Lot
487 
J. Bamber & Co.'s Express, Bacon & Hardy, Oakland Office. Black company printed frank (Haller FB2 type 5) on 1861 3¢ Nesbitt entire to Milipitas (Santa Clara) with red double circle San Francisco Express office cancel, Extremely Fine and the scarcest of the Bamber franks. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $200
Lot
488
Bamber & Co's Express Printed Frank. And originating red circle express handstamp on 1861 3¢ entire from Oakland to Long Bar, carried by Bamber to San Francisco & turned over to Wells, Fargo & Co. who applied their blue Wells, Fargo & Co/San Francisco oval, taken to Marysville by Wells, Fargo & Co. who turned the letter over to Langton's Pioneer Express who applied their Langton's/Marysville/Pioneer Express handstamp and carried the letter to its final destination, reduced at right slightly into indicia, rounded lower corner and a few small tears, Fine, a very rare conjunctive usage cover handled by the three express companies, each of which dominated a portion of the route between Oakland and Long Bar. Estimate $100 - 150.
Realized: $125
Lot
489 
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Bamber & Co.'s Express. 3 entires; 1864, 3¢ pink entire with blue "Bamber & Co.'s Express, San Francisco" cds and black scroll frank, locally addressed, 1870, 3¢ green entire to San Francisco with blue Sacramento company cds and scroll frank & mint unused 1863, 2¢ Jackson entire with printed company call notice, Very Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $85
Lot
490
Bamber & Co.'s Express. Black scroll frank on 1864, 3¢ pink entire to San Francisco, with red straight line "San Leandro" origin handstamp and "Bamber & Co.'s Express, S.F., Nov 15" receiving cds; small cover opening tear at lower left, otherwise Very Fine. Estimate $100 - 150.
Realized: $60
Lot
491
Barlow, Sanderson & Co./C. & O. Coast Overland Mail Company/Principal Office,/Yreka, Cal. Printed corner card on cover to Pennsylvania with illustrated design showing Six Horse Stage on Mountain Road, Stage with "Overland U.S. Mail/B.S. & Co." imprint, cover franked with two 3¢ green Bank Notes tied by purple quartered cork cancels (original but detached to show the corner card; hinged in place) with matching indistinct postmark, unevenly reduced at right just into the design, Fine. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $270
Lot
492
Barnard's Cariboo Express, Paid. Black on orange label on cover to Stratford, Canada West, franked with U.S. 1861, 3¢ rose, pair + 24¢ brown lilac tied by cogwheel cancels, matching "San Francisco, Cal., May2, 1864" cds, blue oval "Post Office, Victoria, Vancouver Island, Paid" handstamp; cover wear and tears with 24¢ torn off and re-affixed with small cover hole below, otherwise Fine, still a rare express usage. Scott No. 65+70a Estimate $250 - 350.
Realized: $1,700
Lot
493
Beekman's Express. Black printed scroll frank on 1852, 3¢ Nesbitt and 1861, 3¢ pink unused entires; minor small light stains, otherwise Very Fine. Estimate $100 - 150.
Realized: $65
Lot
494
Bicycle Mail Route, 1894, 25¢ brown. Canceled by purple parallel bars cancel on locally addressed 2¢ green entire, cancelled by "Fresno, Cal., Jul 20, 1894" duplex postmark, with second unused Victor Cyclery corner card cover with Overman Wheel Co. handstamp and #12L1 affixed to front; both with some light staining, F.-V.F. Scott No. 12LU1, 12L1; $1,900 Estimate $500 - 750.
Realized: $500
Lot
495
Forwarded By Bowers Express. Bold oval handstamp on stampless cover to Windsor, Vermont with light red "San Francisco" cds and large "40" for the 40¢ rate to the East coast, Extremely Fine, undoubtedly the finest known and scarce, ran from San Francisco to Nevada City from about 1849 to 1851, ex-Polland; with 1977 P.F. certificate. Estimate $500 - 750.
Realized: $900
Lot
496
Brown's Express. Three Express Covers from the Stephen Chapin Davis correspondence, all handled by Brown's Express. The first is a folded cover dated "Nashua Sept 17, 1852" from brother George to Stephen in Stockton Cal., black Nashua N.H. cds and matching "10" rate handstamp, lightly struck blue "Forwarded By/Browns/ Express" handstamp and matching "$1" express rate handstamp, with additional manuscript "M C" applied by Brown's agent indicating delivery point was Maxwell's Creek, cover is clean and Very Fine.
Second cover has black Nashua N.H. cds with matching "10" rate handstamp, lightly struck large blue "Brown's/ Express/Stockton" express co. handstamp with matching blue "$1" express rate handstamp, manuscript "M C" for carriage to Maxwell's Creek. Fine only, with nicked or rounded corners, multiple nicks and tears on 3 sides and light folds from previous contents.
Third cover has portion of black Nashua N.H. cds which tied a now missing pair of 3¢ 1851 stamps (confirmed from Davis covers in Calif. State Lib.), very light but readable large blue "Brown's/ Express/Stockton" handstamp with matching blue "$1" express rate handstamp and manuscript "M C" Maxwell's Creek destination. Letter from brother, Mial, dated "Nashua Feb 4, 52" gently admonishing Stephen for his conduct in California - "We have been told, Stephen, that you have gambling and drinking connected with your Bowling Alley and Store" - is included with cover. Cover has blunted or ragged corners, overall aging and folds from contents., Fine.
Estimate $200 - 300.
Stephen Chapin Davis and his brother, Josiah, journeyed to California in 1850, mining and keeping store at Long Bar, where they also ran an express between the Yuba River mining camps and Sacramento and San Francisco. Stephen later kept a store at Coulterville on Maxwell's Creek. Never healthy enough to actively mine for gold, Stephen C. Davis died in 1856 at age 23. The Davis correspondence was ultimately found in the attic of a house in Nashua, New Hampshire which had long been vacated by Davis descendants, and most of it is now in the California State Library, Sacramento.
Realized: $115