(Alaska) Nome, Alaska, Jul 27, 1900. Clear strike of cds and matching target handstamp tying 1897, 2¢ red on "Post Office at Seattle, Wash., Official Business" cover to Cunsill (Council) City, Alaska, sent to D.L.O. in Washington over a year later with Missent To Dead Letter Office Box handstamp and pointing hand forwarding to Seattle, Very Fine.
Scott No. 279B; Estimate $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Alaska) Sitka & Ounalaska R.P.O., May 20, 1895. Bold cds and target duplex tying 1893, 3¢ Columbian on fresh "Alaska Improvement Co." advertising corner card cover to New York, receiving backstamp; stamp with a few light scrapes, Very Fine and choice.
Scott No. 233; Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.

A RARE PRE-GOLD RUSH ALASKA USAGE ON ADVERTISING COVER. Est. $3,000-4,000 (Image)

Est. $3,000-4,000

(Alaska) Sitka, Alaska, Jun 17, 1885. Clear strike of cds, matching four-ring cancel ties 2¢ red brown (210) on cover to Middlebury Vt., Jul. 5th arrival backstamp; roughly reduced at right, F.-V.F. and scarce early Alaska use.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

(Alaska) Sitka Alaska. Aug 8, 1889. Clear strike of town cds, matching target cancel ties 2¢ green (213), couple short perfs, on cover to Portland Me., apparently missent with Portland Ore. cds overstruck with Portland Me. Rec'd cds, Very Fine and choice Bank Note Alaska use.
Estimate; $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Colorado) "Cherry Creek". Directive in early ca. 1858-59 letter "…Write to me and direct my letters to Cherry Creek Head Quarters via Fort Laramie, letter mentions scarcity postage stamps, traveling to Elk Horn City and Fremont", with 3¢ red (U10) Nesbitt buff entire to Omaha, Nebraska Territory; reduction at left, Very Fine, A very early usage from Cherry Creek.
Estimate; $400 - 600.

Early mails to and from the new settlements, were often carried back to the Missouri River towns by travelers. The settlers privately contracted with William Smith to operate a letter express between Cherry Creek and Fort Laramie. The quote from this letter acknowledges the lack of government mail service to the Cherry Creek settlements. The writer, Will (W.D. McClain) is known to have arrived at Cherry Creek on November 2, 1858. Est. $400-600 (Image)

Est. $400-600

(Colorado) Hinckley & Co.'s Express, Denver City. Jul 30, 1860. Cds on 10¢ green (U15) entire cancelled by "Georgetown Cal. Jun 22, 1860" cds to Denver City, Kansas Territory; pencil "Cal G" for California Gulch, Very Fine and rare use of 10¢ entire to Kansas Territory, ex-Vogel.
Estimate; $750 - 1,000.

California Gulch was near the future town of Leadville on the western slope. Est. $750-1,000 (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

(Colorado) Leavenworth City, K.T. Jan 13, 1860. Cds ties 3¢ dull red (26) on orange cover to E.P. Stout at Stout Oh., original datelined letter from uncle who just arrived in via the Jones and Russell stage coach "…We had extremely cool and pleasant winter weather…I was told yesterday that Jewitt has sold 1200$ dollars worth of property to different men of our city since he came here. He also sold a corner lot to Clark from Brown Co. a Banker for $600. (Clark of Clark & Gruber minted gold coins). The Pikes Peak is still running most of the time and goes full of passengers…"; interesting content, Very Fine.
Estimate; $150 - 200.

The addressee, E.P. Stout, was the first president of the Denver City town company. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

(Colorado) Mountain City K.T., March 2nd. Manuscript postmark on 3¢ red (U27) buff Star Die entire cancelled by manuscript "X" to Warsaw Ill., Very Fine, This postmark shows the "K.T." Kansas Territory designation two days after creation of Colorado Territory., ex-Meroni.
Estimate; $1,000 - 1,500.

By 1860, prospectors had proven the existence of profitable deposits of gold and settlement was rapidly fanning out westward into the mountains. Thirty miles to the west of Denver City, placer and lode mining on the headwaters of Clear Creek led to the establishment of post offices at Mountain City and Missouri City. Est. $1,000-1,500 (Image)

Est. $1,000-1,500

(Colorado) Southern Overland Mail & Express Co., Barlow & Sanderson Proprietors, Principle Office, Pueblo, Col. Ter. Corner card on cover with illustrated design showing Six Horse Stage on Mountain Road, Stage with "Overland U.S. Mail, B.&S." imprint, to Auburn N.Y. bearing with 1¢ blue (156) tied by blue segmented cork cancel, matching "Del Norte, Colo., Nov 13" cds duplexed with additional strike of cork; stamp corner nick and missing two other 1¢ stamps, F.-V.F. appearance, A rare illustrated stagecoach design from this Colorado Stage and Express company., ex-Perrson.
Estimate; $500 - 750.

Barlow and Sanderson operated Southerland Overland Mail, a dominant express company started in Sedalia, Missouri in 1862, moving into Kansas and then into Colorado Territory in the late 1860s. They established offices in Pueblo and Canon City serving the Front Range and San Luis Valley. It eventually gave way to the advancing railroads. Est. $500-750 (Image)

Est. $500-750

(Massachusetts) Boston, Mass. Incoming "Quarantine" Letter. Red straight line handstamp on printed "Havana, July 1st 1831" circular to Kingston, Mass., with red "Boston, Ms., Jul 18" cds and matching Ship handstamp with manuscript "12" rating, F.-V.F., quarantined at the lazaretto on Rainsford Island (variously known as Hospital Island, Pest House Island, and Quarantine Island) due to an outbreak of yellow fever in Havana.
Estimate; $250 - 350. Est. $250-350 (Image)

Est. $250-350

(Nebraska) Nebraska City, N.T., Dec 4. Cds ties 3¢ dull red (26) on fresh "Wm. E. Parde, Attorney at Law, Dealers on Real Estate, Land Warrants and Exchange, Nebraska City, N.T." framed corner card buff cover to Nuckolls & Co. in Pacific City, Iowa, letter concerns payment of notes "…so that I can collect it from J.H. Russell when he returns from the Pikes Peak Gold mines. Mr. J.H. Russell left for the Gold Mines when I got these notes from him…", Very Fine.
Estimate; $300 - 400. Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

(Nebraska) Nebraska Kansas Routes to Gold Region Map - Hawke & Nuckolls, Nebraska City, N.T. Illustrated map advertising cover addressed to Boston Mass., most likely sent under another cover, map showing Cherry Creek at left with "Gold Region" heading (Pre-Territorial Colorado), with original enclosure from C. Nuckolls datelined "Pacific City, Iowa, Oct 3/59" regarding the land warrants and sales in Nebraska including "…times have kept getting tighter so fast that property such as land and lots is worth nothing scarcely…I had hard work to get him to take 160 (acres) better land from Henry Pitt for a debt of $400…", Very Fine, One of the earliest Colorado mines maps.
Estimate; $400 - 600. Est. $400-600 (Image)

Est. $400-600

(Texas) Wm. Bryan, New Orleans Agent of the Texan Post Office. Clear strike of agent oval handstamp on folded letter to Montgomery C.H., Texas, with letter datelined "Desoto County, Mo., April 27th, 1841" (near St. Louis), letter carried to New Orleans by steamboat down the Mississippi River, with straight line "Ship" handstamp and manuscript "150" rating, Very Fine and scarce.
Estimate; $500 - 750.

During the life of the Texan Republic (1837-1845), the Texas post office operated in New Orleans as a forwarder of the mails to Galveston and Houston. The mails were initially handled by Samuel Ricker Jr. until December 1838 and then William Bryan until statehood in December 1845. Est. $500-750 (Image)

Est. $500-750