Lot
932 
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Jun. 22) Manchester, England To Philadelphia, Pa., folded letter with red Manchester (6.22) cds and red manuscript "1" shilling packet rating, Liverpool (6.23) backstamp, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Jun. 24 to New York arriving Jul. 8, red "New York, 'Ship 29' Jul 9" integral due rating for the 5¢ inland rate plus 24¢ packet fee; some erosion on bottom, Fine, Carried on the first Cunard mail voyage to the United States under the retaliatory order. Estimate $300 - 400.
In retaliation for a British discriminatory practice of charging the full British packet postage on letters carried to Great Britain by American contract steamships, Congress passed an act on June 27, 1848 to charge the same fee on all letters to or from the United States by foreign steamships as was charged on U.S. mails. This went into effect on June 29, 1848.
Realized: $180
Lot
933
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Jun. 23) London, England To New York N.Y., datelined folded letter with red London Paid (6.23) maltese cross postmark and red "1/-" shilling prepaid transatlantic rating, endorsed "Per Steamer via Halifax", carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Jun. 24th to New York arriving Jul. 8th, red New York "24" due rating for 24¢ American packet rate at port of entry, Very Fine. Estimate $400 - 600.
CARRIED ON THE FIRST CUNARD MAIL VOYAGE TO THE U.S. STATES UNDER THE RETALIATORY ORDER.
Letter carried on 1st of 25 Cunard mail voyages to the U.S. under the retaliatory order by which the U.S. charged the American Packet rate on letters carried to or from the U.S. by British contract mail steamers. The result was a double charge for sea postage since the British insisted on charging their own sea postage.
Lot
934
1848 (Jul. 1) Vera Cruz, Mexico To Worcestershire, England Via New Orleans, folded cover with boxed "Vera Cruz, July 1" origin postmark and and matching "10" rating handstamp, carried by RMSP steamer Great Western from Vera Cruz on July 10th via Cat Island Miss., black "New Orleans JY 20 1848" British Post Office split ring postmark used as a transit, carried transatlantic by RMSP British packet, red London (8.20) entry cds on flap and manuscript "1/-" packet due rating, Waterbury (8.22) arrival split ring postmark on flap; no side flaps, Very Fine, ex-Hubert C. Skinner. Estimate $6,000 - 8,000.
ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE NEW ORLEANS BRITISH POST OFFICE SPLIT RING POSTMARK. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED TYPE IV EXAMPLE USED ON THE 1848 SERVICE.
The first British Post Office in New Orleans was started in 1842 when the British Consul, John Crawford, was appointed Packet Agent and established a letter office in the city where mail could be left for forwarding to the West Indies and Europe. Both a New Orleans two-line postmark and split ring cds were supplied by the British Post Office. The route of the packet was Tampico-New Orleans-Havana. The service ended by the end of 1842. There are only two recorded examples of the split ring postmark used during the 1842 packet service.
In 1847 the RMSP service between Tampico and Southampton briefly included a stop at Cat Island in the Mississippi Delta to service New Orleans. In 1847, a fresh handstamp of the split ring postmark was sent to New Orleans when William Mure was the agent. The service was suspended in 1849 after limited demand.
There is an unusual note on the inside of the cover: "N.B. The name underneath is all that was written -- which suppose to be, some post office Inspector" and with signature "O.A. Foster" below in another ink.
Illustrated: A.S.C.C. volume II on page 90.
Realized: $13,000
Lot
935
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Aug. 3) London, England To New York N.Y., folded ALS letter free franked "Joseph Hume" as Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, also marked "Paid" and "1s" in Hume's hand, entered mails with red "UpperBerkeley-Sq" straightline and red manuscript "1/0" prepaid packet rating, red London Paid (8.3) cds and Liverpool (8.4) transit lozenge, carried by Cunard Line Cambria from Liverpool Aug. 5th to New York arriving Aug. 19th, red New York "24" cents due rating handstamp for retaliatory packet fee; two vertical file folds, F.-V.F., a rare free franked transatlantic letter. Estimate $300 - 400.
Lot
936
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Aug. 18) South America To London via New York, folded cover with docketing, forwarded by Howland & Aspinwall from the Rothschild correspondence to London, reverse with red "Forwarded By/Howland & Aspinwall/New York" oval handstamp, New York pencil "24" cent packet rating, carried by Cunard Line Cambria from New York Aug. 30 to Liverpool arriving Sep. 14th, red London (9.15) arrival backstamp and manuscript "1/-" (British due) packet due rating, Very Fine, a rare Latin American retaliatory cover. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $150
Lot
937
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Aug. 26) Batavia, Java To Boston Mass. Via London, datelined folded letter endorsed "Via England", carried privately to England where entered mails with red London "Paid, L.S., 3 NO 1848" maltese cross postmark overstriking red manuscript "1/-" shilling prepaid packet rating, carried by Cunard Line Acadia from Liverpool Nov. 4th to Boston arriving Nov. 19th, Boston red "24" rating handstamp for 24¢ retaliatory packet fee; vertical file fold separated and arrival docketing, otherwise Very Fine. Carried on the last outbound sailing of the Cunard Line Acadia., otherwise Very Fine. Estimate $400 - 600.
Realized: $1,200
Lot
938
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Sep. 21) Glasgow, Scotland To Washington D.C., folded letter from James Maguire of Company K, 7th Infantry addressed to the Adjutant General's Office, War Department, Glasgow (9.21) datestamp and red manuscript "1/-" prepaid packet rating, Liverpool (9.22) backstamps, carried by Cunard Line Cambria from Liverpool Sep. 23rd to Boston arriving Oct. 6th, red "Boston Ms. 'Ship' Oct 6" cds with matching retaliatory "34" rating handstamp for 10¢ inland postage plus 24¢ packet fee, crossed out as cover addressed to U.S. Government Office; small edge fault, Very Fine, a rare transatlantic free retaliatory use. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $260
Lot
939
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Oct. 3) New York N.Y. To London, England, blue folded duplicate letter from Grinnell, Minturn & Co. that was carried privately as endorsed on one of their ships of the Blue Swallowtail Line Henry Clay from New York departing Oct. 8th to Liverpool arriving Oct. 26th, black "Liverpool Ship 26 OC 1848" backstamp with manuscript "1/4" double-weight ship letter rating, red London (10.27) arrival backstamp, Very Fine and interesting use bypassing the retaliatory fee. Estimate $300 - 400.
The original of this letter went by Cunard Line "Acadia" from Boston on Oct. 4th, which would explain the explain the explanatory note on the 1848 Reprisal Act added as a postscript:
"You will notice a high charge of postage, but under the existing postage arrangements of the two countries, high rates are charged on both sides - Here we have to pay 24c per ½ ounce & 48c per ounce when the mail leaves this port & from Boston the charge is 29 & 58 cts including the inland postage of 5c pr ½ oz.".
Realized: $300
Lot
940
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Nov. 13) New Orleans, La. To Bordeaux, France, cover with "New Orleans Nov 13" cds and matching "Paid" and "34" rating handstamps for the retaliatory letter rate by British packet service, carried by Cunard Line America departing New York Nov. 22nd to Liverpool arriving Dec. 4th, partial red London (12.5) backstamp and matching "Colonies, &c.Art.13" accountancy marking, Boulogne (12.6) entry cds, Bordeaux (12.8) arrival backstamp and "25" decimes due rating for 15 decimes internal postage (for a letter weighing between 7½ and 10 grams), plus 10 decimes GB fee; some edgewear, Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Lot
941
(Retaliatory Rate) 1848 (Nov. 22) New York To Denmark, blue folded letter without New York ratings, carried by Cunard Line America that departed New York Nov. 22nd to Liverpool arriving Dec. 4th, manuscript "1/6" 1s6d debit rating including Danish Postage equaling 21 Hamburg schillinge plus 2 sch added due to Schleswig-Holstein war with Denmark; 23 sch (or 74 Danish skilling, noted on reverse) foreign share, 29sk for Hamburg to Copenhagen, for a total of 103sck due; light tape stain, Very Fine. Estimate $100 - 150.
Realized: $125