[Via California Phantom Rate, 1855] blue Salt Lake City January 5 (1855) postmark ting pair 3c dull red (#11) to 3c red Nesbitt entire endorsed "Via California" by sender and addressed to New Jersey, prepaid “phantom” 9c rate (3c rate to California plus 6c transcontinental rate to New York), carried in Chorpenning mail which left on January 5 and arrived in Los Angeles on February 3 PMSC steamer Golden Age left San Francisco on February 16 for Panama, connected with USMSC steamer Illinois at Panama for New York on March 12, cover minor edge faults, three “phantom rate” covers are known Some Salt Lake City to Independence mail was diverted to California when the winter snows closed the eastbound route. The Salt Lake City postmaster created a short-lived 9 cents “phantom rate” for this mail, consisting of the 3 cents rate to California plus the 6 cents transcontinental rate to New York.

(MWE Figure 7-8), ex Risvold and Walske (Image)