Sale 99: The December Sale

Lot 217    

1845 (Dec. 30) Philadelphia Pa. to Paris, France, folded cover with blue "Philadelphia Pa. Dec 30" cds with matching "Paid" and "10" rating handstamp, carried as endorsed by Cunard Line Acadia from Boston Jan. 1st to Liverpool arriving Jan. 14th, red London (1.16) backstamp and matching "Colonies/&c.Art.12" framed h.s., red Boulogne (1.18) entry cds with manuscript "15" decimes due rating, fresh and Very Fine.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

Mails from this voyage reached London on January 16, 1846. This is the latest recorded use of the "Colonies/&c.Art.12" marking on mails from the United States.

The combination of the U.S. 5¢ and 10¢ internal rates and the "Colonies/&c.Art.12" marking was possible during a period of only about six and one half months. Less than 6 examples have been recorded.

Realized: $350

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Lot 218    

1850 (Nov. 28) Lyon, France to Philadelphia Pa., folded letter docketed "pr. City of Glasgow" at top, forwarder's blue "Geo. H. Draper. Havre" straightline at bottom left, sent unpaid, carried as endorsed on Inman City of Glasgow from Liverpool Dec. 11th to Philadelphia arriving Jan. 3rd, Philadelphia blue "6" double-octagon due handstamp for 6¢ ship letter delivered at the port, Very Fine, Letter took 38 days by the new Inman service, 10 days longer than via Cunard to New York., ex-Hugh Feldman.
Estimate    $500 - 750.

Liverpool-Philadelphia Scheduled Steamship Service: The Inman Line

Inman offered monthly service with three new steamships, the largest and most modern ever built on the Clyde. Philadelphia lobbied the government for a Liverpool-Philadelphia mail contract, but after years of losing freight and passenger business to the New York lines, Inman moved its western terminus there in 1857 and began carrying mail under temporary U.S. contracts.

The first business venture of Richardson Brothers' steamship group was to purchase the City of Glasgow from Tod & Macgregor while the ship was on her fourth voyage to New York. The Richardson group was officially titled The Liverpool & Philadelphia Steam Ship Company, but probably because Inman ran the company from the very beginning it was informally called the Inman line.

Disappointment was followed by disaster when the City of Glasgow was lost at sea after departing Liverpool on 1 March on her second westbound voyage of the year. On 21 April the ship Baldaur, 400 miles north of the Azores, saw a steamship similar in description to the City of Glasgow steeply listing, but found only flotsam when the site was approached.14 Inman later declared the ship was presumed sunk, with the loss of 480 lives.

References: Illustrated and discussed in "The Liverpool and Philadelphia Steamship Company: Early Years of the Inman Line, 1850-1857" by John Barwis, Chronicle 230 (May 2011, pp. 181-187), fig. 2.

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Lot 219    

1851 (Jan. 15) Philadelphia Pa. to Cognac, France, datelined folded letter sent unpaid, carried as endorsed by Inman Line City of Glasgow from Philadelphia Jan. 16th to Liverpool arriving Jan. 30th, flap with "Liverpool, Ship" (1.30) framed transit, London red "Colonies/&c. Art. 13." framed accounting handstamp, brilliant red "Angle. Calais, 1 Fever. 51" entry cds and manuscript "15" décimes due rating, Very Fine and choice.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

A RARE USE CARRIED ON THE MAIDEN RETURN VOYAGE OF THE INMAN LINE.

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Lot 220    

1851 (Oct. 8) Philadelphia Pa. to Cognac, France, light blue cover with blue "Philadelphia Pa. Oct 8" cds and red "PHIL^A. 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    $100 - 150.

Realized: $230

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Lot 221    

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    $150 - 200.

Realized: $260

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Lot 222    

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    $150 - 200.

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.

Realized: $210

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Lot 223    

1856 (Mar. 5) Clinton, Texas to Vaihingen, Wurttemberg, orange buff cover with sharp "Clinton, Tex. Mar 5" cds and manuscript "60" double-weight rating, clear "N.York '46' Br. Pkt., Mar 25" debit exchange cds, carried by Cunard Line Arabia from Boston Mar. 26th to Liverpool arriving Apr. 7th, red Aachen (4.8) transit backstamp, Vaihingen (4.11) arrival backstamp, magenta and blue ms. due ratings, Very Fine and scarce Texas transatlantic use.
Estimate    $200 - 300.

Realized: $190

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Lot 224    

1856 (Oct. 15) Münster, Prussia to Guanajuato, Mexico via New York, cover with framed "Münster, 15/10" postmark with prepaid ms. "35" rating, red "Aachen, Paid 25Cts." (10.17) exchange cds updated to "30" in magenta, ms. "fra" and red crayon "15¼" sbr. credit rating, red "New.York, Am. Packet, Nov 8" exchange cds with matching "Paid" handstamp, "Vera Cruz, 11 Dicbre 1856" transit oval and matching large "2" reales due for inland postage, Very Fine and scarce use.
Estimate    $300 - 400.

This letter was prepaid 15¼ silbergroshen (2 sbr. to GAPU internal postage and 13¼ credit to U.S.) equivalent to 35¢ prepaid with 30¢ credit to the United States.

Realized: $190

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Lot 225    

1860 (c., Nov. 28) Indianola, Texas to Carlsruhe, Germany, orange cover with "Indianola, Texas, 28 Nov" origin cds, red "N.York, Br. Pkt. 'Paid 7' Dec 11" credit exchange cds, carried by Cunard Line Arabia from Boston Dec. 12th to Liverpool arriving Dec. 22nd, red Aachen Franco (12.24) framed transit, Carlsruhe (12.26) arrival backstamp; mended flaws at left, Very Fine appearance and scarce Texas transatlantic use.
Estimate    $150 - 200.

Realized: $100

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Lot 226    

1864 (Aug. 4) Halifax, Nova Scotia to Portland, Me. via Boston, red "Halifax, Nova Scotia, Paid, Aug 4, 1864" tombstone postmark and matching "CTS/10" credit handstamp on Nova Scotia Railway corner card cover signed by "S. Flemin", carried by Cunard Line to Boston, bold red "Boston. Br. Pkt. '48 Paid' Aug 6" credit exchange cds, remailed back to Boston with "Portland Me., Aug 15, 1864" cds and matching circular grid cancels on 2¢ black (73) horizontal pair with left guilde-line s.e.; top edge flaws, F.-V.F. and unusual use.
Estimate    $150 - 200.

Sir Sanford Fleming was a pioneer Canadian Railway engineer, who also designed the first Canadian stamp, the 3d beaver of 1851.

Realized: $240

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