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Sale 66: Gems of Philately

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Specialized Collection of Alaska Commercial Company Postal History

Lots 1011-1020 Lots 1021-1030 Lots 1031-1038

Lot 1031    

Alaska Commerical Co., "Hotel, St. Michael, Alaska", corner card with red "A.C. Co." flag on cover bearing 2¢ red (279B), natural s.e. at left, tied by light strike of "Saint Michael, Alaska, Dec 31, 1901" duplex to the Postmaster at Seattle, Wash., reverse with Mar. 2nd machine arrival, Very Fine.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

Realized: $270

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Lot 1032    

"St. Michael", complete strike ties 2¢ carmine (279B) on cover to East Oakland Cal., "U.S. Post Office, Alaska, Jul 15, 1893" cds, reverse with San Francisco (8.6) and Oakland (8.6) arrival backstamps, Very Fine.
Estimate    $1,000 - 1,500.

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE ST. MICHAEL, ALASKA STRAIGHTLINE CANCEL.

Realized: $1,250

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Lot 1033    

1898 (Oct.) "Rampart City, Alaska", purple pencil sender's endorsement from E.C. Houston on cover to his wife at Oakland Cal., additional matching "No Stamp Here" framed endorsement at upper right, entered mails with "U.S. Post-Office, Alaska, Oct 1899" cds, reverse with Seattle (2.5.99) machine transit and Oakland (2.8) arrival cds, Very Fine.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE 1899 USE FROM RAMPART CITY, ALASKA.

Rampart is located on the south bank of the Yukon River, approximately 75 miles upstream from its junction with the Tanana River, 100 miles northwest of Fairbanks. Rampart City was established in 1897 as a river supply point for gold placer mines in the hills and creek valleys south of the Yukon. News of strikes in Minook Creek, Idaho Bar, Quail Creek, and Eureka Creek, all within 30 miles of Rampart, triggered a rush to the community in 1898 and swelled the population to as high as 10,000 by some estimates. During its heyday, Rampart had a newspaper, hotels, saloons, library, fire department, hospital, and a host of stores and businesses that were typical of the mining towns of that time. The boom was short-lived. New strikes in the Upper Koyukuk River, Anvil Creek, Nome and Fairbanks rapidly depleted the population. By 1903, only a Native community remained among the abandoned homes and businesses. As of the 2010 census, only 24 people reside at Rampart.

Realized: $1,700

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Lot 1034    

"Cliff House on the Porcupine R., Nov 13-98", dateline on enclosed letter, cover bearing faulty 2¢ pink (279B) cancelled by four-ring cancel to Rev. J.W. Shank, Omaha, Neb., matching "U.S. Post Office, Alaska, Dec 5, 1898" cds; cover faults, some interesting content, "…Some men are on their way to Ft. Yukon from Ft. McPherson & I send this letter to let you know that I am O.K. We arrived up from Ft. Yukon on the 5th of October & two days later the river froze over as it was we had to beat our way up the last week among drift ice. The coldest it has been so far is 44° below Zero & it stars about there all the while. No let up. The sun sets now before 2 O'clock P.M. We have about 4 hours daylight. Pen can no describe the grandear & beauty of the northern lights. Snow about 4 ft deep & very dry, no crust, snow shoes are very lucky. This climate is very hard on the lungs & Bronchial tubes but so far I have been free from all ailments & feel Fine…"; cover faults, F.-V.F., an exceptionally rare Alaska Gold-Rush era cover from Cliff House.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

This was a traveling post office along the Yukon River to support the massive influx of miners during the Yukon and Alaska gold rushes. One of the few documented examples that we have seen with content that enables locating the exact point of mailing.

Realized: $1,800

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Lot 1035    

"U.S. Post Office, Alaska, Feb 6, 1899", cds on cover endorsed "Yukon Mail, No Stamps" at upper right to Richmond Ind., reverse with Richmond May 18, 1899 invoulte flag machine arrival; reduced slightly at right, Very Fine.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

A RARE USE WITH THE "YUKON MAIL, NO STAMPS" ENDORSEMENT.

Illustrated in Cavagnol on page 40. The "U.S. Post Office, Alaska" cds was used as a temporary device after John Clum, a postal inspector set up post offices in his choice of cities along the Klondike gold rush routes in April 1898. He went to Skagway, then Dyea, then up the trail, then to Dawson and down the Yukon River in that service. Between early April and mid May, he had set up three post offices, at Pyramid south of Dyea, and north of Dyea at Canyon City and Sheep Camp on the American side of the Chilkoot trail. At each city where he decided to start an office, he left stamps, regulations, and one of these CDS devices to use. He also appointed a postmaster.

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Lot 1036    

S.S. Columbian, Canadian Development Company, Limited. Sep 3 1899, purple backstamp on cover bearing Canada 2¢ purple tied by cork cancel on faulty cover to Hurricane Wisc., matching "Lake Bennett B.C. SP 5 99" split-ring cds, reverse with Seattle (9.9) and South Lancaster (9.13) transits, Fine.
Estimate    $1,000 - 1,500.

A RARE CANADIAN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY STEAMSHIP "COLUMBIAN" USE VIA LAKE BENNETT, BRITISH COLUMBIAN TO WISCONSIN.

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Lot 1037    

Dominion, Yukon, Jan 27 01, split-ring cds with matching circular grid cancels Canada 2¢ entire to Tacoma, Wash., reverse with "Dawson, N.W.T., Canada JA 23 '02" rimless transit, Seattle (2.11) cds and Tacoma (2.11) arrival cds; opening tear, Fine, This is the earliest recorded use from Dominion.
Estimate    $500 - 750.

Dominion was the sixth office in the Yukon, the second in the Klondike Region, was opened November 1, 1899 in a placer mining camp at the junction of Dominion of Caribou Creeks, fifty miles southeast of Dawson. It was closed from Sep. 30, 1913 to Feb. 14, 1913 and permanently on Aug. 1, 1917.

An extraordinary and irreplaceable Yukon rarity. Dominion operated from 1899 - 1913 and 1914-1917.

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Lot 1038    

Alaska Comm'l Co., St. Michael, Alaska. Jun 28 1898, corner card with red "A.C. Co." flag on cover bearing 2¢ red (279B) cancelled by four-rings cancel to Chicago Ill., matching "Kodiak, Alaska, Jun 22" cds; flap missing and small edge tear, some soiling, Fine and rare.
Estimate    $750 - 1,000.

THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THIS ALASKA COMMERCIAL CO. STEAMSHIP "BERTHA" STATIONERY.

The Steamship "Bertha" was an ocean steamer in the fleet of the Alaska Commercial Company. This envelope is not listed or illustrated in Cavagnol.

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Lots 1011-1020 Lots 1021-1030 Lots 1031-1038

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