Mid-1930’s Invoices and Stieff correspondence from panama
This is SORT of a price list. Below are invoices for silver and some hollow ware ordered in the mid 1930’s from Panama
A reader of the site sent these documents to me. Her grandfather Capt. Charles Carlson was stationed at the US’s Fort Clayton (canal zone) Republic of Panama in the 1930’s and ordered a large amount of STIEFF silver for his personal use. She still has the silver today and treasures it.
The store A. Fastlich Inc. was owned by Alberto Fastlich. Mr. Fastlich escaped Germany early when persecution of Jews was starting, and settled in Panama. His brother went to London, only to die in “The Blitz” several years later. A. Fastlich sold high end goods and was in business for many years. There is still an athletic field there... Fastlich Field bearing his name. The store sponsored many athletic leagues over the years.
It is interesting to note that A. Fastlich gave Capt. Carlson a very generous 20% discount on his flatware order from Stieff and 15% on the hollow ware order of individual Salts and Pepper towers. This was certainly an arrangement with Fastlich as Stieff did not discount the silver.
The price lists for 1936 pretty well match up with the pricing that A. Fastlich was giving Capt. Carlson.
This order is for a service for 12
The Captain must have been doing some pretty fancy entertaining down in Panama.
The initial order Oct. 13. 1936
A downpayment of 30.00 was made. A 20% discount on flatware items and
15% on hollow ware was given. Very generous for late depression era merchants.
Keep in mind the era that this silver was ordered and that it was ordered in a foreign country. An order would have been sent to Stieff... with mail coming from Panama traveling by boat. Then Stieff would have made the silver and sent a bill to A. Fastlich. Then payment would have been made (again by boat) using a foreign bank.. so the check would have taken some time to clear, then the order shipped. This order would have easily taken the 11 months complete
September 13, 1937
A handwritten invoice is made. Seems that the individual salts and pepper towers did not arrive. Someone had to re-write the order to show what had arrived from Stieff.
The date 1937 looks like 1932, but that is a 7 with a slash mark, typical of someone from europe . In this case, the slash
mark missed the middle of the 7, making it look like a 2. See the TOTAL at the bottom for a similar 7
In the re-write the 20% discount is applied, but since the salts and pepper towers have not arrived with the order.
A new order for the missing pieces would have been made...
and the whole process started all over again.
Below, a letter dated October 3. 1938 from Gideon Stieff informing Capt. Carlson that his silver was ready and being shipped in two parcels. There must have been an additional order of flatware as mentioned in the letter.
The thin black line in the upper third of the page is a fold mark.
Documents from the Katy Leahy family
