(Frederick County, Maryland, no date ca. after 1801). Single sheet, 12 7/8 x 8 in. (327 x 203 mm). Portion and draft autograph legal document, signed by Francis Scott Key as defense attorney representing a "John, Jr." ("FS Key for Defs."); counter-signed by his co-counsel, Roger Nelson. Docketed on verso. Sheet toned; creasing from old folds. In frame, 16 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (413 x 292 mm).

A scarce autograph legal document, signed by the author of the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key (1779-1843). Here, Key and his co-counsel, Roger Nelson (1759-1815), defend a man named John, Jr. in a case relating to an unpaid debt.