Dumfries, Virginia to Geneva, New York: 1815. Unbound. This three-page stampless letter measures 12.5” x 7.5”. It is dated “Elm Wood 19th Sept 1815” and bears a manuscript “Dumfr 19 Sept” postmark applied at Dumfries, Virginia along with a “37½” postal rate mark, the cost to send a letter over..... More
Mohawk, New York: circa 1857. Unbound. This envelope features a hand-drawn pen illustration of a young man trudging along a road and pushing a wheel-barrow with a large crate addressed to “James Johnson, Clinton Liberal Institute, Clinton, N.Y.” It is franked with a 3-cent, plum or deep claret, Type III..... More
Various locations: 1842-1847. Unbound. This archive consists of 36 letters (34 to McLoughlin, one by McLoughlin, and one to McLoughlin's widow) and two documents. All have original postal markings. Some have splits beginning along mailing folds; one is in two parts. An annotated contents list will be included. In..... 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. The archive consists of 11 captioned photos, a 14-page letter, a bilingual brochure for a Camp for Chinese Girls and Women, and a 17.5" x 22" anti-imperialist broadsheet. Some soiling, ink bleed, beginning splits, and minor insect predation. As noted in a Kingston..... More
Redwood City, California: October 15, 1940. Unbound. This typed letter, dated 17 October 1940 and signed by a prominent Issei member of California's Japanese-American community presents a 2' x 4' silk U.S. flag to an unnamed person, presumably a government official or journalist. Both are in nice shape; the display..... More
Dunkirk, France: 1918. Letter and envelope are both lightly toned. The envelope has been postmarked with an APO #2 (Paris) flag machine cancellation and has some old tape repairs. Lasher's letter speaks of making patrols, provides details about regularly coming under fire from big German artillery guns firing upon..... More
Various location in Mexico: 1916. Envelope or Cover. Although two previous U.S. experimental airmail flights occurred in 1911, it wasn't until 1916 during the Pancho Villa Punitive Expedition that the first real U. S. airmail service was begun by the Army's 1st Aero Squadron and its eight JN-3 Curtis-Jenny aircraft..... More
Bridgewater to Fall River, Massachusetts: 1861. Unbound. This two-page letter is dated “Bridgewater, Dec. 14. 1861.” It is enclosed in an envelope featuring an illustration of the Bridgewater State Normal School which has been franked with a brown-red 3-cent Washington stamp (Scott #65). The envelope, which features an illustration of..... More
Blackfeet Agency, Montana: December 21, 1883. Unbound. This five-page letter is datelined “United States Indian Service / Blackfeet Agency, Mont. / Dec: 21st, 1884.” It is addressed to Major Allen’s family at Freeport, Ohio. There is no accompanying envelope. In nice shape. Transcript provided. An exceptional letter from the..... More
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC: American Red Cross, 1917-1918. Various. This archive consists of one American Red Cross membership card, two American Red Cross donation receipts, four official letters discussing American Red Cross certification on official American Red Cross letterhead (three with their postally use mailing envelopes), one postcard discussing..... More
M.C.A.S. Goleta California to Armed Guard School, Gulfport, Mississippi: 1944. Unbound. This two page letter is written on U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara stationery is dated “Jan. 25 – 44.” It is enclosed in a free-franked, Marine Corps envelope and postmarked at Goleta, California on January 26, 1944..... More
Monrovia, Liberia: 23 January 1860. Envelope or Cover. This signed letter from Liberian President Steven A. Benson is datelined “Government House / Monrovia Jan 23rd 1860”. It is enclosed in a stampless envelope addressed to “Benjamin Coates Esqr / Philadelphia / U.S.A.” The envelope is annotated “M. C. Stevens” in..... More
Stalag IIB (Hammerstein, Germany): 17 June 1944. Unbound. This German Kriegsfangenenpost Postkarte (prisoner of war mail postcard) is addressed to Jodice’s girlfriend in Watertown, Massachusetts. It bears an indistinct German town postmark and purple handstamp from Stalag IIB. A U.S. censor’s handstamp that was applied before delivery is in the..... More
Alexandria, Virginia: 1862. Unbound. This two-page letter is datelined “Near Alexander va Nov 13th 1862.” It is complete with an inch of toning along the top edge. Short .5” splits starting at the ends of one mailing fold. A transcript will be included. Aldrich was a member of the..... More
. Stafford, Virginia to Buck Hall (Buckhall), Prince William County, Virginia: 1840. Envelope or Cover. This one-page, stampless folded letter measures approximately 13” x 8” unfolded. It is datelined, “Stafford Sept. 4 : 1840” and addressed to “Mrs. Mary A. Hoole / Buck Hall / Prince William / V.” It..... 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
Bilbao, Spain: 1831. Envelope or Cover. This three-page stampless, folded letter is datelined “Bilbao 5th Augt 1831.” Although it references an enclosed invoice, the invoice is no longer present. The letter was no doubt favor-carried to Le Havre in France as it bears a faint forwarding agent cachet on the..... More
Ship Burgundy to Middletown, Connecticut: August 14, 1837. Envelope or Cover. This two-page folded letter measures 16” x 10” unfolded. It bears a circular red New York “Ship” postmark dated August 16 and is in nice shape. The ship Burgundy regularly brought immigrants from Europe to the United States..... 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
1944-1945. Envelope only, no letter. The envelope was addressed to Private First Class Walter Mikucki at the Osaka Yodogawa Bunsho POW Camp in Japan. It has a typed “Prisoner of War Postage Free” free frank in the upper right corner and has received a Chicago “War Savings machine postmark dated..... 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
Onboard the SS Admiral Rogers, Chatham Sound, Canada (just south of Ketchikan, Alaska): 1923. Envelope or Cover. This foldout postcard measures 11” x 7” when opened into a four-page menu. It is franked with U.S. two-cent Washington stamp (Scott # 554) which has been cancelled by a duplex Seattle &..... More
Liverpool to Richmond via the Black Ball Line: 1830-1831. Envelope or Cover. These stampless folded letters both measure 16” x 10” unfolded. The 1830 letter discusses the market for American tobacco in Liverpool, and the 1831 letter discusses the market for other products, specifically butter, oats, flour and cotton. One..... More
