United States Stamps continued...

(11 var) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type I, position 78R6, tied by clear "Chicago Ill. Aug. 4, 1856" cds on cover to Skaneateles, New York, exhibiting the distinctive Chicago Perf 12½ on three sides (roughly separated at left). Manuscript return address at top reads "R. K. Swift Bro & Johnston", accompanied by the original printed enclosure from the Swift Brothers' banking firm.

The printed enclosure, dated August 2, 1856, is addressed to a client in Skaneateles and confirms receipt of a favor dated July 28 with enclosures, along with a handwritten note acknowledging remittance of $210—consisting of $207.90 in drafts and $2.10 in cash—"for enclosure in your last favor." It is signed by R. K. Swift, Brother & Johnston, and bears embossed letterhead from their Chicago and New York offices.

This is a highly significant artifact of early U.S. private perforation experimentation. In his landmark 1997 research (Chronicle 175), W. Wilson Hulme II explored the origins and distribution of the Chicago Perforation—developed by Dr. Elijah W. Hadley—and its connection to R. K. Swift, a Chicago banker believed to have promoted the machine to local businesses and the Post Office Department. Hulme noted that Swift likely distributed these perforated stamps along a corridor of businesses situated between his office and Hadley’s workshop.

This specific cover and enclosure are illustrated and discussed in Chronicle 175, page 162, where they are described as possessing "the highest degree of desirability." Hulme’s census identifies only a handful of Chicago Perf covers with firm ties to Swift, including two with printed corner cards and this example with a printed enclosure. A rare and desirable example of postal innovation and promotion intersecting in mid-19th century Chicago.

Ex. Hulme, with 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $8,000.

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(11) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type I, uncancelled single with large margins, including part of the adjoining stamp at bottom, affixed to a pristine pink cover with bold printed address to “R. K. Swift, Esq., Chicago, Ill’s.” The stamp exhibits brilliant color and the envelope remains in superb, well-preserved condition.

An exceptional collateral item for the Chicago Perf specialist. R. K. Swift, a prominent Chicago banker, played a key role in promoting Dr. Elijah Hadley’s perforating machine in the mid-1850s. Items addressed to Swift or bearing evidence of his commercial activity are highly desirable, and this untouched example—featuring both a choice stamp and sharp typographic layout—offers visual and historical appeal alike.

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(10/10A/11/11A/26A) Group of 24 stamps mounted on an exhibit page presenting a wonderful color study of the 1851-61 3¢ Washington stamp produced by Toppan, Carpenter, encompassing both primary and secondary shades arranged chronologically from 1851 to 1861. Group begins with the foundational primary colors: Orange Brown (1851), Brownish Carmine and Rose Red (1852), Dull Red and Rose Red (1853), Orange Red (1855), Yellowish Rose Red (1856), Claret (1857), Yellow Brown and Rose Brown (1858), and Dull Red (1859–61). Next up are a rich array of secondary and transitional colors that emerged from ink variability and plate wear, such as Yellowish Orange Brown, Bright Orange Brown, Experimental Orange Brown (Plate 1L), Claret, Plum, Yellow Brown, Worn Plate 1L, Brownish Claret, and Brownish Carmine. With over a billion 3¢ stamps printed, this group highlights the remarkable spectrum produced by shifting ink formulations and deteriorating plates, offering a philatelically significant visual timeline from the earliest experimental shades to the final dull red printings, faults here and there to be expected but overall fine-v.f.

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(11) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type I tied by blue New Hampshire town cds and additional manuscript Greek letters applied to stamp by sender on an 1856 John C. Frémont presidential campaign cover addressed to George M. Carrington at Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. The reverse flap bears a manuscript message from the sender highlighting their motto "superior to adversity—equal to prosperity.’” An attractive and interesting combination of an 1856 presidential campaign cover with fraternal symbolism, very fine.

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(11) 1851–57 3¢ Washington Type I tied by bold blue double-circle "Wells, Fargo & Co. San Francisco, 23 Mar" double-circle datestamp on yellow cover to Sacramento City, California, with an additional strike of the same marking at center and matching blue “Paid” oval handstamp, backflap with tear, still a very fine example of this Wells Fargo cds.

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(11) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type I used by manuscript "X" cancel on 1856 John C. Frémont presidential campaign cover honoring his wife, Jessie Benton Frémont with black "Our Jessie" portrait design at left, addressed to Reading, Vermont and manuscript "Groveton N.H., Mch 29" at upper right. An iconic and rare female-themed campaign design of the era, small backflap tear but still very fine and illustrated in Milgram Volume II: Presidential Campaign Envelopes, 1994, listed as Milgram No. JF-50.

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(11) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type I tied by black "Jun 20 Byron MI" cds on Spelling & Writing Reform propaganda cover sent to Copenhagen, New York. 

The Spelling Reform and Writing Reform movements of the 19th century were part of broader efforts to simplify and modernize written English to make literacy more accessible and efficient. The Spelling Reform movement sought to standardize English spelling in a way that reflected pronunciation more closely, eliminating silent letters and irregular spellings. Writing reform (phonography) focused on shorthand systems that could speed up writing and improve efficiency, especially for professionals like journalists and clerks. A striking example of this scarce 19th century propaganda cover design, fine-v.f.

Text at top center of cover:

The Writing Reform

Phonography is a truly philosophical method of writing the English language, with an Alphabet composed of the simplest geometrical signs, which accurately represent the sounds of spoken words. It may be written six times as fast as the ordinary longhand, and is equally as legible; and such is the simplicity of the art that its principles may be mastered in a few weeks, even without the aid of a teacher.

“We regard Phonography as one of the most important inventions of the age.” — Fowler & Wells

“Had this art been known forty years ago, it would have saved me twenty years of hard labor.” — Thomas Benton

Text at left of cover:

Truth is mighty and will prevail.

The Spelling Reform

Fonotipi iz a rafonal sistem ov speli? wurdz az da qr pronanst, bi emploiyi? an enlarjd alfabet kontainiy? a separat leter far eg ssnd, bj hwig menz de drujeri ov lerni? tu speli iz entirli dispenst wid, and lerni? tu red iz akomplift in wun-fort ov de tim rekwjrd in de old wa.

“The children you exhibited had certainly made wonderful proficiency; and were in several of the essentials of good enunciation and reading, years in advance of most children taught in the old way.” — Horace Mann

Inscription at bottom: 

For Books, Tracts, &c., address Longley Brothers, 168½ Vine St., Cincinnati, O.

Text on backflap:

TYPE OF THE TIMES

AN INDEPENDENT WEEKLY PHONETIC PAPER, & DEVOTED TO ALL THE TRUE INTERESTS OF MAN.

It is partly printed in the new orthography, which any one, who understands the old system, can read fluently, after a few minutes’ study. In patronizing a paper of this kind you will be promoting a good cause.

TERMS: 1 copy, $2; 2 copies, $3, invariably in advance.

Office, Vine St. bt. 4th & 5th streets.

LONGLEY BROTHERS, EDITORS & PUBLISHERS.

ALSO, IS PUBLISHED BY THE ABOVE FIRM:

THE MONTHLY YOUTH’S FRIEND

An elegant illustrated paper, devoted to the Moral, Intellectual, and Physical Improvement of the Young.

50 cents a year,

3 copies, by club, for $1,

10 copies, by club, for $3.

CINCINNATI.

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(11A) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type II horizontal pair tied by bold black "STEAM/SHIP" two-line cancel on 1853-dated folded letter sent from San Francisco between two cousins discussing a range of business matters to New York, with very nice strike of the bright blue boxed "VIA NICARAGUA / AHEAD OF THE MAILS. / LELAND" handstamp at top left. The "STEAM/SHIP" cancel was applied in New York upon arrival signifying entry from a non-contract steamer. Folded letter with two file folds, including on creasing the right stamp.

A wonderful example of west-to-east carriage via the Vanderbilt Nicaragua route, endorsed and carried in San Francisco to the ship by a representative of a firm operated by George H. Leland, later of Leland and McCombe Express. Leland modeled the wording of the handstamp after Vanderbilt’s own "Ahead of the Mails" branding. The company transferred such letters to the accessory transit agent at the San Francisco waterfront or directly to the ship.

A scarce and very fine example of the Leland "Via Nicaragua" handstamp with most known examples on covers without their original contents. 

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate, unlisted in scott on cover with "Via Nicaragua" handstamp.

Background on the Nicaragua Route: 

In the early 1850s, the twice-monthly contract mail route was a steamer from New York via Havana to Chagres, Panama, then overland across the Isthmus of Panama to a steamer that took the mails to San Francisco.

In June-July 1851, Cornelius Vanderbilt created a transit company to carry freight and passengers between New York and San Francisco via Nicaragua. The route was 700 miles shorter, and the overland portion was 12 miles over good road, in contrast to an incomplete railroad in Panama. The trip required only 21 days. Letters sent by this route entered the mails at the end of the journey as ship letters.

Mail Carried via the Nicaragua Route, 1851 to 1857:

Although Vanderbilt offered to carry the U.S. mails for half the amount being paid the Panama contractors, the Post Office Department remained committed to the Panama route. This meant that all mail remitted to the post office was carried via Panama on contract steamships. However, letters could be carried on the Nicaragua route if they were given directly to the steamship line, or entrusted to a letter bag operator. Such letters do not bear postmarks from the origin point, and generally entered the U.S. mails at the steamship’s arrival port, typically New York (Reference: Mails of the Westward Expansion, 1803 to 1861 by Walske & Frajola, Western Cover Society).

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(11A) 1851-57 3c dull red Washington Type II tied by blue grid cancel on “All Men are Created Free and Equal…” anti-slavery propaganda cover to Portland, Maine, with matching blue "Oct 2 Phillips, Me" cds at left. Striking all-over printed design on buff cover featuring powerful anti-slavery propaganda, with biblical and moral quotations condemning slavery as a violation of Christian ethics and natural rights. Slogans include - “All men are created free and equal...I have no more right to enslave a black man, than a white...Slave labor is wasting to the soil, and harrowing to the soul.” Backflap bears printed imprint: “Book, Card and Fancy Printing, Thurston & Company, Portland.”

Interestingly, the stamp is affixed to the cover with sealing wax. Overall, an attractive and visually bold example of this abolitionist propaganda cover in very fine condition.

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

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(11A) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type II tied by blue "Lawrence, Mass., Feb 14" cds on ornately embossed Valentine envelope addressed to Mr. Lorenzo W. Currier, Wentworth, New Hampshire. The envelope is richly decorated with intricate embossed borders and lace-patterned flourishes, typical of mid-19th-century sentimental stationery. Accompanied by the original enclosure—a dazzling, multicolor Valentine card adorned with embossed cherubs, ornate gold medallion, raised floral accents, and decorative cutouts. A lovely and quintessential example of the romantic Valentine correspondence culture of the 1850s, very fine.

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(11A) 1851-57 3c dull red Washington Type II used by manuscript pen cancel, affixed to a printed blue folded letter addressed “To the Clerk of the County Commissioners, of the county of Cumberland, Maine.” The form certifies a sealed return of votes for County Treasurer, submitted by the town of Otisfield, Maine following the second Monday of September 1856. Completed in manuscript with the names of Selectmen William Lamb, William C. Smith, and Francis Holden, and signed at lower right by Town Clerk Mark Knight.

A very fine and appealing example of government-related postal use during the mid-1850s, illustrating how rural post offices facilitated election reporting across the state.

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(11A) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type II horizontal block of twelve, positions 1-6/11-16L5L and strip of three, positions 7-9L5L, on 1856 cover from Elizabethton, Tennessee to Hong Kong, China, addressed to Lieutenant Samuel Perry Carter, U.S. Navy, aboard the U.S.S. San Jacinto, in care of U.S. Naval Storekeeper R. P. De Silva. The cover has origin manuscript "Elizabethton, Tenn May the 3rd" at top left and is franked with 45¢ in postage, a total of fifteen stamps, all affixed to the cover's reverse and used by manuscript cancels. A red "New-York Br. Pkt. Dec. 2" (1856) cds and Feb 25 Hong Kong receiving backstamp also tie the block to the cover.

Initially endorsed “via England” and sent unpaid, the cover received a red two-line "RETURNED FOR/POSTAGE" handstamp in New York and was returned to the sender. Upon resubmission, it was marked “paid by stamp 45” at top left for the full rate and credited "28" (16¢ packet, 3¢ inland, and 9¢ transit fees) in magenta for the 33¢ rate via Southampton, though prepaid by the sender at the old 45¢ rate. Carried by the Niagara, departing Boston Dec. 3 and arriving in Liverpool on Dec. 15, with a red London "PAID 15DE15 1856" transit datestamp at top center. It was backstamped "Hong Kong FE25 1857" upon delivery. Opened up for display, with some faults including a reattached corner on the block and edge wear, but still a compelling and extremely rare franking.

This is one of only two recorded covers bearing a block of twelve of the 3¢ 1851 Issue—and the only such cover sent to China.

The cover's recipient is equally compelling - Lieutenant Samuel P. Carter, the addressee, was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee, making a relative the likely sender. He would become a uniquely significant figure in U.S. military history. At the time this cover departed Tennessee, Carter was serving aboard the San Jacinto during the Second Opium War, he later rose to the rank of Brevet Major General in the U.S. Army and Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy—the only American to ever hold flag rank in both services. Carter played key roles during the Civil War and in postwar naval operations. This cover represents a fascinating intersection of early U.S. foreign military presence, naval history, and postal history all-in-one!

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(11A) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type II vertical pair tied by "STEAM SHIP" handstamp cancel on 1854-dated folded letter sent from Sanora, California to New York City via Nicaragua route indicted by mostly complete strike of blue octagonal "VIA NICARAGUA / AHEAD OF THE MAILS" handstamp at left. The letter is addressed to Henry B. Smith, a professor at Union Theological Seminary and concerns the sale of stock. A fine example of the "Via Nicaragua" handstamp applied in California before departing on its journey. 

With 2002 Philatelic Foundation certificate, unlisted in Scott on cover with "Via Nicaragua" handstamp.

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(11A) 1851-57 3¢ dull red Washington Type II tied by blue circular grid on an 1852-dated incoming folded letter from Liverpool, England noted by "Liverpool No 5 1852" cds and originally addressed to Petersburg, Virginia with subsequently forwarding after arrival to New York City. The 3¢ stamp paid the U.S. domestic rate between Virginia and New York, with blue “Petersburg Va. Nov 21 3cts.” cds and “19” black due handstamp partially under the 3¢ stamp indicating 19¢ credit for British packet postage. Addressed to Robert Leslie, a prominent tobacco grower and exporter, the letter dated November 4th concerns upcoming shipments of tobacco to the United Kingdom. A visually interesting folded letter combining transatlantic packet postage due with U.S. forwarding prepaid by a postage stamp.

Ex. Chase & Amonette, with 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

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Group of eight covers bearing 1851–57 3¢ Issue stamps, mounted across six exhibit pages, featuring two 6¢ transcontinental rate covers: one bearing a horizontal pair from South Hadley Falls, MA to Benicia, CA, and another with a vertical pair on a folded letter from San Francisco to New York City. Additional items include one double weight folded letter from New York to Philadelphia with 3c horizontal pair, one from Grafton to Andover, MA, including its original letter written entirely in shorthand, a ladies’ envelope franked with a 3¢ from position 98L2L (three lines recut in upper left), sent to Princeton, Illinois, two covers with private local post adhesives: one bearing a Boyd’s City Express stamp alongside the 3¢ on a New York–Charlottesville, Virginia cover, and another from Philadelphia to Chicago with a Blood’s Despatch local post stamp. Rounding out the lot is an 1855 self-addressed stamped envelope originating from Troy, Pennsylvania and returned to Messrs. Beebee & Co. in New York. Minor faults noted but overall, a fine-v.f and diverse assemblage.

(12) 5c red brown Jefferson Type I used by partial black New Orleans cds and French transit cancels, nice margins all around. When last certified in 2007, the stamp was still on its original 1856 folded cover to France. The folded letter accompanies the stamp in this lot. 

With 1988 & 2007 Philatelic Foundation certificates, cat. value $750.

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(12/33) 1851-57 5¢ red brown Jefferson Type I and 10¢ green Washington Type III, used by neat strikes of black grid cancels on folded letter datelined January 15, 1858, and addressed to J. Francis Fisher, Hôtel de l’Empire, Paris, France. Large red “New York Paid Jan 16” exchange office circular datestamp and matching boxed “P.D.” marking, with French entry cds “Et-Unis Serv. Am. A.C. 29 Janv. 58” and 30 Jan Paris receiver on back.

This cover was carried on the final eastbound transatlantic voyage of the Collins Line steamship Baltic, departing New York January 16 and arriving into Liverpool January 28, 1858. It pays the 15¢ U.S.–France treaty rate effective under the 1857 postal convention.

File fold well clear of the stamps, a fine and attractive treaty-rate use featuring an imperf 5¢ and a perforated 10¢ stamp to pay the postage.

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

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(13) 185-57 10¢ green Washington Type I, position 100R1, C Relief used with partial black town cds, decent margins all around, fine-v.f.

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $750.

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(14) 1851-57 10¢ green Washington Type II, position 35R1, C Relief used with partial black town cds, three margins to just touching at bottom left, fine-v.f.

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $145.

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(14) 1851-57 10¢ green Washington Type II with inter-pane centerline at right used by partial black cds cancel, very fine.

With 2025 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $145.

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