Ephemera for Auction

A Collection of Medical Diplomas and Other Documents

I am a big fan of auctions, but I’m sad that few are being held in person these days. As I was perusing one of the local auction houses’ catalog, something caught my eye. The lot was titled “A Collection of Medical Diplomas and Other Documents.” 

Of course, I had to click to take a look, and found this description:Including University of Pennsylvania, M.D., 1839; University of Maryland, M.D., 1843 and 1869; Maryland Med-Chi* faculty commission, 1864; Maryland physician’s license, 1867; and Georgetown University, B.S., 1926; comprising about 12 items; together with a tin document holder.

With a little close looking, I found that the pieces belonged to members of the Sappington family, one of whom, Francis Brown Sappington, was a founder of the Faculty.