A 1p partly printed and partly manuscript document signed by G.W. Williams, presumably a slave agent or auctioneer, at lower right. November 19, 1851. Richmond, Virginia. The slave receipt records the details of the sale of "one Negro Slave named Ryal" for $525 to E.H. Simmons. Expected wear including minor folds, wrinkles, and isolated discoloration. Unevenly trimmed or torn along the edges to a completed size of 7.625" x 3.125." Else near fine.

"Ryal" is an unusual first name which may be an example of ironic slave naming. "Ryal" is a boy's name believed to be of Anglo-Norman origin that means either royal or rich. Enslaved persons in America were commonly named after emperors, military commanders, or deities from the Classical World as a point of comedic contrast, to underscore the yawning gap between their powerful namesakes and their own lowly position. Other instances of such ironic slaves' names are Pompey, Caesar, or Nero.

Ryal's buyer, E.H. Simmons, has not been positively identified, but at least a half dozen other slave receipts from 1847-1852 can be found among numerous auction house listings and university repositories. E.H. Simmons seems to have been a particularly active buyer during this period. He bought both male and female slaves for as little as $87.50 (probably a young child or even an infant) and for as much as $1,700 (probably a young adult male or female of child-bearing age.) The average purchase price of a slave in the United States in 1851 was around $425, so Ryal was evidently more prized than most slaves.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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