Lot 3122 email save

Various Reward of Merit Certificates, c. 1840

Historic Americana

Four Colorful "Reward of Merit" Certificates

c. 1840, Various Reward of Merit Certificates, Choice Extremely Fine.
These wonderful certificates range in size from 2.25" x 5.25" to 2.75" x 6.25", no date or location. These printed rewards have dabbed blotches of hand-painted color. Highly collectible certificates such as these were issued by teachers to their deserving students in the 1800s--one is actually signed by a teacher: "Olive A. Horitz" to her student, "Minerva Willcox," and two others have "Minerva" penciled in on the back. Rewards of merit were used primarily as motivational tools to encourage students to learn and as rewards for having done a good job. Two contain nice sayings such as this one, "To do to all men as I would That they should do to me, Will make me kind and just and good And so I'll try to be." Border on the side edges features a variety of leaves and grapes. Beautiful display items! (4 items)