| U.S. Postal History: Stampless |
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| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Lot 3001 |
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Ebenezer Hazard, Postmaster General, author, publisher, 11 autograph letters, all but one signed, includes three with outer address sheet (no postmarks.), one 1781 at Boston, balance written 1789 at New York with all but one as PMG, to Jeremy Belknap, Jedediah Morse and Dudley Woodbridge (postmaster of Norwich, Ct.), one folded letter to Morse is of particular interest: "You will hardly succeed in getting your letters franked- a member of Congress and a commercial man too, has given it as his opinion that Franks ought to be totally abolished," etc., another has a P.S. mentioning Col. Richard Henry Lee, and Chas. Thompson setting out for Mt. Vernon, while an Aug. 8th letter notes, "The President's wig occasioned much speculation." Normal wear except one with piece out of last three letters of Hazard otherwise condition Fine. Lot also includes a 1789 from Woodbridge to Hazard.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
Provenance: Hessel
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Lot 3002 |
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Apalachicola F. Ty., blue dateless circle with matching small Paid and large "2" on immaculate Dec. 1851 prices current to Philadelphia, Extremely Fine, scarce example of the 1500 mile printed matter rate, which was in existence only 15 missing only
nths.
Estimate 150 - 200
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Lot 3003 |
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BALTIMORE MD. R.R./ SEP. 7 1838, red postmark in two straight lines, on folded letter to South Lee, Mass., manuscript. "25" corrected to "50", Very Fine usage, excellent strike of this rare early route agent marking.
Estimate 500 - 750
Provenance: Hind, Griffiths
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Lot 3004 |
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Baltimore R.R. May 25, manuscript. postmark and "25" on 1838 folded letter to Keene, N.H., Very Fine, very early usage, this is the listing copy in Towle.
Estimate 300 - 400
Provenance: Jarrett
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Lot 3005 |
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Cleveland O. Feb. 12, partly struck blue c.d.s. with manuscript. "5" on "Bird Cage" Valentine lettersheet with large ornate floral design with pull string, which, when lifted, reveals a couple standing by a window (with rose bushes just outside the glass), all professionally hand-colored with vivid fresh colors, carefully cut to shape and mounted with printed 4-line verse and gold borders, docketed "Valentine Feb. 14, 1846"; outersheet with light soiling but valentine is well preserved and its special features completely intact, a rare and wonderful piece.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3006 |
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Columbus O. Mar. 4, red c.d.s. with matching "Paid" and "5" on all-over illustrated French caricature envelope showing people and hats caught in hurricane-force winds; small piece out of design at bottom right and small edge tears at BL, still Fine, very scarce.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 3007 |
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Hebron, Ct. Dec. 28, clear c.d.s. in magenta, with ornaments and matching Negative "FREE" in Scroll, superbly struck on 1843 folded letter to Hartford with postmaster's free frank at TR, Very Fine, a rare auxiliary marking.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3008 |
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Merchant's Telegraph, / Office, No. 36 Clarke Street, Chicago, imprint in blue, on white envelope to Skaneatiles, N.Y. with red Chicago Ill. Sep 15 c.d.s. and perfect strike of black 15 in cogwheel, Extremely Fine, wonderfully choice and very scarce.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3009 |
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New Haven Ct. Feb. 15, light strike of red c.d.s. with matching large "5" on small Valentine envelope to a Miss Ophelia Hinman of Southbury with elaborate all-over floral design with vignette of woman, all in bronze and blue on white, including fl aps, with original 1847 verse enclosure, "To Ophelia," with fancy illustrated border with vignette of violin & sheet music, etc., Very Fine, a highly desirable "gem."
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 3010 |
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Sequin, Texas Feb 12, beautiful strike of c.d.s. with stars, matching FREE on folded letter to the Editor of the San Antonio Ledger from the Asst. Postmaster, with a 2nd strike of the c.d.s. applied inside as a dateline, with additional manuscript, Post Office written above it and matching 1858 placed inside the circle, Extremely Fine, possibly the finest known.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3011 |
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Worcester Ms. Feb. 14, clear red c.d.s., matching "Paid" struck twice and ms. "20" on large (10 3/4 x 8 3/8 in.) Valentine envelope in yellow with elaborate gold frame around large address panel, paying a four times rate to Clinton, Mass., a few tiny edge tears, still Very Fine, a beautiful usage from the stampless period.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3012 |
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Nome, Alaska, three covers, each with well struck double circle registry datestamp, one in dark blue, others in different shades of violet, to Seattle with 10c brown (307) and others to England, both with 8c Violet Black (306) (in addition to #3 04, the other with 3 copies of #279B), 1906-07 usages. F.-V.F.
Estimate 150 - 200
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Lot 3013 |
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Yankton Daka. Mar. 30, mostly clear c.d.s. on 1870 orange cover to Schleswig-Holstein, with 15c black F. Grill (98), centered to top, tied by target, boxed corner card for local dry goods & grocery dealer, red Hamburg Franco datestamp, faint Chi cago exchange pmk. on reverse, slightly reduced at L., Fine and attractive usage.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 3014 |
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"Fort Stoddert Mail", manuscript. note of origin, on fresh 1807 folded cover to Portsmouth, N.H., sent by military courier to Louisiana Territory, entering the mails with clear strike of "New Orleans Sep. 4" c.d.s. with ornaments, manuscript. "25" rate, Extremely F ine and very scarce. Stoddert was located within the present-day boundaries of Alabama.
Estimate 400 - 500
Provenance: Griffiths
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Lot 3015 |
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Keokuk I.T. Dec. 5th, manuscript. postmark in blue with matching "S.B. 18 3/4" on 1843 folded letter from New York to Burlington, Iowa, forwarded from there with a red Burlington c.d.s. and manuscript "12½ fd" to Andrew, Jackson Co. Iowa, with a total due of 31¼¢ Very Fine. Carried privately to St. Louis, the letter was placed aboard the St. Louis Oak with manuscript endorsement in blue ink of the Keokuk office, for carriage to Burlington.
Estimate 500 - 750
Expertization: 2002 P.F. Certificate.
Provenance: Eggen
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Lot 3016 |
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NATCHEZ*Mar:31, straightline postmark and ms. "25" rate on 1807 folded letter to Mass., "By the Mail" in hand-drawn serrated box at lower right, Fine and scarce (ASCC cat. $750).
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 3017 |
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Omaha City Neb. Jun. 26, 1862, bold double circle datestamp ties 3c rose (65) on Union patriotic with star and shield design in blue on yellow, to Fulton, N.Y.; expertly repaired at L. edge, Very Fine appearance.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3018 |
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Texas Fort Postmarks, three covers, each with #11 and ms. postmark: "Fort Clark Tx/ July 2, 1857"; "Fort Lancaster: Texas; July 17th 1857" and "Ft. McKavett Feb. 17th 59", first two to Norfolk, last to Judge D.G. Burnet in Galveston; stamps with mar gins to cutting, some cover faults, still Fine, very scarce.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 3019 |
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1851, 3¢ orange brown (10), heading on folded letter franked with 3c Orange Brown (10), large margins to barely in at B., tied by Brown grid, matching "San Antonio Tex. Oct. 26" c.d.s. partly struck at top left. Excellent contents which read (in part): "We came from the head of the Nueces over rocks through streams and cedar breaks where no one but bears, Indians and the like had ever traveled before, leading our horses & climbing up and over rocks at the rate of a mile per hour over an Indian trail that was scarcely visible." The writer describes the hardships of the trail with no water, extreme heat, "the grass fired by the Indians," etc., but then they arrive "in a beautiful grove with good grass and water for our animals, many of whom will never live to see San Antonio again.Several parties are out in this western country looking for sites for posts for the new line; so very shortly the Indians will have nothing at all to live upon. They complain very much but it cannot be helped. If the government.does not help them no one else can." Very Fine letter.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 3020 |
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"Galveston May 29th 1842", dateline on folded letter from Thomas McKinney (a financier of the Texas Revolution, slave trader and founder of Galveston), to Dr. Moreau Forest, postmaster of Finksburg, Md., interesting slave contents regarding "the boy Henry": "I am much pleased with the negroe and would be glad to own him but negroes are low men & can be bought here at from $400-600 but Henry is a favorite, and he and I good friends." There is also a 2nd letter on the same sheet, from a Robert Taylor, with further discussion of Henry and a reference to a possible 2nd war against Mexico, blue New Orleans c.d.s. and matching "SHIP", ms. "F" (Free) at top, Very Fine, fascinating content.
Estimate 400 - 500
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Lot 3021 |
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Dubuque W. T. Feb. 11, clear c.d.s. and matching "FREE" handstamp on 1838 folded letter to congressman G.W. Jones from John Plumbe Jr.with somewhat obsequious contents as Plumbe presents himself as a candidate for the Office of Register, using Martin Van Buren as a reference, etc., Very Fine. Plumbe was one of the earliest proponents of a transcontinental railroad. As a prominent photographer, he at one time operated a chain of galleries; his visionary and frustrated attempts to interest Congress in a railroad led to bankruptcy in the late 1840s and his suicide in 1857.
Estimate 400 - 500
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