(Monterey) Chualar, Cal., Dec 7, 1877. Clear cds (MOT-570) on cover to Canby, Oregon, franked with 3¢ Banknote tied by target handstamp; some cover stains and reduced at left, F.-V.F., the earliest of only two known postmarks from the first period of the Chualar post office.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) Chualar, Cal., Jan 20, 1878. Clear cds (MOT-570) on cover to Gordola, Switzerland, franked with 5¢ Banknote pair (light perf tone) tied by target handstamps, Very Fine, the only recorded example of Chualar's first postmark.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) Gabilan, Cal., Dec 12th, 1881. Manuscript postmark (MOT-800) on 1874, 3¢ green entire with Salinas City Bank corner card, to Portland, Or.; cover reduced at left, F.-V.F., the only recorded postmark from Gabilan.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Griswold, Cal., 1-23-85. Manuscript postmark (MOT-990, R5) on manuscript canceled 1¢ Liberty postal card to Kansas City, Mo., Very Fine, the only recorded postmark from the short-lived Griswold post office.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Imusdale, 2-14-83. Manuscript postmark (MOT-1060) on 3¢ green entire with pair of pen canceled 1¢ Banknotes to Mazatlan, Mexico, with original enclosure, Very Fine, ex-Jessup, with 2009 A.P.S. certificate.
Scott No. 182+U163; Estimate $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) Lonoak, Cal., 1-30-86. Neat manuscript postmark (MOT-1410, R5), with pen cancels on 2¢ Banknote, to Hollister with red receiver on reverse; cover slightly reduced ar left, F.-V.F. and rare, the only recorded manuscript and earliest known cover, with 2009 A.P.S. certificate.
Estimate; $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Monterey) Monterey, California, August 18th, 1847. Dateline on commercial folded letter to Plymounth, Mass., carried privately by ship and entered the mails the following year with red "New - York, 5 cts, Feb 14" cds, Very Fine, an early usage prior to the formation of the Monterey post office in early 1849.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

Click Here for Content. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Monterey, California, Apl 17. 1849. Manuscript postmark (MOT-1610) and matching "40" cent rating on orange buff cover to New York N.Y., accompanied by blue enclosed letter datelined "Monterey, California April 13 1849" from a member of the U.S. Military to his sister describing the influence of the discovery of gold to the military way of life, being transferred to San Francisco, mail ships Oregon and California etc. including "…I leave tomorrow on the Brig Malik Adel, and the brig stops 4 or 5 days at Santa Cruz. General Riley has arrived & Colonel Mason has resigned to him the Command, both civil and military…Mrs. General Smith and Mrs. Major Ogden and another lady all of whom came up with me return home with the California because I suppose no servants can be obtained here…Col. Mason also returns with the California…", Very Fine.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.

THE EARLIEST RECORDED MONTEREY POSTMARKED COVER, SENT DURING THE PRE-STATEHOOD PERIOD.

This is a rare version of the Monterey manuscript postmark with California spelled out, we have not seen another. Est. $2,000-3,000 (Image)

Est. $2,000-3,000

(Monterey) Monterey (Cal.), Jan 1. Manuscript postmark and "Paid 40" manuscript rate marking on cover to Manchester, New Hampshire "U.S.", Very Fine, an attractive New Year's Day prepaid 40¢ rate use from the first official Post Office in California.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

The Postal Act of March 3, 1847, authorized the establishment of a Post Office at Astoria on the Pacific Coast (in later Oregon) and set the rate of postage for letters between the United States and the Pacific Coast at 40c. That act also authorized the printing and use of the first postage stamps in the United States. The next year, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in the Mexican state of Alta California and, nine days later, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. That treaty ended the Mexican-American War and ceded California to the United States. The Postal Act of August 14, 1848, authorized the establishment of Post Offices at San Diego, Monterey, San Francisco, and "other places on the Pacific Coast" as needed and set the rate of postage for letters sent between places on the Pacific Coast at 12½c.

Monterey was the provisional capital of California under military rule before and after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. A Post Office was applied for and granted and Captain William G. Marcy, Commissary and Quartermaster, was appointed postmaster. The appointment was approved by the Post Office Department on November 21, 1848. The only problem was that the three steamships that might carry the mails on the Pacific Coast via Panama were still en route from New York. In fact, none of the steamers had as yet even rounded Cape Horn.

The first Pacific Mail Steamship Company ship to arrive on the Pacific Coast was the S.S. California. On board was William Van Voorhies who, as the Postmaster General's first Special Postal Agent in California, was charged with the task of setting up postal service on the Pacific Coast. The S.S. California reached Panama in January of 1849, where it picked up an unexpected cargo of Argonauts. The ship reached Monterey the following month. At Monterey, Van Voorhies delivered the first official mails to Captain Marcy along with Marcy's bond as postmaster, which he executed on February 23, 1849. The S.S. California arrived in San Francisco five days later, at which time the crew promptly deserted her for the goldfields. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Nasimento, Jan 31, 88. Manuscript postmark (MOT-1980) on cover to Washington D.C., franked with manuscript canceled 2¢ green, reverse with Pleyto & Bradley transit cds's, Very Fine, the Unique Manuscript Postmark from Nasimento.
Estimate; $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Monterey) Nasimento, Cal., May 11, 1888. Bold cds (MOT-1990) and target handstamp tying 2¢ Banknote on cover to Washington, D.C., reverse with Pleyto & Bradley transit cds's, Very Fine, a rare postmark used for less than a year, only a couple known.
Estimate; $250 - 350. Est. $250-350 (Image)

Est. $250-350

(Monterey) New Republic, Cal., Febr 19/71. Manuscript postmark (Williams unlisted) tying 3¢ Banknote on cover to Monroe, Mich.; cover corner wear and small edge tear, otherwise Very Fine, most likely a unique manuscript postmark.
Estimate; $250 - 350. Est. $250-350 (Image)

Est. $250-350

(Monterey) New Republic, Cal., Aug 7/71. Manuscript postmark (Williams unlisted) tying 3¢ Banknote on cover to Monroe, Mich.; rough cover opening, F.-V.F., extremely rare with only one other manuscript recorded.
Estimate; $100 - 150. Est. $100-150 (Image)

Est. $100-150

(Monterey) Peach Tree, Feb 8, 1875. Manuscript postmark (MOT-2370) tying manuscript canceled 3¢ Banknote on cover to Vermont, Very Fine and choice, the earliest of only two recorded manuscript postmarks from Peach Tree.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Peach Tree 3-22-83. Manuscript postmark (MOT-2370) on 3¢ green entire to Modesto, reduced at left & tiny cover tear just touching the "P" of "Peach", F.-V.F., very scarce, ex-Tatham.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) Peach Tree 12-13-84. Manuscript postmark (MOT-2370) on registered 2¢ brown entire to Watsonville, uprated with 6¢ Banknote pair all canceled by manuscript, Very Fine.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Picacho, Cal., Dec. 28, '70. Manuscript postmark in blue (Williams unlisted) with pen cancel on 3¢ Banknote; cover with taped over tear and reduced at left, F.-V.F., the only cover known for this town, ex-Tatham.
Estimate; $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Monterey) Pleito, Oct 21, 1871. Manuscript postmark (MOT-2460, R5) on 1870, 3¢ green entire to San Francisco, company receiving handstamp and "Monterey County" docketing at left, Very Fine, a very rare manuscript postmark and the earliest recorded usage.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) Salinas, Dec. 19. Manuscript as forwarding postmark (MOT-2690), Salinas to Gilroy, cover originated at Searsmont, Maine, with bold postmark and "PAID" handstamp with manuscript "6", "Fowrd 5" manuscript added (3¢ forwarding + 2¢ unpaid); trivial staining on cover, Very Fine, with 2009 A.P.S. certificate.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) San Antonia, Cal., Sep 1. Cds with misspelling of "San Antonio" (MOT-2930) on cover to San Francisco, franked with 1861, 3¢ rose with manuscript "3" cancel, Very Fine, a very rare postmark with only one other example recorded.
Scott No. 65; Estimate $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) San Antonio, Cal., Apr 6, 1859. Manuscript postmark (MOT-2920, R5) at left of cover to Houston, Texas, franked with 1852, 1¢ blue, type IV + 1857, 3¢ dull red, horizontal strip of three tied by manuscript, forwarded to Frelsburg with indistinct forwarding cds and manuscript "Fwd 3" rating; small stamp edge flaws, otherwise Very Fine, the earliest and only recorded manuscript postmark from San Antonio.
Scott No. 9+26; Estimate $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Monterey) San Benito, Cal., April 24, 1873. Neat manuscript postmark (Williams unlisted) on cover to Girard, Pa., franked with 3¢ Banknote tied by manuscript, with original enclosure datelined "Hernandos Valley" and post scripted "Picacho Mines"; light cover edge wear, otherwise Very Fine.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Monterey) San Benito, Cal., Jul 5. Bold cds (MOT-3060) with second strike tying 3¢ Banknote on cover to San Francisco, reverse with 1873 company receiving handstamp, Very Fine and choice, only one other postmark recorded from San Benito.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Monterey) San Juan, Cal., May 8. Manuscript postmark on 1851 folded letter sheet addressed to Secretary of State W. Van Voorhies in San Jose, additional "Paid" and "12½" rate at top, date docketing inside, Very Fine, the earliest known postmark from San Juan and the only 12½ rate usage known from this town, with usage prior to San Juan's postmaster confirmation on July 28th.
Estimate; $500 - 750. Est. $500-750 (Image)

Est. $500-750

(Monterey) San Juan, Cal., June 15th, 1858. Manuscript postmark (MOT-3080) on uncanceled 1855, 10¢ Nesbitt entire to Epsom, N.H., Very Fine.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200