Lot
1145 
Forwarded By Bowers Express. Black oval handstamp beautifully struck on stampless cover brought down from the mines, to West Milton, Vermont ("USA"), entered the mails with red "Sacramento City, Cal., 13 May" balloon cds and "Paid" and "40" matching red handstamped rate markings, also "Paid 40" manuscript rate marking, Extremely Fine and choice, a gorgeous example of this scarce Express marking, ex-"Edwards". Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Realized: $2,100
Lot
1146
Forwarded By Browns Express. Blue double-lined oval handstamp and "1.50" matching blue handstamped rate marking on stampless cover to Stockton, where taken out of the mails for delivery in the mines, cover originally mailed from San Francisco with balloon cds and "5" handstamped rate marking, "pr favr of Capt Crowel" sender's endorsement, handstamped with "Advertised" blue oval handstamp and "CC" pencil notation applied by the Stockton Post Office prior to Browns taking charge of the cover, Very Fine, ex-Haas, Cover illustrated in Coburn's Letters of Gold (page 178). A most unusual California advertised cover ultimately delivered by express. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $350
Lot
1147
California Penny Post Co., 1855-59 7¢ Vermillion. Printed cameo frank on 1853-55 3¢ Nesbitt entire with "To The Penny Post Co." printed address form and list of nine cities and towns where service was offered, blue "Monterey, Cal, Oct 18" cds origin postmark and addressed to "28 Clay Street" in San Francisco so technically a 2¢ overpayment of the Penny Post 5¢ fee for "city delivery east of Taylor and Fourth Streets," additional docket at lower left reads "Received from H. L. Goodwin at 12 o'clock noon the 20th Oct H S," several pin holes & small internal tear affecting indicia, Very Fine and rare, ex-Chapman, Haas & Kutz; with 1980 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 34LU7 Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
Realized: $1,600
Lot
1148
The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company/Denver City K.T. (Kansas Territory, Now Colorado)/Jul. 1. Black oval handstamp on 1860 3¢ Star Die entire to Allen's Grove, Wisconsin, entered the mails with "St Joseph, Mo., Jul. 25" balloon cds, reverse with 2nd strike of "Central Overland California & Pike's Peak Express Company/Denver City, K.T." oval without date slug which was used as a frank, probably carried by C.O.C & P.P. from the mines to Denver, slightly reduced at left, Very Fine and choice, ex-Beals; with 1973 P.F. certificate. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
The undated handstamp company oval was applied prior to sale and unused entires were sold to Miners in the mountains along the C.O.C.P.P. route. This marking is usually found on reverse of covers.
Realized: $2,200
Lot
1149
The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company/St. Joseph, Mo./Jun. 1". Black oval handstamp on 1853-55 3¢ Nesbitt entire to Denver City, Colorado Territory, indicia cancelled by blue "Farmington, Mo., May 28" origin cds and with sender's manuscript endorsement "By Hinkley & Co. Express" at bottom left, Extremely Fine a beautiful cover in perfect condition, ex-Barkhausen. Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Taken out of the mails at St. Joseph for Express transmission to Denver. Presumably an 1861 use since Colorado Territory was created February 28, 1861, and so sent just after Hinkley had been bought out by the The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company.
Realized: $1,800
Lot
1150
Devils Gate Express. Red straight line handstamp with manuscript "25" Express rate marking in pencil on 1864 3¢ pink entire to San Francisco, entered the mails with light strike of "Carson City, Nev./Apr. 4" duplex postmark, Very Fine, only 3 of these elusive markings in red are recorded from this short lived company, ex-Pearce, Haas and "Edwards". Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Realized: $2,500
Lot
1151
Dietz & Nelson's British Columbia & Victoria Express (Haller FD-5) frank in combination with Wells, Fargo & Co. frank on 1864 3¢ Pink entire with United States 1861-66 24¢ lilac and British Columbia & Vancouver Is. 1865 3p Blue (7), 24¢ tied by blue "Dietz & Nelson's B.C. & V. Express" double-circle handstamp & 3p tied by blue "Paid" in oval, black "New Westminster Post Office British Columbia" double oval alongside, each marking perfectly struck, unused and unsealed, tiny scrape below Wells Fargo frank, Extremely Fine and choice, ex-Dale-Lichtenstein; with 2004 P.F. certificate. Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
A SPECTACULAR FRANKED ENTIRE PREPARED FOR USE BY DIETZ & NELSON'S EXPRESS FOR MAIL TO ENGLAND VIA THE UNITED STATES. ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF THIS EXPRESS FRANKING ARE KNOWN.
This entire is accompanied by a contemporary note on a separate slip of paper, which reads "British Columbia. 'to secure despatch a letter from B. Columbia for England should be enclosed in an envelope stamped in this manner'". An identical unused entire was featured on the cover of the 1955 Barkhausen sale (ex-Gibson, Barkhausen and Haas). It appears that these were samples sent to express company agents. No used examples are known.
According to Nathan, this express company was started in 1862 by George Dietz and Hugh Nelson when they acquired the express routes and business of William T. Ballou. Dietz & Nelson served the Cariboo mining region and connected with Barnard's Express at Yale and Lillooet and with Wells, Fargo & Co. at Victoria. The company sold out to Francis J. Barnard in the late spring of 1867.
Realized: $7,000
Lot
1152
Forwarded By Dodge & Co.'s Express. Orange red oval handstamp on folded cover to Texas, manuscript date docket, evidently carried from San Francisco via Panama and under separate cover to New Orleans and destination; some slight edge discoloration, F.-V.F., only two reported examples of their handstamp. Estimate $500 - 750.
Dodge and Co. formed in 1850 to handle gold dust and mail between San Francisco and the East. In 1851 they extended their line to Portland, Oregon. By summer 1851 their advertisements disappeared. Advertisement from Daily Alta California March 7, 1851 indicates probable service to New Orleans.
Realized: $300
Lot
1153
English & Wells' Moore's Flat and Eureka Express. Typeset frank with ornate border and "Connecting at Nevada City and Emigrant Gap" text in reference to Wells Fargo on 1864 3¢ pink entire to Samuel Hill correspondence in San Francisco, handstamped blue "Wells, Fargo & Co./Nevada/Nov 17" oval handstamp (Leutzinger type 11-9) confirms the connection between the companies, also postmarked "Graniteville, Cal., Nov 16" blue cds at left, which must be an origin marking and suggests that the Graniteville postmaster was also the English & Wells agent since this cover was carried entirely outside of the mails, "1869" docket on the back, a bit reduced at right, Very Fine and attractive, a rare cover; with 1980 P.F. certificate. Estimate $500 - 750.
Eureka in Nevada County, which was the easternmost destination of the various English and Wells express company partnerships, obtained a Post Office in 1867. The Post Office was named Graniteville because the county seat of Humboldt County already had a Post Office named Eureka.
Realized: $625
Lot
1154
(English & Wells) Moores Flat Express/May 10. Blue oval at lower left on 1864 3¢ pink entire with Pacific Union red printed frank to San Francisco, entered the mails with "Nevada City, Cal., May 29" cds and quartered cork cancel, Very Fine, an outstanding example of this rare Express marking, ex-Clifford, Haas, and "Edwards", illustrated in Nathan's Franks of Western Expresses (page 140) and Coburn's Letters of Gold (page 204). Estimate $750 - 1,000.
The two standard references identify Moore's Flat Express as an independent company, and this cover with its blue datestamp has been offered previously as the only cover known from that company. However, one needs to search no further than the two standard references to find illustrated another cover with the supposedly unique blue datestamp along with an English & Wells frank (page 65 in Nathan and page 183 in Coburn). Another such cover was sold in the 2004 Lichtenstein sale (lot 1192).
The hints of glue on the back of this cover suggest that it was once part of a paste-up with another cover, which probably had an English & Wells frank. English & Wells normally connected with Wells Fargo at Nevada City. This cover was likely mailed instead of exchanged because of the Pacific Union frank. The cover was never carried by Pacific Union. Wells Fargo and the upstart Pacific Union were fierce rivals until the older company absorbed the younger one in 1869.
Realized: $2,000