Lot
3102 
1842 (Feb. 26) Paris, France to Philadelphia Pa. via London, folded letter with "Paris, 26 Fevr 42" origin cds and prepaid "5.40" rating on reverse, red manuscript "2/" credit to G.B. London red "Paid" (3.2) transit cds, Liverpool (3.4) transit, endorsed for Acadia but missed sailing and carried by Cunard Line Columbia from Liverpool Mar. 4th but broke shaft enroute and sailed to Halifax, mails transferred at Halifax to Unicorn leaving Mar. 25th for Boston arriving Mar. 28th, entered mails with red "Boston Ms. 'Ship' Mar 28" cds and blue manuscript "77" rating for triple the 25¢ inland rate plus 2¢ ship fee; some light tape stains, Very Fine. Estimate $200 - 300.
Cunard "Columbia" arrived at Halifax under canvas, having broken a shaft about 450 miles from Halifax. Her mails were transferred to Cunard auxiliary steamer "Unicorn" who carried them to Boston.
Realized: $150
Lot
3103
1842 (May 13) Philadelphia Pa. to Yorkshire, England, datelined folded letter with blue "Philadelphia Pa. May 13" cds and matching "Paid" double-octagon handstamp, with red "Forwarded from Harnden & Cos., Foreign Letter Office, Phila." circular handstamp, manuscript "37" rating for 25¢ freight money plus Harnden fee, carried by Cunard Caledonia from Boston May 16th to Liverpool arriving May 29th, "Liverpool/L" oval handstamp and matching "1/-" rating due handstamp for 1s packet rate, Very Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $140
Lot
3104
1842 (Jun. 29) Philadelphia Pa. to Yorkshire, England, datelined folded letter with red "Forwarded from Harnden & Cos., Foreign Letter Office, Phila." circular handstamp, entered mails with blue "Philadelphia Pa. Jun 29" cds and matching "Paid" double-octagon handstamp and manuscript "18¾" rating, carried by Cunard Britannia from Boston Jul. 2nd to Liverpool arriving Jul. 16th, bold "Liverpool/L" oval handstamp and matching "1/-" rating due handstamp for 1s packet rate, fresh and Extremely Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $140
Lot
3105
1842 (Oct. 3) Alexandria, Settra Kroo, South Africa (Liberia) to New York N.Y. via Philadelphia, datelined folded letter carried by private ship from Africa to Philadelphia, entered mails with blue "Philadelphia Pa. Dec 9" cds and matching "Ship" handstamp with red manuscript "14½" due rating for 12½¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee; fold splitting, some toning, F.-V.F. and scarce use from this Liberia forerunner. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $375
Lot
3106
1844 (Aug. 9) Naples, Sicily to Philadelphia Pa. via London, folded letter entered mails with Marseilles (8.14) entry cds, red London (8.20) datestamp with manuscript "1/3" paid by agent and reposted to Philadelphia with red manuscript "1/-" shilling packet fee prepaid, carried by Cunard Line Britannia from Liverpool Sep. 4th to Boston arriving Sep. 17th, Philadelphia "20¾" (the "/4" is red crayon), Very Fine, ex-Winter. Estimate $500 - 750.
A SCARCE EXAMPLE OF THE PHILADELPHIA 20¾ RATE HANDSTAMP STRUCK IN RED, ONLY NINE RECORDED EXAMPLES.
Letter carried by ship to Marseilles, where it entered French mail system. At London, forwarding agent Heath, Furse & Co. (handstamp on reverse) paid 1s3d for ¼-½ oz letter, crossed thru their name in the address, and paid 1s packet postage to U.S. Letter rated at Philadelphia and not at arrival port of Boston. Postage due consisted of 2¢ ship fee plus 18¾¢ U.S. inland fee from Boston to Philadelphia. Italicized version of Philadelphia rate stamp in red quite scarce since color shifted to blue soon after its was introduced. Red strikes are recorded from June 1844 to October 1844.
"Special Arrangement" with the Liverpool Postmaster
Businessmen in Philadelphia and other eastern cities complained about delays in mail arriving via Boston, due to sorting and rating. After an 1843 request to the Liverpool Postmaster by the U.S. Postmaster General, from June 1844 to late 1848 mails to Philadelphia and ten other cities were made up in separate parcels in Liverpool. These were included in the New York bag, from where they were forwarded un-postmarked.
Philadelphia's 20¾ and circled 12 postmarks were obtained specifically for incoming British mails arriving via Boston under the Postmaster General's special arrangement with the Liverpool Postmaster.
Realized: $500
Lot
3107
1844 (Sep. 9) London, England to Philadelphia, Pa. forwarded to New York, folded letter with "Moorgate S" receiving house backstamp with red manuscript "1/" shilling prepaid rating, red London (9.10) datestamp, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Sep. 19th to Boston arriving Oct. 3rd, Philadelphia red "20¾" due handstamp for 18¾¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, forwarded with red "Philadelphia Pa. Oct 5" cds and matching "Forwarded" framed handstamp, blue manuscript 20¾¢ plus 12½¢ to forward letter to New York for total postage due of 33¼¢, Very Fine and scarce forwarded transatlantic use, One of only 9 recorded Philadelphia 20¾ rate handstamps struck in red. Estimate $300 - 400.
Letter rated at Philadelphia and not at arrival port of Boston. Italicized version of Philadelphia rate stamp in red quite scarce with only a few copies known.
Realized: $230
Lot
3108
1844 (Nov. 19) Liverpool, England to Philadelphia Pa., folded letter with bold red octagonal "Paid At Liverpool, 1844 No 19" handstamp with matching "1/" handstamp for 1sh packet rate, carried by Cunard Line Caledonia from Liverpool Nov. 19th to Boston arriving Dec. 7th, Philadelphiablue "20¾" rating handstamp for 18¾¢ inland 150-400 miles plus 2¢ ship fee, Extremely Fine and attractive, One of the finest known examples of this marking, ex-Hugh Feldman.
Estimate $300 - 400.
The Philadelphia "20¾" rating handstamp is struck in blue with 12 examples recorded from Oct. 1844 to Jun. 1845.
Realized: $325
Lot
3109
1845 (May 12) St. Petersburg, Russia to Philadelphia Pa. via Hamburg & London, datelined folded letter with "St. Petersburg, en. 12. May. 1845." framed backstamp and prepaid 240 kopeks (15 kop. Russian inland, 44 kop. Prussian transit, 180½ kop. British transit and transatlantic), Russian red manuscript "44" kop. credit rating to Prussia, pink Prussian "2/8d" credit to U.K., London "Paid" (6.2) tombstone transit, Liverpool (6.3) transit oval, carried by Cunard Caledonia from Liverpool Jun. 4th to Boston arriving Jun. 19th, Philadelphia blue "20¾" rating handstamp updated in blue manuscript "39" due (½¢ undercharge) for 37½¢ inland postage plus 2¢ ship fee, Very Fine and rare use from Russia. Estimate $500 - 750.
THE ONLY RECORDED LETTER FROM RUSSIA TO THE UNITED STATES BY THIS ROUTE.
This letter was handled under the 1843 Russia-Prussia convention and the 1841 Prussia-Great Britain convention, then traveled in British open mail, arriving in the United States as an unpaid ship letter.
Realized: $400
Lot
3110
1845 (May 18) Taibach, Wales to Philadelphia Pa., folded letter with sharp "Taibach, MY18, 1845" and red manuscript "1/-" updated to "2/-" prepaid double the 1s packet rate, Liverpool (5.19) transit backstamp, carried as endorsed by Cunard Line Cambria from Liverpool May 20th to Boston arriving Jun. 1st, red "Boston Ms. 'Ship' Jun 1" cds and matching bold "39½" in circle rating handstamp for double the 18¾¢ inland plus 2¢ ship fee, Very Fine, The finest recorded strike of the Boston "39½" rate handstamp.. Estimate $200 - 300.
Lot
3111
1845 (Dec. 30) Ipswich, England to Philadelphia Pa., folded letter bearing 2d blue (2) irregular block of six, large margins except in at top, small scissor cut between pos. 3/5, tied by sharp "405" barred oval cancels, matching "Ipswich, DE 30, 1845" origin backstamp, endorsed "Post Office Liverpool - pr Boston Steamer" and "6 - 2d Stamps" beneath block, red London (12.31) transit backstamp, Liverpool (12.31) transit oval, carried by Cunard Line Hibernia from Liverpool Jan. 4th to Boston arriving Jan. 23rd, Philadelphia blue "12" in lined circle handstamp for 10¢ inland plus 2¢ ship fee, docketed as received Jan. 24th. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
The Philadelphia blue "12" in lined circle handstamp is recorded used from Jul. 1845 to Nov. 1850.
Realized: $1,700