The Steven Walske Collection of United States-France Transatlantic Mail continued...

VERY FINE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED 1847 ISSUE COVER TO FRANCE AND THE ONLY COVER CARRIED VIA FRENCH PACKET DIRECT. AN OUTSTANDING RARITY OF THE 1847 ISSUE AND OF UNITED STATES-FRANCE TRANSATLANTIC MAILS.

In Chronicle 234, Steven Walske analyzed the comprehensive census of 1847 Issue covers to France, including the five routes that were available at some point during the four years the stamps were in use (British Packet via England, American Packet via England, American Packet Direct, French Packet Direct and by private ship). The option of French Packet Direct was available only from June 22, 1847, to February 6, 1848, via one of nine trips of the Herout & Handel line. This is the only recorded 1847 Issue cover from one of those trips. As the United States and France had no postal treaty, this cover had to be prepaid for U.S. under-300 miles postage to New York and then collect from the recipient for French Packet and inland service. The addressee, Hennessey & Co. has been producing cognac for 250 years and is today the largest producer in the world.

Illustrated in Chronicle 234 on p. 112 (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE USE OF A PAIR OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE FROM THE FIRST PRINTING PAYING THE 10-CENT OVER-300 MILES RATE ON BRITISH PACKET MAIL TO FRANCE. ONLY SIX 5-CENT 1847 MULTIPLES ON COVERS TO FRANCE ARE RECORDED BY WALSKE.

Steven Walske published a comprehensive article on 1847 Issue covers to France in Chronicle 234, in which he states that only six covers to France have multiples of the 5c 1847 Issue. The reason for this is that the under and over-300 miles domestic rates applied only for a brief time before the uniform 5c British Open Mail rate was applied to British Packet mail to France. Walske writes: "When the U.S. 1847 stamps first came into use, the principal route between the United States and France was by the British-operated Cunard line to England and then by Dover packet and railroads within England and France. The United States had no postal treaties with either England or France, so letters could not be fully prepaid to their destination. Within the United States, inland postage to the departure port was required to be prepaid. Rates on the entire route were governed by the U.S. postal act of 1 July 1845 (5c per half ounce for less than 300 miles, 10c for over-300 miles) and by the France-England postal treaty of 1 June 1843. This treaty set English transit and sea postage of 10 decimes (equivalent to 20c U.S.) per 7.5 grams (0.2646 ounces) to be debited from England to France and indicated by a 'Colonies &c. Art. 13' marking applied in London. French inland rates, also set out in the 1843 treaty, varied according to distance. Thus, a recipient in France would be charged the French inland postage from the Channel port of entry (typically Boulogne during this period) plus the English transit and sea charges."

Illustrated in Chronicle 234 (p. 109). With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS COVER, ALONG WITH THE ICONIC "RUSH COVER," ARE THE ONLY TWO 1847 ISSUE RETALIATORY RATE USES KNOWN TO FRANCE. THIS IS ALSO ONE OF ONLY SIX 10-CENT 1847 ISSUE COVERS TO FRANCE RECORDED BY STEVEN WALSKE FROM ANY RATE PERIOD. A TRANSATLANTIC COVER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER OF RARITY AND ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WALSKE COLLECTION OF UNITED STATES-FRANCE TRANSATLANTIC MAILS.

Steven Walske published a comprehensive article on 1847 Issue covers to France in Chronicle 234, in which he states that only six covers to France have the 10c 1847 Issue paying postage. Two of these are the "Rush" cover with a strip of six, which really stands in a class of its own, and this cover, prepaid 10c, to which 24c was paid in cash for the full 34c postage during the Retaliatory Rate period. These two covers fall into a category that is entirely different from the other 5c or 10c 1847 uses to France.

The full history of the Retaliatory Rate period is told in our catalogue for the famous Rush cover, available at http://www.siegelauctions.com/2006/912/912.pdf . The so-called Retaliatory Period resulted from Great Britain's effort to maintain its monopoly on transatlantic mail carriage through the subsidized Cunard steamship line, which operated without competition from 1840 through 1846. In response to the emergence of subsidized American Packets in 1847 (the Ocean Line), the British issued an order (effective June 9, 1847) authorizing its receiving offices to collect the usual British Packet postage on letters carried to England by American subsidized steamers. This effectively allowed England to collect 24c packet charges for every inbound letter, whether or not any service had been performed.

The United States vehemently protested the British order through diplomatic channels, but efforts to persuade the government to rescind the anti-American postal tariff were unsuccessful. In December 1847, U.S. Postmaster General Cave Johnson petitioned Congress for power to levy like charges on mail carried by British steamers to or from the United States, but he was not authorized to do so until June 1848. On all Cunard sailings from June 24, 1848 (the Caledonia from Liverpool) through December 31, 1848 (the Europa arriving at New York), American Packet postage was required on all inbound and outbound mail to England whether or not one of the American vessels was used, creating the so-called Retaliatory Rate. Beginning with the departure of the Europa from New York on January 10, 1849, earlier rates were restored, and soon after the new U.S.-British treaty rate was effected. Only ten Retaliatory Rate covers are recorded bearing 1847 Issue stamps.

Illustrated in Chronicle 234 (p. 110). With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED TRANSATLANTIC COVER WITH A COMBINATION OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE AND BOSTON CARRIER DEPARTMENT STAMP.

Ex Beane. Illustrated in Hargest book on p. 49 and in Chronicle 234 on p. 114. With 2010 P.F. certificate mentioning only the slight stains (Image)

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