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Historic lottery ticket neatly signed at the conclusion in ink, "G:o Washington," one page, 3.25 x 1.25, for the "Mountain Road Lottery" held in 1768. In full: "This ticket [No. 165] shall entitle the Possessor to whatever Prize may happen to be drawn against it's Number in the Mountain Road Lottery." These lottery tickets were printed several at a time on larger sheets before being cut. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder and archivally double-matted and framed under Tru Vue Museum Glass with a fabulous engraved portrait (by William E. Marshall, after the painting by Gilbert Stuart) and plaque to an overall size of 22.75 x 31. In fine condition, with minor loss to the upper left corner tip.
With Captain Thomas Bullitt and others, Washington conceived a lottery as a way to raise funds to build a road through the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia and to construct a resort in the area now known as The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia. Owing to competition from other lotteries, the Mountain Road Lottery failed, and King George III then banned all lotteries in 1769. Although 6,000 of these lottery tickets were originally slated to be sold, only about 25 are known to exist today. A scarce and highly sought-after format for George Washington's autograph, impressively displayed.
