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Sale 55: United States Postal History

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Transatlantic Mail - 1849 to 1859

Lots 947-956 Lots 957-966 Lots 967-976 Lots 977-982

Lot 957    

1853 (Jul. 22) Glasgow, Scotland To San Francisco, Cal., folded cover with yellow "Glasgow, Paid, Jul 22, 1853" origin datestamp and red manuscript "2/5" prepaid 2s5d rating for two-times the 1s2½d rate, green Liverpool (7.23) oval backstamp, carried by Cunard Line Niagara from Liverpool Jul. 23 to Boston arriving Aug. 5, San Francisco "Paid" handstamp; tiny edge tear, Very Fine, a scarce double rate cover.
Estimate    $100 - 150.

Realized: $180

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Lot 958    

1853 (Sep. 2) Mount Eaton, Oh. To Berne, Switzerland, cover with bold strike of Mount Vernon cds and matching "Paid" rating handstamp with manuscript "21" rating to Berne, Switzerland, red "New-York Am. Packet. Sep 10" exchange cds, carried by Ocean Line Hermann from New York Sep. 10th to Southampton arriving Sep. 23rd, red Calais (9.24.53) entry cds, red crayon "120" due rating, Basel (9.26) transit backstamp, F.-V.F.
Estimate    $100 - 150.

Realized: $110

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Lot 959    

1853 (Sep. 14) Warrensville, Pa. To Freudenstadt, Württemberg, folded letter with manuscript "Warrenville Sept 14" postmark and "Paid 7" rating, "N. York Brem. Pkt. '5' Sep 19" exchange debit cds, carried by W.A. Fritze Line Germania from New York Sep. 19 to Bremerhaven arriving Oct. 8; some soiling and wear, Fine, Letter carried on maiden return voyage of Germania on first round voyage of the line. Germania made four of the nine round voyages between Bremerhaven and New York carrying mails for this very short-lived Bremen steamship company attempting to compete with the American Ocean Line.
Estimate    $150 - 200.

Letter prepayment believed to be 5¢ internal plus 2¢ ship fee, a non-existent rate. New York ignored the prepayment, since it was less than the full amount to Bremen, and sent letter unpaid. The Bremen handstamp showed that 24 Rhennish kreuzer was the unpaid international transit postage and 9 kr. the German internal transit to Württemberg, for a total postage due of 33 kr. Additional fees were imposed in Württemberg (reasons unknown) bringing the postage due to 46¢.

Realized: $260

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Lot 960    

1854 (Oct. 18) Olympia, Wash. Terr. To Paris, France, buff cover with "Olympia Ogn Oct 18" cds with matching "Paid" handstamp and "26" cent rating for the British Open Mail rate to France by American packet. Carried by PMSS Columbia to San Francisco, where it was transferred to the steamship John L. Stevens for the passage to Panama. After crossing the Isthmus to Aspinwall, it was carried to New York aboard the U.S. steamship George Law, red "New York Am. Packet Nov 20" exchange cds, the Collins Line Atlantic to G.B. The London Foreign Office processed this letter, then forwarded it to France at the 1 shilling 8 pence per ounce closed mail bulk rate established under the current Franco-British Convention. red Paris (12.3) arrival and "16" decimes due rating for 7½-15 gram letter; some toning and large tear at right, Fine, West Coast letters sent to France from anywhere other than California are most uncommon during this period.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Beginning 1 July 1851, changes in the U.S. internal postage rates affected the fees imposed on those mails sent to France from the West Coast (California and Oregon). Although the U.S. postage on internal letters sent to or from the West Coast was reduced to 6¢ per ½ ounce, the adjusted rate under the existing U.S.-British Convention was established at 10¢ per ½ ounce (twice the normal 5¢ per ½ ounce Treaty rate). Initially, the San Francisco Post Office mistakenly collected only 22¢ per ½ ounce (6¢ U.S. + 16¢ sea transit) for prepaid letters sent in the British Open Mails to France by American packets. By the fall of 1851, however, this error was rectified, and the correct rate of 26¢ per ½ ounce was instituted. Note that this letter bears the "Olympia, Ogn" datestamp, left over from the time when Olympia was part of Oregon, prior to the establishment of the Washington Territory.

Realized: $350

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Lot 961    

1854 (Oct. 25) Havana, Cuba To Madrid, Spain Via New York, privately forwarded to New York by Gudewill & Mohr aboard the Black Warrior, entered mails with red "New-York Am. Packet Nov 4" exchange cds with pencil "73" cent prepaid rating and magenta "52" credit rating for the "via Southampton" rate to Spain, carried as endorsed by Ocean Line Washington to Southampton arriving Nov. 19th, red London (11.20) transit and oval "PF" handstamp, unfortunately the Peninsular steamship left Southampton three days before the Washington arrived at Liverpool. As a result, the British elected to forward this letter to Spain via the overland route through France, rather than wait for the next sailing of the Peninsular packet. blue Madrid arrival backstamp and black "20 Rs." due handstamp for internal postage, Very Fine, Since this 73¢ rate was substantially higher than the available rates through France it was rarely used, This being the finer of only two recorded examples of this 73¢ rate.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Beginning 1 July 1849, it became possible to prepay letters to destinations beyond Great Britain under the new U.S.-British Convention. With regard to the Spanish mails, a 73 cent per ½ ounce "via Southampton" rate was established for prepaid letters sent first to England, then forwarded directly to the Peninsula by British packet service. At the same time, a "via France" rate to Spain was established at 41 cents per ¼ ounce, or 51 cents per ½ ounce. In all cases, the postage collected paid all fees to the Spanish border only, and an additional amount was charged on delivery.

Realized: $1,200

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Lot 962    

1855 Cincinnati To Switzerland, stampless cover with bold red "Cincinnati, O., Apr 21" cds with "Paid" & "5" handstamps and "New York/ Br. Pkt., Apr 24" exchange office cds, manuscript endorsement "Via Liverpool (Cunard Line)", red manuscript "135" and blurred French entry cds, backstamped Liverpool and Strasbourg à Bale transits and Zurich receiver (11 May), Very Fine.
Estimate    $75 - 100.

Realized: $90

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Lot 963    

1855 (Jun. 11) Freeport Ills. To Württemburg, Germany, cds on orange cover and manuscript "22" due rating, black "N. York U.S. Pkt. '14' Jun 16" debit exchange cds (Winter 153), carried by Ocean Line Washington from New York Jun. 16 to Southampton arriving Jun. 29, red "24/9 KrR America uber Bremen" handstamp (Linden 3319), Wurttemberg (7.6) backstamp, Very Fine.
Estimate    $100 - 150.

Realized: $130

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Lot 964    

1855 (Jul. 25) Rich Fountain, Mo. To Meldorf, Holstein, cover with manuscript "Rich Fountain, Mo. July 25" postmark and matching "Paid 30" cent rating, red "N. York Am. Pkt. 'Paid 7' Aug 8" credit exchange cds, red Aachen (8.21) transit backstamp and red framed "Franco Preuss: / resp:Vereinsl:Ausg:Gr." handstamp with matching "Franco." and blue manuscript "fr Hbg" rating indicating paid to the Danish border in Hamburg, red crayon "9" sk. postage due, Very Fine.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

Realized: $850

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Lot 965    

1856 (Feb. 25) Le Havre, France To New York, N.Y., folded cover bearing France 20c and 40c tied by lozenge cancels prepaying double the 30c rate by Ocean Line, red "Le Havre 25 Fevr 56" origin cds, carried by Ocean Line Hermann arriving Mar. 16th, black "N. York Am. Pkt. '21' Mar 16" integral due cds for 16¢ packet fee plus 5¢ internal, F.-V.F., Although this special 30c/60c rate to the United States, via the Ocean Line steamships from Southampton, remained in effect until June 1857 (the last westbound mail-carrying voyage of the Ocean Line steamships), very few examples have been reported.
Estimate    $150 - 200.

Under an additional agreement of 1 October 1851, letters could be sent from France to the United States by way of the Ocean Line calling at Southampton. Since these letters were forwarded directly from France to the American packets, never entering the British postal system, the French prepayment remained at the non-contract ship rates previously applied to letters sent by direct American service from Le Havre. As of 1 August 1849, these rates were established at 30 centimes per 7½ grams for letters sent from the port of departure, and 60 centimes per 7½ grams for all other mail.

Realized: $300

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Lot 966    

1856 (May 20) New York, N.Y. To Copenhagen, Denmark, blue folded unpaid letter sent via Prussian Closed Mail with black "N. York Br. Pkt. '23' May 20" debit exchange cds, carried by Cunard Line "Canada" from Boston, red Aachen (6.3) and blue manuscript "13" sgr. debit rating, converted and rounded up with Danish red crayon "17½" sch. due rating, reverse with "56/9" rating for 65sk. due; vertical file folds, Very Fine.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

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Lots 947-956 Lots 957-966 Lots 967-976 Lots 977-982

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