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The Larry Lyons Collection: All Roads Lead to San Francisco continued...

Western Expresses: Adams thru Alta
Lot Sym. Lot Description  
1565 c ImageAdams & Co. Over Our California and Coast Routes. Printed frank at left (Thomas ADA-001a), manuscript "Don Pedro's Bar Aug. 24th Cal.," marking on 3c Red on Buff Nesbitt entire (U10), embossed stamp cancelled by same manuscript, addressed to San Francisco, backflap with some adhesive staining and couple tears, small edge tear at bottom

VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF ADAMS & COMPANY'S PRINTED FRANK. THIS IS THE FIRST PRINTED FRANK USED BY ANY OF THE WESTERN EXPRESS COMPANIES. A COVER OF GREAT HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE.

Adams & Company set up its California and Oregon business in December 1849 under the direction of William B. Dinsmore of New York and Daniel H. Haskell of Boston, with Alvin Adams as a third partner. Dinsmore left shortly thereafter. In 1852 I. C. Woods joined the firm and two years later became a partner. Its business in the shipment of gold, merchandise, parcels and letters flourished, and its related banking operations established Adams & Co. as a major force in the economic development of the West. All of this figuratively turned to dust in February 1855 with the failure of Page, Bacon & Company, a prominent banking firm. Two days later Adams Express collapsed as depositors rushed to withdraw their gold from a concern that was already weakened by competition (source: Wiltsee, The Pioneer Mule and The Pack Mule Express).

The significance of Adams & Company's printed franks is two-fold: first, they were produced in 1853, making them the earliest franks actually printed on envelopes or stamped entires; and, second, their function "was to facilitate the deposit of mail in letter boxes after the normal business hours of the express. Much like a printed adhesive stamp, these could be used to prepare letters for mailing so that they could be deposited in a box and without having to wait in line if the express office was still open." (Frajola).

With the Dale-Lichtenstein dispersal, the number of recorded examples of the Adams & Co. frank rose to seven, including three slightly different formats on plain envelopes (two printed vertically at left), both stamped and stampless, and on the 3c Nesbitt entire. Only two covers have adhesive stamps (Image)

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 E. $ 3,000-4,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction
1566 c ImageAdams Express to Fort Vancouver. Blue "Adams & Co. San Francisco Oct. 18" double-circle datestamp (Thomas ADA-100b), manuscript "pr. Adams & Co's Express" and "Private" on blue 1854 folded letter from San Francisco to Hudson Bay Company at Fort Vancouver, Columbia River, letter relates to a default by a businessman which has caused "a great deal of excitement", Very Fine, reported to be the only Adams cover known to Fort Vancouver, ex Kramer (Image)

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 E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $325.00
Will close during Public Auction
1567 c ImageAdams & Co. San Francisco, Nov 18. Partly clear strike of blue double-circle datestamp (Thomas ADA-100b) on buff cover with brown cameo corner card of "Taaffe McCahill & Co./Importer & Jobbers/of/Dry Goods", addressed to Bidwells Bar, Cal., light central file fold, Very Fine, an attractive early San Francisco corner card express cover (Image)

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 E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $350.00
Will close during Public Auction
1568 c ImageAdams & Co. Georgetown, Aug. 26. Light but readable strike of red oval datestamp (Thomas ADA-101d) with matching "Paid" straightline on ca. 1854 buff cover to San Francisco, missing half of backflap, Very Fine and rare, this is the only example recorded by Lyons and in Thomas with this datestamp and straightline, ex Clifford (Image)

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 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $350.00
Will close during Public Auction
1569 c ImageAdams & Co. Mormon Isl'd Aprl. 20. Red oval handstamp (Thomas ADA-101m) with matching faint "Paid" handstamp at top right, on buff cover to San Francisco, backflap partly detached, Very Fine and scarce, only four examples of this oval handstamp recorded in Thomas (Image)

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 E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $275.00
Will close during Public Auction
1570 c ImageAdams & Co. Mud Springs, Jan. 16. Oval datestamp (Thomas ADA-101n) with bold "Paid" in oval handstamp, 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (11A) uncancelled, on brown cover to San Francisco, manuscript "Paid pr. Adams & Co. Express", Very Fine and rare, Lyons records only four examples of this handstamp (Thomas records two, one with stamp removed), Mud Springs was located south of Placerville and Diamond Springs, its name was changed to El Dorado in 1855, with 2011 P.F. certificate (Image)

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 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $500.00
Will close during Public Auction
1571 c Image"P. Adams & Co's Express", Sonora. Three matching 1853 folded letters with manuscript express designations at top left, Mar. 30 with bold blue "Adams & Co's Express Sonora" double-line oval datestamp (Thomas ADA-101) and "Paid" in octagon, May 17 with bold red "Adams & Co. Sonora May 17" oval and "Paid" in octagon, Sep. 14 with greenish-blue "Adams & Co. Sonora Sep. 14" oval with "Paid" in octagon, each addressed to Augustin W. Hale in San Francisco, horizontal file folds, fresh and Extremely Fine trio, perfect for exhibition (Image)

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 E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction
1572 c ImageAdams & Cos. Express, Prairie City. Red double-line oval handstamp (Thomas ADA-103a) on buff cover to San Francisco, backflap removed, couple minor edge flaws, otherwise Very Fine and rare with only four examples recorded in Thomas (Image)

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 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $325.00
Will close during Public Auction
1573 c ImageForwarded by Adams & Cos Express, San Francisco. Clear strike of oval handstamp in black (Thomas ADA-109 var.), manuscript "paid." and "per Adams & Co. 25c", on undated (likely mid-1851) cloth-lined blue cover addressed to Sacramento, some minor natural bleaching along edges, Very Fine and rare, this "Forwarded by" Adams marking is rarer in black than red, only this single example in black is recorded along with three in red (one offered in following lot), it has been speculated that the July 21, 1851 rate reduction by Adams for mail taken off ships in San Francisco may have been responsible for the change to the black handstamp, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2011 P.F. certificate (Image)

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 E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $800.00
Will close during Public Auction
1574 c ImageForwarded by Adams & Cos. Express, San Francisco. Red oval handstamp (Thomas ADA-109) clearly struck on blue folded letter datelined at Panama, Jun. 14, 1851, to San Francisco with pencil street address presumably added by Adams office, "Cova & Co. Panama" double-line oval handstamp (a few letters strengthened with pencil), file fold, Very Fine, this Adams Express marking is very rare with only three recorded (Image)

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 E. $ 500-750

SOLD for $650.00
Will close during Public Auction
1575 c ImageAlta Express Co. Jamestown. Oval handstamp on 3c Red on White Nesbitt entire (U9) with printed "Alta Express Co. Paid" high mountain and steamboat frank (Thomas ALT-001), addressed to San Francisco, Extremely Fine, a choice cover and very scarce with the Jamestown handstamp, Lyons records only this single example, with 2009 P.F. certificate (Image)

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 E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction

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