Document-Indenture Legal Contract

Q: We were given a document my wife’s cousin discovered while working as an engineer on the excavation of the Chunnel, the underwater tunnel from England to France. It’s an Indenture dated June 22, 1854, written on thick parchment and in good condition. Do you think it has any value?

A: An indenture is a legal contract between two parties and is usually for labor, a real estate transaction, or a debt. In the 1700s, many immigrants came to the United States as indentured servants, obligated to work for the holder of the indenture for a set period of time in order to pay for their passage. Most later indentures were for land leases or other property transactions. Your document has historic interest and is worth about $50, unless the people mentioned in the agreement are famous.