1908 Chamberlain Medicine Co Patent Medicine Check Edward VII Revenue Stamp For Sale

ORIGINAL 1908 CHAMBERLAIN MEDICINE CO. PATENT MEDICINE ADVERTISING CHECKA fantastic surviving piece of early American pharmaceutical, patent-medicine, banking and advertising history, dated December 29, 1908.This original check was issued in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A. by the Chamberlain Medicine Co., one of Iowa’s historic proprietary-medicine manufacturers.118-YEAR-OLD CHAMBERLAIN MEDICINE CO. ADVERTISING CHECK — featuring an original King Edward VII revenue stamp and ornate advertising for the company’s famous Colic, Cholera & Diarrhoea Remedy.What makes this piece especially attractive is the elaborate advertising artwork printed directly onto the check. The ornate left-side vignette promotes three Chamberlain products:CHAMBERLAIN’S COUGH REMEDY
CHAMBERLAIN’S COLIC, CHOLERA AND DIARRHOEA REMEDY
CHAMBERLAIN’S PAIN BALMThis was not merely a financial document—the company turned its own check into an advertisement for its products.The check is No. 2691 and was drawn through:Messrs. Brown, Shipley & Co., Bankers
Founders Court, Lothbury
London, E.C., EnglandIt appears to have been made payable to Edward Hale for Ten Shillings Sterling (£0-10-0).An original red King Edward VII ONE PENNY POSTAGE & REVENUE stamp remains affixed to the face of the check and bears a period cancellation.Original banking markings and a large punched cancellation are also present, giving the piece excellent authentic period character.Chamberlain Medicine Company has real museum-level historical relevance.The business originated in Iowa in the 19th century. Historical company records indicate Lowell Chamberlain began the enterprise in 1872, moved it to Des Moines in 1881, and incorporated Chamberlain Medicine Co. in 1892. By 1900 the company was flourishing and subsequently operated international branches in places including Australia, Canada and South Africa. Even more interesting, Chamberlain’s Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy is represented in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History collection. The Smithsonian identifies surviving examples as products of the Chamberlain Medicine Company of Des Moines, Iowa, dating examples in its collection to approximately 1882–1906. The original manufacturer advertised the remedy for an extraordinary range of stomach and intestinal complaints—an excellent illustration of the broad medicinal claims associated with the late-19th/early-20th-century proprietary-medicine industry. The banking connection is historically interesting as well. Brown, Shipley & Co. was a major British merchant/private banking house with deep Anglo-American connections. The firm moved to Founders Court near the Bank of England in 1863 and was an early participant in international letters of credit and foreign exchange. That means this single surviving document connects:1908 Des Moines, Iowa
American patent-medicine advertising
International commerce
London banking
Edwardian Britain
King Edward VII revenue philatelyIt is an excellent display piece for collectors of antique advertising, medical history, patent medicines, pharmacy memorabilia, Iowa history, revenue stamps, checks and financial ephemera.ConditionAntique original condition, dating to 1908.The check shows age-appropriate wear including multiple original folds/creases, wrinkles, toning/discoloration, edge and corner wear, small marks and general handling/storage wear.The document retains its original handwritten information, period banking/processing markings and punched cancellation.The King Edward VII One Penny Postage & Revenue stamp remains affixed and is cancelled. The stamp exhibits age consistent with the document.There are no obvious large areas of loss visible in the photographs, although buyers should carefully examine all supplied images for exact condition.An older collector/dealer identification tag marked “English Bank Check 1908” and “$1.50” accompanies the piece. This tag is separate from the check and is included as part of its collecting history.No restoration has been performed. Sold exactly as photographed.