Lot
768 
Stockton, Cal., May 4, '51, manuscript postmark and manuscript "40" and "Pd" rate marking on folded letter to Oxford, Connecticut, letter (1 page) is written in verse from a man to a woman back home and datelined "California May 1, 1851", letter begins "There was quite a rush, To the Post Office last night, And I among the rest, Was happily blessed, With a letter, which gave real delight", minor edge wear, Very Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
The "destruction of Stockton by fire" is referenced in the letter in the previous lot. That fire may be the reason why the Stockton postmaster resumed using manuscript postmarks for a short time in 1851.