Lot
972 
1851 (Sep. 1) San Francisco, Cal. to Bordeaux, France, gray folded letter with red "San Francisco, Cal. 1 Sep" cds and matching "Paid" and "26" rating handstamps, endorsed "Per Tennessee via Panama" at top left, carried by Collins Line Baltic from New York Oct. 11th to Liverpool arriving Oct. 22nd, red London (10.23) transit backstamp, red Calais (10.24) entry cds and black "8" décimes due handstamp, Very Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $170
Lot
973
1851 (Oct. 8) Philadelphia Pa. to Cognac, France, light blue cover with blue "Philadelphia Pa. Oct 8" cds and red "PHILA. PAID 5 Cts." octagon handstamp rerated "21" cent, carried by Collins Line Baltic from New York Oct. 11th to Liverpool arriving Oct. 22nd, London red (10.23) transit backstamp, red Calais entry cds with black "8" decimes due rating handstamp, Cognac (10.25) arrival backstamp, Very Fine, a scarce rerated 21¢ Philadelphia octagon. Estimate $150 - 200.
Lot
974
1852 (Nov. 15) La Réole, France to New Orleans, La., folded letter with "La Réole 15 Nov 52" origin cds and "26" décimes prepaid manuscript rating on reverse, red framed "PD" handstamp, carried by Cunard Line Europa from Liverpool Nov. 20 to New York arriving Dec. 2, black "New-York, 5cts, Dec 3" integral due handstamp, partial strike of green New Orleans City Post "Dec 10" snow shovel datestamp and matching "Car. 2" due handstamp, Very Fine and scarce transatlantic New Orleans carrier use, ex-Winter. Estimate $250 - 350.
Lot
975
1852 (Apr. 5) San Francisco, Cal. to Berlin, Germany, reduced legal-size buff cover bearing two 12¢ black (17) horizontal pairs originally forming block (12-13/22-23L1), large margins to just in, cancelled by large open grids, matching "San Francisco Cal. 5 Apr." cds, black "New-York, May 8" exchange backstamp and magenta "14" cent credit, carried by Havre Line Franklin from New York May 8th to Havre arriving May 20th via Bremen Closed Mails, neat black "America/über Bremen" and red "Paid All" handstamps, reverse with Berlin-Minden (5.24) and May 25th arrival cds, red crayon ratings; stamp faulty, Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $350
Lot
976
1852 (Apr. 21) Philadelphia Pa. to Neufchatel, Switzerland, gray folded letter with blue "Philadelphia Pa., Apr. 21" cds and red "Phila., 5 Cts., Paid" octagon handstamp with red manuscript "21" update and additional "Paid 21¢" rating for 21¢ treaty rate, carried by Ocean Line Hermann from New York Apr. 24th to Southampton arriving May 7th, red Paris (5.9) entry cds, Neuchatel (5.10) arrival backstamp, forwarded to Bale with orange "60" rappen due, Very Fine and scarce use. Estimate $300 - 400.
Lot
977
1852 (Jul. 23) Philadelphia Pa. to Paris, France via G.B., folded cover with blue "Philadelphia Pa., Jul 23" cds and red "Phila. Paid 5cts" octagonal handstamp updated with manuscript "42" prepaid rating for two-times the 21¢ British Open Mail rate, additional manuscript "42 Paid" at top center, carried by Collins Line Atlantic from New York Jul. 24th to Liverpool arriving Aug. 3rd, red London (8.4) transit backstamp, red French (8.5) entry cds and manuscript "24" décimes due rating for triple rate signified by additional manuscript "3" at top left, red Paris (8.5) arrival backstamp; light wax seal tone spot, otherwise Very Fine. Estimate $300 - 400.
THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF UP-RATING THE OCTAGONAL DATESTAMP TO 42¢.
Realized: $600
Lot
978
1852 (Oct. 1) San Francisco Cal. to Bordeaux, France, blue folded letter with blue "San Francisco Cal. 1 Oct" cds and matching "Paid" and "26" rating handstamps, carried by Collins Line Baltic from New York Oct. 30th to Liverpool arriving Nov. 10th, red London (11.11) transit and red French (11.12) entry cds, French black "8" décimes due handstamp, reverse with Paris (11.12) and Bordeaux (11.13) arrival cds, Very Fine and earliest recorded strike of the rare blue "26" rating handstamp, ex-Winter. Estimate $250 - 350.
One of only four recorded San Francisco blue "26" rating handstamp usages, blue was used only from Oct. 1st to Nov. 16th 1852. Letter was carried from San Francisco by PMSSC "Tennessee" to Panama City, then by USMSSC "Georgia" from Aspinwall to New York.
Lot
979
1852 (Nov. 16) San Francisco, Cal. to La Rochelle, France, blue folded cover with scarce blue "San Francisco, Cal. 16 Nov" cds and matching "Paid" and "26" rating handstamps, endorsed "p Golden Gate via Southampton" at top left, red "New-York, Br. Pkt. Dec 15" exchange cds, carried by Cunard Line Europa from New York Dec. 15th to Liverpool arriving Dec. 26th, red London (12.27) transit backstamp, Calais (12.28) entry cds and matching "26" decimes due handstamp, La Rochelle (12.29) arrival backstamp, Very Fine and scarce blue San Francisco cds. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $170