Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

Confederate States Stamps and Covers continued...

**Express Mails Prior to June 1, 1861 - North to South:**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description	Est/Cat	Realized
337		Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Large blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jan. 14" (1861) circular datestamp, from the Cleage correspondence, Very Fine, scarce North-to-South express usage prior to suspension of mails on June 1, 1861 (Image)	E. 500-750	500.00
338		Adams Express Company N.Y. MA 4 (1861). Greenish blue double-circle datestamp with matching "Paid" in oval on 3c Red Star Die entire to Carroll Hoy & Co. New Orleans, usual pinholes, fresh and Extremely Fine, signed Ashbrook, ex Everett (Image)	E. 500-750	900.00
339		Adams Express Co. New-Orleans 16 Apr. (1861). Mostly clear circular datestamp used in conjunction with "Adams Express Company, Knoxville Tenn. Apr. 19" oval datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Philadelphia street address, sender's routing "Adams Express" and ms. "Pd" notation, light horizontal fold at bottom, Very Fine, sent from New Orleans days after the first shots of the war were fired on Fort Sumter, during which period concerns over disruption of the regular mails accelerated use of the expresses -- this combination of the scarce markings from Adams's New Orleans and Knoxville offices indicates an unusual route to Philadelphia (Nashville or Louisville being more typical) (Image)	E. 1,500-2,000	1,900.00
340		Adams Express Co. New-Orleans Apr. Partly clear circular datestamp (month only -- no day) on 3c Red Star Die entire to New York City, carried in 1861 outside the mails and delivered by carrier, partly clear red "New York Paid City Delivery 1 ct." circular datestamp, pencil "Paid CPI" express mark, backflap removed, fresh and Very Fine cover, one of the few extant covers that show thru-the-lines express carriage from Confederate New Orleans and delivery by government carrier service, ex Knapp, Middendorf and Meyersburg (Image)	E. 1,500-2,000	950.00
341		Adams Express Co. New-Orleans May 11. Partly clear circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to New York City, carried in 1861 outside the mails and delivered by carrier, partly clear red "New York Paid City Delivery 1 ct." circular datestamp, ms. "2/" (two bits, or 25c) express mark, Very Fine cover, rare example of thru-the-lines express carriage from Confederate New Orleans and delivery by government carrier service (Image)	E. 1,500-2,000	950.00
342		Harnden's Express, Savannah, Apr. 25 (1861). Mostly clear red oval datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Thos. Prosser & Son, New York City, with sender's route instructions "per Adams' Express from Savannah Ga. Wednesday, April 24/61" across top, faint pencil "Pd 2/-" at left, remnants of adhesive label on back EXTREMELY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF AN EXPRESS COVER WITH THE HARNDEN'S SAVANNAH OVAL HANDSTAMP. Adams Express Company took over Harnden's Express prior to the war, but the Harnden name was retained in Georgia, because of its reputation and good will. When the threat of war jeopardized Adams's ownership of offices in seceded states, its directors sold its southern operation to Henry B. Plant on June 8, 1861. Plant reorganized the old Adams offices under a new firm, the Southern Express Company. Many believed that Adams still retained ownership beneath the facade of a sale, which was intended to protect their property from the Confederate government. In fact, in 1870 a lawsuit was brought against Adams by stockholders who felt entitled to the assets held by the Southern Express Company. The plaintiffs' claim was rejected, but there continued to be well-founded suspicion that the Southern Express Company was a dummy corporation set up for Adams's continued benefit. The Harnden name is rarely seen on covers carried in seceded states. The cover offered here bears the only recorded example of Harnden's Savannah office handstamp. It is one of two recorded covers mailed by the same sender to the same addressee on the same day. Both have the sender's route instructions, directing the letter to the care of Adams Express. This cover was routed through Savannah, while the other was routed through Charleston S.C., where the "Adams Express Company Charleston S.C. Apr. 25" oval was applied. At Savannah, the oval with the Harnden name was applied, also on April 25. The sender probably sent duplicate letters by two different routes to ensure delivery during the first two weeks of war. Ex White, Shenfield and Simon. (Image)	E. 3,000-4,000	3,500.00
343		Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Perfect strike of greenish blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jun. 2" (1861) circular datestamp, Extremely Fine, very rare post-June 1 express usage into independent state of Tennessee via Confederate State of Georgia -- the U.S. entire was accepted at Augusta -- ex Birkinbine (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	850.00
344		Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Perfect strike of greenish blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jun. 21" (1861) circular datestamp, Extremely Fine, very rare post-June 1 express usage into independent state of Tennessee via Confederate State of Georgia -- the U.S. entire was accepted at Augusta (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	950.00
345		Adams Express Co. Baltimore Md. Jul. 4, 1861. Clearly struck circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Columbia S.C., blue "Adams Express Co. Augusta Ga. Jul. 11" oval datestamp, black "Paid 10" applied by Adams, "Augusta Ga. Jul. 11" double-circle datestamp and "Paid" straightline for Confederate postage to Columbia, ms. "Signatures enclosed" EXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST OF THE FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE ADAMS BALTIMORE OFFICE MARKING. We record five covers with the Adams Baltimore office datestamp (four of this type, one with large sans-serif letters). One of the covers is badly damaged. Of the remaining four, this cover has the clearest strikes. Ex Emerson . (Image)	E. 2,000-3,000	5,500.00
346		Adams Express Co. Philadelphia, Pa. Aug. 19 (1861). Red circular datestamp on 3c Pink entire to Charleston S.C., blue "Nashville Ten. Aug. 24, 1861" circular datestamp with matching "Paid" and "10", stain spots and small opening faults at top, also lightly creased at top, restorable condition and a Very Fine strike of this rare Adams Philadelphia office marking (Image)	E. 750-1,000	625.00
347		*Adams Ex. Co. Louisville, Ky. * Aug. 6, 1861. Mostly clear circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire from Hartford Conn. to La Grange Ga., red wax seal indicating origin on backflap, blue "Nashville Ten. Aug. 8, 1861" circular datestamp and "Paid" handstamp, "10" rate crossed out in ms. and re-rated "5" Confederate postage, slightly reduced at right, otherwise Fine, Ashbrook notes at left (Image)**	E. 750-1,000	425.00

Express Mails Prior to June 1, 1861 - North to South:

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

Est/Cat

Realized

337

Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Large blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jan. 14" (1861) circular datestamp, from the Cleage correspondence, Very Fine, scarce North-to-South express usage prior to suspension of mails on June 1, 1861 (Image)

E. 500-750

500.00

338

Adams Express Company N.Y. MA 4 (1861). Greenish blue double-circle datestamp with matching "Paid" in oval on 3c Red Star Die entire to Carroll Hoy & Co. New Orleans, usual pinholes, fresh and Extremely Fine, signed Ashbrook, ex Everett (Image)

E. 500-750

900.00

339

Adams Express Co. New-Orleans 16 Apr. (1861). Mostly clear circular datestamp used in conjunction with "Adams Express Company, Knoxville Tenn. Apr. 19" oval datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Philadelphia street address, sender's routing "Adams Express" and ms. "Pd" notation, light horizontal fold at bottom, Very Fine, sent from New Orleans days after the first shots of the war were fired on Fort Sumter, during which period concerns over disruption of the regular mails accelerated use of the expresses -- this combination of the scarce markings from Adams's New Orleans and Knoxville offices indicates an unusual route to Philadelphia (Nashville or Louisville being more typical) (Image)

E. 1,500-2,000

1,900.00

340

Adams Express Co. New-Orleans Apr. Partly clear circular datestamp (month only -- no day) on 3c Red Star Die entire to New York City, carried in 1861 outside the mails and delivered by carrier, partly clear red "New York Paid City Delivery 1 ct." circular datestamp, pencil "Paid CPI" express mark, backflap removed, fresh and Very Fine cover, one of the few extant covers that show thru-the-lines express carriage from Confederate New Orleans and delivery by government carrier service, ex Knapp, Middendorf and Meyersburg (Image)

E. 1,500-2,000

950.00

341

Adams Express Co. New-Orleans May 11. Partly clear circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to New York City, carried in 1861 outside the mails and delivered by carrier, partly clear red "New York Paid City Delivery 1 ct." circular datestamp, ms. "2/" (two bits, or 25c) express mark, Very Fine cover, rare example of thru-the-lines express carriage from Confederate New Orleans and delivery by government carrier service (Image)

E. 1,500-2,000

950.00

342

Harnden's Express, Savannah, Apr. 25 (1861). Mostly clear red oval datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Thos. Prosser & Son, New York City, with sender's route instructions "per Adams' Express from Savannah Ga. Wednesday, April 24/61" across top, faint pencil "Pd 2/-" at left, remnants of adhesive label on back

EXTREMELY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF AN EXPRESS COVER WITH THE HARNDEN'S SAVANNAH OVAL HANDSTAMP.

Adams Express Company took over Harnden's Express prior to the war, but the Harnden name was retained in Georgia, because of its reputation and good will. When the threat of war jeopardized Adams's ownership of offices in seceded states, its directors sold its southern operation to Henry B. Plant on June 8, 1861. Plant reorganized the old Adams offices under a new firm, the Southern Express Company. Many believed that Adams still retained ownership beneath the facade of a sale, which was intended to protect their property from the Confederate government. In fact, in 1870 a lawsuit was brought against Adams by stockholders who felt entitled to the assets held by the Southern Express Company. The plaintiffs' claim was rejected, but there continued to be well-founded suspicion that the Southern Express Company was a dummy corporation set up for Adams's continued benefit.

The Harnden name is rarely seen on covers carried in seceded states. The cover offered here bears the only recorded example of Harnden's Savannah office handstamp. It is one of two recorded covers mailed by the same sender to the same addressee on the same day. Both have the sender's route instructions, directing the letter to the care of Adams Express. This cover was routed through Savannah, while the other was routed through Charleston S.C., where the "Adams Express Company Charleston S.C. Apr. 25" oval was applied. At Savannah, the oval with the Harnden name was applied, also on April 25. The sender probably sent duplicate letters by two different routes to ensure delivery during the first two weeks of war.

Ex White, Shenfield and Simon. (Image)

E. 3,000-4,000

3,500.00

343

Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Perfect strike of greenish blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jun. 2" (1861) circular datestamp, Extremely Fine, very rare post-June 1 express usage into independent state of Tennessee via Confederate State of Georgia -- the U.S. entire was accepted at Augusta -- ex Birkinbine (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

850.00

344

Adams Express Company, Great Eastern Western & Southern Express Forwarders, New-York. Perfect strike of greenish blue oval handstamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Athens Tenn., "Augusta Ga. Jun. 21" (1861) circular datestamp, Extremely Fine, very rare post-June 1 express usage into independent state of Tennessee via Confederate State of Georgia -- the U.S. entire was accepted at Augusta (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

950.00

345

Adams Express Co. Baltimore Md. Jul. 4, 1861. Clearly struck circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire to Columbia S.C., blue "Adams Express Co. Augusta Ga. Jul. 11" oval datestamp, black "Paid 10" applied by Adams, "Augusta Ga. Jul. 11" double-circle datestamp and "Paid" straightline for Confederate postage to Columbia, ms. "Signatures enclosed"

EXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST OF THE FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE ADAMS BALTIMORE OFFICE MARKING.

We record five covers with the Adams Baltimore office datestamp (four of this type, one with large sans-serif letters). One of the covers is badly damaged. Of the remaining four, this cover has the clearest strikes.

Ex Emerson . (Image)

E. 2,000-3,000

5,500.00

346

Adams Express Co. Philadelphia, Pa. Aug. 19 (1861). Red circular datestamp on 3c Pink entire to Charleston S.C., blue "Nashville Ten. Aug. 24, 1861" circular datestamp with matching "Paid" and "10", stain spots and small opening faults at top, also lightly creased at top, restorable condition and a Very Fine strike of this rare Adams Philadelphia office marking (Image)

E. 750-1,000

625.00

347

Adams Ex. Co. * Louisville, Ky. * Aug. 6, 1861. Mostly clear circular datestamp on 3c Red Star Die entire from Hartford Conn. to La Grange Ga., red wax seal indicating origin on backflap, blue "Nashville Ten. Aug. 8, 1861" circular datestamp and "Paid" handstamp, "10" rate crossed out in ms. and re-rated "5" Confederate postage, slightly reduced at right, otherwise Fine, Ashbrook notes at left (Image)

E. 750-1,000

425.00