1841 (Oct. 1) Derry, Ireland to Washington, D.C. Datelined folded letter endorsed "On Public Service" and addressed to Genl. R. Jones, Adjt. Genl. U.S. Army, with faint red "Derry, OC 1, 1841" cds, red Dublin boxed "Paid, OC 3, 1841" datestamp and red ms. "1/-" packet rate prepayment, black dotted circle Liverpool "D, Oct 4, 1841" cds, carried by Cunard Columbia from Liverpool Oct. 5th to Boston arriving Oct. 21st, red "Boston Ms. Ship Oct 21" cds and blue "27" cents due rating for 25¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, crossed out as letter and sent free to a government official, Very Fine, An Exceptional Example of a Rare Liverpool Datestamp.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

The dotted-circle Liverpool datestamp was used only in 1841 on outgoing packet letters carried by Cunard. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

1842 (Apr. 7) Baltimore, Md. to Longtown, England. Envelope with letter with blue "Baltimore, Md. Apr. 7" cds with matching "Paid" handstamp with blue manuscript "37½" rating for double-weight to Boston, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from Boston May 1st to Liverpool arriving May 15th, black "1/-" shilling due rating, Longtown (5.17) framed arrival datestamp, Very Fine, a scarce example of a pre-1845 envelope on transatlantic mail, ex-Winter.
Estimate; $150 - 200.

In the U.S., letters were charged by the number of sheets of paper until the shift to a weight basis in July 1845. Because envelopes were charged as a sheet of paper, they were seldom used in this country before July 1845. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

1846 (Feb. 28) New York, N.Y. to Francomont, Belgium. Folded letter with red "New-York '5 Paid' 28 Feb" cds, carried by Enoch Train Sailing Ship Joshua Bates from Boston Mar. 5th to Liverpool arriving Mar. 28th, Liverpool Ship (3.28) and London (3.29) backstamps with manuscript "1/4" debit rating to Belgium, Ostend (3.31) and Verviers (4.1) backstamps, framed accounting handstamp with blue manuscript ratings totaled to "22" decimes due rating, Very Fine and choice use, a scarce packet letter for Belgium sent on non-contract sailing ship, ex-Winter.
Estimate; $400 - 600.

Letter endorsed "p Cambria" and included among the 8,000 letters sent to Boston on the coastal steamer Mohegan from New York which was delayed in a snow storm and missed the sailing of Cunard steamship Cambria on Mar. 1, the scheduled contract steamer. Boston's postmaster sent the delayed mails on the next available sailing ship to Liverpool. London debited Belgium 1s 4d under Anglo-Belgium Treaty of 1844 (8d ship rate plus 8d British transit to Belgium). Belgian accounting handstamp shows 16 decimes owed to U.K. plus 6 decimes internal fee for total postage due of 22 decimes. Est. $400-600 (Image)

Est. $400-600

1846 (Apr. 2) Leige, Belgium to New Orleans, La. Folded cover with red Liege (4.2) cds and manuscript "24" prepaid rating on back, red "PD" framed handstamps and manuscript "1/8" 1s8d credit to G.B., red London Paid (4.4) and black Liverpool (4.4) transits, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Apr. 4th to Boston arriving Apr. 20th, New Orleans large blue "12" due handstamp, Very Fine, ex-Winter.
Estimate; $300 - 400.

The 24 decimes prepayment included 4 decimes Belgium internal, 8 decimes British and 12 decimes transatlantic fees, of which 20 decimes or 1s8d was owed to G.B. Letter not rated at arrival port of Boston, but in New Orleans where large blue "12" was applied for the postage due (2¢ ship plus 10¢ U.S. inland fees). Est. $300-400 (Image)

Est. $300-400

1847 (Aug. 28) Bad Eams, Germany to Baltimore, Md. Blue folded letter with "Bad-Ems/ 28 Aug 1847" two-line postmark with red manuscript "fr 10" rating and oval "P." handstamp to the care of London forwarder, red London (8.31) arrival cds, reverse with "Forwarded by Frurling & Goschen, London" oval handstamp, reposted with red London Paid (9.3) Maltese cross datestamp and red manuscript "1/-" shilling prepaid packet rating, carried as endorsed by Cunard Line Britannia from Liverpool Sep. 4th to Boston arriving Sep. 19th, closed bag to Baltimore where blue "12" due rating handstamp struck for 10¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, Very Fine.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200

1848 (May 1) New York, N.Y. to Francomont, Belgium. Blue datelined folded letter endorsed "via Ostend", carried as endorsed by Cunard Line Acadia from Boston May 3rd to Liverpool arriving May 16th, red London (5.17) backstamp transit and manuscript "1/8" debit rating, red Ostend transit backstamp and matching Belgian framed accountancy handstamp, F.-V.F.
Estimate; $100 - 150. Est. $100-150 (Image)

Est. $100-150

(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Jun. 22) Belfast, Ireland to New York, N.Y. Folded cover with "Norwich, JU 22 1848" double-arc backstamp and matching "575" barred oval ties cut-to-shape G.B. 1s green embossed (5), Liverpool (6.23) octagon transit, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Jun. 24 to New York arriving Jul. 8, New York large red "24" retaliatory due handstamp for the American packet rate, Very Fine.
Estimate; $2,000 - 3,000.

ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS LARGE NEW YORK "24" RETALIATORY DUE HANDSTAMP.

Letter carried on 1st of 25 Cunard mail voyages to the U.S. under the retaliatory order by which the U.S. charged the American Packet rate on letters carried to or from the U.S. by British contract mail steamers. The result was a double charge for sea postage since the British insisted on charging their own sea postage. Est. $2,000-3,000 (Image)

Est. $2,000-3,000

(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Aug. 26) Vera Cruz, Mexico to London, England via New Orleans. Datelined folded letter with red "Forwarded by Schmidt & Co., New Orleans" forwarders oval on flap, entered mails with black "New Orleans, La. Sep. 16" cds and matching "Paid" and "34" rating handstamps, carried by Cunard Line Europa from New York Sep. 27th to Liverpool arriving Oct. 9th, red London (10.10) arrival backstamp and manuscript "1/-" shilling due rating; minor fold wear and toning, F.-V.F., An uncommon example of New Orleans "34" retaliatory rating handstamp.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

1851 (May 1) Stuttgart, Wurttemberg to Philadelphia Pa. Cover with blue "Stuttgart, 1 Mai 1851" cds and sent unpaid, St.P.A. Bremen (5.6) backstamp, red crayon "11" and manuscript "12" ratings, carried by Ocean Line Washington from Bremerhaven May 16th to New York arriving June 2nd, New York "Steamship 41 Cts" circular handstamp; aging and wear, Fine, ex-Schuh, Hahn.
Estimate; $750 - 1,000.

ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS "STEAMSHIP 41 CTS" 28MM CIRCULAR MARKING.

Postage due included 24¢ U.S. sea postage, 5¢ U.S. inland postage and 12¢ German transit postage from Prussia to Bremen. This handmade envelope shows no year date, but 1851 has been determined to be the most probable year based on steamship sailing data and similar STEAMSHIP markings used at New York. Note the "1" is inverted, indicating the numeral slugs were interchangeable. The cover here was carried on the same sailing as the other recorded ex-Winter cover (Sale 50 lot 319). Est. $750-1,000 (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

1852-1860, U.S. to Spain Transatlantic Mail. Group of 6 covers including 1852 (Mar. 9) via London to Cadiz with various markings including Boston "5" debit rating and red "18R" final due rating; 1860 with red "New York 'Paid 18' May 1" exchange cds and "4R" handstamp, and 1859 New York with blue "Franco" paid handstamp, etc., F.-V.F.
Estimate; $200 - 300. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

1852 (Apr. 4) New York N.Y. to Drogheda, Ireland. Buff envelope containing bank draft which accompanies, showing black "New York '5' Apr 13" integral debit exchange cds to G.B., sent unpaid on Cunard Line Canada departing Boston Apr. 13th to Liverpool arriving Apr. 27th, Liverpool America (4.27) backstamp and "1/-" one-shilling due handstamp, red London (4.28) transit backstamp, Drogheda (4.28) arrival backstamp, the Drogheda post office marked "Unknown & Not Called For" along with its Drogheda (5.9) cds, the letter was returned to the U.S. and backstamped with Washington D.C. "Dead Letter Office" circular handstamp and manuscript "M, 1922, Aug 27 '52" filing, Fine.
Estimate; $200 - 300.

A SCARCE EXAMPLE OF A ROUND-TRIP TRANSATLANTIC DEAD LETTER, UNPAID IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. Est. $200-300 (Image)

Est. $200-300

1852 (Jun.) Chincha Islands, Peru to Newburypor,t Ma. Blue datelined folded letter with neat strike of New York "Steam Ship, 20 Cts" handstamp (Wierenga NY-39), Very Fine and scarce origin.
Estimate; $150 - 200. Est. $150-200 (Image)

Est. $150-200