We will be out of town exhibiting at the Florida Book Fair, Ephemera Conference in Connecticut, and the St. Louis Stamp Expo until 1 April and not processing orders until our return.

New Arrivals

Results 1 - 25 (of 27)

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Item #010004 1863 – Letter from a soldier in one of the most disgraced Union regiments of the...

1863 – Letter from a soldier in one of the most disgraced Union regiments of the Civil War reporting that it had been banished to Hilton Head Island as punishment for burning its barracks in Chicago and destroying a historic fence at Yorktown after it had been paroled following its ignominious surrender at Harper’s Ferry

Jacob Brown

Hilton Head, South Carolina. Envelope or Cover. This four-page letter, sent by Jacob Brown to his father, is written on rather scarce patriotic stationary featuring a strutting rooster in red and blue, titled “Game Cock of Uncle Sam 1776 1882”. It is datelined “Head-quarters Hilton Reg’t Co. B. 115th regt..... More

Price: $950.00

Item #009999 1852 – Letter from a foreman reporting the status of laying track for the Ohio and...

1852 – Letter from a foreman reporting the status of laying track for the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad with a crew of “men not worth a damn.”

E. F. Judkins

Loudonville [Ohio]: 1852. Unbound. This four-page letter from E. F. Judkins is datelined “Loudonville [Ohio] December 19 1852”. There is no mailing envelope. In this letter, Judkins, who was apparently the foreman of a track-laying crew for the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad relates the difficulties he is facing and..... More

Price: $150.00

Item #009998 Circa 1851-1857 – Letter sent via the Augusta & Atlanta Rail Road (later the...

Circa 1851-1857 – Letter sent via the Augusta & Atlanta Rail Road (later the Georgia Rail Road and Banking Company) regarding the delay of a visit home because the family and its enslaved workers had contracted Scarlet Fever

A. M. Fannin

Envelope or Cover. This stampless letter measures 15½” x 9¾“. It was sent by A. M. Fannin and M P Allen to their relatives, care of “Miss L. A. Fannin / Madison / Ga.” It bears a faint circular red “Augusta & Atlanta R.R.” station agent postmark and a manuscript..... More

Price: $600.00

Item #009991 1845 – Letter from a prospector describing life in the heart of Wisconsin’s lead...

1845 – Letter from a prospector describing life in the heart of Wisconsin’s lead mining country

D. Haskell

New Diggings, Wisconsin Territory: 1845. Envelope or Cover. This stampless letter measures 16” x 12½” unfolded. It was written by D. Haskell at New Diggings, Wisconsin Territory on December 5, 1845 and sent to Phineas Whitney in Cumberland Center, Maine. It bears an excellent strike of rare combination handstamp and..... More

Price: $750.00

Item #009988 1843 – Letter from an important missionary at the Oneida Duck Creek Reservation in...

1843 – Letter from an important missionary at the Oneida Duck Creek Reservation in Wisconsin describing his effort “endeavoring to labor for the good of the Indians.”

Henry Root Colman

Duck Creek Reservation, Wisconsin: 1843. Envelope or Cover. This three-page stampless letter measures 15½” x 12½” unfolded. It was sent by Henry Root Colman to his brother-in-law, Richard P. Speir, who had recently settled in New Orleans. It is datelined “Duck Creek June 17th 1843” and bares a manuscript postmark..... More

Price: $2,000.00

Item #009984 1840 – Letter between business associates reporting that the ice on the Hudson...

1840 – Letter between business associates reporting that the ice on the Hudson River in Troy, New York had broken without any damage to docks or timber stored upon them and recommending switching to the manufacture of “wall strips” in the coming year as there was “no movement in the lumber market.”

C.W. Thompson

Troy, New York: 1840. Envelope or Cover. This two-page stampless letter measures 8¾” x 12½”. It was sent by C.W. Thompson in Troy on 12 February 1840 to business associates, the Nye Brothers, in Champlain, New York. It bears a circular red Troy postmark and a manuscript “18¾”, the cost..... More

Price: $100.00

Item #009982 1828 – Letter from Joseph Rolette at Prairie du Chien, Michigan Territory to...

1828 – Letter from Joseph Rolette at Prairie du Chien, Michigan Territory to Pierre Chouteau in St. Louis, the two most important agents of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Trading Company, reporting that “the Indians are peaceful altho’ intrusions” have been made into “ their lands in search of mineral oar.”

Joseph Roletto to Pierre Chouteau

Prairie du Chien, Michigan Territory: 1828. Envelope or Cover. This four-page stampless letter has one page of text and measures 16” x 10” unfolded. It is datelined “Prairie du Chien 20th Jany 1828” and bears a very fine example of a scarce Michigan Territory, manuscript postmark (see ASCC Vol 1..... More

Price: $650.00

Item #009960 1841-1845 – An archive of correspondence between an exceptionally wealthy ...

1841-1845 – An archive of correspondence between an exceptionally wealthy Massachusetts bootmaker-politician and his son regarding life as a student at Philips Exeter Academy and chronicling the devastating seven-year depression that followed The Panic of 1837

Nathaniel and Georg White

Quincy, Massachusetts and Exeter, New Hampshire: 1841-1845. Envelope or Cover. This archive consists of nine stampless folded letters between Nathaniel White at Quincy, Massachusetts, and his son, George, who attended Philips Exeter Academy and later Yale. The letters were written between 1841 and 1845; eight were written by Nathaniel and..... More

Price: $2,000.00

Item #009955 1735 – Letter between two prominent merchants discuss the shipping of...

1735 – Letter between two prominent merchants discuss the shipping of “Pennopscot” beaver pelts and “Liver Oyle” from Boston to London

William Clark to Christopher Kilby

Boston to London: 1735. This two-page stampless folded letter measures 15” x 11¾” unfolded. It was sent by William Clark in Boston “To Mr Christr: Kilby / Mercht / In London”. The letter was favor carried by a ship’s master, Captain Cary. In nice shape. Transcript will be provided... More

Price: $2,500.00

Item #009954 1795 – Letter from an English merchant to his brother in New York City...

1795 – Letter from an English merchant to his brother in New York City commiserating over his “plundering” by the French, describing his plan to elude the same fate, and requesting a description of life in the city

George Egdell

Alnwick, Northumberland, England: 1794. Envelope or Cover. This two-page stampless folded letter measures 14½” x 8¾” unfolded. It was sent by George Egdell in Alnwick, Northumberland, England to his brother, William, in New York City. The letter is datelined “Alnwick Decr. 10th 1794” and bears an Alnwick postmark and a...... More

Price: $750.00

Item #009953 1807 – Letter from a renowned New Orleans surgeon, mentor of the first trained...

1807 – Letter from a renowned New Orleans surgeon, mentor of the first trained African-American physician in the United States and an associate of Aaron Burr and John Wilkinson, expressing both admiration for and doubt about the Louisiana Purchase

Dr. Robert Dow

New Orleans: 1807. Envelope or Cover. This 1807 two-page stampless folded letter, measuring 16” x 11¾“ unfolded, was sent by Dr. Robert Dow, a long-time Scottish immigrant, living in New Orleans, Louisiana Territory, to John Watkinson at Middletown Connecticut. The letter was carried to New York as indicated by the..... More

Price: $1,500.00

Item #009949 1864-1868 – Three letters from a Michigan Civil War Medal of Honor Awardee: one...

1864-1868 – Three letters from a Michigan Civil War Medal of Honor Awardee: one reporting on actions in Tennessee, one describing the aftermath of the crater explosion at Petersburg and the third recounts his new post-war life in Missouri during the Reconstruction

John A. Falconer

Petersburg, Virginia and Knob Noster, Missouri: 1864 & 1868. Envelope or Cover. The first of these three letters contains four pages and is datelined “Annapolis Maryland / April 8th 1864. Although unsigned, it is in the same hand as the other two letters and was found in the same lot..... More

Price: $1,500.00

Item #009936 1842 – Letter from a West Point cadet complaining about the academy’s arbitrary...

1842 – Letter from a West Point cadet complaining about the academy’s arbitrary and unjust demerit system

Louis D. Welch

West Point, New York: 1842. Envelope or Cover. This one-page stampless folded letter Louis D. Welch to Welch’s father in Brooklyn, Connecticut, measures approximately 8” x 10” unfolded. It is undated, but pencil docketing indicates it was received in 1842. It is postmarked with a circular West Point NY “Nov..... More

Price: $300.00

Item #009940 1864 – Letter from a Confederate soldier in the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment at...

1864 – Letter from a Confederate soldier in the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment at Petersburg, Virginia reporting on desertions from his unit and the probable execution of one soldier caught in an attempt.

Petersburg, Virginia: 1864”. Envelope or Cover. This four-page letter from Joseph “Wyatt” Wilson is datelined “Camp 60th Alabama Regt. Gr’s Brig. [Gracie’s Brigade] / Petersburg Va Dec 23rd 1864”. The letter was written in pencil but is easy to read except for two blurred lines that can be read using..... More

Price: $750.00

Item #009939 1863-1870 – Collection of 14 Documents, Letters, and Ephemera related to...

1863-1870 – Collection of 14 Documents, Letters, and Ephemera related to Recruiting, Civil War Draft Substitution, and Pension Payments at Paris, Maine

Paris, Main: 1863-1870. Unbound. These 14 items vary in size. All came from a descendent of S. P. Maxim, a selectman of the town of Paris, Maine, and as such a member of its Civil War recruiting committee. Most of these items reference either Maxim or the town of Paris..... More

Price: $750.00

Item #009937 1863 – Letter from a soldier in the 25 Connecticut Volunteer Infantry written...

1863 – Letter from a soldier in the 25 Connecticut Volunteer Infantry written March 1863 during the Bayou Teche campaign as the unit skirmished its way from Port Hudson, Louisiana, to Brashear City at Berwick Bay in preparation for General Nathaniel Bank’s Overland Expedition into Texas later that fall

Private Edwin Thorne

Donaldsonville, Louisiana: 1863. Envelope or Cover. This three-page letter from Private Edwin Thorne at Donaldsonville, Louisiana to his mother in Connecticut is dated “March 30 / 60”. It is enclosed in its original mailing envelope which bears a New Orleans arrival postmark dated April 6, 1863. Simultaneously, the envelope received..... More

Price: $400.00

Item #009932 1853 – Letter from the Secretary of the Navy placing the flagship of the Home...

1853 – Letter from the Secretary of the Navy placing the flagship of the Home Squadron at the disposal of one of the worst ambassadors ever appointed who destroyed U.S. credibility in Central America and whose diplomatic filibustering gave rise to William Walker’s attempt to conquer Nicaragua

James C. Dobbin

Washington DC: 1853. Unbound. This one-page letter is datelined “Navy Department / June 1st. 1853.” It is addressed to the Honorable Solon Borland of Hot Springs, Arkansas and signed by James C. Dobbin, the Secretary of the Navy. There is no mailing envelope. The letter is in nice shape with..... More

Price: $450.00

Item #009925 1857 – Letter from a California pioneer who had gone into the lumbering business...

1857 – Letter from a California pioneer who had gone into the lumbering business in the Sierra Nevada

E. C. Gadson

Sevastopol [Sebastopol], California: 1857. Unbound. This two-page letter measures approximately 7.25” x 12.5.” It is datelined “Sevastopol April 11 -57”. Although there were several Sebastopols/Sevastopols in California, the letter’s description of weather and lumbering indicate that this was probably written from the one in Nevada County. No mailing envelope. In..... More

Price: $300.00

Item #009916 1847 – Letter from a Captain in the 1st Regiment Missouri Mounted Volunteers...

1847 – Letter from a Captain in the 1st Regiment Missouri Mounted Volunteers identifying soldiers that had died during in the Navaho Expedition so their names could be published in the Liberty, Missouri Tribune.

Captain John T. Hughes

El Paso, Texas, 1847. Unbound. This one-page stampless folded letter written on “Tuesday 26th” [January 1847] by Captain John T. Hughes, Company C, 1st Regiment Missouri Volunteers is a postscript to a letter he had written newspaper editor the day before while at El Paso, Texas, shortly after seizing the..... More

Price: $1,750.00

Item #009913 Confederate soldier’s letter describing his unit’s fight against Birney’s...

Confederate soldier’s letter describing his unit’s fight against Birney’s Colored Brigade at the Battle of Fussel’s Mill

William J. Kirkland

Brazzell Hill, Virginia: 1864. Envelope or Cover. This two-page letter measures 7” x 8.5”. It is from William J. Kirkland of the 33rd North Carolina Infantry and datelined “Brazzell Hill, Va. Aug. 19th. 1864.” (Perhaps “Brazzell Hill” was a mistaken understanding of “Fussel’s Mill.”) The letter is enclosed in its..... More

Price: $1,500.00

Item #009909 1858 – Letter urging an immediate suit in a convoluted inheritance to recover four...

1858 – Letter urging an immediate suit in a convoluted inheritance to recover four slaves from the son of a dead executor of a South Carolina estate who was now also on his deathbed.

John L. Gamble

Shiloh, South Carolina: 1858. Envelope or Cover. One-page letter dated November 25, 1858, from John L. Gamble of Shiloh, South Carolina, to Messers Spain & Richardson in Sumter. The letter is enclosed in its original mailing envelope franked with 3-cent, dull-red Washington stamp (Scott #26). The cover bears a manuscript..... More

Price: $400.00

Item #009891 1984-1986 – An archive of letters from a citizen to President Ronald Regan and...

1984-1986 – An archive of letters from a citizen to President Ronald Regan and other politicians urging them to implement policies against “the abomination of torture,” along with responses he received from the State Department, Senator Alan Dixon, Senator Charles Percy, and Congressman Sidney Yates; “Dear Mr. President . . . As you said in a recent speech there should be ‘increased respect for human rights everywhere. . .. I know you are promoting democracy which make societies in which torture is unlikely. But it is now, in many countries, by government.”

Ralph E. Works

Various: 1984-1986. Unbound. This archive consists of nine items. Drafts and copies of letters sent by Ralph E. Works of Chicago, Illinois to President Ronald Reagan, Senator Alan Dixon, Senator Charles Percy, and Representative Sidney R. Yates, in which he vigorously urged them to support the United Nations’ 1984..... More

Price: $200.00

Item #009880 1813-1817 – Three letters related to the War of 1812 naval service and prize money...

1813-1817 – Three letters related to the War of 1812 naval service and prize money for the capture of two British ships that was posthumously awarded to the son of a Revolutionary War hero who laments his loss while incarcerated in a Vermont debtor’s prison

General William Barton, Harry Barton, and Jonathan Lillibridge

Savannah, Georgia and the Brig Troup: 1813-1817. Envelope or Cover. This correspondence consists of three stampless folded letters. The first two letters were favor-carried and have no postal markings. The third has a circular Savannah, Georgia postmark and manuscript “75”, three times the normal postage indicating it had two enclosures..... More

Price: $1,500.00

Item #009850 1779 - Revolutionary War funding-status letter from the Commissary-General for the...

1779 - Revolutionary War funding-status letter from the Commissary-General for the Middle District that reads like a who’s who of the Continental Army’s Quartermaster Corps.;

“Extortion and want of Virtue has taken almost possession of Every Person upon this Continent, the Enormous sums of Public money which is daily expended and the great depreciation of it will if not shortly put stop to end in our ruin.”

Philadelphia to Carlisle, Pennsylvania: 1779. Unbound. This two-page letter, datelined Philad’a 15th Feb’y 1779, was sent by Colonel Ephraim Blaine, the Commissary-General for the Middle District of the Continental Army, to Colonel John Davis, the Deputy Quartermaster General for Army’s Western District who was located at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In..... More

Price: $2,000.00

Item #009846 1861 - Anti-secessionist screed sent from San Francisco by a colporteur, John...

1861 - Anti-secessionist screed sent from San Francisco by a colporteur, John “Johnnie” Ware, enclosed in its original rare ‘internal’ Pony Express envelope

“Kill the rattlesnake. Keep his musical bones as a trophy, then throw him over the wall. It does one’s soul good . . . to see the Southerners transepted in this section where they have bullied over [us] so long with dirk and bludgeon”.

San Francisco: June 12, 1861. Envelope or Cover. California politics had long been dominated by pro-slavery Democrats until the presidential campaign of 1860 when their party split into two factions, one led by Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas and the other by Vice-President John C. Breckinridge. This schism allowed the..... More

Price: $12,500.00

Results 1 - 25 (of 27)

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