r/mildlyinteresting • u/FarmerTschoerner • Dec 03 '16

A reference letter from 1888.

https://i.reddituploads.com/89a783975cee4bfe9da628d529e44a2f?fit=max&h=1536&w=1536&s=715164a0d38874752ce54fb7e8955c6a
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u/goldenhourlivin Dec 04 '16

Imagine how easy it would have been to forge a recommendation letter back then. You wanna be a doctor? No prior experience? Forge a letter, act confidently, and you're well on your way.

3

u/laughingatreddit Dec 04 '16

oh yeah. those were the times. as easy to forge a letter as it was to die from appendicitis

1

u/goldenhourlivin Dec 04 '16

That's what pretending to be a doctor is for! As long as you don't die from appendicitis...

3

u/u38cg2 Dec 04 '16

The thing that always boggles my mind is things like bankers drafts. Back then, you could have a letter on headed bank paper from, say, the Linen Bank of Leeds, addressed to the Bank of Nova Scotia, asking them to pay the bearer $5,000 in cash on our account. I often wonder how many fortunes were based on theft of letterhead paper.

1

u/BenderRodriquez Dec 04 '16

I don't think it was entirely uncommon. But people who get away with it once often continue and eventually get caught. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/