THIS EXTREMELY RARE PUBLICATION IS THE FIRST AUTHORIZED EDITION OF THE QUEEN ANNE POST OFFICE (REVENUES) ACT OF 1710, WHICH ESTABLISHED GREAT BRITAIN’S POST OFFICES IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES AND INTRODUCED STANDARD RATES FOR CALCULATING POSTAGE IN THE BRITISH ISLES AND COLONIES.

From the 1660s until 1692, various efforts were made by individuals and colonial governments to establish posts in the American Colonies. In April 1692 the first British Parliamentary Act establishing a post office in North America gave the 21-year postal patent to Thomas Neale (1641-1699), a member of Parliament and Master of the Mint and the Transfer Office. Neale remained in England and assigned responsibility for establishing the postal system to Andrew Hamilton, who traveled to America and worked with various colonial governments to develop posts under the Neale Patent. After Neale’s death in 1699, the patent passed to Hamilton and another financial backer, Robert West. The posts in America were never profitable, and the Crown refused to support the enterprise. It effectively ended in 1707. [Source: "Neale Patent Mail, 1693-1707," Timothy P. O’Connor, M.D., Chronicle 237, February 2013].

Parliament’s interest in postal patents as a means to raise revenue grew from the need to finance the War of Spanish Succession, which lasted for virtually all of Queen Anne’s reign. The Post Office (Revenues) Act of November 25, 1710 -- the Act of Queen Anne -- was designed to raise revenue for the Treasury and extended the General Post Office’s authority to all of the colonies under British rule. Significantly, the new law established standard postage rates, prohibited private express carriers from transporting letters not related to goods they were carrying, and completely forbade stagecoach drivers from carrying mail. The full text of the law can be found at http://www.gbps.org.uk/information/sources/acts/1710-11-25_Act-9-Anne-cap-10.php (Image)

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VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE PICTORIAL WINDSOR LOCKS HANDSTAMP. A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN POSTAL ART.

Windsor Locks is named for a set of canal locks that opened in 1829. It is situated just south of the first large falls in the Connecticut River, the Enfield Falls, which is the northernmost point that seagoing vessels can reach on the Connecticut River before transferring to smaller ships. The post office used two different pictorial handstamps showing a steamer in locks. The example offered here is the second type, which is much scarcer than the first (more than 2:1 ratio, according to Duffney census at http://www.ctpostalhistory.com/CtPP/Postal_Markings_files/W-L2013LR.pdf ). Richard B. Graham wrote that the Windsor Locks "Boat-in-Canal" pictorial postmark is possibly the most distinctive early handstamp of them all." (Image)

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VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE EXAMPLE OF THE NORTHERN LIBERTIES NEWS ROOM MARKING ON A LETTER TO HAMBURG, GERMANY, FORWARDED THROUGH HUDSON'S NEWS ROOM IN NEW YORK CITY. A TRULY SPECTACULAR COVER HANDLED BY THE NORTHERN LIBERTIES SUB POST OFFICE AND AGAIN BY THE HUDSON'S NEWS ROOM SUB POST OFFICE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED USE OF THE NORTHERN LIBERTIES MARKING ON MAIL TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY.

Prior to 1854, the Northern Liberties area (north of Vine Street) was outside Philadelphia's city limits. Carriers were used to transport mail between outlying areas and the main post office in Philadelphia. The term Sub Post Office refers to a location where letters could be deposited for delivery to the main post office. The Northern Liberties News Rooms, which advertised its services as early as 1833, established a Sub Post Office in 1835. The proprietor at this time was Andrew McMakin. A news item appearing in the October 10, 1835, edition of the Philadelphia Saturday Courier states: "The enterprising, attentive and indefatigable proprietor of that popular establishment, the Northern Liberties Free Admission News Room, has found the business of his Sub Post Office so much on the increase, as to induce him to prepare a new and appropriate stamp, which we perceive is now imprinted upon all letters deposited at his office." (from research by Elliott Perry and J. William Middendorf).

The folded letter offered here is addressed to Mrs. Paul A. Oliver, the wife of the captain of the Tiber. Based on the contents of this letter, she was traveling with her husband and had just stayed with the sender in Philadelphia. The Tiber had just sailed from New York when this reached the "care of" addressee in New York City -- it is crossed out, but probably reads John McBrair (North American Insurance Co.) at 58 Wall Street. It was left at the Hudson's News Room, on the corner of Wall and Water Streets, which served as letter forwarders and prepared bags of mail for each departing ship based on destination. Hudson's New Room was started in late 1835 by the Hudson brothers, and by the beginning of 1836 advertised themselves as a Sub Post Office with frequent delivery to the main post office. By 1837 James Hale was an employee, and he took over the operation on March 9, 1838.

This letter was most likely put on the Franklin, which was advertised as the next vessel departing for Hamburg in the February 24, 1836, edition of the Shipping and Commercial List. This letter received the "Schiffs Brief-Post" (Ship's Letter Post) marking on arrival in Hamburg.

This is a new discovery and offered to the market for the first time. It has been added to the Frajola census at http://www.rfrajola.com/NLNR.htm (we are grateful to Mr. Frajola for his assistance with this description). (Image)

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VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER WITH TWO DIFFERENT CLIPPERTON ISLAND STAMPS, USED FROM PANAMA TO SAN FRANCISCO. THIS IS THE ONLY SUCH USE RECORDED.

A fascinating article on Clipperton Island was written by Wolfgang Baldus in the Oct. 2009 issue of The Postal Gazette. Clipperton Island lies 670 miles southwest of Mexico in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is named for the English mutineer and pirate, John Clipperton, who made it his hideout in 1705. The island is a ring of dead coral surrounding a lagoon, and was rich in guano. From 1892 to 1897 the Oceanic Phosphate Company had operations on the island, which was estimated to contain one million tons of fertilizing material. Plans called for 150-200 miners, but the population never exceeded 25 people. Plans were made to use the stamps on mail to and from the island, and ten denominations were created. Very few covers are known.

Accompanied by 1918 note from London stamp dealer Fred Melville (Image)

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