Frajola Sale of Olenkiewicz Collection



 


 

From The Postal History Collection
Formed by John Olenkiewicz

 


 
#0832

price
POR
 

[Fairfield County] 1789/1855, mostly mounted collection includes handstamped straight line Stamford on 1802 folded letter arriving from St. Petersburg, Russia by British Falmouth packet and re-mailed at Stamford for onward carriage to Boston, the 1789 use is a Stratford postmaster free frank, the 1855 use is a nice 3c 1851 use from Stepney Depot. Link to 13 page pdf file is here
 

#0827

price
POR

[Hartford County] 1791/1855, mounted collection includes straight line postmarks of Farmington and South Glastonbury (2 different types, one listed by Duffney as unique) and an 1802 way use. Link to 23 page pdf file is here
 

#0828

price
POR

[Litchfield County] 1801/1853, mostly mounted collection includes unique style Washington straight line postmark, several colored cancels with nice Harwinton and Plymouth Hollow.  Link to 40 page pdf file is here

#0911

POR

 


[Norwich (1), 1779/1798]
The highly important collection of letters and post office documents regarding the establishment and operations of the post office from 1779 until to 1795, includes a listing of mail carried on a precursor route in 1779 (images and article here) with a letter from Woodbridge to Boston Postmaster seeing the office of Norwich Postmaster, also extensive correspondence between Ebenezar Hazard or Peter Baynton and Dudley Woodbridge (the first postmaster) regarding the establishment of the Norwich post office and the earliest operations (link to 20 page PDF file here) , additional documentation of the postal service is a 78 page, leather-bound book of the partially printed record of Letters & Newspapers sent from the Norwich office under Dudley Woodbridge, William Leffingwell and Christopher Leffingwell (January 9, 1783 to March 15, 1795, sample images here). An additional document is an 1802 official copy of Woodbridge's partially printed quarterly report for the Norwich Post Office for the quarter ending 5 October 1781 that shows a total credit to the General Post Office of 4£ 19s 8d (cropped imaged above, ex George Turner collection). The postmarked letters include manuscript and straight line postmarks (27 including examples in black, magenta and the the only known example in red).

An exceptional archive of materials that probably represents the largest holding in private hands relative to the founding of an 18th Century United States Post Office, certainly worthy of a museum.
 

#0838

price
POR
 

[Windham County] 1796/1869, includes 1858 Campbell's Mills balloon style postmark with "Windham County" at top of device on cover with 3c 1857 issue, straight line postmarks of Central Village (1847), Fisherville (1846), Pomfret (1831), Thompson (1841 with PM free frank, Windham (1796 and 1798); manuscripts postmarks include Howard's Valley (1846) and Sterling Hill (3c 1869 issue); arcs with Pomfret (1841) and Windham (1810, unlisted in ASCC and 1828), a very attractive collection. Link to 81 page pdf file is here
 


Group Lots and Special Studies (by date)
 
#0913

price

cover for sale individually

ask for prices

[Balance of Collection, 1751/1801] diverse group of 22 early folded letters, most are mounted and described and are either to or from Connecticut, the group includes: 1751 from Boston rated "2/6" in Mass. Old Tenor, 1757 use with Salem manuscript ship rate postmark and 3.16 (dwt., gr.) rate to New London, a ca. 1860 "BoSh" postmark and ship rate to Norwich, 1785 "W2" way postmark on letter from Providence to Hartford,  straight line postmarks include Boston (1786, 1787 with 2 types), New York (1786,1787 different types) and Stockbridge (1800, way use); manuscript postmarks include Fairfield Way (1793), Bristol, RI (1801), New Hartford Way (1799), Providence (1793) and Stockbridge (1799), also include a couple New York clamshell postmarks including an 1799 use to Norwich with added 2c due rate for carrier delivery in Norwich. Link to 22 page pdf file is here
 


Individual Items and Covers (by date)
 
#0817

price
POR

[1768, Private Post Charge, New York to Norwich via New London] folded cover, docketed Sept 15 1768, entered the Parliamentary Post mails at New York with their two line backstamp, "16 SE" datestamp, and manuscript "2.16" rate (dwt, gr) addressed to Rev Wheelock, in Lebanon, by the way of New London, Connecticut" and also endorsed at left, "With the utmost Speed as it is a letter of importance," the 2dwt 16gr rate was equivalent to 11d in Connecticut currency which was marked on the cover upon arrival at New London office, a further 6d was added for delivery from New London to the addressee and the total due of "1/5" (17d.) was marked on the cover, a rare use
 

#0818

price
$1,750

[1774, Private Post Charge, Boston to Norwich via New London] folded 25 July 1774 letter from Boston to Norwich, entered the Parliamentary Post mails at Boston with their magenta postmark, datestamp and manuscript "2.16" rate (dwt, gr), addressed to Samuel Huntington in Norwich, sent to the New London post office where equivalent Connecticut currency 11d rate was noted on the reverse plus a further 6d for delivery from New London to Norwich making a total due of "1/5" (17d.), edges restored, a rare use

 

#0819

price
POR

[1774, Private Post Charge, New York to Norwich via New London] folded 12 October 1774 letter from New York to Norwich, entered the Parliamentary Post mails at New York with their two line backstamp and manuscript "2.16" rate (dwt, gr), addressed to Dudley Woodbridge in Norwich, sent to the New London post office where equivalent Connecticut currency 11d rate was noted on the reverse plus a further 6d for delivery from New London to Norwich making a total due of "1/5" (17d.), a rare use

 

#0910

price
POR

[1778, Lisbon, CT to Norwich regarding Rum Shipments] letter dated Lisbon, June 26th 1778 from Capt. Asa Waterman, Assistant Commissary of Purchases (for the Army) to Dudley & Samuel Woodbridge, Merchants at Norwich, very interesting contents that mentions, "I have sent you pr Elijah Dyar and Jos. Farnum five casks Rum" and itemizes the numbered casks (one notes as "5 1/2 inches out) and with payment instructions for the two carriers, image of letter here, age stains

The contents of this letter may be related to a newspaper report of a recently captured rum shipment. A 17 June 1778 Connecticut Journal notice dated from New London, CT on 12 June 1778 reported: "Last Sabbath, a schooner taken near Block Island by two Whaleboats from the Connecticut River as sent in. She was from Jamaica, laden with Sugar and Coffee, and its' said belongs to Mr. Lopez, late of Newport; the Schooner four days before her Arrival parted with a large Jamaica Fleet, bound to England, under Convoy of a 40 and a 20 Gun Ship."
 

#0805

price
POR

[1787, Trenton, New Jersey] dateline on March 17, 1787 folded letter of (Colonel) Robert L. Hooper to Robert Morris (Signer of the Declaration of Independence) at New York, endorsed "Post paid" by sender and entered the mails with "Paid 2 (dwt)"  postal rating, letter regards a legal case involving a defaulting debtor
 

#0816

price
POR

[ca. 1860, Breech Loading Rifle Advertising] all over design, breech-loading carbine illustrated, advertising cover of Merrill, Thomas & Co. Company manufacturers and agents for Colt Fire Arms (in December 1861 the Secretary of War ordered 5,000 of these carbines), cover is addressed to Loren Ballou in Hartford, CT, Ballou was chief engineer for Colt Fire Arms plants in Hartford, 3c dull red (#26) tied by blue "Aug 31 Baltimore Md." postmark, slightest discoloration at right edge of cover, a very attractive and rare design
 

#0803

price
POR

[1864, Postmark Illustrated Circular] 2c Black Jack (#73) tied by Hartford, Conn. negative star cancel to printed circular of Justin Snow, used locally the illustrated circular illustrates specimens of "Holt's Patent Ribbon Hand Stamp" markings and the device, the marks illustrated do include at least two of a postal type (Milford, NH and U.S. Military Rail Road), actual strikes from the device also appear on the reverse, PDF file of interior and reverse is here




Richard Frajola (updated April 18, 2019)