Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

INDEPENDENT MAILS continued...

**Letter Express (Wells) (Part I)**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description
365		Letter Express (Wells), 5c Black on Pink Glazed (96L1). Horizontal pair, huge margins, minute tear in extreme right margin, ms. "X" cancels, used on folded cover to New York City street address, pencil "2" and "W" for local delivery charge, docketing indicates Detroit origin on Oct. 26, 1844, file folds do not affect pair, Extremely Fine, carried by Letter Express (Detroit to Buffalo) and by Pomeroy (Buffalo to New York City) (Image)	E. 750-1,000
366		Letter Express (Wells), 5c Black on Green Glazed (96L2). Large margins, ms. "X" cancel, Extremely Fine, remarkably choice example of this scarce stamp (Image)	E. 300-400
367		Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed (96L3). Huge bottom margin (sheet margin?), others sides large to clear, ms. cancel, tiny pinhole in upper left margin far from design, Very Fine, extremely scarce (Image)	E. 400-500
368		Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed (96L3). Horizontal pair, octagonal margins just slightly in at top, ms. "X" cancels, small toned spot, otherwise Fine, multiples of the 10c Pink are extremely rare -- the largest is a used strip of three, which realized $8,500 in our Golden sale (Image)	E. 750-1,000
368A		Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed, Half Used as 5c (96L3a on piece). Left half tied across cut by ms. "X" on small piece, Very Fine, signed Sloane (Image)	E. 200-300
369		Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Scarlet (96L4). Large to huge margins, bright color with unusually slight oxidation, used with Pomeroy's Letter Express, 5c Black on Yellow (117L1), large margins to slightly in at upper left, each stamp cancelled by ms. "X" on 1844 folded cover from Cleveland to New York City, street address written in different hand and delivered by Boyd's City Express Post, red "Boyd's City Express Post, July 19 9 O'C" framed datestamp and matching "Paid/J.T.B." handstamp, letter has been removed, but docketing confirms Cleveland origin and postscript states "P.S. We send this by private express postage 12-1/2 prepaid. If you have facilities please reciprocate to encourage the enterprise", horizontal file fold thru bottoms of both stamps, causing creases and small tears that are not very noticeable, the cover has some creases, minor erosion spots in address reinforced with paper VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY A HANDFUL OF GENUINE COVERS EXIST WITH THE 10-CENT SCARLET LETTER EXPRESS STAMP -- POSSIBLY AS FEW AS FOUR -- MAKING THIS ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL 1844 INDEPENDENT MAIL USAGES. ONLY THREE COMBINATION FRANKINGS WITH THE SCARLET ARE RECORDED, EACH IN CONJUNCTION WITH POMEROY'S LETTER EXPRESS. Henry Wells, William Fargo and D. Dunning formed Wells & Company's Letter Express in early 1844 to provide letter-carrying service between Buffalo N.Y. and points west of Buffalo, including the Great Lakes region. Offices were established in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. By connecting with Pomeroy's Letter Express at Buffalo -- who in turn arranged for local delivery with Boyd's in New York City -- the Wells-Pomeroy-Boyd independent mail route was able to carry letters from the western frontier to the doorstep of a New York City addressee for considerably less than the post office charged for less-reliable service. The Letter Express ceased operations in November 1844, before all of the eastern inter-city expresses were effectively put out of business by the July 1845 postal reforms. The stamps issued by Wells' Letter Express are remarkable both for the purpose they served and for their distinctive designs. The oval 96L1-96L2 stamps depict the Goddess of Commerce surrounded by bales and barrels with a merchant vessel in the background -- symbols of private enterprise and the robust economic growth of America during the 1840's. The circular 96L3-96L4 stamps depict an American marine charging ashore with sword raised and Union Flag waving, and a naval vessel in the background. This design, chosen for stamps that would be used in the Great Lakes region, has been described as a commemoration of the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812, which may or may not be accurate. Our records contain five 10c Scarlet covers, including one that has not been verified. The four confirmed covers are: 1) Jul. 19, 1844 Boyd's delivery date in NYC, sent from Cleveland with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, ex Worthington, Hollowbush, the cover offered here, 2) Sep. 28, 1844, folded letter from Buffalo to Miller & Co., NYC, double rate, stamp tied by ms., ex Caspary, Golden (realized $8,500), 3) Oct. 4, 1844, folded letter from Monroe Mich. to Dwight Johnson, NYC, with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, ex Perry, Schwartz, and 4) [Date unknown] 1844, folded letter from [origin unknown] to Willet P. Ward, NYC, with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, Sloane's records. The three combination frankings each bear a Pomeroy's stamp, affixed by Wells to credit Pomeroy with their share of the prepaid postage. This cover is the only one of the three with a Boyd's delivery marking. Ex Worthington and Hollowbush. (Image)	E. 10,000-15,000

Letter Express (Wells) (Part I)

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

365

Letter Express (Wells), 5c Black on Pink Glazed (96L1). Horizontal pair, huge margins, minute tear in extreme right margin, ms. "X" cancels, used on folded cover to New York City street address, pencil "2" and "W" for local delivery charge, docketing indicates Detroit origin on Oct. 26, 1844, file folds do not affect pair, Extremely Fine, carried by Letter Express (Detroit to Buffalo) and by Pomeroy (Buffalo to New York City) (Image)

E. 750-1,000

366

Letter Express (Wells), 5c Black on Green Glazed (96L2). Large margins, ms. "X" cancel, Extremely Fine, remarkably choice example of this scarce stamp (Image)

E. 300-400

367

Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed (96L3). Huge bottom margin (sheet margin?), others sides large to clear, ms. cancel, tiny pinhole in upper left margin far from design, Very Fine, extremely scarce (Image)

E. 400-500

368

Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed (96L3). Horizontal pair, octagonal margins just slightly in at top, ms. "X" cancels, small toned spot, otherwise Fine, multiples of the 10c Pink are extremely rare -- the largest is a used strip of three, which realized $8,500 in our Golden sale (Image)

E. 750-1,000

368A

Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Pink Glazed, Half Used as 5c (96L3a on piece). Left half tied across cut by ms. "X" on small piece, Very Fine, signed Sloane (Image)

E. 200-300

369

Letter Express (Wells), 10c Black on Scarlet (96L4). Large to huge margins, bright color with unusually slight oxidation, used with Pomeroy's Letter Express, 5c Black on Yellow (117L1), large margins to slightly in at upper left, each stamp cancelled by ms. "X" on 1844 folded cover from Cleveland to New York City, street address written in different hand and delivered by Boyd's City Express Post, red "Boyd's City Express Post, July 19 9 O'C" framed datestamp and matching "Paid/J.T.B." handstamp, letter has been removed, but docketing confirms Cleveland origin and postscript states "P.S. We send this by private express postage 12-1/2 prepaid. If you have facilities please reciprocate to encourage the enterprise", horizontal file fold thru bottoms of both stamps, causing creases and small tears that are not very noticeable, the cover has some creases, minor erosion spots in address reinforced with paper

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY A HANDFUL OF GENUINE COVERS EXIST WITH THE 10-CENT SCARLET LETTER EXPRESS STAMP -- POSSIBLY AS FEW AS FOUR -- MAKING THIS ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL 1844 INDEPENDENT MAIL USAGES. ONLY THREE COMBINATION FRANKINGS WITH THE SCARLET ARE RECORDED, EACH IN CONJUNCTION WITH POMEROY'S LETTER EXPRESS.

Henry Wells, William Fargo and D. Dunning formed Wells & Company's Letter Express in early 1844 to provide letter-carrying service between Buffalo N.Y. and points west of Buffalo, including the Great Lakes region. Offices were established in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. By connecting with Pomeroy's Letter Express at Buffalo -- who in turn arranged for local delivery with Boyd's in New York City -- the Wells-Pomeroy-Boyd independent mail route was able to carry letters from the western frontier to the doorstep of a New York City addressee for considerably less than the post office charged for less-reliable service. The Letter Express ceased operations in November 1844, before all of the eastern inter-city expresses were effectively put out of business by the July 1845 postal reforms.

The stamps issued by Wells' Letter Express are remarkable both for the purpose they served and for their distinctive designs. The oval 96L1-96L2 stamps depict the Goddess of Commerce surrounded by bales and barrels with a merchant vessel in the background -- symbols of private enterprise and the robust economic growth of America during the 1840's. The circular 96L3-96L4 stamps depict an American marine charging ashore with sword raised and Union Flag waving, and a naval vessel in the background. This design, chosen for stamps that would be used in the Great Lakes region, has been described as a commemoration of the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812, which may or may not be accurate.

Our records contain five 10c Scarlet covers, including one that has not been verified. The four confirmed covers are: 1) Jul. 19, 1844 Boyd's delivery date in NYC, sent from Cleveland with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, ex Worthington, Hollowbush, the cover offered here, 2) Sep. 28, 1844, folded letter from Buffalo to Miller & Co., NYC, double rate, stamp tied by ms., ex Caspary, Golden (realized $8,500), 3) Oct. 4, 1844, folded letter from Monroe Mich. to Dwight Johnson, NYC, with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, ex Perry, Schwartz, and 4) [Date unknown] 1844, folded letter from [origin unknown] to Willet P. Ward, NYC, with Scarlet 96L4 and Pomeroy's 117L1, Sloane's records. The three combination frankings each bear a Pomeroy's stamp, affixed by Wells to credit Pomeroy with their share of the prepaid postage. This cover is the only one of the three with a Boyd's delivery marking.

Ex Worthington and Hollowbush. (Image)

E. 10,000-15,000