2013 Rarities of the World continued...

THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED HANDSTAMPED MARKING USED IN AMERICA, WHICH WAS APPLIED TO LETTERS CARRIED BY WILLIAM WARREN'S BRISTOL AND NEW YORK PACKET SERVICE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE MARKING AND AN IMPORTANT POSTAL HISTORY ARTIFACT FROM THE EARLY COLONIAL PERIOD.

This letter from the John Brown correspondence is dated two years prior to the June 10, 1712, letter bearing the identical "NEW/YORK" handstamped marking that surfaced from the same correspondence in 1994. The entire Brown correspondence has been analyzed and no earlier example has been found.

This letter was carried on board the Royal Anne, one of William Warren's Bristol-New York packet vessels, captained by John Shorter. The Royal Anne left New York in December 1710 and arrived at Bristol in January 1711 on its first eastbound (return) voyage for the newly inaugurated Bristol-New York packet service. It is believed that the "NEW/YORK" handstamp was applied by John Hamilton, the New York agent for William Warren and postmaster for North America. Hamilton advertised the packet departure dates in The Boston News Letter and handled the mail that was carried by Warren's packets. (Image)

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AN EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE "PAID TO NYORK" POSTAL MARKING ON AN EARLY COLONIAL TRANSATLANTIC LETTER.

A large part of the John Brown correspondence came to light in England in 1994 and 1995 and was offered in our May 1995 auction (Sale 766). This letter was last offered in that sale. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE COLONIAL SHIP LETTER FROM NORTHERN NEW YORK TO LONDON, WITH ALBANY STRAIGHTLINE AND THE RARE "INLAND AND PACKET POSTAGE" HANDSTAMP. VERY FEW EXAMPLES OF THIS TRANSATLANTIC PACKET MARKING ARE KNOWN IN PRIVATE HANDS.

The folded cover has a large watermark at center. Additional docketing indicates the contents were read at a committee meeting in February 1774. (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A HIGHLY DESIRABLE FORM OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S FREE FRANK WITH THE "B. FREE FRANKLIN" SYNTAX. CARRIED FREE OF PACKET CHARGES AND INTERNAL POSTAGE.

It is rare to find a Benjamin Franklin free frank with the year date from his time in England. The recipient, Abel James, was a friend of Franklin's, a book collector and a member of the Friendly Association for Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures. He was exiled to Winchester Va. in 1777 for refusing to support the American Revolution. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED COVER WITH POSTAL MARKINGS APPLIED IN NEW ORLEANS, AS WELL AS THE EARLIEST RECORDED POSTMARK FROM ANY OF THE FORMER SPANISH POSSESSIONS IN THE PRESENT-DAY TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

In addition to the earliest known aspects to this cover, it is also one of only three reported covers showing the combination of these two markings -- both of which are beautifully struck.

Illustrated on front cover of The Postal History of Spanish New Orleans. (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE AND EXTREMELY RARE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN INCOMING COVER TO SPANISH NEW ORLEANS WITH POSTAL MARKINGS IN PRIVATE HANDS. IT IS ALSO ONE OF ONLY FOUR RECORDED SHIP REGISTERS SENT FROM CUBA BEFORE THE ROYAL ORDER OF OCTOBER 1784.

The directions on the cover translate to "Register of the Packetboat named Saint Juan Nepomuceno, dispatched from this General Post Office of Havana for New Orleans. Its master, Mr. Antonio Arnaud, must bring it to the city's Customs Administrator / Given on 1 April 1783."

The Spanish Royal Order of Oct. 24, 1784 mandated that ship registers containing a list of their cargo be sent prepaid in the sealed mail boxes that travelled with the vessels. They received the same postal markings as regular correspondence. There are only four recorded ship registers from the Americas prior to the Royal Order, ranging in dates from 1779 to 1783, with postmarks but no rate markings. (Image)

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