Spink Shreves Galleries Sale

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POSTMARKS BY STATE continued...

KANSAS continued...

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

1041

Fort Scott, Kansas, two covers, first a manuscript "Fort Scott, Mo./Oct 7" and "25" rate while in "Missouri Country" on 1844 folded letter with integral address leaf to Boston, this being the earliest known postmark from this town, second a "Fort Scott, K.T./Feb 3" balloon style datestamp while Kansas Territory tying 3c Dull red (#11, fault) to cover to Glen Cove, N.Y., both very fine.The letter was written from the fort by Lt. William Eustis to his brother, he writes: "We are still living in our log cabin but have some hope of moving into the new Quarters next month. The work is done entirely by soldiers"Fort Scott was established on the Marmaton River, a few miles west of the Missouri line. The original site of the fort had been selected by Capt. Nathan Boone (son of Daniel Boone) and Col. S.W. Kearny in 1837 and was named for General Winfield Scott. It played an important part in the troubled period of the 1850's to 1860's known as the "bleeding Kansas" period. (imagea) (Image)

Est. $500-750

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

1042

Fort Scott, Kansas (1858), large "Fort Scott, K.T./Apr 22" datestamp while Kansas Territory and matching straightline "PAID" handstamp on buff cover to Governor Denver at Lecompton with corner card of George A. Crawford, attorney and land agent, with his original letter, fresh and very fine.The writer, George Crawford, was one of the founders of the town of Fort Scott. At the time of this letter Fort Scott was said to be a hotbed of Free Staters and pro-slavery sympathizers. Under the dateline "Fort Scott, K.T., Apr 22, 1858" Crawford writes the Governor: "Gov Denver, Yesterday some of Jim Denton's gang from the Osage, to the number of 20, commenced robbing pro-slavery men & national free-state democrats on the Marmiton [river], above town. The Marshall & 20 men under Capt. Anderson went after them and chased them into some timber, behind a bluff from whence they fired and mortally wounded one soldier, scratched the Capt. with a ball, killed two horses and hit the Capt.'s horse in three places. The Capt. sent for 20 more men, with long guns. When they got there, however, and charged on the ravine the scamps had made their escape, leaving all sorts of plunder, which they had been carrying away. We had hoped they would have all been caught. The affair created great excitement here. It is said they notified all Pro-slavery men to leave the Marmiton. - What are we to do? The very old Nick is in the people for mischief. The great mass of the settlers are well disposed - but this organized band strikes terror to them..." (Image)

Est. $400-500

SOLD for $1,450.00
Will close during Public Auction

1043

Fort Zarah, 1865, cover to Webster Groves, Missouri with 3c Rose (#65) and manuscript "Fort Zarah Ks/Aug 2 '65" postmark, fresh and very fine; one of only two known cancellations from this fort.Fort Zarah, Kansas was established September 6, 1864. Located east of Walnut Creek, about three miles from its confluence with the Arkansas River three miles east of the town of Great Bend, on the Santa Fe Trail. Mostly used to guard the trail, providing military escorts both east and west. Named for Maj. Henry Zarah Curtis, who was killed in Quantrell's Baxter Springs massacre on October 5, 1863. The post was abandoned by the military on December 4, 1869.The Post Office was established in Marion County as Kiowa on April 8, 1864. The name was changed to Fort Zarah April 28, 1865 and discontinued July 6, 1871. (Image)

Est. $500-750

SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction

1044

Moore's Ranch, 1861, cover with 3c Dull red (#26, corner fault) tied by manuscript "Moores Ranch K.T. Feb 23/1" Kansas Territory postmark to Bay Port, Florida, very fine.The post office was established on November 14, 1860 and was discontinued November 9,1866. It was located on the headwaters of Cottonwood creek, in the northwest corner of Marion County, with Ira G. Moore as postmaster. The cover shown above was postmarked "Moores Ranch, K.T. Feb. 25" without a year date. However the three cent stamp used was from the 1857 issue, which was demonetized by congress, in August of 1861, because of the Civil War. Therefore, the year date would have to be 1861 - about three and one half months after the establishment of the post office. (Image)

Est. $300-400

SOLD for $800.00
Will close during Public Auction

1045

Pawnee Fork, Kansas Territory, beautifully struck double circle "Pawnee-Fork, K.T." datestamp with manuscript June 4 date added on orange cover to Columbia, Pa. with 3c Dull red (#26) cancelled by manuscript squiggle, reduced at right, otherwise fresh and very fine; the finer of the two known examples; ex-Baughman. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1046

Shawnee, Kansas Territory, incredibly bold strike of straightline "Shawnee, Kas" handstamp tying 3c Dull red (#26, creased) to buff cover to Kingston, Mississippi, May 7, 1859 docket at left, cover slightly reduced at left and with small nick at top right, very fine strike; the only known example of this straightline postmark.The Shawnee Post Office was established 19 May, 1857. It was located in Johnson County and was the first camp site on the Santa Fe Trail leaving Westport Landing on the Missouri River. Shawnee was sacked and burned by Quantrill and his guerrilla band on 17 October, 1862, which was the prelude to the more famous raid burning Lawrence in 1863. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $1,800.00
Will close during Public Auction

1047

[Kansas Fort postmarks collection], ten covers comprised of "Fort Riley, K.T./Nov 8" territorial postmark tying horizontal strip of three 1c Blue, Ty. V (#9) to cover with 1856 letter, "Fort Riley, K.T./May 17" territorial datestamp on 3c Nesbitt entire with 1858 letter, 1860's manuscript "Fort Riley/Dec 16" tying 3c Rose (#65) and 1887 Fort Riley datestamp, manuscript "Ft. Lincoln/Apr 16" on patriotic cover with 3c Rose (#65), "Fort Lincoln/Feb 27" postmark on 3c Pink entire (#U34), manuscript "Ft. Ellsworth/Aug 31 - 66" with 3c Rose (#65), 1866 double circle "Fort Ellsworth, Kan./Dec 12" datestamp with 3c Rose (#65, damaged), "Fort Harker, Kan./Sep 24" postmark with 3c Rose (#65, damaged) and "Fort Harker, Kan./Mar 25" datestamp on 3c Pink entire (#U34), several slightly reduced, mostly very fine strikes.

Est. $500-750

SOLD for $1,050.00
Will close during Public Auction

1048

[Kansas balance], desirable 19th century cover balance, interesting and varied group of 46 covers with quite a bit of scarce material, includes half a dozen illustrated covers, including one for the Cottage Hotel in Ellsworth Kansas with large illustration of hotel and matching illustrated enclosure with "Stop the Large Emigration" slogan franked by 3c Green (#158), Atchison Foundry Works with large illustration franked by 3c Green (#158) and 1886 Kansas Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb cover illustrating the alphabet in sign language, also some good town cancels such as Pawnee Fork with 3c Rose (#65), two different Fort Larned, Olathe tying 2c Dull red (#26), manuscript Council City with 3c Dull red (#11), Burlingame with strip of three 1c Blue Ty. V (#24), 1885 magenta horseshoe Cimarron, balloon style Wabaunsee on 3c Red entire (#U9), and several county type postmarks, some usual stamp and cover faults, majority fine to very fine.

Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

LOUISIANA

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

1049

Balize - Nov 8 (1807), bold straightline territorial period postmark, matching "SHIP" handstamp and manuscript "27" rate on fresh folded letter with integral address leaf to Portsmouth, N.H. datelined "On Board Ship Bathe, Nov. 7th, 1807," harmless file fold through postmark, very fine.Balize was the isolated abode of the river pilots located in the southwest pass of the mouth of the Mississippi River, situated in a boundless swamp with no firm land in sight. Here the ships going up the river to the port of New Orleans would take on a pilot. The town is no longer in existence. (Image)

Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1050

Fort Madison, Louisiana Territory, 1808, folded letter with integral address leaf datelined at "Fort Madison 30th Nov 1808" in what was then Louisiana Territory and probably carried by military courier, entering the mails with manuscript "Chickasaw Feby 9th 1809" Mississippi Territory postmark (now Arkansas) and matching "25" rate to St. Louis, cover with numerous reinforced internal splits, otherwise very fine. (Image)

Est. $400-500

SOLD for $1,150.00
Will close during Public Auction

1051

Franklin, Louisiana (1850) to Goettingen, Germany, pair of folded covers with integral address leaves sent five months apart, first with red "Franklin, La./Feb 22" datestamp and matching straightline "Paid" and "10" handstamps, departed New York on the Cunard Line steamer Canada on March 20th and arrived Liverpool on April 1st, thence to London on the 2nd, from where it departed by ship to Bremen where it arrived on the 5th with "9 2/12 England/uber Bremen" handstamp struck twice and Goettingen April 6th backstamp, the other with "Franklin, La./Jun 21" datestamp, straightline "Paid" and ms. "24c" rate and endorsed "Steam" and "6", departed New York July 6th on the Collins Line steamer "Pacific" with red straightline "U.S. Pkt." handstamp, arrived Liverpool July 17th, thence to London the next day, then from England by ship to Hamburg and overland to Bremen where it arrived with red straightline "4 England/uber Bremen" handstamp, Goettingen July 23rd backstamp, very fine pair. (imagea) (Image)

Est. $300-400

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

1052

N Orleans * Jun. 16, well struck Orleans territorial period straightline postmark on 1804 folded letter with integral address leaf to Philadelphia, Pa. with manuscript "75" rate, fresh and extremely fine.On 20 December, 1803 the French flag came down over New Orleans and the largest real estate transaction in American history, known as the Louisiana Purchase, was concluded. This cover was mailed just about six months later and before the establishment of the Territory of Louisiana on 1 October, 1804. (Image)

Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

1053

New Orleans, Apr 4 (1806), clear ornamented Territorial period datestamp on fresh 8 March 1806 folded letter, in Spanish from Moro, with integral address leaf to the fur trader and explorer Manuel de Lissa (Lisa) at St. Louis, Illinois, manuscript "25" rate, very fine.Manuel Lisa was a founder of the Missouri Fur Trade Company. (Image)

Est. $300-400

SOLD for $650.00
Will close during Public Auction

1054

[New Orleans, via Kingston, to Mexico], New York, N.Y. to Vera Cruz, Mexico via British mails, folded cover with integral address leaf datelined "New York, 3rd December, 1851" with vivid red oval "British/25" credit handstamp applied in transit at Kingston, sent outside of the mails to the forwarding agent Voigts & Jeanrenaud at New Orleans with their red double oval handstamp on reverse dated 11 Dec. 1851 in manuscript, then entered the mails with red "New Orleans, La./Dec 24" datestamp, matching "Paid" straightline handstamp and manuscript "35" rate indicating amount of postage paid to be mailed to Mexico via the United States and British mail steamships in the Caribbean, arrived in Kingston with "Kingston-Jamaica/Ja 30, 1852" backstamp and straightline "Detained for Postage" handstamp with "1/4" due, ignoring the fact that the British steamship postage had been paid, then light red manuscript "1N4" indicating that the forwarding postage had been paid the U.S. Consul, and departed Jamaica with red "Kingston Jamaica/Fe 12, 1852/Paid" postmark, very fine and unusual routing; the only recorded example of the "Detained for Postage" marking, which was sent to Kingston by London on 26 August, 1845. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $1,400.00
Will close during Public Auction

MAINE

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

1055

Waterville, Me./Feb 13, datestamp and matching "1" handstamped drop rate on French comic envelope with allover design from the 1850's, very fine and rare usage. (Image)

Est. $1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,900.00
Will close during Public Auction

MASSACHUSETTS

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

1056

British Consular Office BOSTON, red handstamp on 1843 folded letter originating in New Orleans, with blue "New Orleans La/Jan 20" postmark, addressed to New York with "25" cent rate, where the address was crossed out and privately forwarded to Boston, where it received the red "Boston" handstamp of the British Consul for carriage to London via the British packet, arrived Feb. 18, 1843 (backstamp), "1" shilling collect to England, vertical file fold through the markings, fine; the British Consular handstamp is rarely seen. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

1057

[Boston, Via Kingston, to Mexico], folded letter to Durango, Mexico by British mails, printed letter with integral address leaf datelined "Boston, December 31, 1851" with red "Boston, Mass./Jan 8" datestamp, straightline "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "35" rate, as well as a red oval "British/25" credit handstamp applied at Kingston, "Kingston-Jamaica/Mr 2, 1852" backstamp and departed the same day with red "Kingston Jamaica/Mr 2, 1852/Paid" postmark and red manuscript "1/4", arrived in Vera Cruz with their datestamp and matching "4" reales due handstamp for inland transmission, very fine and rare. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $4,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

1058

Ludlow, Mass/May 23 (1853)/Paid, red printed postmark on advertising circular of Charles M. Willard to Beech Creek, Pa. offering to sell the postmaster "Post Office Handstamps" which he manufactured, with illustrations of the postmarks in red on the first page, extremely fine and scarce. (imagea) (Image)

Est. $1,000-1,500

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

1059

Nantucket, Mass. red oval postmark and their "SHIP" handstamp with 20 3/4 manuscript rate on folded letter with integral address leaf to Exeter, N.H. datelined February 7, 1838 "At Sea on board the Brig Sevlin/Lat 32 22 S Long 78 W", long letter with interesting contents about the war between Chile and Peru, very fine. (Image)

Est. $300-400

SOLD for $210.00
Will close during Public Auction

MICHIGAN

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

1060

[Ethnologist Schoolcraft writes from Detroit] Trio of autograph letters signed by Henry Schoolcraft, the renowned scholar. The first two are written from Detroit, March 8, 1831, and October 16, 1833, both are to his brother-in-law and sub-agent, George Johnston, first in Sault Ste. Marie, and then in Mackinac. The last is to Henry Sibley, US Representative for Michigan, Washington, January 25, 1853. In the first, he laments the sinful ways of the locals: "I regret that the French population...are so insensible of their wants as to reject the preaching of Mr. Bingham...I had hoped that some changes would have resulted … But it seems dancing & drinking, have been as common as usual...Satan has lost none of his advocates." In the second, he asks Johnston to put away some supplies that have been delivered for him. His only news is that "The Michigan steam boat, a really splendid vessel, went out on her first trip four days ago." The last letter concerns his famous work, Historical and Statistical Information Respecting ... the Indian Tribes of the United States, which he was in the midst of publishing. He reports that his illustrator, Capt. Seth "Eastman is engaged in drawing some scenes of the buffalo hunt, for my 4th volume. Will you do me the favour to describe some of these...as they exist on the plains and Red River?" Schoolcraft, Henry - American geographer, geologist, and Indian agent (1793-1864); married the half-Ojibwe writer Jane Johnston; surveyed much of the future states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana; Indian agent at Sault Ste Marie and Mackinac Island; Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Department; his ethnological studies of Native Americans were the finest of their time. (Image)

Est. $750-1,000

SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction