| The History of Registered Mail - Forerunners through Civil War |
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Description |
Lot 157 |
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"MONEY/(flueron)/LETTER", choice strike red oval on 1851 folded letter from Cleveland to Columbus, O., two overlapping strikes red Cleveland c.d.s. (May 26 & 27) with matching "5", letter enclosed a $50 Bank Note; somewhat heavy vertical file fold not affecting markings. Otherwise Very Fine. Said to be one of only nine recorded.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 158 |
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MONEY/(ornament)/LETTER, beautifully struck oval over manuscript "Money R"on cover from Cleveland to New York City, postmarked choice strike red May 15 Cleveland c.d.s. with integral rate "3 PAID", also bearing nicely struck New York registry "R". Extremely Fine.
Estimate 2,000 - 3,000
Provenance: Jarrett
Believed to be the only example of the Cleveland "Money Letter" also bearing the New York "R".
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Lot 159 |
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MONEY/REGISTERED/DETROIT, perfectly struck oval on cover to New York City, franked with an four-margin 1851 3¢ dull red (11) tied by an Oct 4 Detroit c.d.s. Extremely Fine and choice.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
Provenance: Jarrett
Believed to be one of only two recorded examples of this marking.
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Lot 160 |
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The Need for a Registered Mail System, clear "N.H. & Bellows Falls, R.R." c.d.s. and handstamped "FREE" on "P.O. Business" folded letter from U.S. P.O. Special Agent, J. Holbrook in New Haven Ct. to the Hartford, Ct. Postmaster, asking him to make up a letter with two $5 gold pieces and two $5 bills for use as a decoy to trap a suspected thief in the New Have Post Office. Very Fine.
Estimate 200 - 300
This letter, written two days before the approval of an official registry system, shows the need for such a system to protect postal customers.
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Lot 161 |
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New Orleans "REGISTERED", beautifully struck red straightline with manuscript "No 1188" on cover to Boston, franked with two 1851 3¢ dull red (11), three margins, tied by grids, postmarked red Jun 27 New Orleans c.d.s. with manuscript endorsement "Valuable". Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750
Provenance: Jarrett
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Lot 162 |
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Philadelphia Small Recorded "R", 1850 folded letter from Baltimore to Philadelphia franked with an 1847 5¢ orange brown (1), large margins except a little close at lower right, tied by red grid and by blue Apr 27 Baltimore c.d.s., small blue "R" struck upon receipt. Very Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
This letter enclosed eight notes from the Mercantile Bank of Baltimore to the Cashier at the Bank of the United States in Philadelphia.
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Lot 163 |
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Philadelphia Small Recorded "R", 1850 folded letter from Baltimore to Philadelphia franked with an 1847 10¢ black (2), ample to large margins, tied by red grid, postmarked blue Oct 5 Baltimore c.d.s., small blue "R" (and manuscript "22" recording number) struck upon receipt. Very Fine.
Estimate 2,000 - 3,000
This letter, from the same correspondence as the previous lot, enclosed nine notes and was rated as a double rate letter.
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Lot 164 |
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Bradford, N.H. "PAID" "5", separate handstamps, indicating that the 5¢ registry fee was paid, struck below a pair of 1857 1¢ type I (25) tied by Feb 16 Bradford c.d.s. on cover to Boston, manuscript "Registered No 8"; slight damp stain at lower right and small opening tear at upper right, small piece out of right stamp (virtually unnoticeable). Otherwise Very Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
Expertization: 1983 PF certificate.
This is believed to be the earliest example of a registered cover handstamped with the amount paid for the registry fee.
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Lot 165 |
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Coast-to-Coast Quadruple Rate, strip of three 1857 10¢ types IV, II & II (16, 14, 15), positions 3/13/23R1, tied by two "Nevada City, Cal., May 19, 1860" c.d.s.s (one not readable) on 10¢ entire to Philadelphia, handstamped straightline "REGISTERED" with manuscript "No. 37". F.-V.F. The registry fee was paid in cash.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000
Expertization: signed Ashbrook.
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Lot 166 |
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Mobile, Ala. "Registered No. _", boxed handstamp with manuscript number "318" added on 1855 folded letter to New Orleans, postmarked red Jun 26 Mobile c.d.s. with integral "3 PAID" rate. F.-V.F.
Estimate 500 - 750
Mobile was among the first post offices to have a handstamp with a space for a number.
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Lot 167 |
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Registry Fee Paid with Stamps, 1856 folded letter from Philadelphia to Chelsea, Vt. franked with an 1851 12¢ black (17), nearly four margins, tied by Jun 12 Philadelphia c.d.s.; manuscript sender's instruction "P.O. Stamp Lightly" with registered numbers "4217" and "5831"; cosmetically refolded with repaired internal splits. Very Fine appearance.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
Expertization: 1983 PF certificate.
Provenance: Gibson, Costales
The 12¢ stamp overpaid by 1¢ the double-rate postage of 6¢ plus the registry fee of 5¢. This is the earliest recorded example of stamps used to pay the registry fee. It is one of three such surviving wrappers, all addressed to dentist Dr. Sebre Gustin, that originally enclosed gold foil for dental crowns.
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Lot 168 |
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Registered Mail in The Confederacy, U.S. 3¢ dull red, type III (26), light crease, tied by Early Grove, Miss. c.d.s., Mar 23 (docketed 1861) on cover to Jackson, Miss., manuscript "No 2 - Registered" and "Registry fee 5 cts." Very Fine.
Estimate 4,000 - 5,000
ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED REGISTERED COVERS FROM THE CONFEDERACY.
Provenance: Birkinbine
Mississippi joined the Confederacy on Feb 4, 1861, but until June 1, with the establishment of the Confederate postal system, all mail was still carried by the U.S. Post Office. However, the Confederate postal system, once established, made no provision for registered mail. Hence Confederate registered covers only can exist prior to June 1, 1861.
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Lot 169 |
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Registered Mail to Prisoner of War, 3¢ rose (65), faults, tied by blue grid on cover from Baltimore to a Confederate soldier confined at Point Lookout, Md., postmarked matching blue Nov 14 Baltimore c.d.s. and straightline "REGISTERED" with manuscript number "649"; endorsed "$5.00 Enclosed, T.C. Totter" (partially scratched out); the letter was undelivered, as it is also endorsed "Dead"; stamp with perf faults. Very Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
Purported to be one of only two recorded registered covers to a prisoner of war.
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Lot 170 |
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Registered Patriotc Cover, 3¢ rose (65), horizontal pair tied by grids on multicolor Patriotic envelope featuring "The Arms of the Keystone State" from Philadelphia to Boston, postmarked bold Apr 16, 1862 Philadelphia c.d.s. and straightline "REGISTERED" with manuscript number "587"; reduced slightly at left. Otherwise Very Fine and quite spectacular. As Weiss ST-512 but with yellow and red hand coloring added.
Estimate 400 - 500
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Lot 171 |
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1863 20¢ Registry Fee, legal size envelope transporting court documents from Philadelphia to Delhi, Iowa; franked, front & back, with 30 copies of the 1861 1¢ blue (63), canceled straightline "REGISTERED" with Mar 28, 1865 Philadelphia c.d.s. on reverse; opened out for display with several creases and defects from rough opening; still a unique franking paying the 20¢ registry fee and overpaying by 1¢ three times the domestic letter rate of 3¢ per ounce.
Estimate 500 - 750
This is the earliest recorded cover showing the 20¢ registry fee paid with stamps. The 20¢ fee went into effect June 30, 1863, but prepayment of the fee with stamps was not compulsary until July 1, 1867.
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Lot 172 |
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1867 Compulsary Prepayment of 20¢ Registry Fee With Stamps, 3¢ rose (65), tied by Ypsilanti, Mich. duplex, Jul 3, 1867 on cover to Woodland, Mich., registry fee paid with a pair of 10¢ green (68) tied by town cancels, manuscript "Registered, No. 1"; slight staining at lower left, few perf faults. Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500
This is the earliest recorded cover showing the 20¢ registry fee paid with stamps. The 20¢ fee went into effect June 30, 1863, but prepayment of the fee with stamps was not compulsary until July 1, 1867.
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Lot 173 |
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1869 Reduction of Registry Fee to 15¢ 1867 15¢ black F. grill (98) tied by fancy blue 7-point rosette, paying the new 15¢ fee on cover from Grass Valley, Cal. to Pembroke, Me., 6¢ double weight postage paid by three 1869 2¢ brown (113) canceled same 7-point rosette, the cover postmarked matching Jan 3 Grass Valley c.d.s. and matching handstamped "REGISTERED" in circle with manuscript registry number "5"; perf faults 15¢. Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500
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Lot 174 |
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1869-1873 Domestic Registry Fee of 15¢ 1870-71 15¢ orange (152) used with 3¢ green (147), tied target cancels on a lovely illustrated World Peace cover from Palo, Mich., Jan 7 (docketed on reverse 1874) with manuscript "No. 3", envelope with American Peace Society imprint. Very Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500
The registry fee was reduced to 8¢ effective January 1, 1874, but apparently the rate change went unnoticed in Palo until sometime later.
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Lot 175 |
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Compulsary Prepayment of the 20¢ Registry Fee With Stamps, 5¢ brown (76), strip of 4, along with a 3¢ rose (65), canceled targets and tied by Danville, Ill. c.d.s., May 28, 1868 on cover to Bloomfield, Ill., manuscript "Reg 20"; bit of light soiling. Fine. A most unusual method of making up the 20¢ registry fee.
Estimate 400 - 500
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Lot 176 |
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Compulsary Prepayment of the 20¢ Registry Fee With Stamps, 10¢ green E. grill (89), strip of 4 and single, along with single and pair 3¢ rose F. grill (94), tied by target cancels on legal size cover from Ithaca, N.Y. to Saginaw City, Mich., postmarked Jul 9 Ithaca c.d.s. with manuscript "Reg #16"; cosmetically refolded top and bottom with horizontal file fold not affecting stamps. Fine. Franking pays the 20¢ registry fee and thirteen times the domestic letter rate of 3¢ per ounce.
Estimate 300 - 400
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