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Sale 85: The Westpex Sale

Table of Contents

United States Postal History

Lot 721    

Sacramento / Oct 24 1849 / Paid / 40, straightline postmark with integral rate marking on folded letter to Yellow Spring, Iowa, "family" pencil docket, letter (3-1/2 pages) is from a 49er to his brother back home and datelined "Cold Spring, Weaver Creek, Cal. Oct. 21st '49", letter reads in part "I have not received an answer to any of the letters that I have written… The fault is in the mail I know… is said the two last steamers failed to bring letters on account of the mail not having arrived at the Isthmus… after digging some three or four hundred dol. where we first stopped, we packed up our mules and went to the Middle Fork…Spent three weeks damming the river, was lost labor there was no gold in the channel of any consequence… Came back to the same bar that we left and went to work, the water having raised some, have worked about one month made four hundred dol. each and expenses… intend going south in a few days thinking it will be pleasanter wintering there…I wish you could see… Gallowstown … with its thousand men at work digging up what had been streets to the depth of 10ft scooping the gold from the surface of the permanent rock… men don't generally dig on Sunday, they only build houses", Extremely Fine and choice, a choice strike of a rare postmark, ex-Parker and Kramer; with 1981 P.F. certificate.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

THIS IS THE FINEST KNOWN STRIKE OF THIS VERY RARE CALIFORNIA STRAIGHT LINE POSTMARK.

Gallowstown may refer to Hangtown, which was an early name for Placerville after three men convicted of robbery and murder were hanged there.

Realized: $1,400

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