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WESTERN EXPANSION continued...

CALIFORNIA continued...
Lot Symbol CatNo. Lot Description CV or Estimate
501   Miners Life - Illustrated, (Baird 165) Barber & Baker, no date (before 12231854). One other known (in addition to the one previous). Some text light, one closed tear and some fold splitting repaired on verso. Some toning at folds. D.C. ChaseMiner's Life - Illustrated, (Baird #165) Barber & Baker, no date (before 12/23/1854). One other known (in addition to the one previous). Some text light, one closed tear and some fold splitting repaired on verso. Some toning at folds. D.C. Chase writes a disjointed letter from Illiniostown, CA to a friend, July 14, 1856. (Image) Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction
502   The Miners Ten Commandments, (Baird 167) James M. Hutchings, 1853. Separate printers identified in some of the eleven vignettes. Sun Print. One known on this (blue wove) paper. Edge and fold wear, toning down central fold. Solomon W. Bush writeThe Miner's Ten Commandments, (Baird #167) James M. Hutchings, 1853. Separate printers identified in some of the eleven vignettes. Sun Print. One known on this (blue wove) paper. Edge and fold wear, toning down central fold. Solomon W. Bush writes to his brother William from Placerville, CA, 5/13/1854, complaining that he hasn't written back. (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $2,300.00
Will close during Public Auction
503   Miners Ten Commandments. A New Verse-ion...by Cadez Orion, (Similar to Baird 169, same text, different illustrations), Lith of Britton & Rey. Pub. by S.W. Langton & Bros., Downieville, Drawn by W.B.M., (before 1261854). With Goodyears BarMiners' Ten Commandments. A New Verse-ion...by Cadez Orion, (Similar to Baird #169, same text, different illustrations), Lith of Britton & Rey. "Pub. by S.W. Langton & Bros., Downieville," "Drawn by W.B.M.," (before 1/26/1854). With Goodyears Bar at upper left, Downieville at upper right, with elephant in background of middle illustration, standing miner with shovel in foreground looking at sign in tree. Toning, especially along folds.J. Bigelow writes to his father from Gibsonville, 1/26/1854: "Purchasing mining claims is a good deal like purchasing lottery tickets." He gives a detailed description of sinking shafts to the bedrock. (Image) Est. $2,000-3,000

SOLD for $3,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
504 c   St. Louis, Sears Diggings, Sierra Co. Cal., (Baird 228) Handsome half length mining camp view illustrated lettersheet published by Everts, Snell & Co. showing their offices in the scene, long November 13th 1853 letter, some aging and reinforcedSt. Louis, Sears Diggings, Sierra Co. Cal., (Baird #228) Handsome half length mining camp view illustrated lettersheet published by Everts, Snell & Co. showing their offices in the scene, long November 13th 1853 letter, some aging and reinforced splits, very fine design; also included folded letter with blue oval "Everts Snell & Co./Express/Feather River" handstamp. (imagea) (Image) Est. $2,000-3,000

SOLD for $2,900.00
Will close during Public Auction
505   San Francisco, (Baird 238) Drawn by W.H. OGrady from the West. A.J. McLees, 1850. Six known. Nearly a letterhead. Toned with minor chipping at left edge. John Weber writes from Redding Springs CA, sending lumps of gold to his wife and childrenSan Francisco, (Baird #238) Drawn by W.H. O'Grady from the West. A.J. McLees, 1850. Six known. Nearly a letterhead. Toned with minor chipping at left edge. John Weber writes from Redding Springs CA, sending lumps of gold to his wife and children; when he returns to Springfield, IL, "I will give you an account of the abominable doings of the people of California and of the lamentable condition of the unclothed children of the California mountains." (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
506   San Francisco Past and Present - San Francisco as it was in 1849 - San Francisco as it is, 1854, (Baird 251) Barber & Baker, 1854. Printed at the Sun Office. Twelve known. Some foxing and edge wear. Repairs at folds with matching paper. An unaSan Francisco Past and Present - San Francisco as it was in 1849 - San Francisco as it is, 1854, (Baird #251) Barber & Baker, 1854. "Printed at the Sun Office." Twelve known. Some foxing and edge wear. Repairs at folds with matching paper. An unattributed poem, "Lines suggested by incidents on my way to Sac. from Feather River in 1853," a reverie concerning reuniting with old friends. (imagea) (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction
507   Sundry Amusements in the Mines, (Baird 268) Britton & Rey, (before 3201853). Three known. Paper reinforcements on verso. M.C. Canfield writes to his young son, Church, from Nevada City, CA, 3201853, in reference to the vignettes on the letteSundry Amusements in the Mines, (Baird #268) Britton & Rey, (before 3/20/1853). Three known. Paper reinforcements on verso. M.C. Canfield writes to his young son, Church, from Nevada City, CA, 3/20/1853, in reference to the vignettes on the letter sheet: "I have frequently done all that is represented there, except finding a grizly Bear in my tent, sitting in a chair before the fire, warming his paws and Smoking a pipe." (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,800.00
Will close during Public Auction
508   View of Sacramento City, from Washington, (Baird 314) Placer Times, probably 1850. One known (not the present example, which does not have Clay M. Greene stamp). Toning at folds. John Weber writes his children from Redding Springs, CA, 1851.View of Sacramento City, from Washington, (Baird #314) Placer Times, probably 1850. One known (not the present example, which does not have Clay M. Greene stamp). Toning at folds. John Weber writes his children from Redding Springs, CA, 1851. (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,700.00
Will close during Public Auction
509   View of San Francisco in 1860, (Baird 317) Henry Payot, (before 10101862). Sheets hinged at short end, unfolding to an 8.4 x 21.5 panoramic image. Two others known. Writer has added a pen notation identifying the location of Oakland (pictureView of San Francisco in 1860, (Baird #317) Henry Payot, (before 10/10/1862). Sheets hinged at short end, unfolding to an 8.4" x 21.5" panoramic image. Two others known. Writer has added a pen notation identifying the location of Oakland (pictured as a barren hill in the distance). J.S.C. Cooper writes from Oakland, 10/10/1862, to his sister: "It is a fixed law of the Cal'a climate that all the girls who come out here under 15 yrs. grow up twice as strong as in the east with such rosy cheeks that you want to bite them by mistake for peaches & so tall that you are sure to think them at least 3 yrs older than they are." He continues very entertainingly on the subject! (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction
510   Winter in the Mines, (Baird 334 variant) Hutchings & Rosenfield, (before 9141862 possibly before 391855, see next). Without Printed by S.H. Wade... variant. on white wove paper (lined). Fold wear reinforced on verso. Some minor staining.Winter in the Mines, (Baird #334 variant) Hutchings & Rosenfield, (before 9/14/1862; possibly before 3/9/1855, see next). Without "Printed by S.H. Wade..." variant.; on white wove paper (lined). Fold wear reinforced on verso. Some minor staining. Writer adds "true as preacher" to a vignette showing a miner trudging through the snow to work. Eli Roof writes to his siblings from Newtown, CA 3/3/(1859?): "Tell that big fat girl for Me to kep her Shirt on till I come back. Girls that I not it Spoke to when I was at home I wood walk 10 Milles to See then once a week." (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,800.00
Will close during Public Auction
511 c   Winter in the Mines, (Baird 334) Hutchings & Rosenfield with seven vignettes each accompanied by a poem, letter dated Navada December the 9th 1860, with the 10c Green on buff entire (U16) in which it was carried to Battenville, N.Y., NevadaWinter in the Mines, (Baird #334) Hutchings & Rosenfield with seven vignettes each accompanied by a poem, letter dated "Navada December the 9th 1860", with the 10c Green on buff entire (#U16) in which it was carried to Battenville, N.Y., "Nevada City, Cal/Dec 10, 1860" datestamp, reduced at right just clear of the indicia, lettersheet very fine. (Image) Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction
512   Wreck of the Clipper Ship Golden Fleece, (Baird 338) Anthony & Baker, published at the Wide West Office, Portsmouth Sq. datelined San Francisco, April 29th 1854 in which Joseph Caldwell writes his cousin that he is ready to sail back to BoWreck of the Clipper Ship Golden Fleece, (Baird #338) Anthony & Baker, published at the Wide West Office, Portsmouth Sq. datelined "San Francisco, April 29th 1854" in which Joseph Caldwell writes his cousin that he is ready to sail back to Boston, for times are hard in S.F., light toning and minor reinforcement, very fine; one of only three known examples.The Golden Fleece had just sunk in the bay on April 21 - a week before this letter sheet commemorates it. (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,450.00
Will close during Public Auction
513 c   [Georgetown Gold Samples, 1851] Georgetown California May 19th, 1851 dateline on letter from a miner enclosed within a buff cover to Kingston, Tennessee, entered the mails with red Sacramento, Cal26 May datestamp and matching 40 rate, cover[Georgetown Gold Samples, 1851] Georgetown California May 19th, 1851 dateline on letter from a miner enclosed within a buff cover to Kingston, Tennessee, entered the mails with red "Sacramento, Cal/26 May" datestamp and matching "40" rate, cover wear and faults on reverse, extremely fine content.The sender, L.B. Crow writes: "...This thing they call Gold diggin is a very disagreeable kind of work. A man has to work in mud and water most of the time..." He and his partner just made $300 in three weeks. "...Sunday is the main day to play cards and drink liquor. If a man commits murder or is caught steeling horses they will rais a mob and just take him right out to a lm and swing him right up with out Judg or Jury...There has been a grate distruction with fire a few days ago at San Francisco (May 4th)..." he then concludes with "I send you five small s(p)ecimens of gold dust in a small bit of paper."Amazingly, the five gold nuggets still remain with the letter affixed to a small piece of paper. (imagea) (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $9,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
514   [San Francisco, Great Fire of 1851] Excellent autograph letter in French and English, May 22, 1851, by William Peters of San Francisco, to Emily Howland in Aurora, NY. He writes about the conflagration of May 4: The smoke was enough to smother[San Francisco, Great Fire of 1851] Excellent autograph letter in French and English, May 22, 1851, by William Peters of San Francisco, to Emily Howland in Aurora, NY. He writes about the conflagration of May 4: "The smoke was enough to smother one a mile from the city, & the harbour was full of embers & half wrecks of the house wharves, fire kept burning for a week. But the energy of the Franciscans is equal to the calamity & S.Fr. is rising Pheenix-like from the ashes. Already more than 1/2 the town is rebuilt tho' not on the same costly plan, where there were good substantial brick houses now only little frame houses." They might have benefited from building their houses out of brick again, for the city was already in flames once more on June 22. (Image) Est. $400-500

SOLD for $650.00
Will close during Public Auction
515   [Vigilance Committee, 1851] Great content autograph letter signed by Frederick Snyder, San Francisco, June 12, 1851, to his brother John in Placerville. On last Monday night a person named John Jenkins was discovered stealing a small iron safe[Vigilance Committee, 1851] Great content autograph letter signed by Frederick Snyder, San Francisco, June 12, 1851, to his brother John in Placerville. "On last Monday night a person named John Jenkins was discovered stealing a small iron safe on Long Wharf. Pursuit was immediately given and the fellow overtaken. He was tried by a band of Secret Regulators, who...found him guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging. He was taken on the plaza, a rope was swung over a beam, his hands were manacled, one or two long pulls were given, and the poor wretch was swung into eternity. He struggled hard for a few minutes, the blood gushed from his nose and mouth, he drew his legs up convulsively and then stretch out, perfectly dead. The body...remained there until the officers cut him down...It is an awful state of affairs in a populous city like this to see a person strung up...But our citizens have suffered so much by the depredations of these miscreants, and the laws are administered in such a lax and dilitory manner, that it is actually necessary." (Image) Est. $500-750

SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction
516 c   [Vigilance Committee, Sonora] Sonora, California, Nov, 25 1851 well struck blue two-line straightline postmark on folded letter with integral address leaf to New Lisbon, N.Y., manuscript 10 rate and endorsed Via Panama, extremely fine.Interes[Vigilance Committee, Sonora] Sonora, California, Nov, 25 1851 well struck blue two-line straightline postmark on folded letter with integral address leaf to New Lisbon, N.Y., manuscript "10" rate and endorsed "Via Panama," extremely fine.Interesting letter concerning vigilantism in California includes: "You have of course heard of the action of the Vigilance Committees in California. Here in (Sonora) they confine themselves to merely whipping a few scoundrels. Quite a number of criminals were hung in this neighborhood by Lynch law before the Vigilance Committees were organized but in only one instance has a prisoner been forcibly taken from the authorities. That prisoner was dangling by the neck about 15 minutes after the people got him. His name was James Hill and I think he was from Madison or Oneida Co. (N.Y.]) It may be that his real name was not Hill. He was a hardened villain and probably deserved his fate. Our Police is composed of the most resolute men in the country. When they attempt to arrest a person it is very unsafe to attempt resistance for they will drop a man certain with one of Colt's 6s - We have a Catholic church but no Protestant although in progress ... The influence of California morality will be deeply felt in the States when the thousands of Californians return and each one will be a teacher to more or less of his friends and acquaintances of the accomplishments he has picked up in California. Many of the sons of the most respectable families at home are engaged in the practice of the most degrading vices and their friends might as well mourn their death ... A.A.N. Tuttle"According to H.H. Bancroft, in Popular Tribunals, a David Hill was convicted of armed robbery by the citizens of Campo Seco on June 29, 1851. He was sentenced to death by hanging but was rescued by the Sheriff and taken to Sonora where an armed mob seized him by force. The mob gave Hill fifteen minutes to make his confession and say his prayers before he was swung into eternity from the limb of a tree. (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction
517 c   Rough & Ready Cal.Feb 17, 1852, datestamp struck twice tying horizontal strip of four 1c Blue, Ty. IV (9), mostly large margins to in at lower left, to 6c Green on buff entire (U14) to Kittaning, Pa., also a folded letter with integral addressRough & Ready Cal./Feb 17, 1852, datestamp struck twice tying horizontal strip of four 1c Blue, Ty. IV (#9), mostly large margins to in at lower left, to 6c Green on buff entire (#U14) to Kittaning, Pa., also a folded letter with integral address leaf to Hangtown, California with red "San Francisco, Cal./10 Dec" datestamp and matching "12½" rate handstamp for letters mailed within California, very fine pair of Gold Rush camp covers.Hangtown was established as Old Dry Diggin's in 1848. Because of the influx of riffraff and criminals, who committed robberies and murders, the irate citizens took matters into their own hands and flogged or hanged the perpetrators and by 1849 the place was being called Hangtown. On April 9, 1850 the Post Office was established as Placerville, but it was not until 13 May, 1854 that the town was incorporated under that name. (Image) Est. $500-750

SOLD for $1,050.00
Will close during Public Auction
518 c   [Cattle and Gold on the Oregon Trail] folded letter with integral address leaf datelined Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, Apri 15, 1852, entered the mails to Newburn, Virginia with San Francisco, Cal datestamp and matching 10 rate, mino[Cattle and Gold on the Oregon Trail] folded letter with integral address leaf datelined "Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, Apri 15, 1852", entered the mails to Newburn, Virginia with "San Francisco, Cal" datestamp and matching "10" rate, minor soiling, very fine.Daniel Miller writes his brother: "I need not pretend to narrate to you Dangers, Toils, perplexities and hardships of the trip of over 2,000 miles with Ox teams and a herd of cattle. We started with 137 head of cattle, got here with 94, but as our cattle got lame and weak we would sell them to trading posts on the way - that we did not lose entirely more than some 4 or 5 head except 8 head that either strayed or more likely were stolen by the Mormons in the great Salt Lake valley. We have been in the valleys contiguous to San Francisco for upwards of two months - we had great difficulty in finding a suitable vacant situation to herd our cattle on and in wandering and hunting have at length stopped in a small valley in the mountains 1 miles from the Petaluma valley and some ten miles from the town of Petaluma, situated at the head of ship or boat navigation on an inlet of the great Bay of San Francisco and about 60 miles (by water) to the later City." Miller describes the high cost of living in the California of the Gold Rush. He is pleased with the prices that are being paid for cattle and states, "I have just sent back to Mo (Missouri) ... for $2,000 worth of cows & heifers more - our cattle live, and do well here all the year without feed" Miller regrets the loss of three children enroute to California - "Our daughter Eliza ... we lost the day we started ... we lost, near courthouse rock, on the great Platt (river), our infant child Emma, of Diarea, and at the sink of Stony creek some distance west of the great Salt Lake Valley, we lost our Daughter Margaret of Mountain fever ... nearly all the county is claimed by grants made by the Mexican Government so that we are all improving on uncertainty... As to the gold diging on the various rivers and streams, you will take little intres(t) in - tens of thousands of persons flock here from every part of the Globe and mingle together in search of the precious metal. Gold is found over a vast extent of country, many hundreds of miles. Some are fortunate, whilst a much larger number are not so. The wreckless gamblers are here in great numbers, and many unbethoughted young men get together many thousands Dollars worth of Dust, get a Dram (of whiskey) ahead, and their gold dust disappears in a few hours at the gambling tables." (Image) Est. $400-500

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction
519 c   Proceeds of the Day, miners illustrated cover published by Wide West Office, San Francisco, orange cover to South Hadley, Mass. with blue Columbia, CalNov 28 datestamp and matching Paid6 in circle, very fine and attractive.Proceeds of the Day, miner's illustrated cover published by Wide West Office, San Francisco, orange cover to South Hadley, Mass. with blue "Columbia, Cal/Nov 28" datestamp and matching "Paid/6" in circle, very fine and attractive. (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $2,400.00
Will close during Public Auction
520 c   Prospecters, comic miners illustrated cover published by J.M. Hutchings used to Boston, Mass. with horizontal pair 3c Dull red (11), large margins to just touching, tied by waffle grid, matching oval Weaverville, Cal. postmark with manuscripProspecters, comic miner's illustrated cover published by J.M. Hutchings' used to Boston, Mass. with horizontal pair 3c Dull red (#11), large margins to just touching, tied by waffle grid, matching oval "Weaverville, Cal." postmark with manuscript "Feby 20" date, very fine and eye-catching; ex-Haas. (Image) Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $4,750.00
Will close during Public Auction

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