Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: We purchased a property outside of Osage, Arkansas, back in 2000.

And amongst a lot of items left there, this was there.

APPRAISER: It is "Andrew Jackson, President."

This is a proclamation, and this is at a fairly important point in American history.

During the Jackson's administration, there were some very heavy tariffs, and the Southerners, particularly South Carolina, was like, "Whoa, we don't like these.

So we're going to pass our own law that says, 'Hey, we don't recognize that.'"

Well, that was a big deal.

How do you get that word out if you're Jackson, if you're sort of thinking, "Well, people have to know that this is not what I believe in."

So you can't post it on social media.

GUEST: Mm-mm.

APPRAISER: What are you going to do?

You're going to make a big document.

And this big proclamation basically says, "Hey, South Carolina, we've got your number."

GUEST: (laughs) APPRAISER: "Treasonous activity, and we're going to shut you down.

"We're going to send in the federal troops if you don't obey this law."

GUEST: Mm... APPRAISER: Tariffs also get renegotiated, and there is peace.

But more than... more than anything else, what it does tell people is that the Union is going to stay together.

And this was a big shot across the bow for any state that was going to go against the United States.

And really, it was a harbinger, obviously, of 28 years later, of the beginning of the Civil War.

GUEST: Mmm.

APPRAISER: But this is Andrew Jackson standing up for the United States.

So this proclamation was actually printed in 1832.

The original paper proclamation was printed in Washington.

So the really interesting thing about this printing is that it's not on paper.

It's on silk...

GUEST: Mmm.

APPRAISER: ...which is why it has that sort of wavy appearance to it.

This was printed by E. Conrad, and it was printed in New York.

Then this information is sent out to all the other states.

As a president, like him or hate him, he was an ardent Unionist.

And if I were to place an insurance estimate on this, I would say you need to insure this for $7,000.

GUEST: (gasps) Mmm...That's really nice.

Oh.

Hmm... (clicks teeth) That is... great.