AUCTION - Richard Alpert - Harvard 1962 Mescaline Invoice - Excellent
AUCTION - Richard Alpert - Harvard 1962 Mescaline Invoice - Excellent
What an amazing piece this is here we have a customer invoice carbon copy from 1962, along with a copy of the original Product Data Sheet which accompanied the invoice. What is so amazing is that the invoice is for twenty grams of Mescalin(sic), ordered by Richard Alpert of Harvard University, soon to change his name to Ram Dass. This is the early days of psychedelic exploration, for sure. At this time, Alpert was working closely at Harvard with Timothy Leary, the famous psychedelic researcher. The mescalin was provided by a British company, L. Light & Co., Ltd. what a name. Almost too good to be a coincidence. That sent the invoice to South Divinity Avenue, in Cambridge, Mass. again, almost too much to be a coincidence. The twenty grams cost one hundred dollars in 1962, and the actual mescalin was sent to Alpert himself at Lake Shore Drive, in West Franklin, New Hampshire. Yet again, almost too much to be called a coincidence. Third time is the charm, they say. The invoice reminds Alpert to "Please make a careful note of the details of the enclosed leaflet. The leaflet is the Product Data Sheet for the mescalin. This is a copy of the one sent to Alpert, not the original. That said, the leaflet is very informative and has a lot of info about the drug. Additionally, it gives us a snapshot of how the drug was perceived in 1962. Sublime, really. In particular, the fact that it quotes Huxley is astonishing. This original carbon copy purchaser invoice measures 8 1/4" X 6 3/4" and is in Excellent condition, with light handling and a fold across the middle. Really in very sweet shape. A real tangible piece of psychedelic history.
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