Lot
255 
1842 (Aug. 8) Needham, Mass. to Sulz am Neckar, Württemberg, folded letter with red "Forwarded by Harndens, Boston" oval handstamp and matching "Pd. H" circled h.s., carried by Cunard Line Columbia from Boston Aug. 16 to Liverpool arriving Aug. 28, Harnden agent at Liverpool paid "1/10" postage and "Paid at Liverpool" framed h.s. struck, various credits and debits with total postage due of 39kr. due from addressee, Very Fine, a scarce Harnden's cover to Germany via Belgium. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $500
Lot
256
1843 (Dec. 31) New York, N.Y. to Herrnhut, Saxony, folded letter with red "Harnden & Co. Boston" oval, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from Boston Jan. 1 to Liverpool arriving Jan. 15, London (1.16) backstamp, various manuscript ratings including final "407" neupfennige due by addressee, Very Fine. Estimate $200 - 300.
Letter given to Harnden & Co. agents who carried letter to Boston and placed it in steamship's letter bag. London debited Holland 2s8d (1s packet fee plus 1s8d British transit fee to Holland, equivalent to 160 Dutch Cents). Holland added 20 Dutch Cents for a debit to Prussia of 180 Dutch Cents, restated as 30 sgr. in magenta ink. Prussia added 8 sgr. transit and debited Saxony 38 sgr. or 381 npf. Saxony added 26 npf. for a total postage due of 407 npf. at destination.
Realized: $230
Lot
257
1847 (May 4) San Antonio, Tex. to Cassel, Hesse-Cassel, folded cover with manuscript "San Antonio" postmark with matching "Paid 20" rating, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from Boston Jun. 1 to Liverpool arriving Jun. 13, London (6.14) backstamp with manuscript "3/6" 3s6d debit to Prussia, various manuscript ratings including final "44" silbergroschen postage due, Very Fine, a scarce early Texas transatlantic usage to German States through Aachen. Estimate $400 - 600.
Letter weighed 1 1/8 loth (manuscript center left) requiring two British and Prussian transit rates and three Belgian transit rates. Aachen used manuscript entry marking in red pen (upper right) which preceded its handstamps and marked letter for 41¾ sgr. Cassel marked 44 sgr. due.
Realized: $400
Lot
258
1847 (May 22) Washington D.C. to Mezingen, Württemberg, folded letter with red "Washington D.C. May 22" cds with matching arced "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "29" rating for 5¢ U.S. inland and 24¢ Am. Packet fees, carried by Ocean Line Washington from New York Jun. 1 to Southampton arriving June 15, red "Angleterre, Par Le Havre, 17 Juin '47" transit cds (one of only two recorded examples on Transatlantic mail, unknown by Salles), various ratings in red crayon and manuscript with final 43 kreuzer due by addressee in Mezingen, bright and fresh, Very Fine and rare, Carried on the Maiden American Packet Voyage of Ocean Line Washington. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
The Ocean Line was awarded the first USPO contract for US mails under the Foreign Mails Act of 1845. Two steamships were built, the Washington and the Hermann and they operated the contact over its 10 year term between New York and Bremen with a stop at Southampton. The "Washington" inaugurated the service leaving New York June 1st 1847 arriving Southampton June 15th.
The commencement of the service led to Britain imposing a "Discriminatory Rate" on mails landed at Southampton with all US prepayment ignored and the One Shilling Packet Rate charged to the addressee. This led to the Retaliatory Rate period and subsequently (February 1849) to a postal convention between the two countries. Although discriminatory charges were intended to apply to mails for France, this letter did not go to London and, therefore, received no extra British charges.
Realized: $10,000
Lot
259
1848 (Feb. 20) New Braunfels, Texas to Limburg, Nassau via New Orleans, folded letter carried privately and posted with black "New Orleans, La. Mar 25" cds with matching "Paid" and "10" rating handstamps, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Boston Apr. 5 to Liverpool arriving Apr. 18, London backstamp and manuscript "1/8" debit 1s8d rating to Prussia updated to "1/10" (1s10d), early use of Aachen "AMERICA per ENGLAND" boxed h.s., various red ratings including final red crayon "1/17" postage due in Limburg, Very Fine and scarce transatlantic use from Texas. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $400
Lot
260
1848 (Mar. 15) Elizabethtown, Ind. to Ochsenbach, Württemberg, folded letter with manuscript "Elizabeth Town, March 15" postmark and "Paid 10" rating, "New-York Mar 20" backstamp, carried by Ocean Line Hermann from New York on Mar. 21 to Bremerhaven arriving Apr. 13, many manuscript postal ratings, handstamped "America/uber Bremen" with red crayon "¾" transit fee rating, Very Fine, This letter was carried on the first of Five Voyages under the Bremen Postal Treaty of 1847. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Letter sent to Oberamt of Brackenheim since there was no post office in Ochsenbach. On first five voyages of Ocean Line to Bremerhaven, Bremen charged ¾ ggr. for transit from Bremerhaven to Bremen. Bremen debited Hannover 9¾ ggr. Hannover debited Thurn & Taxis Post 11 1/12 ggr. (equivalent to 49 kr.). Thurn & Taxis Post added 24 kr. transit but debited Württemberg 77 kr. instead of 73 kr., or 1 fl. 17 kr. Württemberg added 3 kr. and Oberamt added 2 kr. for total postage due of 1 fl. 22 kr. Less than 20 covers have been recorded showing the ¾ ggr. transit fee.
Realized: $900
Lot
261
1848 (Jul. 5) New York, N.Y. to Mittenwald, Bavaria, folded letter with pencil "24" cent prepaid rating for retaliatory rate from departure port, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from New York Jul. 5 to Liverpool arriving Jul. 19, red London (7.20) backstamp and matching "Colonies/&Art. 13." framed accounting h.s., red Boulogne transit, "Auslage von Augsburg" red circular h.s. and magenta "1f30" due rating, edge tear, F.-V.F., Letter carried on first eastbound retaliatory rate voyage. An uncommon retaliatory rate cover to Bavaria. Estimate $300 - 400.
London marked COLONIES &c ART.13 handstamp to show French were debited 3s4d per ounce bulk letter rate under 1843 Anglo-French convention. Auslage von Augsburg circular handstamp with "1f30" written in the empty center in red showed postage due at destination of 1 florin 30 kreuzer (90 kreuzer) for double rate letter (¼-½. ounce weight).
Realized: $750
Lot
262
(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Aug. 2) Philadelphia, Pa. to Sondeshausen, Schwarzberg-Sondershausen, folded Aug. 2nd cover with blue "Philada Pa. '5cts' Aug 2" cds with matching "Paid" framed h.s. and red crayon "5" cent rating, carried by Black Ball Line United States from New York Aug. 5 to Havre arriving Aug. 19, Havre (8.19) entry cds, Prussia red manuscript "8½ See breif" rating and final large red manuscript "13½" sbr. due rating, Very Fine, Very few letters carried by this non-contract steamer have been recorded.; 1997 van der Linden certificate. Estimate $300 - 400.
Retaliatory rate of 29¢ avoided by sending this letter paid only the inland fee to New York. Here, the postmaster was obliged to put the letter on the next convenient vessel with no extra fees paid. In this case, letter placed on board the non-contract steamship United States, which made only four transatlantic round voyages for the Black Ball sailing ship line before being sold to the German Government as a war ship. The last three voyages terminated in Havre from New York. Prussian marked "8½ See brief" in red pen to show 8½ silbergroschen was owed to France for this ship letter under Franco-Prussian Treaty of 1847. Prussia added 5 sgr. for internal transit and marked letter for a postage due of 13½ sgr.
Realized: $600
Lot
263
(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Aug. 28) Boston, Mass. to Heidelberg, Baden, folded cover with red "Harnden Boston" oval handstamp on reverse, pencil "1.12" upper left for $1.12 paid for Harnden's service and fancy framed "Postage Paid/to Destination/By/, Harden & Co./of/Liverpool" handstamp, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from Boston Sep. 8 to Liverpool Sep. 20, black Harnden Liverpool handstamp, red Liverpool (9.20) and London (9.21) transits with magenta "9" pence paid by agent for all transit fees to Baden via France, Boulogne (9.22) transit, Heidelberg (9.24) arrival backstamp, Very Fine and scarce Harndens use. Estimate $400 - 600.
Letter carried out of mails in Harnden freight package on 10th of 26 Cunard voyages eastbound to Liverpool under the retaliatory order.
Realized: $1,500
Lot
264
(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Nov. 20) New York, N.Y. to Ehrenburg, Hannover, redirected Gebesee, Prussian Saxony, cover sent unpaid and carried by Ocean Line "Washington" from New York Nov. 20 to Southampton arriving Dec. 5, red Havre (12.7) entry cds, Aachen boxed "America per Havre" handstamp, various ratings; some edgewear, Fine, Rare steamship letter with Aachen marking showing European entry from America at Havre. Estimate $200 - 300.
American packet rate avoided by taking letter to steamship's letter bag. Washington put mail off while stopped in the Solent off the Isle of Wight near Southampton. Letter taken to Havre by auxiliary steamer and then by Thurn & Taxis post to Aachen, Prussia, where boxed "America per Havre" handstamp applied. Aachen marked 7¾ sgr. debit to Hannover (equivalent to 6½ ggr.) and Hannover marked 9 ggr. due at first address. Letter redirected to Prussia, where it was marked 19 7/12 sgr. postage due.
Realized: $190