The great joy for me of being a dealer is going out in the world to look for things, and I like to look at everything. This wallet I found digging through boxes at a treasure trove of a shop near Albany, NY, the longtime owner of which buys mostly straight out of estates in the area. The leather here is buttery soft, the strap completely in tact and soft too, and the buckle on back still in great shape, such that it can indeed be fastened closed securely now. To my eye quite a beautiful thing, and best of all this"Bill Book" was signed by its original, and notable original owner, William Tremper (W.T) Cuyler, on October 5, 1825, just a few months more than 200 years ago.
The Cuyler family was prominent in Albany from the time it became a city, in 1686, until the time of the American Revolution, with someone of the Cuyler name either mayor of Albany or closely related to one who was during that period. Colonel William Tremper Cuyler, whose wallet this was, was born in Albany in 1802 and died at his estate, "Woodlands," in Cuylerville, Livingston County, NY in 1864--of which he was an early settler, and which was named for him. That was in 1843; at the time he signed this "Bill Book" he was 23 years old, had just married, and was living in Rochester, NY, where he had invested in property and established a large carriage manufactory. Lots more about his interesting life and the whole Cuyler family here. And so, not just a beautiful wallet but a notable one in terms of the New York history.
8 1/2" w x 5 1/2" closed. Opens to 15 1/2" x 8 1/2" not including strap. Beautiful antique condition.
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