Sent from Iowa City to Buffalo, New York: 1864. This one-page letter-sheet features an early image of the Penatacrest showing the Old Capital Building—the first building owned by the University of Iowa—with South Hall in the background. The envelope is embossed in the upper left corner with the university seal... More
Sonora, California: 1854. Unbound. One-page letter with an accompanying postally used stampless envelope. The letter is dated “California June 11 1854” and the envelope bears a circular Sonora, California postmark dated “Jun 14” and a circular “10” handstamp indicating the postage to be collected from the recipient. After gold was... 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
Philadelphia: Dubois (artist) and Wollenweber (printer), 1850. Unbound. This three-page stampless cover city-view lettersheet measures 16” x 10.5”. The lithograph of Philadelphia measures 7.5” x 3”. The three pages of text are in German. Its letter is dated November 2, 1854 and bears two red circular Philadelphia postmarks, one dated... More
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
St. Louis: 1879. Unbound. This letter sent to the Knoxville Gas Company in Tennessee from the Rumsey branch office in St. Louis is in response to a complaint regarding the fit of previously purchased pumps. In it Rumsey offers to accept a return of the pumps or an exchange for... More
New York: 1879. Unbound. This thank-you grouping consists of a Female Guardian Society advertising cover, a two-page 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 goal... More
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
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. In... More
Canandaigua, New York: 1849. Unbound. This four-page folded letter measures 15” x 9.5” and has a red Canandaigua postmark dated January 10. It is franked with a nicely centered, very fine black 10-cent Washington stamp (Scott #2) tied with a red grid cancel. Complete but fragile as some folds have... More
Washington DC: United States Patent Office, 1909. Wraps. This six-page original patent is printed on thin cardstock with three pages of text and three pages of technical illustrations. It was awarded to Adolph Lubke, a resident of San Francisco, California. The leaves bear patent office file labels in the upper... More
Boston: C. A. Fernald, 1908. Unbound. This advertising envelope measures 11.5” x 5”. It is printed in red and black and almost entirely covered (front and back) with hieroglyphics, line drawings, obscure phrases printed in a variety of fonts and sizes, names with birth dates, a map of Mount Ararat... More
Washington, D.C. 1858. Unbound. In this letter, measuring 5” x 8” and dated “29th Dec’r 1858,” Ringgold provides suggestions to Ames, a major arms manufacturer, regarding the details of eagle devices, signifying the rank of captain, that attach to a naval officer’s epaulettes along with a promise to aggressively market... 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
University of Virginia: [1831]. Unbound. This four-page stampless folded letter measures 15.5” x 9.75” unfolded. The letter was sealed with a black wax family crest showing a blazon with three suns in splendor, one and two. The cover is postmarked with an oval “University / of Virga” handstamp dated June... More
[Cincinnati]: circa 1855. Unbound. One-page undated letter from Master Charles David of the Steamer Express to the Captain Benedict of the Steamboat Jane Franklin at Cincinnati, Ohio. The letter is in nice shape; the envelope has some wear and soiling. This reads in part: "We send a bill pricing cost... More
New York: 1920. Unbound. This one-page letter on the stationery of the New York State Bridge and Tunnel Commission and New Jersey Interstate Tunnel Commission, measuring 8” x 8.5”, was written to Mr. Leon C. Hills of Washington, DC, on October 17, 1920. The lot also includes a newspaper clipping... More
Alexandria, Egypt: Letter, 1892. Letter. Letter from General F. Walker to the British Consul-General in Egypt (Lord Cromer, Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer) regarding the construction of buildings for the garrison at Ramleh. At the time F. Walker was the Commanding General of the British Army in Egypt following... More
New York: George P. Putnam, 1849. Unbound. Envelope only; no booklet. Despite its appearance to the contrary, this envelope was an elaborate trompe-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 backflap seal were Putnam... More
Liverpool to New York City: 1838. Unbound. This three-page, stampless, folded letter measures approximately 16” x 10” unfolded. It is addressed to New York City with manuscript markings indicating “via Bristol” and the “Great Western.” It bears a circular, unframed, Ship’s Letter crown postmark dated 26 October 1838 indicating the... More
Long Island Queens County Jamaica: 1807. Unbound. This four-page stampless letter is dated June 24th 1807 and was sent to “Topsham District Maine / State of Massachusetts.” It bears a circular New York postmark with ornaments in red, dated “June 25.” A manuscript “20” is in the upper right corner... More
Greenwood, [Pennsylvania]: 23 June and 18 July 1863. Unbound. Two letters (one with 6-pages and one with 4-pages) measure approximately 4.5” x 6.5”. Their envelopes are postmarked at Brookeville, Maryland; one is franked with a 3-cent Washington stamp (Scott #65), and the stamp is missing from the other. The letters... More
Kinderhook, New York to Boxford, Massachusetts: 1839. Unbound. bears a scarce 31mm red circular Kinderhook post mark dated March 2 and a manuscript “18¾” postage rate showing the cost to send a letter between 150 and 400 miles. In nice shape with a 4” split to one mailing fold. A.... 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
New Philadelphia, Ohio: 1862. Unbound. This two-page letter, written by Hyatt Frost of Van Amburgh’s Circus, discusses financial matters related to the Frost family farm in Harrisburg, Indiana, and Hyatt’s brother Eli, who also—on occasion—worked for the Van Amburgh show. The letter is enclosed in a Van Amburgh advertising envelope... More
