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United States, Possessions and Confederate States Stamps and Postal History continued...

Fur Trade, Territorial, Western Mails & Expresses
Lot Sym. Lot Description  
2047 c Image(Alaska Fur Trade, 1831) "Brig Smyrna, laying Tongass (Russian Alaska) October 17th, 1831". Dateline on folded letter addressed to Charlestown (Boston) Mass., carried by ship to the U.S. east coast where it entered the mails with red "Nantucket Mass. May 9" oval datestamp with date in manuscript, matching "Ship" straightline handstamp and magenta "14 -1/2" rate, interesting content from Joseph Knox to his brother Henry related to his experience on the fur trade ship Smyrna and its captain "(who) has the name of being a great tyrant", discussion of the Northwest Coast (Alaska) and the Aleutian Islands, which he describes as a "dissipated place...They do not think it any disgrace to be seen drunk, and every other house is a grog shop or gambling house.", minor corner splits

VERY FINE. A RARE AND EARLY ALASKA COAST COVER TO THE UNITED STATES, SENT FROM A FUR TRADING VESSEL WHILE ALASKA WAS STILL A TERRITORY OF RUSSIA.

The Russian-American Company was chartered in 1799 to open new settlements in Alaska centered around the fur trade. As Russia struggled to supply the outposts and bring furs to market, American and British captains exploited the void and operated along the coast, often in fierce competition with one another. The American brig Smyrna was engaged in the sea otter fur trade during the period this letter was written. Sea otters were the main target of the trade until populations dramatically declined and the trade was forced to diversify.

Accompanied by transcript of letter and history of the fur trade and the Russian-American Company (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction
2048 c ImageFort Towson Ark. Jun. 9. Clear strike of circular datestamp with manuscript "25" for over 400-miles rate on folded letter datelined "Folets Prairie, June 5, 1842" to Canton O., lengthy contents refer to the writer's location as 36 miles south of Fort Towson (where he posts his letters because it is "the nicest post office in the U.S."), across the Red River boundary of the Choctaw Nation, Very Fine early use posted in Indian Territory at Fort Towson which was situated near the confluence of the Kiamichi and Red Rivers and was renamed Doakesville in late 1847 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $300.00
Will close during Public Auction
2049 c Image"Natchez July 17th 1804". Manuscript pmk. with matching "Free" on folded letter to the postmaster at Vincennes Indian Territory, some slight splitting along folds expertly reinforced, Very Fine territorial marking (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 200-300

SOLD for $375.00
Will close during Public Auction
2050 c ImageEngland to Wisconsin Territory via American Coffee House, 1836. Folded letter datelined "Aveley Dec. 1, 1836" in England and addressed "to the American Coffee House" in New York, red "New-York Ship Jan. 30" circular datestamp struck on arrival, redirected to Durango, Wisconsin Territory, where it was then redirected to St. Louis with "Dubuque W.T May 26" territorial circular datestamp on front and reverse, small faults incl. slight staining and splitting along folds, otherwise a Fine and scarce multi-directed cover to Wisconsin Territory (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $475.00
Will close during Public Auction
2051   ImageOriginal Orders to Outfit a Mormon Wagon Train, 1854-55. Group of 56 original documents, comprising 74 written pages involving the Perpetual Emigration Fund Co., a corporation established by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849, to provide economic assistance to more than 30,000 individuals who sought to emigrate to Utah and surrounding regions, some expected age-related wear and faults

AN OUTSTANDING AND HISTORICAL GROUP OF DOCUMENTS REALTED TO THE PERPETUAL EMIGRATION FUND, DURING THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE MORMOM CHURCH.

This group was offered in a Siegel postal history sale in 1975. During a time when auction descriptions for even the most important items rarely took up more than three lines, we wrote a half-page description for this lot. It is quoted verbatim here.:

"This Fund financed an extensive Mormon Church directed program based on missionaries promising wondrous opportunities in Utah Territory; to poor European converts who would sign a bond promising repayment of emigration costs to the Church. Included are 43 different orders varying from $80 to $848 for delivery of oxen, wagons, and provisions for a wagon train leaving Atchison, Kansas Terr., on an 1855 Overland Trail trip to Salt Lake City. Several are A.L.S. by Erastus Snow, and eight are signed by him, including one shipping a yoke of cattle "if they live to go through" to his wife. Another has Snow's appendage relating to shipping "Doc Bernhisel's store and fixtures" on the wagon train. One is a scarce substitution order, another a rare receipt for team and provisions to be used as an order. Three orders provide for passage of lone women on the wagon train. Also four extensive lists of settlers indebted to the P. E. Fund showing wagon entry dates, those who married (several polygamous), etc. One long list of personal debts transferred to Brigham Young, Trustee, as a donation in 1860. Three estate records showing passage and freight emigration balances settled by transfer of decedent's clothing and sundries to the Fund. List of individuals payments not credited to Fund, 1862. List of 109 persons made by captain of wagon train in 1854, of indebtedness to Fund for flour supplied on the western trek. An 11 page trial balance sheet for P. E. Fund in 1857. And an 1871 letter soliciting funds for passage of federal law lowering emigration tax."

Extensive holdings of early original Mormon documents are seldom available, and this is a most unusual opportunity to acquire a well rounded group involving a fascinating and little known area of wagon train emigration to our western frontier (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 10,000-15,000

SOLD for $18,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
2052 c Image3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26). S.e. at right and rounded corner, tied by "San Francisco Cal. May ? 1860" circular datestamp on cover to Sacramento Cal., 4-Horse Stagecoach design with ms. lines thru "Per Overland Mail" and stamp positioned over "Via Los Angeles", Very Fine, rare intra-California use of this illustrated envelope, especially interesting with sender's obvious effort to change its meaning, ex Kutz (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $550.00
Will close during Public Auction
2053 c Image10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U18). Bold strike of "Placerville Cal. Dec. 11 (1858)" circular datestamp, addressed to New York with sender's directive "By Salt Lake", original enclosure written by the brother of the recipient referring to the newly built Salt Lake Stage Road (Chorpenning Route) and mentioning "we have a good wagon road over the dreaded Sierra Mountains to Carson Valley - constructed this season & is 85 miles long over which the mail from the States passes in a 4 horse coach or wagon weekly.", he goes onto say "I may send this by the Salt Lake Route so that it may pass over the same road that I did in coming out here...", and more, entire with piece of the backflap missing, Very Fine, incredibly fascinating historical content (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $3,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
2054 c ImageFreeman & Co.'s California, Atlantic States and European Express. Printed frank (Haller FF7, Ty. 1) on 3c Red Nesbitt entire (U10) to Athens N.Y., uprated with 1c Blue, Ty. V and pair of 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (24, 26), tied by "San Francisco Cal. Apr. 11, 1861" circular datestamp, 3c stamps originally affixed over obsolete frank (lifted and hinged at lower left), Very Fine, by 1861 Freeman was out of business, but a few of the franked 3c entires were used in the Nichols correspondence (see Nathan p. 82 for another similar example), a fascinating use, with 1983 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction
2055 c ImageLangton & Bros. Express, French Corral. Ornately framed handstamp struck in blue on backflap of large part of greenish blue folded cover to the Surveyor General's Office in San Francisco, blue "Marysville Cal. 5 Jul. 19" integral-rate circular datestamp, no contemporary date but pencil note "1853" is probably accurate, Very Fine, this is an extremely rare Langton's marking, the town of French Corral was founded in 1849 and named for a Frenchman who built a corral for his mules, gold was later discovered there, accompanied by a letter from Mel Nathan noting that "this is one of the scarcest of all the Langton handstamps...4 I know of" (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $850.00
Will close during Public Auction
2056   ImageHenry Wells, William G. Fargo. Clear signatures as President and Secretary, on American Express stock certificate for 11 shares, dated March 19, 1863, blue handstamp "Authorized Capital 10,000 shares Feby 11th, 1863" struck twice, serial no. 1547, 5c Certificate (R24c) cancelled by "AE Co." handstamp, some minor edge nicks and faint toning, still Very Fine, an outstanding and rare signature combination from these two iconic express pioneers, American Express Co. was formed by the merger of the companies owned by Henry Wells (Wells & Co.), William G. Fargo (Livingston, Fargo & Co.) and John W. Butterfield (Wells, Butterfield & Co.), Wells and Fargo of course also founded Wells, Fargo & Co. in 1852 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $475.00
Will close during Public Auction
2057 c Image10c Green on Buff, Nesbitt entire (U18). Mostly clear strike of blue "Wells Fargo & Co. Express, San Francisco" oval handstamp with matching "Paid" in double-line oval at left, addressed to New York City with sender's "via Nicaragua" directive at top left, slightly toned, still Very Fine, carried outside the mails (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

 E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $275.00
Will close during Public Auction

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