Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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The Benjamin Wishnietsky Collection of Confederate States Postal History continued...

Express Company Mail and Mails Suspended

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

Adams Express Company, Southern Express. Beautifully illustrated design depicting U.S. mail rider being overtaken by a locomotive with "Adams Express" and "Ahead of Anything" captions, addressed to Massies Mill Va., Feb. 26, 1861 docketing, original enclosure with green Adams Express Central Division letterhead, notifying recipient that a package has been received, carried entirely outside the mails prior to Virginia's secession, Extremely Fine (Image)

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E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction

Adams Express Co. Atlanta Ga. Apr. 16 (1861). Oval datestamp struck on 3c Red on Buff Nesbitt entire (U10) to New York City street address, Thomas Prosser & Sons correspondence, manuscript "Paid R/-H" express fee notation, Very Fine and scarce precursor express use, Special Routes Census No. N-PRE-7, C.S.A. catalog value $2,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $1,200.00
Will close during Public Auction

Adams Ex. Co. * Louisville Ky. * Aug. 12, 1861. Circular datestamp cancels 3c Red on Buff Star Die entire (U27), two strikes of blue "Nashville Ten. Aug. 14, 1861" circular datestamp with matching "Paid" and "10" handstamps, addressed to New Orleans, Carroll Hoy correspondence, usual staple holes, Very Fine through-the-lines cover carried by Adams Express, Special Routes Census No. S-AD-60, ex Weatherly (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $3,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

Adams Express Co. Baltimore, Md. Jul. 1, 1861. Circular datestamp with "Baltimore, Md." sharp and unobscured, struck over embossed stamp on 3c Red on Buff Star Die entire (U27) southbound to Greensboro N.C., "Paid" straightline handstamp applied at Baltimore, blue "Adams Express Co. Augusta, Ga. Jul. 7" oval datestamp, entered C.S.A. mails with "Augusta Ga. Jul. 8" double-circle datestamp also struck over embossed stamp, "Paid 10" straightline handstamp for C.S.A. rate, docketing with notation "Censored" indicates letter was opened and examined in Baltimore (express mail was censored in certain cities, arousing protests from the public)

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF ONLY SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE ADAMS BALTIMORE OFFICE DATESTAMP, OF WHICH THREE WERE DATESTAMPED AT THE ADAMS OFFICE IN AUGUSTA. A WONDERFUL COMBINATION OF MARKINGS.

Adams made extensive use of its own distribution network and relied less on the postal systems for delivery. Initially, Adams' southbound mails were collected at New York, Baltimore or Boston and bagged for delivery to the major distributing offices in the C.S.A. at Augusta, Memphis or Knoxville. Northbound mails were apparently handled similarly in the reverse direction. These bags were not opened in transit through Louisville or Nashville, so surviving letters carry no express markings from either city unless they originate from them. On July 4, 1861, the C.S.A. seized all of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad rolling stock in Tennessee, so the trains no longer crossed the lines. From this point forward, couriers carried the mail across the lines on horseback. This also entailed a change in how Adams handled its express mail, as Louisville increasingly became the major distributing office for both northbound and southbound mail. Accordingly, Adams' Louisville express markings begin to appear on all southbound mail starting around July 17 and on all northbound mail starting around July 4. Further, Nashville became the principal distributing office in the C.S.A. for southbound mail starting around August 1. The cover offered here is an early and rare example of routing through Augusta with the Augusta office's oval datestamp used in conjunction with the Baltimore origin marking. Only three such covers are recorded in the Special Routes book (Census Nos. S-AD-13, 16 and 20).

Ex Muzzy. Special Routes Census No. S-AD-13. (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $4,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

Am. Letter Exp. Co. Louisville, Ky. Jul. 9, 1861. Perfect clear strike of blue circular datestamp on 3c Red on White Star Die entire (U26) northbound to Warren R.I., Knowles correspondence, blue "Louisville Ky. Jul. 10, 1861" double-circle datestamp with duplex grid cancel, Extremely Fine, one of the finest known strikes of this marking, which is more often found poorly struck, a rare American Letter Express northbound through-the-lines use, Special Routes Census No. N-AX-2 (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $3,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

Southern Express Co. Raleigh N.C. Oct. 28 (1861). Blue double-circle datestamp on "Adams Southern Express" buff imprint cover to Mebane N.C., small sealed tear at top left, otherwise Very Fine and a clear strike of this extremely rare express handstamp, this is the only recorded example in the Special Routes book (the date is incorrectly identified as Oct. 18, but the listing was made from this cover), unlisted in the C.S.A. catalog, which lists handstamps of this type from other offices at prices between $2,500.00 and $3,000.00 (Image)

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E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $1,900.00
Will close during Public Auction

MAILS SUSPENDED. Straightline between two bars (MS-2), 3c Rose (65) tied by cork cancel, "Old Point Comfort Va. May 19" double-circle datestamp, "Nashville Ten. Jun 28, 1865(?)" double-circle datestamp on back of buff cover to Hartwell Ga., stamp with small nick and missing top flap, Very Fine, a scarce and well-struck example of this straightline applied at Nashville in 1865 when mail routes had still not been restored, ex Emerson and Kimmel (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $2,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

Mails Suspended. Bold strike of black oval handstamp (MS-1), 3c Rose (65) tied by target cancel and "New York 24 Jul. 1862" double-circle datestamp on buff cover to Laurenceville Va., couple backflap tears, Very Fine cover and strike of this handstamp applied at the Washington D.C. Dead Letter Office, C.S.A. catalog value $2,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $5,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

Mails Suspended. Clear strike of blue oval handstamp (MS-1), 3c Rose (65) tied by grid cancel, "New York May 31" circular datestamp on cover to Gen. John H. Cocke in Bremo Va., tiny cover tear at top, Very Fine example of this handstamp applied at the Washington D.C. Dead Letter Office, Gen. John Hartwell Cocke (1780-1866) "was greatly troubled by the issue of slavery, and he concentrated his time and money in promoting the American Colonization Society, and preparing his slaves for gradual emancipation through vocational training and teaching them to read and write" (see http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu00103.xml ) (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $2,500.00
Will close during Public Auction