Lot
508 
Robert Francis Express & News Agent/Gibsonville. Clear full strike of red oval handstamp at top center of cover to Volcano, Cal., with red and blue Flag & Cannon caricature patriotic design at left, franked with 1861, 10¢ dark green tied by "Gibsonville, Cal., Feb 5" cds, manuscript "No Delay" notation at bottom; faint toning, tiny edge nick at bottom and missing backflap, F.-V.F., a visually striking and premier Western Express cover. Scott No. 68a Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
Robert Francis first advertised his express in the Sacramento Union on Nov. 7th, 1859. He started alone, took in and dispensed with various partners, and finally finished alone, selling out to Holland and Morley's Express in May of 1862. During the winter months, Francis used "snowshoes" (skis in today's terminology) on his route, and when not engaged in expressing, he often entered the many snowshoe racing events held in the mining towns. At one such event at Sawpit Flat in 1869, Francis shot a rival during an argument. The man died, and Francis was tried and sentenced to San Quentin. Pardoned after serving 3 years, he returned to has native Canada.
Francis' headquarters during the approximately 2 ½ years that he ran his express was Gibsonville, where he also sold books, newspapers and stationary, and where he fashioned envelopes of the type included in this lot. Two such unused examples are known, each of which is the identical Patriotic design, and each of which bears the same pre-applied agent handstamp and the same pre-applied 10-cent adhesive (left uncancelled), as the cover included in this lot. When the need arose to employ such covers in his enterprise, Francis had them readily available at Gibsonville, and probably also at the secondary offices along his route. Evidently the individual who sent the cover in this lot was in such haste ("No Delay") that he cared not that he was overpaying 7 cents to send a letter requiring only 3 cents in postage, but such was Francis' prowess that most any expenditure probably would have been acceptable.
Realized: $18,000