The March United States Postal History Sale - Day 2

manuscript notation on April 21, 1845 folded letter to New York City, also endorsed "Will Mr. Johnson please forward this at once", very fine, one of three reported Phillips & Co. covers, Phillips & Co. was founded by Daniel Phillips, Jr. of Hartford as a package express in 1844 and carried a small volume of mail until the postal monopoly in 1845, the company worked in conjunction with other expresses including Adams' Express and...

red oval handstamp (Type F29) and matching "Collect Six Cents for Hale & Co." (Type C3) on folded letter datelined June 8, 1845 from New York City to Hartford, die cut Boyd's City Express Post 2c Black on green (20L4, faults) with red "Free" cancel, manuscript "8" indicating local delivery in Hartford (6c postage plus the 2c local delivery fee), very fine and unusual conjunctive use, ex-Gutman

18 folded letters carried by Hale & Co. to or from Hartford, note various styles of "Collect" boxed handstamps and ovals from Hartford, New Haven, Middletown, and New York, generally fine to very fine, an interesting group for the specialist

clear strike of black double oval handstamp incoming cover to Hartford street address, 1857 3c Dull red (26) ted by target with "Broad Brook Ct Nov 8" datestamp alongside, tiny straightline "Not Found" crossed out, postmarked Hartford November 11 and readdressed to Springfield, Massachusetts, just reduced at left, very fine, one of four recorded examples of the "Hartford Penny Post" handstamp, a great local post rarity, ex-Brown and Golden...

red datestamp on folded letter from Mobile, Alabama to Preston City, Connecticut dated April 12, 1845, carried by "politeness Mr. Ames" to New York City or Boston where it was given to Hale & Co., red boxed "Collect Six Cents for Hale & Co." (Type C3), Hale was not able to delivery to Preston City to put into the mails at Hartford, manuscript "10" rate, some creasing and edge tears, fine and unusual, Preston City is located on the...

position 11, margins large to grazing, blue pen cancels on February 16, 1846 folded letter to Hartford, Connecticut, red "New-York 16 Feb" datestamp and matching arced "Paid", very fine and attractive

red boxed handstamp on folded letter to Harwinton, Connecticut, entered the mails with red "Hartford Ct. Apr 19" datestamp, manuscript "5" rate, pencil mathematical figuring on reverse and inside, light file folds, very fine strike and cover, only two or three handstamps are known from the Hartford office of the New York and Boston Magnetic Telegraph Association, American Stampless Cover Catalogue #34, rarity 8, illustrated Vol. 3, page 27,...

19 covers and folded letters from Hartford's short-lived "blue period" during which postmaster Normand Lyman switched from the city's usual magenta ink to blue, includes the earliest blue ink postmark (May 24, 1847) and continues through December of that same year, handstamps include "5" and "10" numerals, pointing hand "Paid", and "Steam", generally fine to very fine, an interesting study of this seven month period

red integral rate datestamp and matching pointing hand "Paid" on folded letter to "Rev. Eli Smith, Beirut, Syria", endorsed "Care of Rev. R. Anderson, D.D., Mis'y House Pemb(erton) Sq., Boston", carried outside the mails to Beirut, disinfection slits for cholera on front and back, very fine and rare, Reverend Eli Smith was a lifelong missionary best known for translating the Bible into Arabic

red datestamp on cover to Brockport, New York, franked with horizontal pair of 1847 5c Dark brown (1a), large margins and pen cancel, large red "10" rate handstamp and matching pointing hand "Paid", very fine and attractive, one of just eight pairs of the 1847 5c issue known from Hartford, 1976 Philatelic Foundation certificate

magenta datestamp with matching grids tying 1847 10c Black vertical bisect (2b) to mourning cover to Brooklyn, Connecticut, very fine, the only legitimate 1847 10c bisect from Hartford (a second example listed by Alexander was proven fake) and the  only 1847 10c bisect on a mourning cover, an extraordinary and beautiful cover, ex-Rust, Hawley, Boker, and Gross, 1987 Philatelic Foundation certificate

red first day of issue datestamp on cover with 1851 3c Orange brown, Type I (10, position 1R1E), margins clear to grazing at left, tied by black grid, addressed to Uxbridge, Massachusetts, small corner stain lightly cleaned, very fine and choice, a gem first day cover of the 1851 3c issue, Wilson Hulme recorded 43 July 1 covers for this issue, of the four from Hartford this is the only example with the stamp tied, ex-Simpson, Shaughnessy,...