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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE SALT LAKE CITY GOLD MINER'S LETTER TO MISSOURI, CARRIED IN BABBITT'S SPECIAL CONTRACT MAILS.
Babbitt's Special Contract Mails was established in 1849 by Almon Babbitt, a Mormon expressman, to carry mails between Salt Lake City and Kanesville, Iowa (which lacked a regular postal route). This letter was carried on the John Taylor trip of October 19, 1849, from Salt Lake City, arriving Kanesville December 10. While there is no express fee indicated, the sender likely paid an additional 40c for Babbitt's service.
Illustrated in Mails of the Westward Expansion on p. 87. Ex Walske (Image)
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Get Market Data for [United States Salt Lake City]
VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE COMBINATION OF MANUSCRIPT AND HANDSTAMP POSTAL MARKINGS FROM CAMP FLOYD, UTAH TERRITORY, ON A COVER TO PANAMA SENT VIA THE CHORPENNING MAIL ROUTE.
This was carried by the weekly Chorpenning Mail stagecoach that left Salt Lake City (northeast of Camp Floyd) on April 18, 1859. The stage arrived in Placerville, California, around April 30 and the cover then went to San Francisco for the May 5 sailing of the PMSS steamer Golden Gate, arriving Panama around May 15. The cover is addressed to an officer on the 16-gun sloop-of-war USS Decatur, which ironically had been ordered back to San Francisco on March 23. Although the cover lacks a forwarding notation, it no doubt made its way back to San Francisco. The Decatur had a storied career with service in both the Mexican and Civil Wars and was also the ship that evacuated U.S. citizens connected with the filibustering expedition of William Walker.
Illustrated in Mails of the Westward Expansion on p. 142. Ex Risvold and Walske (Image)
Get Market Data for [United States Camp Floyd]
THE ONLY RECORDED COVER CARRIED ON THE STOCKTON-KANSAS CITY OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE. A GREAT RARITY OF WESTERN MAILS.
According to Mails of the Westward Expansion, the Post Office Department signed a four-year contract for Route 15050 with Jacob Hall on May 28, 1858, calling for monthly service between Kansas City, Missouri, and Stockton, California, via Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Ft. Mohave. Hall transferred his contract to Barrow, Porter & Crenshaw they had been partners on another Santa Fe mail contract). Westbound service began on October 1, 1858, from Kansas City, arriving without incident in Stockton on November 24. The first eastbound trip was not so lucky. After departing Stockton with 50-60 letters on November 1, they encountered hostile Indians and were forced to return home. In total only six successful trips were completed under the contract. The cover offered here was carried on the fourth successful eastbound trip, which left on February 1, 1859, and arrived in Kansas City around March 29. This is the only surviving cover from any of the Stockton-Kansas City contract trips. The contract was terminated as of July 1, 1860.
Illustrated in Mails of the Westward Expansion on p. 183. Ex Risvold and Walske (Image)
Get Market Data for [United States Stockton-Kansas City Rout]
EXTREMELY FINE GEM STAMP ON A SUPERB COVER BEARING THE HAND-COLORED "OVERLAND VIA LOS ANGELES U.S. MAIL" STAGECOACH DESIGN.
Ex Judd and White. With 1988 P.F. certificate (Image)
Get Market Data for [United States 35]
Get Market Data for [United States Railroad Propaganda]
Get Market Data for [United States Todd & Co.]
VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING BISECTED USE OF THE 12-CENT 1851 ISSUE WITH A REMARKABLY CLEAR STRIKE OF THE "VIA NICARAGUA/AHEAD OF THE MAILS" LETTER BAG OPERATOR HANDSTAMP.
According to research by James Allen, the 1st Assistant PMG's first official notice to postmasters that bisected stamps were invalid was published on September 12, 1853 (Chronicle 239). Therefore, this almost certainly originated in San Francisco prior to the official POD announcement. A similar letter from California, arriving in New York on September 25, was treated as unpaid and marked postage due (Siegel Sale 1041, lot 340).
Ex Dr. Robertson. With 2014 P.F. certificate (Image)
Get Market Data for [United States 17a]
VERY FINE. ONE OF TEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE RUNNING PONY HANDSTAMP STRUCK IN CARMINE--THIS IS THE EARLIEST OF THE SIX EASTBOUND COVERS AND ONE OF ONLY FOUR WITH 10-CENT ADHESIVE STAMPS. ONE OF THE FINEST PONY EXPRESS COVERS EXTANT.
The St. Joseph Running Pony handstamp was normally struck in black, but the FKW census records ten covers with this marking struck in the distinctive carmine color. They are dated from August 12 to September 13, 1860, and all but two are struck on the backs of the covers. Four have 10c adhesive stamps (Scott 35), all eastbound with the carmine oval struck on the back as a receiving mark.
This cover was sent from San Francisco on August 4, 1860, after the new recalibrated Pony Express rate of $2.50 per quarter-ounce was announced at St. Joseph. Because news of the rate change took approximately two weeks to reach the West Coast, it was not implemented in San Francisco until the August 15 eastbound trip.
The U.S.A.” designation in the address and To be forwarded” instructions make it almost certain that this cover originated outside the United States, probably from a travelling member of the prominent Coffin family, several of whom were whaling captains.
FKW Census E12. Illustrated in Needham-Berthold article (Collectors Club Philatelist reprint). Ex Dr. Paine, Emerson, Hall, Gruys, Twigg-Smith and Haub. (Image)
FINE APPEARANCE. A DESIRABLE EXAMPLE OF EASTBOUND PONY EXPRESS MAIL WITH ALL MARKINGS CLEARLY STRUCK AND A 10-CENT 1859 ISSUE FRANKING.
FKW Census E22. Illustrated in Ashbrook's Special Service on p. 274. Ex Krug and Walske. Signed Ashbrook. With 2006 P.F. certificate (Image)
FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF TEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE RUNNING PONY HANDSTAMP STRUCK IN CARMINE.
The St. Joseph Running Pony handstamp was normally struck in black. The Frajola-Kramer-Walske census records ten covers with this marking struck in the distinctive Carmine color. They are dated from August 12 to September 13, 1860, and all but two are struck on the backs of the covers. Six are eastbound trips. This cover was picked up as way mail along the route at the Placerville station and carried on the eastbound trip that left San Francisco on August 18, 1860, arriving in St. Joseph on August 30.
FKW Census E14. Ex Walske. With 1966 P.F. certificate (Image)
Get Market Data for [United States Pony Express]
VERY FINE COVER WITH A CLEAR STRIKE OF THE ST. JOSEPH SPECIAL PONY EXPRESS” DATESTAMP AND FREE FRANK OF SENATOR MILTON LATHAM. ONE OF SIX RECORDED PONY EXPRESS COVERS FRANKED BY LATHAM AND A FASCINATING MILITARY AND OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE CONNECTION DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The letter states (in part): "I think I can safely assert California will soon be called upon for a Brigade of 5000 men, to proceed to Texas, via the Gadsend Purchase (Arizona) [sic] to reestablish the authority and laws of the U.S. & to occupy that State...it is the Lieut. Colonelcy of the Regiment to protect the overland route I want. I do not wish to go to Texas."
Senator Milton S. Latham went to California in 1850 and was elected to Congress on the 1852 Democratic ticket. After his term expired, he declined to run for re-election and served as collector for the port of San Francisco. In 1859 he was elected governor, but he resigned five days after taking office to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when Senator David C. Broderick was killed in a duel. The addressee, George Wallace, was secretary to California governor, John Downey.
Senator Latham was a friend of William H. Russell, the Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Co. president, and a strong supporter of COC&PP in their effort to secure the contract for the Central Route. He was among the few individuals later permitted to send Pony Express letters free of charge. In this case Senator Latham’s free frank applied to the $1.00 Pony Express rate, Wells, Fargo & Co.’s 10c charge for service between Placerville and San Francisco, and 10c U.S. postage (for a total of $1.20). There are 15 recorded Pony Express covers with any form of free frank for postage or express charges. Of these, six are signed by Latham (FKW E94, W3, W5, W7, W48 and W62). The eastbound cover (E94) has the San Francisco Running Pony oval. Three of the westbound Latham covers have the St. Joseph Running Pony oval (W3, W5 and W7), and two have the oval within circle datestamp (W48 and W62).
FKW Census W48. Ex Hall and Walske. With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)
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