Auction Detail

black rimless datestamp (manuscript month and date) on folded letter to New Haven, Connecticut, manuscript "12" war rate, very fine, the letter's writer, Elisha Phelps, went on to serve as a Representative from Connecticut (1819-21, 1825-29) while its recipient, William Bristol, was United States District Attorney for Connecticut (1817 and mayor of New Haven (1827)

black rimless datestamp (manuscript date) on folded letter to Bristol, Rhode Island, manuscript "15" war rate, very fine

36 folded letters, very nearly all of which with Hartford's early rimless "Hartford.*" datestamp, couple albino strikes, black straightline "Paid." and "Free", various rates represented, generally fine to very fine strikes, this was one of the most prolific postmarks of early Hartford and therefore this group could form the nice basis for an in-depth study, much of interest to the postal historian

red ornamental datestamp and manuscript "20" restored rate on folded letter to Canandaigua, New York, filefolds, very fine and attractive, the 1799 rates were restored after the 1815-16 war rate for just 31 days before new rates went into effect May 1, 1816, after that date this latter would have cost only 18½c rather than 20c, ex-Frajola

25 folded letters with a wide variety of handstamps and markings including various "Free" and "Paid", 1823 use of the pointing hand "Paid", postmaster free franks, double and triple weight covers, 1817 incoming cover to Somers, Connecticut "to be left at Hartford office" (Somers would not have an office until 1821), generally fine to very fine, a wonderful selection with contents from many of the city's prominent early residents, worth a close inspection