Auction Detail
Fall Postal History 2022
Our Fall 2022 Postal History sale includes the John D. Bowman Collection of Boyd's City Express Post, the William B. Robinson Collection of Wisconsin Postal History, material from the collections of Steven M. Roth and Graham Booth, FRPSL, and much more.
- The John D. Bowman Collection of Boyd's City Express Post (218) Apply The John D. Bowman Collection of Boyd's City Express Post filter
- The William B. Robinson Collection of Wisconsin Postal History (216) Apply The William B. Robinson Collection of Wisconsin Postal History filter
- Main catalogue (179) Apply Main catalogue filter
- Postal History from the Steven M. Roth Collection (169) Apply Postal History from the Steven M. Roth Collection filter
- Selections from the Graham Booth Collection of Transatlantic Mail (99) Apply Selections from the Graham Booth Collection of Transatlantic Mail filter
- Advertising Covers Lots and Collections (1) Apply Advertising Covers Lots and Collections filter
- Advertising and Illustrated Covers by Topic (4) Apply Advertising and Illustrated Covers by Topic filter
- Civil War Covers - Union Patriotic Covers (8) Apply Civil War Covers - Union Patriotic Covers filter
- Convention and Inauguration Covers (3) Apply Convention and Inauguration Covers filter
- Postcards and Trade Cards (1) Apply Postcards and Trade Cards filter
- TOPICAL COLLECTIONS (1) Apply TOPICAL COLLECTIONS filter
- U.S. "Crash" Covers (3) Apply U.S. "Crash" Covers filter
- U.S. Airmail and Flight Covers Lots and Collections (3) Apply U.S. Airmail and Flight Covers Lots and Collections filter
- U.S. Zeppelin Flights (1) Apply U.S. Zeppelin Flights filter
- UNITED STATES PICTURE POSTCARDS (1) Apply UNITED STATES PICTURE POSTCARDS filter
- UNITED STATES POSTAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS (2) Apply UNITED STATES POSTAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS filter
- United States of America (651) Apply United States of America filter
- Washington-Franklin Issues (1) Apply Washington-Franklin Issues filter
- Not Used (211) Apply Not Used filter
three 1797 folded letters from the same correspondence sent from Mount Holly, New Jersey to Philadelphia, each endorsed "Care of the Stage", fine to very fine
These folded letters were carried from Mount Holly by stage to Cooper’s Ferry. At Cooper’s Ferry, the stage was placed aboard the stage boat and ferried across the Delaware River to Philadelphia at the foot of Arch Street, not far from the location to where the folded letters were addressed. Several stage lines passed through Mount Holly at this time on the way to Philadelphia so it is not possible to identify which specific stage line carried these letters.
two 1824 folded letters addressed to Mount Holly, New Jersey, originating in Philadelphia, endorsed "by stage", both very fine, several stage companies passed through Philadelphia on the route to Mount Holly, so it is not known what company carried the letters in this correspondence
folded letter addressed to Paterson, New Jersey, datelined "Newark Nov 10 1841", endorsed "per Stage", very fine, this letter was carried out of the mails to Patterson via Belleville and Aquakanonck, letter reads in part "I have concluded to send by the Paterson Stage a few trifles for your pantry" suggesting that this letter was carried by the Paterson Stage Line rather than the Newark Stage Line or Belleville Stage Line
1847 folded letter to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, "New Lisbon O. Jan 23" datestamp, letter contents pertain to a lawsuit brought against the Pioneer Fast Stage line, letter is folded to display quote: "And Further I want you to look among the papers and letters of Silas Moore for all letters relative to the Pioneer Line of Stages from Zadok Street, Henry Mail, John Diver, or D & S Watson, and send them to me immediately by mail, as I think from them I may get some testimony", very fine and interesting
This line ran from Cleveland to Pittsburgh with stops at Bedford, Hudson, Ravenna, Deerfield, Salem, and New Lisbon on to Wellsville on the Ohio River. At Wellsville, passengers were met by steamboats which conveyed them to Pittsburgh. The one-way trip took 30 hours. In January 1847, suit was brought against the stage line for failure to pay for horses and failure to account to stockholders for way fees.
folded letter dated January 11, 1841 to Philadelphia, black "Bridgeton N.J. Jan 12" double circle datestamp, manuscript "10" rate, very fine, postscript in the letter reads: "You had better forward papers by mail–new district orders having prohibited the stage drivers from carrying any letters sealed or unsealed" (reflecting recent governmental efforts to prevent private companies from carrying mail without a contract)
This stage line left Hall’s Tavern in Bridgeton on the Cohansey River for Philadelphia via Deerfield and Cooper’s Ferry. At Cooper’s Ferry, it connected with the Philadelphia stage boat.
1811 folded letter to Somerville, New Jersey, red "New-York Aug 14" datestamp, manuscript "10" rate, endorsed "Swiftsure", very fine, this is one of five reported covers endorsed with the Swift Sure name, ex-Kramer
The Swift-Sure Stage Line commenced business on June 28, 1799, running stages daily between New York City and Philadelphia along the shorter Old York Road route as a quicker alternative to the Burlington Stage and the Bordentown Stage lines. In 1807, the Old York Road route was declared a post road by Congress. On April 28, 1810, the Swift Sure Line received the mail contract for this route. The Line held the mail contract until 1837 when the contract was given to the railroad. Swift-Sure advertised being the fastest of the passenger stage coaches, making the journey in around 30 hours.
1819 folded letter addressed to Somerville, New Jersey, oval "Newark New Jersey Mar 16", manuscript "6" rate, endorsed "Swiftsure Mail", staining at bottom right, otherwise very fine, this is one of five reported covers that bears the Swift-Sure name
undated cover addressed to Townville, Pennsylvania, "Carver House General Stage Office" corner card, endorsed "at Tryonville station agt hand this to them when they come along", very fine
undated cover to Norfolk, Virginia, "Edenton N.C. July" circular datestamp and "Paid 3" in circle handstamp, ornate corner card advertising the stage office, very fine
1855 cover to Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, endorsed "Per Holden Stage", 1851 3c Dull red (11) tied by black "Steam" handstamp, red "New Orleans La Apr 8" datestamp, very fine, a remarkable cover carried by three different modes of transportation
This cover is an example of the symbiotic relationship among stage, steamboat and railroad lines (in this case in Louisiana). This cover would have been carried on the Opelousas and Great Western Railroad to Bayou Lafourche. At Bayou Lafourche, it would have been put on the stage coach and carried to Thibodaux, where it then was placed on a steamboat heading to New Orleans.
folded letter datelined "Pleasant Retreat Nov 29 1845", addressed to the Lewis, Kentucky, blue "Nashville Te. Dec 1" datestamp and matching "5" in cog rate, endorsed "Stage", very fine, as the Pleasant Retreat post office wouldn't open until 1852 this letter was carried privately by stage to Nashville, where it entered the mails
1852 folded letter sheet addressed to stage agent in Nashville, Tennessee, "Lawrenceburg Tenn Feb 8" datestamp with manuscript "5" rate, folded to display contents, very fine
This letter reads: "The stage line from the city of Nashville to Florence leaves this place every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2 o'clock p.m. for Florence Ala. and the same line leaves here every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 2 o'clock in the morning for Nashville. This line is a four-horse coach line and is the only stage through this place"