Lot
1937 
Mobile Ala., 3 Paid, Nov 21, red cds and black "Paid 6" circled handstamp plus manuscript "Register. No 480" on 1854 folded letter from the Bell correspondence to New Orleans La., Very Fine and scarce provisional registry use, Illustrated in Ashbook 1¢ 1851-57 Vol 2 book on page 353. Estimate $300 - 400.
A system for "Valuable", "Record(ed)", or "Registered" letters was introduced at the New Orleans post office in 1851, by postmaster Michel Musson and continued under his successor William G. Kendall (1853-1855). A small number of these pioneer "Registered" covers to and from New Orleans have survived to provide a record of this new experimental system that continued until the Federal Registry act of March 3, 1855 went into effect on the first day of July 1855.
Realized: $250