380th Auction

1838, ROYAL WILLIAM: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Liverpool 5 July 1839" endorsed "p Royal William Steamer for New York", addressed to Quebec with red "NEW-YORK SHIP JUL 25" and "MONTREAL JY 28 1838", charged with "2/-" resp "20¾" for triple rate, no apparent Canadian charges, small part of the address erased, a fine and scarce entire

1838, ROYAL WILLIAM: Final Atlantic Voyage, folded lettersheet endorsed "Royal William", addressed to London, reverse with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER", charged with "3/2", fine

1838, SIRIUS: Maiden return voyage, folded letter with full content endorsed "pr. Sirius" addressed to London, no apparent charge, arrival in Falmouth with red boxed "SHIP LETTER FALMOUTH", charged "1/8", scarce entire

1839, BRITISH QUEEN: Maiden Voyage, folded lettersheet (no side flaps) from "SMYRNE TURQUIE 19 JUIN 1839", endorsed "Pr. British Queen", addressed to Wooley, Bell & Co, the forwarder in Liverppl. On the "Eurotas" to Malta where it was disinfected with matching " PURIFIE AU LAZARET MALTE", from there put on the "Ramses" to Marseilles. Charged with "5/5" for the double rate, with further manuscript charge "20¾" for the 18¾ inland postage plus 2c. ship fee, reverse slightly reinforced, an attractive and very rare non-contract steamship letter showing disinfection, ex Dick Winter

1839, GREAT WESTERN: Folded lettersheet from "MOBILE JUN 5" and matching straight-line "PAID" alongside to London via New York forwarder, endorsed "Express", charged with "75" in red ink (25cents inland and 50 cents express fee), ocean crossing unpaid, two-line "BRISTOL SHIP LETTER" applied, fine and scarce

1839, GREAT WESTERN: Folded letter with printed letterhead from a director of the Transatlantic Steamship Co that provides evidence that many letters were sent as parcels to avoid Post Office charges "For parcels supposed to contain letters and which are desired to be put into the letter bags we do not give receipts", addressed to New York with adjacent "PAID AT Liverpool", fine

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Western Bank July 5 1839" with red cds. "BALTIMORE JUL 4", endorsed "Steamer Liverpool", addressed to London, rated as quadruple letter and charged "100" (4x25 c. freight money) and in Liverpool rated as double-weight letter with "3/2", fine and interesting entire

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Richmond 11th Dec 1839" with matching red cds. "RICHMOND DEC 11 Va", endorsed "p. Liverpool Steam Ship", addressed to Liverpool, reverse showing red two-line "PAID STEAM" which is peculiar to Richmond on Transatlantic mail, forced into Fayal to re-coal, charged with "8" uniform ship letter rate, fine and interesting

1839, LIVERPOOL: Folded letter dated "Quebec 8th May" with matching red cds. "QUEBEC MY 11 1839" alongside, addressed to Falkirk, reverse with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIPLETTER", three strikes of "PAID" with manuscript ratings "11", "18¾" and "25", charged with "1/8" and Scottish wheel tax, fine and interesting entire

1840, PRESIDENT: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Liverpool 25 July 1840" with red "SHIP-LETTER LIVERPOOL 31 JY 31", endorsed "pr. President", addressed to New York, charged with "8" d. for the ship letter rate effective 10th January 1840 from anywhere in the U.K., fine and scarce entire

1840, PRESIDENT: Maiden Return Voyage, folded lettersheet from New York, endorsed "p. Steamer President", addressed to Bordeaux, charged with "8" shipletter rate and finally "46" decimes, fine

1840, PRESIDENT: Folded letter dated "NORFOLK Virginia 28 October 1840" with matching cds. "NORFOLK OCT 29", straight-line "PAID" and manuscript charge "Inland 25 / Steamer 25", addressed to Paris, carried from New York to Liverpool with two-line "LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER" on reverse, manuscript "8" due rating, "1/6" charge to France, very fine and attractive, letter was carried on the 2nd of 2½ round voyages before the "President" was lost at sea without a trace. The only recorded freight money letter from Norfolk, Va. 

1843, GREAT WESTERN: Folded letter dated "Edinburg 8th February 1843", franked with 1841 GB Victoria 2d. horizontal strip of six and horizontal pair, tied by maltese cross, endorsed "p. Great Western from Bristol", adressed to New York. Especially the first two stamps of the strip somewhat touched, vertical crease through the second stamp as well as further right, still and attractive entire

1845, GREAT BRITAIN: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "London 25th July 1845" to New York, endorsed "per Great Britain", red "SHIP LETTER PAID LONDON 25 JY 25 1845" struck alongside, charged with "8" for the ship letter fee, fine

1845, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Liverpool 26 Sept. 1845" to Portsmouth, pre-paid the ½oz ship letter rate of "8", red "NEW-YORK SHIP OCT 15 12 cts." alongside, fine

1846, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Liverpool 19 August 1846" endorsed "p. Great Britain", addressed to New York, charged "8" for ship fee, leaving Liverpool on the 22nd of September with matching "SHIP-LETTER LIVERPOOL SP 22 46" on reverse, during the journey the strip stranded on the rocks in Dundrum Bay of the Coast of Northern Ireland, the mails were quickly salvaged and sent on to New York, there charged with "7" cents., a very fine and rare entire with only a handful of covers from this Shipwreck known

1846, GREAT BRITAIN: Folded letter dated "Smyrna 8 Juno 1846" to Boston, endorsed "p Steamer via Liverpool", slit and fumigated, forwarded by J. Thompson & Co., missed the sailing of the "Cambria", reverse showing "SHIP LETTER LIVERPOOL JY 6 46" and put on the "Great Britain" for which the normal rate would have been 8d., fine

1847, MISSOURI: Maiden Return Voyage, folded letter dated "New York 31st Aug 1847", endorsed "p Steamer Missouri" addressed to Cognac, charged with "29" decimes, fine

1847, PHILADELPHIA: Maiden Return Voyage, folded letter dated "New York 14 Aug. 1847" addressed to Cognac, with scarce boxed "PAW. REC" (Salles 1701), charged with "18" decimes (10d. sea postage and 8d. inland postage), fine

„BRITISH QUEEN”: Return maiden voyage. Folded letter New York 15th August 1839 to London via PORTSMOUTH SHIP LETTER, no apparent charge, probably paid 25 cents freight money. Charged 1/4d - 8d Ship Letter and 8d inland to London.

1840, ACADIA: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Hampton July 12th 1840" with matching two-line "T.P. Hampton" alongside, addressed to Torono, unpaid and rated "1/-", carried overland to Pictou, with the "Unicorn" to "QUEBEC AUG 20 1840", then overland to Toronto, where charged "1/4", fine and attractive

1840, BRITANNIA: Maiden Voyage of Cunard Line, folded letter dated "Birmingham June 29" with matching red cds. "BIRMINGHAM" to Montreal, endorsed "pr. Britannia Steamer", cover transferred to the "Unicorn", arrival "QUEBEC JUL 22 1840", charged "2/1" to Montreal, fine 

1840, CALEDONIA: Maiden Voyage, folded letter dated "Malaga 31 Aug 1840" to Boston, forwarded to Gibraltar under separate cover, forwarded by James Girom, who paid "1/-" at London, fine

1840, UNICORN: Maiden Voyage, Folded letter dated "Leith 28 Apr. 1840", privately carried to Liverpool where it was placed in ship's letter bag, endorsed "p. Unicorn Steamer", with red "BOSTON SHIP JUNE 4" with red manuscript charge "27" (25c for inland postage, 2c. ship fee), extremely fine and rare, marking the Inauguration of Cunard Line Service

1841, COLUMBIA: Maiden Voyage, price current dated "Liverpool 4. January 1841" with matching "PAID AT LIVERPOOL JAN 5 1840" alongside to Richmond, paid single rate "1/-", arrived in Boston with red "BOSTON SHIP JAN 21 MS" and charged as double "52", light ink corrosion, otherwise fine, scarce

1841, COLUMBIA: Maiden Return Voyage, folded letter dated "N York 27 Febr. 1841" via Forwarder "FORWARDED FROM HARNDEN´S PACKAGE EXPRESS & FOREIGN LETTER OFFICE WALL ST. NEW YORK" to Bordeaux, reverse with "AMERICA L" oval handstamp, at Calais exchange office rated "31" decimes, fine and scarce

1841, COLUMBIA: Folded letter dated "Philada. Aug 28 1841" with adjacent Forwarding Agent handstamp "FORWd FROM HARNDEN & COs FOREIGN LETTER OFFICE PHIL." to London, reverse with scarce "AMERICA L", charged with "1/-", fine

1842, CALEDONIA: Folded letter from Edinburgh with matching red "PAID at EDINGB JAN 14 1842" to Lexington, endorsed "Per Boston Halifax Liverpool Royal Mail Line". The "Caledonia" returned damaged, mail transferred to "ACADIA" with arrival "BOSTON SHIO MARCH 23", charged in blue "27", fine and interesting entire

1842, COLUMBIA: Money letter dated "Montreal March 23 1842" with matching red "MONTREAL MA 23 1842" to London, endorsed "Paid per Halifax Steamship", the ship broke a shaft 400 miles out of Halifax thus did not get to Boston, sailed under canvas for Liverpool April 4th and arrived 20th of April, than bagged directly to London, fine

1843, COLUMBIA: Folded letter dated "Kingston June 23rd 1843" with matching red "KINGSTON JU 25 1843" to London, charged "25" as double rate to Boston. The ship when aground in fog near Seal Island 2nd July, mail and passengers were rescued and put int "Margaret", upon arrival charged "2/-", fine

1843, HIBERNIA: Maiden Voyage, Victoria 2d. blue, seven singles, mostly good margins, tied by Maltese cross to folded lettersheet, mis-bagged to Boston and then sent to Delaware with reverse manuscript "Missent to Delaware" and adjacent cds. "DELAWARE...", re-directed to London-District, Upper Canada, a little soiled, an interesting entire

1844, ACADIA: Folded lettersheet "Account of Sales" from Liverpool to New York, endorsed "Pr. Acadia  - via Boston", weighing 2½oz thus rated "6/-" for a 3oz letter, charged $ "1,89½" upon arrival, fine

1844, ACADIA: Folded letter dated "Edinburgh 2nd August 1844" to New York, franked with 1841 Victoria 2d. blue horizontal strip of five and single, tied by numeral "131", right stamp touched at bottom, some faults, otherwise fine

1844, BRITANNIA: Small envelope from "WEYMOUTH MY 1 1844" to Bermuda, endorsed "pe Halifax Mail", pre-paid with "1/-", arrival Halifax 16th May, put on board of the "Roseway", arrived in Bermuda 28th May, fine

1844, HIBERNIA: Folded letter dated "Malaga 1st April 1844" to Boston, privately carried across the frontier to Gibraltar, there posted on P&P steampship "Great Liverpool" with "GIBRALTAR PAID" handstamp and charged with "2/11", red Boston "SHIP 6" applied upon arrival, fine and scarce rating

1845, CAMBRIA: Folded lettersheet dated "Liverpool 3rd January 1845", with matching black "LIVERPOOL JA 3 1845" on reverse, to Quebec, unpaid as a 2oz letter rated "4/8", charged changed to "5/2½", fine entire with a 10-day inland transit because of difficult winter conditions