A BBC show called “Flog It” has unearthed a 400-year-old passport signed by King Charles the 1st. The document was issued to a 17th-century ship Captain, Captain Bradshaw, and is being valued at up to $20,000 pounds. The lucky owner received it as a birthday present from her husband, who paid only a hundred pounds for it.
What did passports look like that long ago? Unsurprisingly, a passport from 1641 bears little resemblance to its modern counterpart. There is no photo on the front, and no place for visa stamps. The document was written by hand on vellum parchment, made from calfskin. According to the BBC, the writing on the scroll ” gives passage to a Captain Bradshaw and his wife and servants to travel the oceans on behalf of the king.”
These days, if you tried to enter another country with a document like that, you’d be detained immediately. So, it’s important to make sure you have a passport before you leave on an international trip. You should apply for your passport early, too-preferably at least 2 or three months before your scheduled departure date.
If you need to get a passport in a hurry, a private expediting company like RushmyPassport.com is the way to go. You’ll get personal attention and service, along with superfast processing times. An expediting company will had-deliver your application, and can have it processed in as little as 24 hours.
Get ready for your trip today by ordering your passport now!
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[...] have changed a lot over the years. We recently wrote about a 400-year-old passport that a popular BBC show discovered in May. Back then, passports were letters written on parchment, [...]
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 am