Lot
968 
1852 (Feb. 18) San Francisco, Cal. to La Rochelle, France, red-orange "San Francisco Cal. 18 Feb" cds with matching "Paid" straightline and "29" error rating handstamp for 29¢ British mail rate, pencil "26" prepaid rating for 16¢ American Packet plus 10¢ internal postage from West Coast, carried from San Francisco via PMSC Panama arriving Panama Mar. 3rd, left Chagres via USMC El Dorado arriving New York Mar. 15th, then by Collins Line Arctic from New York to Liverpool arriving Mar. 31st, red London (4.1) transit backstamp, red Paris (4.2) entry cds and "8" decimes due handstamp, La Rochelle (4.3) arrival backstamp, Very Fine and choice 29¢ error rate use to France, ex-Noel, Walske. Estimate $300 - 400.
The "26" rating handstamp should have been struck for the 26¢ British open mail rate by American Packet from the West Coast. The Dick Winter collection had examples of the "29" rating handstamp used properly to Sweden and Great Britain on the same voyages via Panama to New York.
Realized: $160