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.
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dateline on folded letter to New York City, manuscript "Paid 2" [dwt] rate, very fine, this cover does not have any postal markings as was the practice at the time, only one cover from New Jersey during the Confederation Period has been reported with a postmark
straightline postmark on folded letter to New York City, originating in Cape Francois, Canada, manuscript "2d" rating representing the private ship fee for mail addressed to the port of entry, very fine, this "port of entry" rate is very rare, as generally such covers were not deposited to the post office but were left for their recipients at coffee houses and taverns
straightline postmark on folded letter to Hartford, Connecticut, matching "Free" handstamp, vertical file fold, otherwise very fine, this letter was sent on public business by John Pierce, Quartermaster General of the Army, to Oliver Wolcott, Jr., a commissioner appointed to settle Revolutionary War debts between the state of Connecticut and the United States
straightline postmark on folded letter to Boston, manuscript "10" representing the postage due in specie (rather than the typical 3dwt 8gr), as such the Boston post office did not have to calculate the local currency equivalent, very fine
straightline postmark on folded letter to Philadelphia, datelined "St. Croix 6 July 1790", rated "3.8" [dwt] upon arrival in New York City for double-weight postage plus the 16gr ship fee, converted to local currency in Philadelphia with manuscript "1/7" (1sh 7d, also includes standard 2d carrier fee), vertical file fold, very fine
folded letter originating in Falmouth, England January 7, 1791 with partial Falmouth handstamp, addressed to New York City, manuscript "pd 1/" for the required prepaid British sea postage, carried privately aboard the ship Portland, no United States postage as the letter was delivered in the port of entry, very fine
dateline on folded letter to New York City, carried privately out-of-the-mails from North Landing, Long Island to Manhattan via Long Island Sound, small repairs, very fine
dateline on folded letter to London, handed to ship's captain at the Philadelphia harbor for conveyance to England without entering the US postal system, upon arrival in Leith, Scotland a scarce two-line "Leith/Ship-Lre" handstamp was applied and the letter was rated "5" [d] for 1d ship fee and 4d inland postage, in London "13/OC" Bishop mark applied and postage calculated at "1/6" (1sh British sea postage and 6d inland postage), very fine
handstamp on folded letter to New York City datelined "Lisbon, the 10th May 1785", postmarked upon arrival in Newport, Rhode Island, rated "4" [dwt] and marked "Sh" as a ship letter (postage was 3dwt 8gr plus the 16gr ship fee for the total of 4dwt), converted to local currency (2sh) in New York, fine and rare, only two or three examples of this postmark are recorded (ASCC $1,750)
straightline handstamp and manuscript "J. Richardson Free" frank on folded letter to Providence, Rhode Island, datelined "Newport 18th March 1791", light aging, fine strike, 1998 APEX certificate
dateline on folded letter to Troy, New York, endorsed "Mr. W. Niles", a silversmith and post rider residing in Shaftsbury, light wear and splitting along folds, very fine appearance.
As of 1790, Vermont refused to sign the Articles of Confederation and become part of the United States because it was engaged in unresolved boundary-line disputes with the states of New York and New Hampshire. They operated their own independently funded postal system from 1783 to 1791, when it became a state. During the Republic period, Vermont established state post offices that were not part of the US postal system in several cities. This is one of five reported covers carried as part of the Vermont Republic Postal system, none of which have any postal markings.
straightline postmark on folded letter from Dumfries, Virginia to Philadelphia, rated with manuscript "2" [dwt] at origin, converted to local currency in Philadelphia with "1/" (1sh), very fine, carried by Van Horne’s Alexandria to Philadelphia Stage Line