Auction Detail
July 2023
United States Postal History
Prices Realized Now Online
- The Van Koppersmith Collection of Ship Mail (728) Apply The Van Koppersmith Collection of Ship Mail filter
- Erivan Collection of Western Postal History (229) Apply Erivan Collection of Western Postal History filter
- The Nancy Clark Collection of Maine Postal History (127) Apply The Nancy Clark Collection of Maine Postal History filter
- The Mark Schwartz Collection of Essex County, Massachusetts Postal History (104) Apply The Mark Schwartz Collection of Essex County, Massachusetts Postal History filter
- The Graham Booth Collection of Transatlantic Mail (57) Apply The Graham Booth Collection of Transatlantic Mail filter
folded letter to Paris datelined "New York Jan 16th 1836", backstamped "Forwarded Through Hudson's News Room & Foreign Ship Letter Office, New York", boxed "Pays D'Outremer Par Le Havre" handstamp, fine
red handstamp with manuscript "95¾" quintuple rate January 1, 1838 folded letter from Liverpool to Richmond, Virginia, endorsed "p St. Andrew" (Red Star Line), slight bleed through, very fine, 95¾c pays five times the 18¾c rate plus 2c ship fee
double-rate folded letter with blue "Mobile Ala. Jan 20" datestamp, matching straightline "Paid" and manuscript "50" rate, endorsed "pr Boston Steamer" and carried on Cunard's Cambria on her maiden return voyage departing Boston February 1 and arriving Liverpool February 13, rated "1/-" and backstamped "Packet Letter", very fine
quadruple-rate folded letter to Boston with "Manchester Ju 30 1848" datestamp, endorsed "pr. Niagara Steamer" with manuscript "4/-" rate, carried by Cunard's Niagara departing Liverpool July 1 and arriving Boston July 12, upon arrival rated "72" retaliatory rate, small tear at top, otherwise very fine and rare, the British rate structure didn't allow for triple rates, increasing from a double rate of 2sh for ½oz to 1oz to a quadruple rate of 4sh for 1oz to 2oz, in America letters from 1oz to 1½oz were rated triple (with 72c here representing three times the 24c retaliatory rate), covers showing the disparity in rate progression between the two countries are rare
folded lettersheet to Royston, England endorsed "Steamer Europa via Boston", did not enter the mails in the United States, carried aboard Cunard's Europa on her maiden return voyage departing Boston August 9 and arriving Liverpool August 20, manuscript "1/-" rate, transit backstamp and Royston arrival, very fine and scarce example of avoidance of the retaliatory rate
folded letter to London with blue "Baltimore Md Sep 11" datestamp and matching straightline "Paid", manuscript "29" rate, endorsed "p Steamer via N.Y." and carried on Cunard's Niagara departing New York September 13 and arriving Liverpool September 25, backstamped the next day and marked "1/-" due, very fine
folded letter to Philadelphia datelined "Rotterdam 19 Sept 1848" and endorsed "p Steamer Cambria", framed "Paid at Liverpool Sp 23 1848" and handstamped "1/-" rate, carried by Cunard's Cambria departing Liverpool September 23 and arriving Boston October 3, red "Boston Ms. Ship Oct 6" handstamp and matching "34" retaliatory rate handstamp, very fine
folded letter to Leipzig, Saxony datelined "Boston Oct 23 1848", red "Paid" and matching "29" handstamp, carried by Cunard's Britannia departing New York October 25 and arriving Liverpool November 11, manuscript "3/6" debit to Prussia, boxed "America per England", light toning, still fine, a scarce destination for a retaliatory rate cover
folded letter to Boston datelined "Batavia 26th September", endorsed "Via England" and carried privately to London, November 24 transit and manuscript "1/-", carried by Cunard's Canada departing Liverpool November 25 and arriving New York December 14, red "New-York Ship 29cts Dec 14" retaliatory rate handstamp, very fine and scarce
folded lettersheet from Cincinnati, Ohio to Leamington, England, red straightline "Paid" and manuscript "34" rate, endorsed "By the Steamer" and carried on Britannia's final Cunard voyage departing New York December 13 and arriving Liverpool December 28, "1/-" retaliatory due rating and "America/Liverpool De 28 1848" backstamp, fine and attractive
red datestamp with matching straightline "Paid" and manuscript "25" rate for double sail freight money and "37½" rate for double inland postage to New York, carried by Red Swallowtail Line's St. James departing New York May 1 and arriving Portsmouth May 21, two-line framed "Portsmouth Ship Letter" handstamp, manuscript "8" due, backstamped London May 22, very fine and attractive, ex-Winter
red datestamp and matching "Paid" on folded letter to London via New York City, manuscript "Paid to New York 18¾, Paid Steam Boat Postage 25" totaled to "43¾", endorsed "per British Queen", red "Too Late" handstamp of New York as this cover arrived after the June 1 sailing date, instead carried by Swallowtail Line's George Washington departing New York June 7, arrived Liverpool July 1 with two-line "Liverpool Ship Letter" backstamp and July 2 London datestamp, manuscript "8" due, very fine, the only recorded freight money cover from Gardiner, Maine, as the freight money sailing fee was only 12½c versus the 25c paid the difference was returned to the Gardiner postmaster as was the custom of the New York post office, ex-Winter, see Chronicle Vol. 45, No. 4 ("Freight Money Paid in Gardiner, Maine")