Western Express Covers (Adams-Lamping)
| LotNo. |
Symbol |
CatNo. |
Lot Description |
|
| 1 |
 |
ADA-101 |
 Adams & Co.
Marysville, Jan 9. Light red company oval handstamp on blue 1853 folded business letter datelined "Grand Island, Colusi County Jan 7/53" to San Francisco Cal.; light toning on folds with minor edge wear, F.-V.F.
Thomas No. ADA-101;
Estimate $75 - 100. (Image1)
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Est. $75-100
Selling for...$40.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 2 |
|
ADA-101 |
 Adams & Co. San
Francisco, Jan 25. Blue double-circle datestamp with additional partial strike of blue San Francisco "rope oval" handstamp (Thomas ADA-104) on blue folded personal letter without dateline to Stockton Cal.; whitening at folds, with one section of
folded letter separated from rest, Fine and unusual.
Thomas No. ADA-101; Estimate $50 - 75.
It is unclear why two different San Francisco handstamps would have been used on this folded letter, very unusual as a result. (Image1)
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Est. $50-75
Selling for...$25.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 3 |
|
ADA-101 |
 Adams & Co. Sonora,
Mar 7. Small black company handstamp with additional manuscript sender's directive "Pr Adams & Co.'s Express 1st March 1854" and Adams' pencil notation "Collect 25 cts, Jack" at lower left on legal-size blue folded cover to San
Francisco Cal.; minor paper nick, otherwise Very Fine.
Thomas No. ADA-101; Estimate $150 - 200. (Image1)
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Est. $150-200
Selling for...$75.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 4 |
|
ADA-102 |
 Adams & Co.'s Express
Benicia. Large blue company oval handstamp with starbursts with ms. "Coll 25 cts" express due rating on blue folded business letter datelined "Benicia Aug 19th 1853" addressed to Hon A.P. Catlin, Mormon Island Cal., Fine,
one of about eight examples known of this handstamp from Benicia.
Thomas No. ADA-102; Estimate $100 - 150. (Image1)
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Est. $100-150
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 5 |
|
ADA-105 |
 Adams & Cos Express,
Iowa Hill. Blue oval company handstamp on orange buff cover to San Francisco Cal.; light edge wear at right including minor paper erosion at upper right corner, some math doodling on front, F.-V.F., the only reported example in the
Thomas census..
Thomas No. ADA-105; Estimate $200 - 300. (Image1)
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Est. $200-300
Selling for...$100.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 6 |
|
ADA-102 |
 Adams & Co.s Express
San Francisco. Blue oval company handstamp with "star bursts" at ends of oval on blue folded outer lettersheet with docketing in French "1853 Febr 18"; horizontal file fold, F.-V.F.
Thomas No. ADA-102; Estimate $100 - 200. (Image1)
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Est. $100-200
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 7 |
|
|
 "Per Adams & Co.
Express". Manuscript sender's directive on blue folded stampless personal letter datelined "Nov 14, 1852" with docketing on side flap "Murphy's Post Office, Vallecitos, Calaveras Co., Cal.", carried by Adams & Co. to Stockton where it entered
the mails with their blue "Stockton Cal. Nov 30" (1852) cds and manuscript "20" (double rate letter) with smudged out errant rate, to New Bedford, Mass.; slight discoloration along vertial file fold with minor tear and paper loss at top,
Fine.
Estimate; $75 - 100. (Image1)
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Est. $75-100
Selling for...$25.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 8 |
|
|
 "Per Adams & Co's
Xpress". Manuscript sender's directive at lower left of orange cover originating (pencil notation at left) from "Don Pedros Bar 1854"; entered the mails with "San Francisco Cal. 15 Jan" cds and "10" rate handstamp to New Hampshire; blue embossed
New York hotel card on backflap; light edge and corner wear, F.-V.F.
Estimate; $50 - 75.
Adams & Co.'s Express was one of the first established in California in Sept, 1849. Adams & Co's banking business closed on Feb 23, 1855 as
a result of a run on the bank. A few offices struggled to stay open for a few days, but eventually all closed and were reformed into the Pacific Express Company.
(Image1) (Image2)
(All Images)
|
Est. $50-75
Selling for...$20.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 9 |
|
|
 Adams & Co.'s
Express. Bank draft on bluish paper, "Adams & Co. San Francisco" with manuscript "Marysville" over San Francisco, dated Aug 30th 1853; several pressed out file folds as exist on virtually all these bank drafts, still Very Fine and
rare.
Estimate; $100 - 200. (Image1)
|
Est. $100-200
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 10 |
|
ALT-106 |
 Alta Express
Company, Sacramento. Two strikes of blue company oval with second type of black Alta Express Co. printed frank (Thomas ALT-002) on 3¢ red (U10) Nesbitt buff entire to Ione Valley, Cal.; sealed backflap tear, very light edge and corner wear,
still Very Fine.
Thomas No. ALT-106; Estimate $150 - 200. (Image1)
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Est. $150-200
Selling for...$75.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 11 |
|
ALT-106 |
 Alta Express
Company, San Francisco. Red company oval handstamp on buff stampless cover to Sacramento Cal.; the lack of a company printed frank and any indication of payment of the required postage, lead on to believe that this was used very early in the
existence of this express company (which operated from July, 1857 until Nov 10, 1858), accompanied by original clipped newspaper advertisement from the Oroville "North California" issue of Sept 24, 1857; couple tiny toned spots, light corner wear,
F.-V.F.
Thomas No. ALT-106; Estimate $100 - 150.
Alta Express was formed from the remnants after the failure of Pacific Express Co. in July, 1857 and operated until Nov 10, 1858, when it was purchased by Wells, Fargo & Co. (Image1)
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Est. $100-150
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 12 |
|
ALT-106 |
 Alta Express
Company, San Francisco. Red company oval handstamp with black company printed frank (Thomas ALT-001) on 3¢ red (U9) Nesbitt entire to Downieville Cal.; light waterstaining at right, most of backflap missing, tear at top just into indicium,
Fine.
Thomas No. ALT-106; Estimate $75 - 100. (Image1)
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Est. $75-100
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 13 |
|
AME-004 |
 American Express,
Paid. Black illustrated "dog and safe" printed frank with company manuscript "Watsonville" on 3c red (U10) Nesbitt buff entire to San Francisco Cal.; significant portions of cover chipped away due to brittle paper at left,
including small portion of printed frank, Good, One of only about ten examples from this company, this being one of the four AME-004 covers.
Thomas No. AME-004; Estimate $40 - 60.
The west-coast American Express was only in
operation from January, 1857 to September, 1857. (Image1)
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Est. $40-60
Selling for...$20.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 14 |
|
BAM-102 |
 Bamber & Co.'s
Express S.F., May 1. Red double-circle company handstamp with manuscript "Pd 25¢ WF&Co" applied by Wells, Fargo & Co. to indicate prepayment of the express fee; exchanged with Bamber's at San Francisco for delivery to the San
Lorenzo Cal. office across the Bay; trimmed at left, upper left corner repaired, light creasing lower left, Fine and scarce conjunctive use.
Thomas No. BAM-102; Estimate $40 - 60. (Image1)
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Est. $40-60
Selling for...$20.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 15 |
|
|
 Barlow & Sanderson
C. & O. Coast Overland Mail Company, Yreka, Cal. Printed advertising corner card (Thomas OVM-408, listed under Barlow, Sanderson & Co) with illustration of six horse stage "Overland U.S. Mail" and "B. S. & Co." on side, cover entered mails with
"Yreka Cal. Aug 1" cds and cork killer both tying 3c green banknote adhesive cover to Jacksonville, Oregon; opened roughly at top impacting corner card and design (virtually all Coast Overland Mail covers are this way), Fine
appearance.
Estimate; $150 - 200.
Thomas records this company as having operated from roughly 1868 to 1888. This example is circa 1870. (Image1)
|
Est. $150-200
Selling for...$110.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 16 |
|
BEE-001 |
 Beekman's Express
Jacksonville Oregon. Black printed frank on 3¢ pink (U35) buff entire to Yreka, California; light whitening at left side, small tear at top not affecting printed frank or indicium, Fine appearance.
Thomas No. BEE-001; Estimate
$150 - 200. (Image1)
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Est. $150-200
Selling for...$75.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 17 |
|
BEE-100 |
 Beekman's Express
Jacksonville. O.T. Sharp strike of red company oval handstamp on 3¢ red (U9) Nesbitt entire to "Shereff of Eureka or his Deputy" with handwritten note at top from Cornelius C. Beekman himself stating "Dick, Please delivery immediately &
oblige, Beeks" (Dick must have been Beekman's Express agent at Yreka); several small repaired tears, backflap damaged, a few edge tears and small piece missing at right center, Fine.
Thomas No. BEE-100; Estimate $75 - 100.
Cornelius Beekman began his own express in Nov, 1855, months after the failure of Adams & Co.'s Express and Cram Rogers Express. He operated out of a base of at Jacksonville Oregon Territory and had a route that ran to Yreka, Crescent City
and Roseburg (Oregon). He connected with Wells Fargo at Yreka and with Tracy's Express at Jacksonville. He sold out to Wells Fargo in 1863. (Image1)
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Est. $75-100
Selling for...$60.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 18 |
|
BER-100 |
 Berford & Co. Letter
& Package Express, California. Readable red company shield handstamp with matching "B & Co Collect" handstamp (Thomas BER-202e1) on circa 1852 brown cover which likely originated on the East Coast, addressed to San Francisco "Care of J.
Mattoon & Co"; somewhat toned overall making the red markings difficult to discern against the brown cover background, light edge wear, Fine, only eight examples of this red shield handstamp recorded in Thomas.
Thomas No.
BER-100; Estimate $100 - 150. (Image1)
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Est. $100-150
Selling for...$50.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 19 |
|
DOW-001 |
 Downieville and
Howland Flat Express, Paid. Black printed frank on 6¢ pink (U62) legal-size entire to Eureka Cal.; slightly reduced at right just into indicium, with small tear at right, also into indicia, otherwise fresh and Very Fine, Thomas
records only six examples of express-carried examples from this company, this being one of the four known of this type printed frank.
Thomas No. DOW-001; Estimate $300 - 400.
A RARE DOWNIEVILLE AND HOWLAND FLAT EXPRESS COVER.
The
Downieville & Howland Flat Express operated between the two towns noted in the express' name, a distance of about 12 miles. It is thought to have operated for only about a year, from 1866 to 1867.
This cover sold in Rumsey Sale #56 Lot 586 for
$525 hammer. (Image1)
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Est. $300-400
Selling for...$150.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 20 |
|
|
 Per English
Express. Manuscript sender's directive (unlisted in Thomas) at lower left on 3c pink(U35) buff entire to Whartenby at Nevada City, California, docket "July 3 / 65" at left; professionally restored along right edge into indicia, small tears at
left, Very Fine appearance.
Estimate; $200 - 300.
ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED COVERS FROM ENGLISH EXPRESS.
Joseph Randall English operated his express from early 1864 until Feb, 1866. His route ran from a base at Nevada City
to mining camps on the Washington Ridge (Washington, Alpha, Omega) and later expanded into the Bear Valley region (South Fork of Yuba River). This cover falls neatly into the timeframe he operated.
Thomas records only one example from
English's Express (a printed frank) in his book. This manuscript directive example may be the only other cover known carried by this short-lived express. (Image1)
|
Est. $200-300
Selling for...$75.00
Will close during Public Auction |
