Auction Detail

approximately 150 items in total, all identified and accompanied by Mr. Bowman's notes, adhesives on cover including 20L2 (3), 20L3 (2), 20L4 (14, three from the Captain Atwood correspondence), 20L7 (11), 20L8 (4), 20L10 (3), 20L11 (2), 20L12 (2), 20L13, 20L14 (4), 20L16, 20L17-18 (8), 20L23 (3), 20L25, 20L35, 20L36, 20L43 (2), 20L44, 20L46, 20L47 (2), 20L53, 20L54 front, and 20L56 (4), also 41 stampless covers arranged chronologically with Bowman handstamp types identified for each, stamped envelopes including 20LU18, 20LU38 (3), and 20LU44, bank notices including 20LUX3 and 20LUX9, and more, generally fine to very fine, an extraordinary holding which will provide a wonderful foundation for an advanced collection, the amount of research that has already been done by Mr. Bowman is invaluable to the student of local posts (Scott $19,000+, not counting stampless)

partial backstamp on folded letter to Philadelphia datelined "Balt 2d July 1774", manuscript "2.16" [dwt] rate (converted to 1sh 4d in Philadelphia), very fine
This letter is dated the same day that William Giles Goddard announced his "Constitutional American Post" in the Maryland Journal. There is no way to tell if this folded letter was carried from Baltimore to Philadelphia by Joseph Bryan, a rider employed by Goddard to carry mail over this route, or if it was (more likely) carried by the dying Parliamentary Post.

April 1781 folded lettersheet to "The Hon'ble Brigadier General [Jethro] Sumner in Halifax [North Carolina]", endorsed "On Public Service" and "p. Express", very fine, Sumner, at this time, was the commander of troops in North Carolina, having recently been attached to General Nathanael Greene, and before that attached to General Horatio Gates

dateline on folded letter to North Haven, Connecticut, endorsed "Care of Mr. Daggett", carried outside of the mails, very fine, such private carriage of a letter was only legal so long as the carrier did not receive remuneration

free frank from Ebenezer Hazard on folded letter to Norwich, Connecticut, some light wear and toning, very fine signature, sent while Hazard was Postmaster General of the Confederation Congress

Ebenezer Hazard was appointed the Postmaster for New York City in 1775. He left that post to become the Surveyor of the Posts in 1776. In 1782, the Confederation Congress appointed him Postmaster General. George Washington, who had several disputes with Hazard concerning the use of stages to carry the mail and the carriage of newspapers in the mail, refused to appoint Hazard as the first postmaster general under the Constitution when Washington became president in 1789.