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 about Mail sanitized during the response to 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people and infected...

St. Louis: 1886. Unbound. This letter from the Electric Aurophone Company is dated November 20th, 1886. It was sent from the company headquarters on the St. Louis riverfront to a merchant in Mount Carmel, Illinois. The letter is in nice shape with some light soiling. The electric Aurophone was a.... More about Sales letter from the Electric Aurophone Company promoting Ehrilich’s Patent Electric Aurophone

Folly Island: 1864. Unbound. This four-page letter was sent by Private Atwell B. Leavenworth of the 57th New York Infantry to his father. It is dated “Folly Island July 13. 64”. The letter is in nice shape with splits beginning at the ends of its mailing folds. Transcript included. In... More about Union soldier’s detailed Civil War letter describing combat during the Battle of Bloody Bridge...

Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina: 1845–1858. Envelope or Cover. These fourteen letters (mostly stampless folded letters but some in envelopes with 3-cent stamps, Scott Types A10 or A21) were written by or to the Miller-Furman family over 14 years in the mid-19th century. Postmarks include Georgia (Augusta, Milledgeville, and Scottsborough)... More about An extensive archive of correspondence that documents a Southern belle’s coming of age from...

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 about Business letter and invoice for a phonograph wholesaler enclosed in an illustrated advertising...

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 about Small archive of materials related to the Silver King Mine

Bridgeport, Connecticut: Bridgeport Hospital, 1890. Envelope or Cover. This one-page letter, dated Jun 12 1890, is written on illustrated stationery that features an image of Bridgeport Hospital. P. T. Barnum’s name stands at the top the list of hospital officers as the institution’s “President”. Crosby is identified as the institution’s..... More about One-page letter on illustrated stationery from a prize-winning poulty breeder who served as the...

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 about PLEA FROM A HERO OF THE NORTHWEST INDIAN WARS TO RECEIVE HIS ARMY PENSION; Folded-letter from...

Apalachicola, Florida: 1843. This one-page letter is dated “Apalachicola Janry 15th 18,43”. It bears a circular, red “Apalachicola FTy” postmark with a bold red “25” rate stamp. It is in nice shape. A transcript will be provided. In this letter, Russell, the Captain of the lighter Ida replies..... More about Letter from a lighter captain at the port of Apalachicola to his ship’s owner in New York...

Liverpool: 1818. Envelope or Cover. This two-page letter was sent from Liverpool to New York on 30 July 1818. After delivery to a ship’s agent, it was dispatched on the second voyage the Black Ball Line ship, the Amity, which departed Liverpool on 2 August and arrived at New York... More about Letter from an American in Liverpool describing his efforts to prevent an Englishman from...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Rockingham, Virginia: 1889. Unbound. This two-page letter, dated 19 November 1889, is in nice shape with mailing folds. A transcript will be provided. In this letter the Police Chief of Lancaster, Pennsylvania notifies a Rockingham County, Virginia to be on the look-out for two horse... More about Letter from a Pennsylvania police chief to a Virginia justice of the peace requesting assistance...

New York: :George P. Putnam, 1849. Unbound. Advertising envelope only; no booklet. Despite its appearance to the contrary, this envelope was an elaborate tromp l’oeil ploy by George Putnam to market Frances Sargent Osgood’s booklet lampooning scandals of the New York’s literary scene. The 12½¢ stamp and the..... More about ONE OF THE FIRST AND BEST SIMILITUDE ENVELOPES – USED AS AN ADVERTISING DUST JACKET FOR A...

Baltimore: 1833. Envelope or Cover. This one-page folded letter was written on March 20, 1833 and privately carried to the New York forwarding agents DeRham, Islen, and Moore who placed it aboard the Old Line’s packet ship, Henri IV. (The envelope bears ab oval “De Rham Iseling & Moore” forwarding..... More about Letter from Frederic de Graft, a Baltimor Merchant, to Mess. Clossmann, a wine merchant in Bordeaux