Lot
1221 
(Civil War) American Letter Express Co., black on white label reading "Due the AMERICAN LETTER EXPRESS CO. 1F 60 cent(imes) (for postage advanced) on this letter. Send the amount in money to the Company at Louisville, Ky.", affixed at upper left (over another express label requesting 60 cents) on cover front with part of one flap from Baton Rouge, La. to Mielan, France, trace of Baton Rouge La. origin cds on flap, carried by express to Nashville, then transferred to Louisville where blue "Louisville Ky. Aug 15, 1861" cds struck, then on to New York with red "New York '24' Aug 24" credit datestamp, carried on Cunard Line Europa from Boston Aug. 21st to Queenstown arriving Aug. 31st, red Calais (8.31) entry cds and matching boxed "P.D." handstamp; flap with railroad transit and Mielan (9.5) arrival cds, ex-Walske. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE AMERICAN LETTER EXPRESS POSTAGE DUE LABEL. THIS IS THE ONLY ONE USED TO A FOREIGN DESTINATION.
The American Letter Express Company advertised its across-the-lines mail service with a basic rate of 15c. Their instructions stated: "Enclosing 15 cents in money. This prepays all expenses to its destination. The rates here given are for letters not exceeding half ounce in weight… Do not use U.S. stamps or stamped envelopes, they are valueless when coming from the Confederate States."
Evidently some letters were received without the requisite prepayment, and these were delivered to the recipient postage due. The 1 franc 60 centimes requested on this label covers the postage costs only and equates to 30 cents -- double the 15c treaty rate and reflected in the 24c credit to France in the New York exchange office datestamp. The express fee was paid by the sender.
Only two examples of the postage due label prepared by American Letter Express are recorded in the Special Routes book -- this cover front to France and one with a U.S. 3c 1857 Issue stamp to New York. They were both postmarked at Louisville on August 15. It is possible that the label was only used on one batch of mail forwarded from Nashville and was thereafter discontinued as impractical.
References: Special Routes Census No. N-AX-10. This label illustrated in Special Routes book on p.51.
Realized: $2,400