's full autograph signature, an address to Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and an official India Office embossed device, closely datable to 1867–1868.
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art