[Railway Letter Mail] Great Eastern Railway, 2d green railway letter fee stamp, manuscript cross and April 24, 1891 cancel, used on cover that entered the mails with 1d postage tied by London NW datestamp, red ink sender's endorsement, "Post Letter by Rail to Camden Town Station, To be posted on arrival," an early use as stamps first issued February 1, 1891, ex Phillips

[Railway Letter Mail] Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway, three "Graham" covers with 2d green railway letter fee stamps, 1905/1906, used from Ollerton posted at Stoke on Trent, Ollerton posted at Bristol and Boughton posted at London, all ex Phillips

[Railway Letter Mail] North Eastern Railway, franked envelope used from Darlington to Auckland, per 10:55 train, June 8, 1886, indelible blue pencil cross cancel and agent initials, cover creases and tear at top, scarce used, ex Phillips

[Scotland Railway and Steamship Markings] partially mounted collection of 50 covers or cards plus a few loose stamps, 1851 to 1935 but mostly pre 1900, includes markings of Traveling Post Offices, Railway Post Offices, Sorting Tenders, Packets, etc, view the PDF file here (note the first two pages of the file are images of front and back of the single card shown below)

1847/1973, United States stamp collection mounted in green Scott's National Album with supplements to 1973, mixed unused and used condition, for issues to 1928, see PDF file here, better include 5c error of color (#467 in block of four), later issues still mixed unused and used but with with unused $5 Presidential and $5 Hamilton noted, back of the book generally sparse, a few airmails (no zepps), used Parcel Post complete, condition overall is faulty or off-center on the better items to mostly fine on the more routine material, the stamps are correctly identified for the most part, a fine representation

[Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad] blue route agent datestamp on folded Ludlow Beebee correspondence cover to Philadelphia, 10c Black (#2, position 1L) top corner margin copy, other margins large, very clear early impression, neatly tied by "X" pen cancel, ex Gibson, Phil Ward handstamp on reverse, extremely fine

#2, 10c Black, full to mostly very large margins, excellent impression, on 1849 folded letter to Medina C.H., Ohio, orange grid cancel and matching "Jacksonville Ill Dec 25" Christmas Day postmark to left, PF certificate, extremely fine, ex Hart

Canal Boat Way, blue "WAY 6" handstamp of Lynchburg, VA perfectly struck on a 3c Intense Orange Brown (#10A, pos 92L2E, with full to large margins) to folded cover to Lynchburg, carried on the James River & Kanawha Canal, plated and signed with color descriptor by Amonette, accompanied by a Richmond to Lynchburg (Canal Boat) Packet Line illustrated schedule of the period here, superb

Planet. Lake Michigan Steam Boat Co. blue "JUN 15" octagonal datestamp, perfect strike, on cover carried by steamer Planet, entered the mails at Chicago the next day with 3c dull red, (#11, minute corner fault) tied by Chicago Ill postmark, extremely fine, illustrated in Simpson - Alexander, ex Jarrett

Paid & Swirl of Dots, black duplexed fancy cancel of Salem, Mass. on cover with 3c claret (#11A, pos 43L1L) used to New Hampshire, albino embossed locomotive corner card, extremely fine, ex Granzow

#12, 5c Red Brown, large even margins, tied to 1859 Hare correspondence folded letter to Halifax, Nova Scotia by bold "Boston Br. Pkt Aug 10" datestamp, "5" (d) due handstamp below and "Ud States Halifax Aug 7 1859" arrival backstamps, the finest example from this correspondence which is notorious for browned file folds, ex Rohloff (brought $3,750 in May 1977) and Robertson

Overland Via Los Angeles, Four-Horse Stagecoach , hand-painted and with "via Los Angeles" portion of text crossed through to indicate desired carriage via the Central Overland route, "San Luis Obispo Cal Apr 4" postmark (1861, during the period when equipment on the southern route was being moved north) and boxed "Free" handstamps as addressed to the Third Assistant PMG in Washington, DC, extremely fine, PF cert, ex Oscar Salzer and illustrated in Ashbrook (Figure 52C)

#63, 1c Ultramarine tied by red New York Paid 1c Apr 11 datestamp to Adams Express company embossed corner card cover addressed locally, extremely fine, ex Haas and Jarrett

I am aware that there has been disagreement about certain types of these embossed corner cards. Of this specific type, George Sloane noted of this type, "I have doubt about the printing of some of these 'Eagle' seals ... (however) I have seen the buff envelope genuinely used with U.S. 1861 stamps" (copy of his reference notes included); I believe this example to be genuine and have signed it

[15c California rate to Canada] 10c Green (#68) tied with 5c Brown (#76) to cover to Peterboro, Canada by target cancels, Stockton Sep 16 1863 datestamp, red "Chicago Ill 15 Paid" exchange office datestamp, GWR East transit backstamp and Peterboro Oct 12 1863 arrival, illustrated in Coburn's Letters of Gold, ex Haas and Myerson, very fine

[1865 use to Russia] #73, 2c Black tied with 3c Rose (#65, faults) and 30c Orange (#71) to Pierce correspondence cover by PCM to St. Petersburg, Russia by Portland Maine duplex postmark, red "N. York Br. Pkt. Paid Sep 20" exchange datestamp and "14" credit handstamp, blue "Aachen/Franco" boxed handstamp, blue crayon "F3" (sgr) transit to Russia, prepaid correct 35c rate, carried on the Cunard Line steamer "Scotia" from New York on Sep 20, 1865, ex Gibson, Paliafito and Faust

[US Post Office in Shanghai used to Iowa] #68a, 10c dark green, straight edge at right, tied to 1868 cover by Shanghai quartered cork cancel (Frajola type SHA-Can6), bold "U.S. Con. Genl. Shanghai May 26" origin postmark correcting an additional strike with "May 25" date, cover carried by branch Line steamer Costa Rica that departed Shanghai on May 26 and arrived at Yokohama on June 3 in time to catch the June 5, 1868 departure of PMSS steamer Colorado to San Francisco, steamer arrived San Francisco early June 26 and received the magenta "CHINA & JAPAN STEAM SERVICE" ornamented handstamp (Frajola SFC-PMS3, reported used on bagged bag between November 1867 and December 1869), "San Francisco Cal Jun 26" postmark, the cover most likely carried on the daily mail via the central route to Orford, Iowa even though endorsed "Via Panama," PF cert (here), cover light vertical crease at left not mentioned in certificate, an extremely fine use (see Frajola, et al "The United States Post Offices in China and Japan, 1867 to 1874")

[Pierce-Work Valentines, 1895/1898] three extremely intricate and large (6.5 by 8.5, 10 by 8.5 and 10.5 by 8.5") valentines from the same correspondence used locally in New Haven, CT, each with original embossed cover franked by 2c (2) or 2c and 3c stamps, minor rough edges, one of the nicest groups of Victorian style valentines I have seen (PDF file of images here)

1c Eagle Carrier used to Germany, 1c blue carrier (#LO2) with red star cancel on 1853 cover from Philadelphia, via New York and by Prussian Closed Mails to Wurttemberg,blue 12 November Philadelphia, PA postmark with overstruck "6" at foot, matching "30" rate handstamp at left, "New York Br. Pkt "23"  debit exchange office handstamp, carried by Cunard Line steamer Africa, red Aachen "29/11" transit backsamp (image of back here), PF cert (here), one of ten reported examples of the Eagle Carrier used to Foreign destination, one of two known to Germany, very fine

25c Red Virginia City Pony Express, (#143L9, full even margins), exceptional deep rich shade, tied to Crittenden correspondence 3c pink on white Wells Fargo franked entire to San Francisco by blue "W.F & Co. Virginia City N.T. Jul 1" 1864 postmark, pencil "37" and "67" delivery route numbers, the original letter and the PF certificate no longer accompany but letter is described in my 1981 auction catalog, the finest of the 25c red Virginia City ponies in the correspondence (it brought $7,150 in the 1981 auction), ex Haub

[American Express] train illustrated black on magenta "Forwarded by American Express from Lockport, Wells, Butterfield & Co" adhesive label on cover, endorsed vertically "express fee $25/100 not paid" (on $26 enclosed) and docket on reverse noting that it had enclosed interest on a note dated 1 December 1857, cover horizontal crease through label

[Hale & Co. Baltimore] red "Forwarded By" handstamp and matching "Paid" handstamp on May 13, 1845 (last month of Hale's) folded letter to New York, exceptional strikes, extremely fine, ex Jarrett and Gutman

sold

[Hale & Co.] Pair of 1844 letters from the Pierce correspondence, New York to Boston, single and double rates, first with clear 6 1/4 rate handstamp (March 6, here) and second with 12 1/2 rate handstamp (March 20), both are extremely fine, ex Gutman

[Leonard's Express] "Forwarded by Leonard's Express, 3 Court St., Boston, 180 Main St., Worcester" fancy shield handstamp on cover to Boston with additional "By Leonard's Exp." endorsement, original February 27, 1856 folded note regarding the health of an individual, no mention of enclosure or merchandise, ex Blake (when it was the unique listing copy)

[Swarts Post Office, Astor Place Riots] Swart's Post Office Chatham Square ornamented oval handstamp in orange on a to the mails, May 16, 1849 folded letter to Mass., pencil "2" Swart's notation and entered the mails with New York 5c datestamp, letter is a first hand account of events following the "Astor Place Riot" (which is said to have been caused by disagreement as to who was the better Hamlet actor, Macready or Forrest, when folded, the edges are aged, a very nice letter

US Express Mail N.Y. N. York Oct 14 orange red steamboat route agent postmark, type A, "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "18 3/4" rate on 1843 folded letter to Boston

Rail Road Car red straight line route agent postmark with pencil "Sep 8" date and matching "5" due rate on 1846 folded letter from New Lebanon Springs, NY to Sconodoa, NY, this would have been carried on the Mohawk & Hudson RR as well as the the Utica & Schenectady RR, minor tone spots, an unusual and rare use, ex Hahn

Cayuga & Susqh. R.R. orange red railroad route agent postmark of the Cayuga & Susquehanna Railroad (Remele #C4-A) and "10" due rate handstamp on folded 1850 letter from Aurora, NY to St. Johnsbury, VT, a scarce, early use, ex Hahn

Illinois Central R.R. July 25 route agent datestamp tying 3c dull red (#11) to July 17, 1855 folded letter from New Orleans to Saint Louis, letter endorsed at upper left the the steamboat J(ames). E. Woodruff and with large oval "Forwarded By Fowler & Morton Commission & Forwarding Merchant Cairo, ILL" handstamp, extremely fine use

Richmond Rail Road, Richmond R.R. railroad route agent datestamp (Remele R7c as "rare") tying 3c dull red (#11A, pos. 2L3, full margins) to folded letter from Fredericksburg to Staunton, very fine

New London, W(illimantic). & P(almer). R.R. route agent postmark on September 30, 1856 folded letter from Monson, MA to the postmaster at Uncasville, CT, a free use although not marked as such, only 5 reported examples, ex Hicks and Olenkiewicz

[1857/1861, Pacific Rail Road Company] three items - an 1861 multicolor rail road pass signed by D.R. Garrison as President (here); a blue cameo corner card cover with train illustration used from California, MO with 3c Dull Red (#11); and a perfect strike "Pacific Railroad" route agent handstamp tying a 3c Dull Red to cover, the group ex Risvold (sold for $2,280 including buyer's premium), ex Kramer and David New

CHARGED, clear red handstamp of the Baltimore, MD post office on 1835 folded letter to Brooklyn, partially clear Baltimore postmark and manuscript rate, edges tears and edges worn, the only example of this marking that I recall seeing, ex Meyer and Gallagher

[Prepaid Steam] folded 1847 letter from Calais, Maine endorsed "paid" and "per Express" that entered the mails at Boston with their "STEAM" handstamp, Boston July 20 postmark with internal "10cts" rate and "Paid" handstamp, rare prepaid steam use, ex Blake

sold

[Steamer Tow Service Needed], "On Service Important" endorsement on unusual August 15, 1848 folded note to Capt Lofer, Philadelphia from a ship master requesting "A Steamer to tow the Barque Elizabeth to the Schuylkill Arsenal Wharf. The Barque lies off the Navy Yard. If possible, I wish it today.", additional pencil note below, "Capt. Derrickson has the steamer May at the Wharf & will go to the Bark as soon as he takes in some wood," a most unusual use

[San Francisco Missent] boxed handstamp and their May 21, 1861 datestamp on unpaid cover from France addressed to New Jersey, missent to San Francisco, French origin postmark and New York April 17 entry postmark with 15c due rate, a scarce marking and especially so on foreign mail

[#3, 2c Green, Spur Variety], variety "spur at top left" (position 60L) clearly visible in margin, large large margins, tied to local use cover by blue Petersburg Virginia July 14 postmark, cover has two small minute tone specks, extremely fine and one of the finest quality single frankings known, ex Richey, Hart and Kilbourne

[#13 var, 20c Green, Oxford, NC roulette variety] (Scott catalog value for the roulette on a regular cover is $3,750) with clear roulettes on all sides affixed over Oxford, NC 10c  provisionally handstamped "Paid 10" in dotted circle on light brown cover to Raleigh, stamp is tied by mostly clear "Oxford N.C. Apr 11" (1865) postmark, minor edge cleaning not mentioned on PF certificate, signed Dietz, ex Hill and Hulme

[Pair of 1848 Letters, Per Ship "Tsar" of Boston to Hawaii], New London Adam's Express Agent Kingsley arranged a mail connection to Boston to catch ship to Hawaii, a pair of February 1849 folded letters from Connecticut, one from New London, one from Norwich, to Boston to catch the sailing of the ship Tsar to Hawaii, both entered the mails to Boston at Norwich with prepaid "5" rates, the Tsar departed Boston on 1 March 1848 and sailed via Rio De Janeiro and to Papeete, Tahiti before arriving in Lahaina on 17 September 1848, ex Olenkiewicz

Richard Frajola (December 3, 2021)