Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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United States and Confederate States Postal History continued...

Western Mails: Letter Bag Operators thru Western Expresses continued...

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

1812

10c Green, Ty. V (35). Horizontal pair, right stamp small piece out at bottom (pre-use), tied by "San Francisco Cal. Dec. 20, 1859" circular datestamp on cover to Boston and forwarded to Staten Island N.Y., bold "OVERLAND" straightline handstamp at upper left and carried on the Butterfield route, forwarding postage paid by horizontal pair of 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26) cancelled by large Boston "Paid" grid, also struck on 10c pair, red "Boston Mass. Jan. 27, 1860" circular datestamp ties 10c pair, expertly repaired, 3c pair moved from original location to show the "Overland" handstamp, top flap added, still Very Fine and unusual use, with 2005 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1813

Berford & Co.'s Express, New York N.Y., 6c Green (11L2). Large margins to ample at top, tied by ink smear on blue folded letter datelined "Kingston, Jamaica, Monday morning 29 Sepr. 1851" from Richard Hitchins to Henry Hitchins in New York City, address panel headed "Jamaica" and ship designation "p Ohio" at lower left, pencil "66 South St." street address in another hand, probably applied by Berford's New York office, some aging and splits along folds, stamp has sealed tear at left caused by ink erosion

FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THREE CONFIRMED COVERS BEARING THE EXTREMELY RARE BERFORD & COMPANY 6-CENT GREEN.

Richard G. Berford and Loring L. Lombard operated the Berford & Co. letter-carrying business beginning in 1851. Berford & Co.'s Express primarily served the West Coast of North, Central and South America, but also advertised rates to Hawaii, Hong Kong, China and other places. Although their letter and package express business was fairly large, the adhesive stamps for letter mail are rare. During the course of their operation, there were several bitter clashes with the government over their mail route. The company is reported to have been sold in June 1854.

We record the following seven 6c (11L2) stamps, on or off cover: 1) cancelled by colorless impression of handstamp on cover marked "Jamaica", same correspondence as the cover offered here, ex Caspary, Boker; 2) uncancelled off cover, ex Souren; 3) tied by smudge on Sep. 29, 1851 folded letter from Jamaica to N.Y., the cover offered here, ex Worthington, Hyzen, Kuphal and Geisler; 4) uncancelled on cover to the Mayor of Albany, Siegel Jun. 20, 1944 sale (the status of this cover is uncertain); 5) cut to shape on Aug. 1852 cover to Paita, ex Chapman, Mason, Horner, Golden, D.K. Collection; 6) cut to shape on same Aug. 1852 cover to Paita as No. 5; and 7) creased, uncancelled, on piece (or possibly on cover), Sloane records.

A 10c rate to the British West Indies was listed in the "Table of Postage" in Berford's June 17, 1851, New York Herald advertisement announcing the "New Postage Law". The same ad listed 6c prepaid rates to certain California towns and a 3c prepaid rate to Chagres or Panama. Evidently the cover offered here and a similar cover from the same correspondence (ex Caspary) were prepaid 6c from Kingston, Jamaica. In the advertisement, the stamps (3c, 10c and 25c) are described and various rates are given, effective July 1, 1851. Obviously, Berford's was acting in response to the U.S. government postage reforms of the same date.

According to http://www.pt5dome.com/ships.htm, the S.S. Ohio was a "wooden side-wheeled steamer, built by Bishop and Simonson, New York, for the United States Mail Steamship Company. She was launched in 1848 and entered service from New York to Chagres via Charleston, Savannah, Havana, and New Orleans on September 20, 1849. She was withdrawn from service along with the S.S. Georgia in 1854, and laid up in New York until 1859. She was broken up in 1860." According to Wierenga's U.S. Incoming Steamship Mail 1847-1875, the Ohio departed Kingston, Jamaica, on September 29, 1851, and arrived at New York on October 6. The U.S. Mail Steamship Company steamers stopped at Kingston for coaling, and this letter describes problems in coaling the Ohio on this particular stop.

Ex Worthington, Hyzen, Kuphal and Geisler. With copy of 1983 and with 2009 P.F. certificates (Image)

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E. $ 3,000-4,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

1814

The Central Overland, California & Pikes Peak Express Company, St. Joseph, Mo. Nov. 17. Mostly clear strike of oval datestamp on buff cover to Mountain City in "Jefferson Territory", 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26) tied by blue grid cancel, perfect bold strike of matching blue "Brownville N.T. Nov. 13" Nebraska Territory circular datestamp (circa 1859), sender's manuscript routing "Via St. Joseph COC and P.P. Express", half of backflap removed, Very Fine, a scarce use from Nebraska Territory to the extralegal and unrecognized Jefferson Territory (the gold-mining town of Mountain City was located in Colorado), the COC&PP Express carried this by stage from St. Joseph (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

1815

Everts, Wilson & Co.'s Express. Printed frank (Haller FE9, Ty. 2b) on 10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U16), cancelled by penstroke, perfect strike of "Strawberry Valley Cala. Feb. 16" circular datestamp with date in manuscript and used to Berlin Mass., minor edgewear, Very Fine, a beautiful cover carried by Everts Wilson & Co. from the mining camps in Strawberry Valley Cal. where it entered the mails (Image)

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E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $400.00
Will close during Public Auction

1816

Freeman & Co.'s Express. Green printed frank in banner (Haller FF7, Ty. 5) on 10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U16) to New Lisbon N.Y., cancelled by "New-York May 14" circular datestamp, carried privately from San Francisco by steamer and placed into the mails in New York, some wear, Very Fine, rare, note on back indicates sold by Burger Bros. in 1931 (Image)

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E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $250.00
Will close during Public Auction

1817

Freeman & Co.'s Express, (unstated value) Blue, "To be dropped in New-York Post-Office" (164L1). Margins clear to slightly in, faint toning, minor faults

ONE OF THREE OR FOUR KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE FREEMAN & CO. EXPRESS STAMP. A MAJOR RARITY OF THE TRANSCONTINENTAL EXPRESSES.

John H. Freeman was a prominent California expressman. In 1851 he sold his business to Adams & Co. and became their agent in Sacramento and Panama. Soon after the collapse of Adams in 1855, Freeman established Freeman & Co.'s Express, and his business grew until November 1859, when he stopped service after selling out to Wells, Fargo & Co.

The Freeman & Co. "To be dropped in New-York Post-Office" Blue stamp is identical -- except for the company name -- to Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Black stamp, listed as Scott 143LP1. It is likely that Freeman & Co. started the service not long before selling out in 1859. Freeman would carry letters outside the mails from California to New York and deposit them (with or without U.S. postage) into the post office. Wells, Fargo & Co. adapted the same stamp design in 1860. The "Dropped" stamps of Freeman or Wells Fargo are extremely rare, and it seems that they were not used extensively. Of the Freeman & Co. stamp, there are two confirmed off-cover examples (and a possible third) and one genuine cover.

Ex Perry (illustrated in his Pat Paragraphs series), Schwartz and Kuphal. Scott Retail $3,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1818

Humboldt Express (Langton's), Nevada, 25c Brown (86L1). Large margins, rich color, cancelled by neat strike of blue Langton's oval datestamp, few pinholes at left, Extremely Fine appearance, with 2009 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail $1,250.00 (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $700.00
Will close during Public Auction

1819

Pacific Express Co. Horse and rider frank in blue on 3c Red on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U10), light strike of blue "Pacific Express Co., Sacramento(?) Oct. 4" oval datestamp, to Todd's Valley Cal., Very Fine, this frank is rare struck in blue, less than five are known (Image)

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E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $225.00
Will close during Public Auction

1820

1c Blue, Ty. IV (9). Horizontal strip of three, large margins to in, stamps with flaws, tied by blue "Wells, Fargo & Co. Express, Sonora" oval handstamp, second strike at right, on buff cover to San Francisco, missing flaps, soiling, otherwise Fine, unusual use of 1c 1851, carried entirely outside of the mails by Wells Fargo, but postal regulations required postage regardless, 3c embossed envelopes were used far more often than stamps, and 1c stamps are much rarer than 3c stamps, ex Neinken and Wagshal (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction

1821

Wells, Fargo & Co. Three 10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entires (U18), each cancelled in New York, to Ohio, Chicago and Norristown Penn., two with red Wells, Fargo & Co. printed franks (Ty. 4), one with blue "Wells, Fargo & Co. Express, San Francisco" oval handstamp, some wear, overall Fine-Very Fine and interesting group, the one to Ohio with interesting contents discussing how he is sending the letter by express rather than by steamer or normal mail (Image)

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E. $ 200-300

SOLD for $130.00
Will close during Public Auction

1822

Wells, Fargo & Co. Red printed frank on 10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U16), cancelled by "N. York Steamship" handstamp to Waltham Mass., slight wear, still Fine, scarce with the New York Steamship marking (Image)

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E. $ 200-300

SOLD for $150.00
Will close during Public Auction