The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History continued...

12¢ Black (17), Position 9L1 with double transfer, mostly full margins, just barely in at bottom, used with horizontal strip of three 10¢ Green, Type III (15), large margins to slightly in at bottom, tied by two strikes of "Galva Ill. Jun. 17" (1857) circular datestamp on cover to Hudiksvall, Sweden, sender's route directive "Via Prussian Closed Mail" and correctly prepaid 42¢, red "19" credit handstamp (no exchange office datestamp)--carried on the Cunarder Canada, departing New York on June 24, 1857, and arriving at Liverpool July 7--red "AACHEN 8/7 FRANCO" (July 8) framed datestamp, magenta manuscript "f5" indicating 5 silbergroschen postage paid beyond German-Austrian Postal Union border, backstamped with "St.P.A. 9 Jul 57" Hamburg oval, "K.D.O.P.A. HAMBURG 9/7" circular datestamp applied on back by the Royal Danish Postal Agency in Hamburg, and "(K.S.?)P.A. Hamburg 9/7 1857" double-circle applied by Royal Swedish Postal Agency in Hamburg, Helsingborg (July 10) datestamp

Very Fine; stamps lifted and reaffixed, and some minor cover wear.

Prior to the catastrophic crop failures and famine of 1867-1869, which drove Swedish farming families to leave their country, there was only a small population of Swedes living in the United States. Consequently, mail volume was low, and covers from the 1840s and 1850s are rare. The rural community of Swedish religious dissidents in western Illinois was founded in 1846. About 400 immigrants arrived under the leadership of Erik Jansson, a wheat farmer turned preacher, after a three-month voyage from Sweden and a 150-mile trek from Chicago. In 1857 the Andover and Galva post offices served these Swedish settlers. The letters had to first travel from the midwest to the port city of New York, then across the Atlantic on a steamship, usually to England, where they were forwarded to the Prussian postal authorities for delivery to the Swedish postal agency. The price of sending a letter by this route was 42¢ per half-ounce in 1857, with 19¢ credited to Prussia. A strip of three 10¢ stamps and single 12¢ conveniently paid the postage.

Ex Jack Dick, J. David Baker, Tito Giamporcaro and Joseph Hackmey. With 1983 and 1999 P.F. certificates. (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), three singles, large margins to slightly in, small tears in right stamp and file crease through left 12¢ stamp, used with 1¢ Blue, Type IV (9), large margins to touching, tied by "Philadelphia Pa. Oct. 2" (1855) circular datestamps on blue folded letter to Alexandrovsky, near St. Petersburg, Russia, sender's route directive "Via Prussian Closed Mail" and prepaid 37¢ rate, red "New-York Am. Packet Oct. 3" circular datestamp on back, magenta manuscript "14" credit--carried on the Collins Line Baltic, departing New York October 3, 1855, arriving Liverpool October 14--red "AACHEN 16/10 FRANCO" (October 16) framed datestamp, blue manuscript "f6" on back and "f3" on front indicating German and Russian transit fees had been paid, Fine, an extremely rare 1851 Issue cover to Russia and one of the few with the 37¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate--this letter refers to the fall of Sevastopol during the Crimean War and the end of Danish-American treaties--ex Ishikawa and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate

The Winans Correspondence

The two folded letters offered in lots 294 and 295 are addressed to William L. Winans, who worked for the American railroad construction firm Harrison, Winans & Eastwick. He and his brother Thomas traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, while the firm worked on construction of the Czar's new railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The Winans' contract was to equip the new Russian railway with locomotives and stock cars. They established workshops in Alexandrovsky, near St. Petersburg. When the railway was completed in 1851, Thomas returned to Baltimore with his Russian wife, while William stayed until 1862. (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), three singles, large margins to clear, faint gum toning, used with 1¢ Blue, Type IV (9), large margins to slightly in, tied by "Philadelphia Pa. Apr. 15" (1856) circular datestamps on blue folded letter to Alexandrovsky, near St. Petersburg, Russia, sender's route directive "Via Prussian Closed Mail" and prepaid 37¢ rate, red "New-York Br. Pkt. Apr. 16" circular datestamp on back, magenta manuscript "14" credit--carried on the Cunarder Asia, departing New York April 16, 1856, arriving Liverpool April 28--red "AACHEN 30/4 FRANCO" (April 30) framed datestamp, blue manuscript "f6" on back and "f3" on front indicating German and Russian transit fees had been paid, bleached spots and toning along file fold, otherwise Fine, an extremely rare 1851 Issue cover to Russia and one of the few with the 37¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate, ex Giamporcaro and Hackmey, illustrated in The 1851 Issue of United States Stamps: A Sesquicentennial Retrospective (p. 366).

The Winans Correspondence

The two folded letters offered in lots 294 and 295 are addressed to William L. Winans, who worked for the American railroad construction firm Harrison, Winans & Eastwick. He and his brother Thomas traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, while the firm worked on construction of the Czar's new railroad from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The Winans' contract was to equip the new Russian railway with locomotives and stock cars. They established workshops in Alexandrovsky, near St. Petersburg. When the railway was completed in 1851, Thomas returned to Baltimore with his Russian wife, while William stayed until 1862. (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal strip of three, mostly full to large margins except touched at top left, a few toned spots, used with 1¢ Blue, Type II (7), Position 71L2, large margins including parts of adjoining stamps at right and bottom, tied by grid cancels and "Oxford O. Jul. 20, 1857" circular datestamp on buff cover to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and forwarded to Mount Korong, addressed to James W. Messler and directed in another hand "By British Packet via England", prepaid 37¢ for a non-applicable rate but credited "12" cents for 33¢ British Mail via Southampton rate by American Packet--despite the directive, this was not carried on a British steamer; it was carried on the Inman Line City of Washington, departing New York on July 23, 1857, and arriving at Liverpool August 5--red "New-York Am. Packet Jul. 23" circular datestamp on back, red British transit datestamp (August 6), Melbourne rimless oval backstamp (October 15), another part strike of receiving backstamp applied at Victoria

Very Fine--an outstanding 1851 Issue foreign-mail cover, with a franking that is rare because it overpaid the prevailing 33¢ rate to Australia.

James W. Messler traveled to Australia in search of gold and found success. His activities are noted in an account of Joshua Rogers Gray's life in Australia at http://www.thetreeofus.net/8/273960.htm . It includes this colorful description:

During the time I was partners with Messler and some years after he left I usually bought from 100 to 150 ounces of gold per week. The gold bought at Wedderburn had to be taken either to Sandhurst Maryborough or Ballarat for sale. The profit on the gold was from 2/- to 3/- per ounce but the risk to life and property was very great and I have very little doubt but I would have been nobbled and in all probability killed had it not been generally known that I always went armed and that I was not likely to part with life or treasure without a struggle.

Ex William C. Michaels, Marc Haas, Louis Grunin, Ryohei Ishikawa and Joseph Hackmey. (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal strip of three, ample to mostly clear margins, used with three 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11), slight creases, manuscript cancels, two 3¢ stamps tied by "Holmes Hole Ms. May 4" (1857) circular datestamp on yellow cover to Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies, addressed to Captain S. Lyman Norton of the ship Minstrel, in care of Paine, Stricker & Co., sender's directive "Via Southampton" but prepaid 45¢ instead of prevailing 33¢ rate--carried on the Cunarder America, departing New York May 6, 1857, and arriving at Liverpool May 17--red "New-York May 5, 1857" circular datestamp (not the normal foreign-mail office marking), magenta manuscript "40" cents credit for British Packet service, red British transit datestamp (May 18), manuscript "30" for additional postage due in Batavia, faint cover bleaching not affecting stamps, otherwise Fine--the sender wrote "Via Southampton" to indicate the route, but by this date the rate to Java by British Mail via Southampton was only 33¢; the 40¢ credit applied in New York may have ensured that it traveled on the faster route via Marseilles (45¢ rate)--ex Hackmey.

The Norton Correspondence

This sale contains three remarkable covers addressed to Captain S. Lyman Norton as he sailed the ship Minstrel from Boston to the East Indies and Far East in 1857 and 1858. Included are covers with the 1851-56 Issue addressed to Java (lots 246 and 297) and Singapore (lot 270). (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), two horizontal pairs and single, used with 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11) and 10¢ Green, Type II (14), margins vary and at least five stamps faulty, cancelled and tied together by red grids, matching "New Bedford Mass. Jan. 13" (1857) circular datestamp on yellow cover to Kema, Isle of Celebes, East Indies, addressed to Captain James L. Smith of the whaling ship Newark, in care of the governor of Kema, sender's directive "pr. Overland Mail" and "via Singapore", prepaid 73¢ for the British Mail via Marseilles rate which was reduced to 61¢ in January 1856 and 39¢ in January 1857, "Boston Br. Pkt. 14 Jan." circular datestamp on back, red crayon "70" credit--carried on the Cunarder Niagara, departing Boston January 14, 1857, and arriving Liverpool January 26, then via Mauritius and Calcutta--manuscript "2" (possibly for British Colonial credit), backstamped "Packet Letter Mauritius MR 2 1857" double-oval and "Calcutta Steam Letter" framed datestamp with 1 rupee, 1 anna, 2 pies manuscript due notation (slightly over 51¢), ex Potter (H. R. Harmer sale, 4/27-28/1948, lot 53), "Sevenoaks", Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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