Lot
990 
1855 (Jun. 17) New Orleans La. to Vienna, Austria, gray folded cover bearing 1¢ blue (9) horizontal pair, pos. 53-54R1L tied by "New Orleans, La. Jun 17" cds, "Printed Circular" top left handstamp, red Calais (7.9.55) transit cds, red Vienna (7.14) arrival backstamp and blue ms. "3" due rating; top edge staining, horizontal fold, F.-V.F. and scarce printed matter use. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $850
Lot
991
1855 (Jul. 24) Pierpont Place, Texas to Berlin, Prussia, manuscript postmark and "Paid 63" rating on manuscript canceled 3¢ red (U9) Nesbitt entire addressed to the Royal Highness Prince Frederic of Prussia, endorsed "via Prussian Closed Mail", red "N.York 'Paid 14' Am. Pkt. Aug 8" cds, Aug. 22nd arrival backstamp; edge wear and flaws, Very Fine. Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $210
Lot
992
1856 (Aug. 4) Reading Pa. to Sachsenhausen, Coeln, Prussia, orange cover bearing two 12¢ gray black (17) singles, margins clear to barely in, and two 3¢ dull red (11A) singles, stamps artfully placed at all four corners of the cover, tied by either grids or "Reading Pa. Aug. 4" cds, red "N. York, Br. Pkt. 'Paid 7' Aug 6" credit exchange cds, carried by Cunard Line Persia from New York Aug. 6th to Liverpool arriving Aug. 15th, red "Aachen, Franco 17/8" framed handstamp, Coeln (8.17) receiving backstamp; trivial cover stain at top, Very Fine and colorful attractively franked cover at the 30¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate, ex-J & J, Corey Long. Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Realized: $625
Lot
993
1857 (Jan. 20) Philadelphia Pa. to Paris, France forwarded to Rome, light buff cover with red "Philadelphia Pa., Paid, Jan 20" origin exchange cds and matching "Paid 21" cent prepaid rating for 5¢ inland plus 16¢ American packet, carried by Ocean Line Constitution from New York Jan. 24th to Southampton arriving Feb. 7th, red London (2.10) transit backstamp and "GB/40c" accounting handstamp, Calais (2.10) entry cds and matching "5" décimes due handstamp, blue "Greene & Ca." forwarding oval to Rome, dropped into post box with red "Trouvé á bôite" framed handstamp struck, Paris (2.11) cds and manuscript "20" décimes due rating, red "VIA DI MARE" straightline for "By Sea" Marseilles to Civitavecchia, red Rome (2.14) arrival backstamp; partial flap; folds. Estimate $200 - 300.
Under the 1856 Anglo-French treaty, effective 1 January 1857 the fee charged to France by Great Britain for unpaid letters transiting the U.K. was reduced from 40 décimes to only 40 centimes per ounce. Senders in America paid the same amount, but recipients in France saw a steep reduction in postage due. Because the U.S-French treaty was not effective until April 1, the first quarter of 1857 is often called the Three Month Period by collectors. Few covers are known from Philadelphia.
Realized: $290
Lot
994
(Mistaken 24¢ Rate) 1857 (Mar. 12) Brownstown, Mich. to Haiger, Nassau, Germany, buff cover with "Brownstown, Mich. Mar 12" cds and manuscript "Paid 24cts" rating, red "N.York 'Paid 8' U.S. Pkt. Mar 21" credit exchange cds, carried by Ocean Line Hermann from New York Mar. 21st to Bremerhaven arriving Apr. 6th, blue "America/über Bremen/Franco" three-line exchange, red crayon "1" marking, reverse with Frankfurt (4.8) and Haiger (4.9.57) two-line arrival; small edge tear, F.-V.F. Estimate $200 - 300.
There was a widespread misapprehension in the latter half of the 1850's that a 24¢ rate to Germany existed. This misunderstanding appears to have been due to misinformation in a letter-writing guide sold to German immigrants.
Realized: $100
Lot
995
1857 (Sep. 2) Albany, N.Y. to Gotha, Saxony, Germany, light buff cover with unusual printed "To be forwarded by the first Prussian Closed Mail via Liverpool. Paid for all the way through." endorsement at top, bearing 10¢ green (33) strip of three, s.e. at left, tied by two strikes of "Albany N.Y., Sep 2" cds and matching "Paid" h.s. at left, red "N.York, Am. Pkt. '7' Sep 5" credit exchange cds, carried by Vanderbilt Line North Star from New York Sep. 5th to Southampton arriving Sep. 17th, red "Aachen, Franco 19/9" framed transit, Gotha (9.21) arrival backstamp; reduced at left and corner clipped, no flap, Fine. Estimate $150 - 200.
Realized: $170
Lot
996
1858 (Jun. 1) New York to Lorch, Württemberg, cover with "N. York Hamb. Pkt. '10' Jun 1" exchange debit cds, carried by Hapag Line Austria from New York Jun. 1st to Hamburg arriving Jun. 16th, Lorch (6.18) arrival backstamp with red crayon "57" kr. due rating, Very Fine, Very Fine, Covers showing double rating in the U.S. and single rating in Germany are uncommon, as are covers by Hamburg mail at the 22¢ equivalent rate., ex-Winter. Estimate $150 - 200.
New York weighed letter at greater than ½ oz. (14.25 grams) and debited Hamburg 2x5¢=10¢. The Hamburg Thurn & Taxis post office marked letter for 2x6¾=13½ silbergroschen (2x15¢ equivalent) international rate plus 9 kreuzer for transit fee to Württemberg, the fee for a single weight letter of 1 loth (16 2/3 grams). Since 13½ sgr. was equal to 48 kreuzer, the total postage due was 57 kreuzer.
Realized: $260
Lot
997
1858 (Jun. 19) New Orleans La. to Vienna, Austria, blue folded printed circular with blue company "Printed Circular" framed handstamp at top right and bearing 1¢ blue, type Va (24 var.) pos. 63-64R5 pair, scissor trimmed, tied by partial New Orleans cds, endorsed "via Ostende", carried by Cunard Line Europa from Boston Jun. 30th to Liverpool arriving Jul. 10th, red Aachen "Seebrief per England and Aachen" (7.13) transit backstamp, Prussian manuscript "2" kr debit, Austria blue ms. "7" krCM and circled red crayon "7" final due ratings, red Vienna (7.15) arrival backstamp, Very Fine and scarce 1¢ type Va plate 5 franking. Estimate $500 - 750.
Realized: $1,050
Lot
998
1858 (Jun. 23) San Diego Cal. to Midi-Pyrénées, France via Panama & New York, orange buff cover with "San Diego Cal. Jun 23" cds initially rated with manuscript "Paid 16 cts" in box notation, crossed out and "Paid 26" circular rating handstamp struck, neither of these rates was in accordance with current 15¢ up to ¾ ounce rate, black "New York Jul 24" cds and matching "Short Paid" framed handstamp struck as letter apparently over ¾ ounces, black "30" circular debit rating struck, carried by Cunard Line Canada from Boston July 28th to Liverpool arriving Aug. 7th, Calais (10.10.1858) entry cds with matching "16" décimes due rating handstamp; minor edgewear, Very Fine and interesting error rate cover. Estimate $300 - 400.
Although the early sailings by the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company under their contract for the San Francisco to Panama route made landings at San Diego, these were dropped in the interest of speed in early 1851. It was not until October 1858 that a San Francisco to San Diego coastal route was contracted. It is probable that mails to and from San Diego were entrusted to coastal ships Masters who were known to be calling at San Francisco, Acapulco or Panama. They were either paid at the 2¢ ship letter rate, or a local contract for the trip negotiated.
Lot
999
1858 (Jun. 28) Wheeling, Virginia to Hirrlingen, Württemberg, cover with "Wheeling Va. Jun 28" cds with large circled "30" unpaid handstamp, "N. York Hamb. Pkt. '5' Jul 1" exchange debit cds, carried by Hapag Line Saxonia from New York Jul. 1st to Hamburg arriving Jul. 15th, Hamburg (7.16) backstamp with blue "6¾ Sgr - 9 Xr" due handstamp, Rottenburg (7.19) backstamp with red crayon "35" kr. due rating, F.-V.F., very few examples of the 6¾ Sgr-9Xr handstamp have been recorded, ex-Winter. Estimate $200 - 300.
Since letter routing instructions said "per Hamburg/Steamer" New York sent letter by Hamburg steamer and debited Hamburg 5¢ for a single rate letter. The Hamburg Thurn & Taxis post office marked letter with blue handstamp for 6¾ silbergroschen (15¢ equivalent) international rate plus 9 kreuzer for transit fee to Württemberg, the fee for a single weight letter. This was equivalent to 33 kreuzer (22¢). Württemberg added 2 kreuzer local fee for a total postage due of 35 kreuzer.
Realized: $290