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Sale 52: The Westpex Sale

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Transatlantic Mails - Europe - France (1837 to 1861)

Lots 1102-1111 Lots 1112-1121 Lot 1122

Lot 1102    

1837 (Jun. 12) Canton, Mass. to Paris, France, folded letter with red "Canton Mass. June. 12" cds with manuscript date and matching "Free" h.s., manuscript "J.J. Johnson, P.M." free frank endorsement, carried by Union Line Charlemagne from New York June 16 to Havre arriving July 14, Paris "11" decimes final due rating, Very Fine, Free franks used on transatlantic mail are quite uncommon.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

Letter sent without U.S. inland postage because postmaster of Canton, Mass. was entitled to free postage and used his free frank privilege with the endorsement in the upper right corner. When the letter arrived at France it was marked for 11 decimes postage due (1 decime sea postage plus 10 decimes inland postage). The "decime du mer" was a 1 decime charge for an incoming ship letter, to which the inland fee had to be added.

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Lot 1103    

(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Nov. 21) Paris, France to Washington D.C. via England, folded letter with Paris (11.21) origin cds and red framed "PD" handstamp, red London (11.21) and Liverpool (11.23) transits, carried by Cunard Line Canada from Liverpool Apr. 25 to New York arriving Dec. 14, rare strike of large red "29" due rating (Winter 307b, recorded Sep.-Nov. 1848) for retaliatory 24¢ packet fee plus 5¢ inland, Very Fine, This is the maiden voyage of the new steamship Cunard Line Canada., ex-Hahn.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Realized: $800

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Lot 1104    

(Retaliatory Rates) 1848 (Dec. 19) New York, N.Y. to Cognac, France, folded letter endorsed per "Canada", carried by Cunard Line Canada from New York Dec. 20 to Liverpool arriving Jan. 3, London (1.5) backstamp, partial red "Colonies/&c.Art. 13" framed h.s., Boulogne (1.6) entry cds with manuscript "19" decimes due rating, Very Fine, This was the maiden return voyage of the new steamship Cunard Line "Canada".
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Retaliatory fee of 24¢ avoided by taking letter directly to ship letter bag instead of the New York post office. Postage due in Cognac of 19 decimes included 10 decimes pay back to G.B. and 9 decimes French internal fee for a simple letter (< 7½ grams) traveling 585 km from Boulogne to Cognac.

Realized: $650

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Lot 1105    

1850 (Oct. 31) Central Bureau, France to Princeton, N.J., cover with red "Bureau Central, 31 Oct 50" cds and matching "P.P." framed handstamp, Havre (11.1) backstamp, manuscript ratings on reverse, carried by Havre Line Franklin from Havre Nov. 1 to New York arriving Nov. 16, black "New-York 'Ship 29cts.' Nov 16" due cds (Winter 356) for the 24¢ American packet rate plus 5¢ inland postage; flap refolded, Very Fine, ex-Berkinshaw-Smith.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

This was the Maiden return voyage of the Havre Line and the
Franklin. It is the first of five Havre Line voyages under the first rate period.

Realized: $1,300

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Lot 1106    

1851 (Jul. 14) San Francisco, Cal. to Le Havre, France, folded letter endorsed "Per Steamer via Panama", red "San Francisco Cal. 15 Jul" cds and matching "Paid" and "22" rating handstamps, carried by Havre Line Humboldt from New York Aug. 23 to Havre arriving Sep. 4, red Le Havre (9.4) entry cds and manuscript "6" décimes postage due rating, Very Fine, one of only five recorded examples of this 22¢ error rate.
Estimate    $1,500 - 2,000.

The San Francisco postmaster didn't understand the July 1851 rate change. On mail to France he calculated the new British open mail rate by American packet as 22¢ (6¢ inland paid rate plus 16¢ sea postage). On mail to the U.K. he calculated the rate as 25¢ (6¢ U.S. inland paid rate plus 19¢ sea and U.K. postage). He created handstamps for the unauthorized 22¢ and 25¢ rates and used them for two months before shifting to the correct 26¢ and 29¢ rates, probably on instructions from Washington D.C. Since the foreign mails left San Francisco twice per month on contract steamships to Panama, letters showing these rates appear on only four outgoing mails. A similar example of this error rate realized $4,892 in lot 53 of our Sale 27 in December 2007.

Realized: $900

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Lot 1107    

1852 (Aug. 22) New Orleans, La. to Nantes, France, blue folded cover with red "New Orleans La. Aug 22" with matching "Paid/10" handstamp for two times the 5¢ British packet rate, New York "British/Packet." two-line handstamp (Winter 345, only recorded Aug-Oct '52) carried on Cunard Line Canada from Boston Sep. 1 to Liverpool arriving Sep. 11, reverse with London (9.12) and Paris (9.14) transits, manuscript "39" decimes due rating, Very Fine and scarce marking, ex-Skinner.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

Realized: $170

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Lot 1108    

1853 (May 21, Aug. 4) U.S. to France and Forwarded With "Found in the Box" Handstamps, two covers by American packet with manuscript "Paid 21" ratings, May 21 from New York City to Paris with black "Trouve a la Boite" (Found in the Box) framed handstamp, forwarded to Berlin, Germany; Aug. 4 from Philmont N.Y. to Paris with red "Trouve a la Boite" framed handstamp and forwarded to Switzerland; Very Fine, A scarce exhibit pair showing the "Found in the Box" marking in both colors.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Realized: $200

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Lot 1109    

1854 (Dec. 1) San Francisco, Cal. to Paris, France, blue folded letter with "San Francisco Cal. 1 Dec" cds and matching "PAID 26" rating handstamp, red "New-York Am. Packet Dec 27" exchange cds, carried by Collins Line Pacific from New York Dec. 28 to Liverpool arriving Jan. 9, red London (1.10) transit backstamp, Calais (1.11) entry cds and "8" decimes due rating handstamp, F.-V.F.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

The was the first Collins Line sailing changing to Wednesdays because the Crimean War curtailed Cunard Line sailings. See Hubbard and Winter (page 103, note 18).

Realized: $325

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Lot 1110    

1855 (May 8) Paris, France to New York, N.Y., blue folded cover bearing France 40c orange, pair and single, tied by dotted grid cancels, partial red Havre backstamp, carried by Havre Line Union from Havre May 9 to New York arriving May 26, black "N. York Am. Pkt. '20' May 27" exchange cds with 20¢ integral due; pair slight gum soiling at top, F.-V.F.
Estimate    $150 - 200.

This cover was prepaid at double the French 60 centimes ship letter rate. The 20¢ due represents the single direct American packet rate.

Realized: $575

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Lot 1111    

1855 (Sep. 26) Havre, France to New York, N.Y., cover endorsed "pr Union" and bearing France 1853-54, 10c. and 20c. margins to touched, prepaying the 30c. outgoing ship letter fee, tied by lozenge cancel, Havre (9.26) cds with framed "P.P." h.s., carried by Havre Line Union from Havre Sep. 26 to New York arriving Oct. 11, sharp "N. York Am. Pkt. '20' Oct 11" due exchange cds, Very Fine and attractive, Illustrated in Winter and Hubbard on page 114.
Scott No. France #14, 15    Estimate $150 - 200.

Realized: $600

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Lots 1102-1111 Lots 1112-1121 Lot 1122

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