Boston: American Tract Society, [1860). Unbound. This all-over advertising envelope features an illustration of the Tract House at 28 Cornhill in Boston, Massachusetts. Advertising text reads, “Home Evangelization Foreign Distribution / Tracts and Books. / Tract Journals Child At Home / Missionary Colportage.” It is franked with a dull red..... More
St. Louis, Missouri: Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, 1898. Envelope or Cover. This “all-over” multi-color Ligget & Myers Tobacco Company cover is franked with a 2-cent Washington stamp (Scott #220) tied by a St. Louis machine cancel dated 1893. The cover features a colorful fantasy illustration of a boy fishing..... More
Chicago, Illinois: Wm. Wrigley Jr. and Co., 1902. Envelope or Cover. This advertising cover features color illustrations of 12 different varieties of Wrigley’s gum (Juicy Fruit, two types of Blood Orange, Licorice, Lemon Cream, Vanilla Pepsin, two types of Pepsin, Banana, Peppermint, Spearmint, and Pineapple). It is franked with a...... More
Cincinnati, Ohio: 1947. Envelope or Cover. The elder Rabbi Brickner, the long-serving rabbi of Anshe Chesed Congregation in Cleveland was a well-known educator, orator and Zionist leader. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, often simply referred to as the Joint, was initially founded in 1914 to provide assistance to Jews..... More
Quincy, Illinois: Electric Wheel Company, 1908. Envelope or Cover. This illustrated advertising cover features a farm scene with two Electric Wheel wagons loaded with hay as well as an illustration of an Electric Wheel. The text reads, “Electric Wheel Co. Manufacturers Solid Metal Wheels and Farmers’ Handy Wagons.” The envelope..... More
New York: 1864. This attractive billhead is 10” x 8.5” and printed in black on blue-gray paper. The illustration features a shore bird examining roasted poultry of different sizes. An blue 2 cent Bank Check stamp (Scott R5) is affixed to the document. The bill is for 157 chickens, 25..... More
Boston: 186. This very attractive billhead is 5.5” x 8.5” and printed in black. The terrific illustration features two men in a downpour. One very unhappy man is dressed in street clothes and top-hat getting drenched by rain as the wind rips apart his umbrella. The other man remains content..... More
Philadelphia: 1870. This very attractive billhead is 7” x 8.5” and printed in brown. The illustration features a number of bottles and casks surrounded by a lush grape vine. A legend above the illustration reads, “Importers of Brandies, Wines, Gins, $c.&c. Old Bourbon & Rye Whiskies always on hand.” An..... More
New Brunswick, New Jersey: [1891]. Envelope or Cover. This grouping consists of a four-page brochure, a sample of Lintine, a sample of Johnson’s Rubber Adhesive Plaster, and their original mailing envelope that features a “red cross” logo corner card. The envelope is franked with 1-cent blue Franklin stamp (Scott #219..... More
Boston, Massachusetts: Smith & Thayer Co., 1903. Card. This advertising postcard for Winchester Steam Heaters measures approximately 10” x 6”. It features an all-over print, titled “The Secret of Mt. Pelee” in grey, green, and red, perhaps with a little additional hand-coloring, that shows an idealized version of the volcanic..... More
Bluffton, Indiana: 1879. Various. This lot consists of an illustrated 8-panel leporello (accordion-fold) brochure and a letter on illustrated letterhead, both enclosed in an illustrated advertising envelope. The brochure was printed in 1875, and the letter is dated 1879. The envelope is franked with a 3-cent green Washington stamp (Scott..... More
Alaska and Washington DC: 2001. Unbound. This NPR-A (National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska) Update newsletter was sent from Alaska to the Department of Energy in Washington, DC. It has a meter postmark dated "11-30-01" and bears a two-line, blue "MAIL SANITIZED" handstamp located between the postmark and mailing address. The newsletter and..... More
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia: 1888 and 1895. Envelope or Cover. The cover promoting Cody’s book, Story of the Wild West and Camp Fire Chats, features a portrait of dapper Cody. It is franked with a three-cent green Washington stamp (Scott #213) postmarked with a Philadelphia duplex handstamp dated July..... More
Cincinnati, Ohio: The J. M. Brunswick & Balke Company, 1875-1879. This archive consists of one illustrated Brunswick & Balke advertising envelope, three letters referencing the financial dispute on illustrated Brunswick & Balke letterhead, one shipping document on illustrated Brunswick & Balke billhead, and eight Brunswick & Balke customer promissory notes..... More
New York: 1879. Unbound. This thank-you grouping consists of a Female Guardian Society advertising cover, a two-page thank-you/solicitation letter written on the organization’s stationery, and a religious tract. All in very nice shape. In 1834 a group of women established the Female Moral Reform Society of New York with the..... More
Liverpool: George Holt & Co., 1841. Unbound. This two-page folded letter and circular measures 15.5”” x 9.5” unfolded. It is addressed to A. Richards, Esq., New York and dated 4 June 1841. The cover has a manuscript annotation that reads, “Via Boston / Steamer Columbia.” There is a “Paid at..... More
Thibodeauxville: 1831. Unbound. This two-page folded letter measures 16” x 9.75” unfolded. The cover has no postmark nor rate mark, so it is likely it was carried outside of official post office channels. The letter’s paper is supple but it has developed splits along several folds, so quite fragile... More
Middletown, Connecticut: 1852. Envelope or Cover. Four-page letter with its mailing envelope. The cover bears a circular Middletown, Con. Postmark with black “PAID” and circled “3” handstamps; three cents being the cost to mail a prepaid letter up to 3,000 miles. Both are in nice shape. In this..... More
[Edinburgh, Scotland]: Ado Lesage, ca 1840. This envelope parodies the then on-going battle between the Court of Sessions with the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for legal supremacy within Scotland. The front panel features brawling clerics and judges with policemen using nightsticks to restore order... More
Bridgewater, New Hampshire: 1846. Unbound. This partially printed document summarizes the vote taken “at a legal town meeting . . . at Bridgewater in the county of Grafton on Tuesday, march tenth, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and forty-six . . . for one person..... More
New York: B. K. Bliss & Sons, 1874. Unbound. Five-piece grouping of advertising materials sent by B. K. Bliss in New York to L. W. Hamlin in Collisterville, Pennsylvania in 1874. Includes An illustrated advertising cover, a Comstock advertising brochure (Hand Cultivator and Onion Weeder, Seed Sower and..... More
Cleveland, Ohio: The Eclipse Musical Company, 1909. Envelope or Cover. In the early days of musical recordings, the word “phonograph” was strictly applied to the cylinder machines produced by Thomas Edison. His largest rival, Emile Berliner, manufactured disc based machines known as Gramophones. “Talking machine” was a generic term used..... More
Elkhorn, Oregon (now a dead post office): 1911 – 1920. Unbound. This lot of consists multiple items: One canceled check from the Silver King Mining Company, one application and contract to purchase Silber King Mining Company stock, two Silver King Mining Company employment agreements accepting shares of capital stock in..... More
Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Yachting Association, 1880. Envelope or Cover. The bi-fold, cardstock invitation is addressed to L. Lockwood Esquire of Sandusky. It includes a chart of the regatta course as well as the regatta rules and list of prizes. Also included are the cover letter and envelope used to forward..... More
New York: Charles Gulden, 1908. Envelope or Cover. This colorful letter from Gulden’s Mustard contains a mimeographed notice (signed in print by Charles Gulden) informing stores the company has obtained a temporary injunction against a rival firm to prevent the sale of Chance & Son’s “Don Caesar” olives, whose name..... More
