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VERY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF MAIL SENT TO HAWAII VIA THE CHORPENNING ROUTE.
As discussed in an article in Chronicle No. 215 by Floyd Risvold and Richard Frajola, in 1851 Absalom Woodward and George Chorpenning were awarded the contract for monthly service between California and Salt Lake City. The winter snows made passage virtually impossible, and the routes were eventually changed depending on the season. After July 1854 the route was changed, with Salt Lake City on one end and San Diego on the other and incorporating the Old Spanish Trail, with a branch line service between Carson Valley (Genoa) and Placerville.
This cover was sent by John Whitney to Orson Whitney. Both were related to Henry Whitney, the first postmaster in Hawaii and the person responsible for the famous Missionaries. (Image)
VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE AND EXTREMELY RARE TRANSATLANTIC USE OF AN "OVERLAND MAIL" ILLUSTRATED STAGECOACH ENVELOPE.
The 58c prepayment marked on this cover by the Grass Valley postmaster does not correspond to any prevailing rate to the German States at this time. It was probably an error based on the 29c rate to England (24c plus 5c for West Coast origin), which was doubled for this letter weighing between one-half and one ounce. The New York foreign-mail exchange office treated it as a double 15c rate Bremen Packet letter, applying a 2 x 12c credit (24c) and sending it on the North German Lloyd's New York, departing on Feb. 23, 1861, and arriving in Southampton on Mar. 7 (the steamer was docked there for repairs and did not carry mail any further eastward, thus the delayed Mar. 11 arrival backstamp). Our Levi records and other sources consulted contain only six examples of an illustrated stagecoach cover (of any design) addressed to a foreign country. A similar stampless cover from San Francisco to Germany is illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 136).
Ex Dale-Lichtenstein. With 2004 P.F. certificate. (Image)
EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH THIS COMBINATION OF PACIFIC EXPRESS COMPANY AND BERFORD & COMPANY MARKINGS. A SPECTACULAR TRANS-CONTINENTAL EXPRESS USAGE.
The Pacific Express Company was formed on March 2, 1855, by former employees of Adams & Company, the huge express and banking concern that went bankrupt in February 1855. Pacific Express operated until sometime in 1857, carrying mail between points in California and also through connections to the East Coast. The original Berford & Company was started in 1849 and is reported to have sold out to Wells, Fargo & Co. in 1854. The "Berford & Cos. Atlantic & Pacific Express" represented in this handstamp (of which one other is known) must have been a short-lived operation under that name, formed after the earlier Berford's concern sold out. Although no year date is present, this cover and its mate must have been mailed in 1855 or 1856.
Illustrated in Letters of Gold. Ex Hawley. With 1975 P.F. certificate. (Image)
VERY FINE. ONLY SIX INTACT COVERS ARE KNOWN WITH LANGTON'S HUMBOLDT EXPRESS STAMP. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF WESTERN POSTAL HISTORY.
The Humboldt Express was the last of seven successive Western express services operated by Samuel W. Langton, who has been described by historians as the most energetic and persevering of the numerous expressmen of the period. Langton launched the Humboldt Express in February 1860 and oversaw its operation until his accidental death in 1864. Service was provided between the Humboldt mines in Nevada to Carson City, the state capital. For transportation across this difficult route, 25c was charged in addition to the $2.00 per letter fee. To facilitate prepayment of this surcharge, Langton issued the 1860 25c Brown adhesive stamp. The stamp, with its exceptionally detailed depiction of a stagecoach drawn by a four-horse team, is widely regarded as the finest example of a pictorial stamp issued by the numerous local posts operated in the United States between 1842 and the 1870's. The style, lettering, color and lithographic technique used to print Langton's stamp are identical to those of the Wells, Fargo & Co. pony express stamps of the same period, and it is accepted, though unproven, that the issues of both companies were made by the same printer (Britton & Rey of San Francisco).
We record the following Humboldt Express 25c Brown covers: 1) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, the cover offered here, ex Brown, Moody, Simpson, Hertz, 2) Star City (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U35 with Langton frank, repaired, PFC, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, 3) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, ex Caspary, Nathan, 4) Star City (blue oval) to G. Borzo, Placerville Cal., U34 with Langton frank, WF Nevada Jun. 10 oval, ex Jessup, Hawley, Polland, Jacobitz, 5) Unionville (red oval) and "Paid" in oval tying 25c, to Charles Lott, Oroville Cal., U34 with WF frank and WF Carson City May 11 oval, PFC, ex Haas, Edwards, and 6) Star City (blue oval) to S. W. Holladay, San Francisco, U34 with Langton frank, 3c 1861 tied by "Paid" and WF Nevada Jul. 11 (1863) oval, with enclosure, PFC, ex Hall, Kapiloff. In addition to these six intact covers, there are two restored fronts or pieces and a few faked examples. Our census has been compiled independently of the Gamett census and more recent Lyons census, which contain incorrect sale history data for #1 and #2 above.
Ex Brown, Moody, Simpson and Hertz (Image)
A FRESH COVER WITH CLEARLY STRUCK MARKINGS AND A FINE EXAMPLE OF THE $1.00 RED STAMP ISSUED BY WELLS, FARGO & COMPANY FOR THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT PERIOD BEGINNING IN JULY 1861. THIS IS A VERY EARLY USE OF THE STAMP.
Commencing July 1, 1861, the Pony Express was authorized by Congress to carry mail at the rate of $1.00 per half ounce. An additional fee was charged by Wells, Fargo & Co. to carry mail from San Francisco to the western terminus at Placerville, which is represented by the printed frank on this entire. The contract also stipulated the mandatory U.S. postage charge of 10c per half ounce. This cover beautifully combines all three postage elements and was carried on the fourth eastbound Pony Express trip after the new rates and stamps were introduced. Although the Scott Catalogue lists the July 1861 issue Pony Express stamps (143L3-143L6) with other private post issues, we wish to emphasize that these stamps were issued under the terms of a government mail contract, therefore, they have semi-official status.
Pony Express Census No. E112. Ex Knapp. With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)