Virginia City, Montana to Richview, Illinois: 1872. Envelope or Cover. This letter is written on official “Territory of Montana. Executive Department” letterhead, dated November 13, 1872. It is accompanied by its official “Executive Department / Montana Territory” mailing envelope which is franked with a three-cent green Washington stamp (Scot #147)..... More
New York Navy Yard to Church Hill, Maryland: 1852. Envelope or Cover. This stampless letter is dated “Navy Yard . New York / May 10. 1852”, franked with a strip of three 1-cent Franklin stamps (Scott #7, Type II - no balls on the bottom scrolls), and cancelled with New..... More
![A CONTRACT STEAMBOAT COMPANY DELIVERS THE MAIL FROM UP THE MISSISSIPPI FROM NEW ORLEANS]; Two...](/pictures/thumb/009604.jpg?v=1595110686)
New Orleans, Louisiana to Rodney, Mississippi: 1856 and 1857. Envelope or Cover. Both one-page folded letters measure 9” x 11” unfolded. One is datelined “For Natchez / New Orleans 9 Feb 1856” and the other, “For Princess / New Orleans 3 Mch 1857.” Both are franked with imperforate, three-cent dull..... More
Cincinnati: 1810. Unbound. This stampless one-page folded letter measures 15.5” x 12.5” unfolded. It was sent from Sedam’s farm near Bold Face Creek about three miles west of Cincinnati and is dated November 11, 1810. The cover is addressed to McHenry at Baltimore, Maryland. It has a manuscript Cincinnati postmark..... More
Juneau, Alaska and Portland, Oregon: 1948. Unbound. Two-page typed letter, unsigned. The letter is datelined, “Morningside, Hospital. / Montaville, Station. / Portland, Oregon. / Sept, 23, 1948,” and is in nice shape. Eino Mack was the son of a Finnish emigrant who worked for the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company..... More
Manilla, Philippines: Santo Thomas Internment Camp: February 16, 1945. Unbound. This onion-skin file copy of a letter measures 8.5” x 11”. It was written by “Walter” (who identifies himself as an employee of Trans World Airlines) immediately after his liberation from the Saint Thomas Internment Camp run by the Japanese..... More
Atlantic Gulch, Wyoming: 1872. This manuscript letter measures 5”x8”. It is in nice shape, but was laid-down years ago on a period marbled bookboard. There is no mailing envelope since it was given in person by a father to his ten-year-old son along with “½ gr of native gold taken..... More
Pittsfield, Massachusetts: 1840. Unbound. This four-page folded letter measures 16” x 10” unfolded. It was sent to Reverend Thomas H. Gallaudet in Hartford, Connecticut by Horatio Brinsmade in Pittsfield Massachusetts. The letter is dated January 8, 1840. It bears a 10-cent blue manuscript rate mark in the upper right corner..... More
Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory: 1865. Envelope or Cover. This letter to Belfast, Ohio, is datelined “Ft. Laramie, D. Tery., Oct. the 20th 1865” and the envelope is franked with a 3-cent Washington stamp (Scott #65). It bears a scarce “Fort Laramie Dak” postmark along with a Goshen, Ohio, transit stamp..... More
Tallahassee: 1848. Unbound. This one-page folded letter measures 15.5” x 10” unfolded. It is dated “January the 16th, 1848.” The cover bears a green “Free” handstamp indicting no postage was required as it was addressed to a U.S. Senator. It is postmarked with a green circular Tallassee handstamp dated January..... More
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia: 1861-1862. Envelope or Cover. One year of letters home written by soldier in a volunteer unit that defended Washington, DC at the beginning of the war before it reorganized and eventually fought at a number of battles including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. Ten..... More
Camp Lucas (St. Louis), Missouri to Warren Court House, Pennsylvania: 1847. This one-page stampless folded letter measures 15.5” x 10” unfolded. It is dated “Camp Lucas May 30th 1847.” The cover must have been delivered by hand, outside of the postal system, as it is unfranked and bears no postmarks..... More
Hsi Chi Men, China: 1925-1926. Unbound. Small archive of correspondence, photos, and ephemera kept by an anti-imperialist American YWCA missionary in China as the country lurched through The May Thirtieth Movement towards the Second Chinese Revolution and eventually full civil war. The archive consists of 11 captioned photos, a...... More
Petersburg, Virginia to Brickland Plantation, Lunenburg County, Virginia: 1864. Envelope or Cover. This four-page folded letter measures 15½” x 10” unfolded. It is datelined “Petersburg Oct 17th 1864” and franked with a Confederate 20-cent green Washington Stamp (Scott # 13) tied to the cover by a faint red Petersburg postmark..... More
San Francisco, California to Liverpool, England: April 23, 1869. Envelope or Cover. This one-page folded letter is franked with a 12-cent black Washington stamp embossed with an E-grill for postal security (Scott # 90). The stamp is canceled by a fancy radial cork handstamp. It bears a magenta San Francisco..... More
November 6, 1775. Envelope or Cover. This two-page stampless folded letter measures 13” x 8” unfolded. It is datelined “Kent County, November 6th 1775”. It is annotated “p Post” and bears a “G Town” postmark as well as two faint manuscript marks: a Philadelphia “1/s” (one shilling) in the upper..... More
Naples: 1810. Unbound. This two-page stampless folded letter measures approximately 14.5" x 10" unfolded. It was sent by Olphert Tittle in Naples to Olphert Tittle (his father) in Beverly, Massachusetts. The letter is dated "March 11th 1810," and its salutation begins "Honor'd Mother." It bears a weak red strike of..... More
Clay Center, Kansas: 1898. Envelope or Cover. The envelope features an illustration of a man hanging by his feet from a parachute attached to an ascending hot air balloon. It is addressed to “Secy of Fair. McPherson, Kansas.” The letterhead contains illustrations of “The Balloon Ascending, Leaving the Balloon, Parachute..... More
Greenpoint (Brooklyn), New York: 1861. This 3-page letter and endorsement measure approximately 8” x 9”. It was apparently carried by courier between Rowland’s Continental Iron Works and the Providence Tool and Armory Company, which employed both Borden and Andrews, as there are no postal markings. The letter has two horizontal..... More
Richmond, Virginia: 26 July 1861. Envelope or Cover. This 5.5" x 3.25" 'opened' envelope has two Richmond, Virginia postal markings: a circular city postmark dated "Jul 26 1861" and a circular "Paid 10" handstamp indicating Confederate postage was paid at the time of mailing. There is also a bold strike..... More
Near Rio de Janiero to Omak, Washington: December 1943. Envelope or Cover. This two-page airmail letter sent by an American missionary, is written on “Motorship Gripsholm” stationery and datelined “Nearing Rio de Janiero S. A. / Nov. 12, 1943.” The envelope is franked with an orange 6-cent Presidential Series stamp..... More
New York to San Francisco: June 1-4, 1876. Unbound. The transcontinental Lightning Express captured the attention of the nation while transporting a theatrical troupe from New York to San Francisco in record-breaking time for opening night. A small archive relating to Jarrett & Palmer's famous non-stop transcontinental Lightning Express..... More
