Valuable Vintage Nigerian Scam Letter For Sale

The other day I was going through my folder of zany and humorous papers that I had started keeping when I first started practicing law. Among the gems that I had stuffed in the folder I found a letter (yes, and actual letter!) from "Dr. Kofi Mensah of the Congo Uphill Incorporation - Export/Import Division" offering me a 35% share of $45 million dollars belonging to President Mobutu Sese Seko of the Republic of the Congo. I was requested to "treat this as a matter of urgency and strict confidentiality," which I did for many years. But I'm sure that Dr. Mensah has succesfully extracted his wealth by now and therefore I am no longer bound by the confidentiality provision. (see here for discussion of importance of confidentiality in Nigerian commercial transactions).

So I'm thinking of selling this letter, which comes complete with the stamped brown envelope, on eBay. What would it be worth, I wonder? This isn't an E-mail folks. This is an actual hand addressed envelope with a pre-printed letter (also hand-signed by "Kofi"). If you would like to make me a reasonable offer before I put it on eBay I'm all ears (as Ross Perot used to say).

It does have some sentimental value for me as it represents the only correspondence I have ever received from Nigeria. By regular mail, that is.

Comments

[TPB, Esq.]

I never realized they used letters for that. Beautiful!

[Kofi Mensah]

My formerly-esteemed colleague:

I was alerted to your recent publication and offer of sale of our
confidential correspondence by our mutual acquaintance, who of course was as
shocked and surprised as I at your breach of discretion. When
I contacted you lo those many years ago, it was with the understanding
that you were a person of impeccable credentials and highest standards
who could be trusted to handle delicate matters of a confidential nature.

Unfortunately, it now appears that my trust in your good offices was
sadly misplaced. This is unfortunate for both of us, as a goodly
portion of the $45,000,000 (FORTY-FIVE MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS)
that my initial and confidential correspondence to your person referred to
remains unliberated from the peculiar financial limbo into which
circumstances have placed it. As a result, I have an immediate need
for a person of high morals and ethics who can act in a trustworthy
manner as my personal agent and as agent for the Congo Uphill
Incorporation (of which I am now Associate Director, having been
promoted numerous times in the years following my initial correspondence
from my former position in the Export/Import Division), which is now
known simply as CUI, Ltd.

As it is apparent that you, sir, are no longer an appropriate repository
for my trust (both on my behalf and on behalf of CUI, Ltd.), it will
of course be necessary for me to undertake an immediate and urgent
search for another individual of high regard who is willing to act on
our behalf, again for a reasonable compensation in United States dollars.
As our technologies are now much improved over those at our disposal at
the time of my original letter to you, it has occurred to me that it
would be advantageous in connection with this search to utilize the
features of the global communications network which I call the Internet.
Accordingly, I shall henceforth directly contact those who are referred
to me as being trustworthy via this medium, which I anticipate will
produce the desired results that I seek.

While you, sir, have chosen to disregard our initial understanding
concerning the urgent and confidential nature of our business
relationship, I do remain

Yours truly,

(Dr.) Kofi Mensah
Associate Director
CUI, Ltd. (f/k/a Congo Uphill Incorporation)
Lagos
Nigeria