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1837 · ref. List38103 — New York City 1837. Manuscript letter signed by Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster 42 Wall Street to Jackson Riddle & Co. Philadelphia written on the firm's printed stock quotation circular. Single sheet approximately 22 x 9 inches folded to make four pages each approximately 11 x 9 inches. Addressed on integral leaf to "Messrs. Jackson Riddle & Co. Philadelphia" with circular New York postmark dated Mar. 10. Splitting folds docketing small losses and wear but substantially complete and legible. A Wall Street market letter written in March 1837 two months before the suspension of specie payments that marked the full arrival of the Panic of 1837. Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster write to a Philadelphia firm about Kentucky Bank shares falling stock prices scarce money exchange rates and gloomy commercial news from London. The brief letter is unusually direct in tone reporting that "Stocks are all down today - money very scarce" and that "the news upon the whole seems gloomy." The printed and manuscript quotation page on the reverse gives the piece much of its visual and financial interest. Full text follows. "New York 10 March 1837 Messrs. Jackson Riddle & Co. Phila. Gentlemen "We have your favor of yesterday & note contents. We will hold the 120 Kentucky Bank Shares as required and consider the purchase yours at 40 days instead of S.O. 40 after 15 days - of course when your orders are not adhered to by us we are in the gap and very properly so. "We thank you for the remaining contents of your favor. Stocks are all down today - money very scarce - Bills are offered at 9 - 8-1/2 often. "We observed a notice in the paper of a failure in London a bill broker the firm is unknown here - the news upon the whole seems gloomy - there are no letters that we hear of. "We quote and remain Resp'y yours Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster" The second page is the firm's printed market circular headed "Office of Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster 42 Wall-street New York" with printed columns for "Offered" and "Asked." The sheet lists banks canals railroads trust companies and foreign exchange including the United States Bank New Orleans Canal & Banking Co. Mechanics' & Traders' Commercial City Planters' of Tennessee Bank of Kentucky Illinois State Bank Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. Morris Canal Co. American Life and Trust Co. Ohio Trust Boston & Providence Boston & Worcester and exchange on London Paris and Amsterdam. The page is heavily annotated in manuscript with offered and asked prices and a "Sales" section including transactions or quotations for U.S. Bank Delaware & Hudson Morris Canal American Trust Farmers Trust Ohio Trust Boston & Providence and others. Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster was a short-lived but well-connected Wall Street banking and brokerage firm. According to Walter Barrett's The Old Merchants of New York City 1863 Charles Christmas had been the chief manager or head clerk of Prime Ward & King one of the important New York banking houses at 42 Wall Street before entering business with Robert I. Livingston in 1834 as Christmas & Livingston; the following year the firm became Christmas Livingston Prime & Coster with Rufus Prime and Washington Coster added as partners. Barrett describes Christmas as "one of the best brokers and bankers in this city" and notes his later association with August Belmont & Co. suggesting that he survived the disruptions of the Panic era rather than disappearing in failure.1 The present March 10 1837 letter therefore comes from a recognized Wall Street firm operating directly in the tightening credit environment just before the Panic of 1837 with its remarks that "Stocks are all down today" "money very scarce" and "the news upon the whole seems gloomy" gaining force from the firm's position within that New York banking network. 1 Walter Barrett The Old Merchants of New York City Second Series Carleton 1863 transcribed at Brooklyn Genealogy Information Page accessed July 8 2026 https://bklyn-genealogy-info.stevemorse.org/Business/Merchant/Firm19.htmlutm_source. . unknown