California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Unused, bright and fresh, hinge mounting remnants on back corners, Extremely Fine, Scott value $150.00

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff entire (34LU9; Frajola Type 3A). Printed frank with 10c Green, Ty. I (13) and 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (11A), ample margins to slightly in, both tied by "Saint Louis Mo. Mar. 1" (1856) circular datestamp, addressed to Henry Coad in San Francisco, pencil "Papin Feb 23/56" receipt docketing at left, some minor edgewear and stamps lightly soiled

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE USE OF THE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY FRANKED ENTIRE. EXAMPLES WITH ADHESIVE STAMPS FOR GOVERNMENT POSTAGE ARE RARE. THIS USE FROM ST. LOUIS SENT WESTWARD TO SAN FRANCISCO IS UNIQUE.

The California Penny Post Company was established in June 1855 by Henry L. Goodwin (sometimes reported as "J. P." Goodwin). The Penny Post advertised service in several larger California towns and cities, offering to carry letters to and from the local post office, to bring letters to one post office and deliver them to the addressee from the receiving office, and to run an express service between towns after the government mails were closed for the day. A specific rate was charged for each service, and these rates are reflected in the stamps and entires issued by the Penny Post. For a relatively short-lived operation, the Penny Post produced a large variety of stamps and printed envelopes to facilitate prepayment and collect-on-delivery mail.

Almost immediately the Penny Post incurred the wrath of the San Francisco postmaster, and Goodwin became involved in protracted litigation trying to fight the government. Most writers have reported that the Penny Post closed down after twelve to eighteen months, but we have never seen source documentation to establish exactly when service ended. There is one June 1, 1856, Penny Post entire with the name of the post and "Penny Postage Paid 7" crossed out (Siegel Sale 773, lot 219), which might be evidence that the Penny Post closed before that date.

The printed franks are found on plain envelopes and U.S. 3c stamped envelopes. The rates correspond to the company's advertisements, but the application of these rates, patterns of use and certain enigmatic covers have yet to be fully explained. The most comprehensive study of this company's history and census of covers were recently self-published by Richard C. Frajola and can be found at his website: http://www.rfrajola.com/cpp/CP2.htm

The cover offered here is a very rare use of the 5c frank on a plain envelope (34LU9; Frajola Type 3A) with U.S. postage paid by the 10c 1855 and 3c 1851 Issue. The 5c Penny Post rate covered delivery of the letter from the San Francisco office to the addressee. Very few Penny Post covers originating outside of California are known. The gap between the Feb. 23 origin date (indicated by the docketing) and the St. Louis Mar. 1 postmark date is intriguing. Perhaps the letter was written by someone travelling eastward from California, who carried with him a Penny Post entire and used it to mail the letter at Saint Louis. Another possibility is that the letter originated in the East, the entire (furnished by the California correspondent) was pre-stamped with the 10c for the transcontinental rate, then carried by a westward-bound traveler to Saint Louis and mailed from there. This latter scenario might explain the additional 3c stamp, possibly applied in response to a persnickety postal clerk who questioned the legitimacy of the 10c stamp.

Ex Dale-Lichtenstein. With 2004 P.F. certificate.

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff entire (34LU9; Frajola Type 3A). Mailed from Massachusetts with manuscript "Lunenburg Ms. Octo. 22, 1855" postmark and "Paid 10" transcontinental rate on entire to Morgan's Ranch Cal. in care of the San Francisco Penny Post, few small pinholes and wrinkles

VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF A CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY ENTIRE USED FROM THE EAST COAST RECORDED IN THE FRAJOLA CENSUS.

Illustrated in Nathan book and Coburn's Letters of Gold. Ex Jessup, Pearce, Haas, Edwards and Golden

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Printed frank on plain envelope to San Francisco street address with 3c Dull Red, Ty. I (11), mostly large margins, cancelled by ms. "X"

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLY FRESH AND ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY ENTIRE WITH 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE FRANKING. CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FINEST EXTANT.

Ten genuine entires are reported in the Lyons census (The Penny Post, July 2005)

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Printed frank on plain envelope to San Francisco street address with 3c Dull Red (11), mostly large margins incl. sheet margin and centerline at left, just in at corner, tied by bold "Stockton Cal. Apr. 19" circular datestamp

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLY FRESH AND ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY ENTIRE WITH 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE FRANKING. CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FINEST EXTANT.

Ten genuine entires are reported in Lyons census in July 2005 Penny Post.

Ex Worthington and Piller. This entire with 3c 1851 is listed but unpriced in Scott

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Unused, two small faint spots, Very Fine

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Printed frank on plain envelope with 10c Green, Ty. I (13) and 3c Dull Red (11), bright shade, ample margins to slightly in, both tied by "Saint Louis Mo. Mar. 1" (1856) circular datestamp, addressed to Henry Coad in San Francisco, pencil "Papin Feb 23/56" receipt docketing at left, some minor edgewear and stamps slightly soiled

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE USAGE OF THE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY FRANKED ENTIRE. EXAMPLES WITH ADHESIVE STAMPS FOR GOVERNMENT POSTAGE ARE RARE. THIS USAGE FROM ST. LOUIS SENT WESTWARD TO SAN FRANCISCO IS UNIQUE.

The California Penny Post Company was established on June 25, 1855, by Henry L. Goodwin (sometimes reported as "J. P." Goodwin). The Penny Post advertised service in several larger California towns and cities, offering to carry letters to and from the local post office, to bring letters to one post office and deliver them to the addressee from the receiving office, and to run an express service between towns after the government mails were closed for the day. A specific rate was charged for each service, and these rates are reflected in the stamps and entires issued by the Penny Post. Almost immediately the Penny Post incurred the wrath of the San Francisco postmaster, and Goodwin became involved in protracted litigation trying to fight the government. Most writers have reported that the Penny Post closed down after twelve to eighteen months, but we have never seen a thorough census of covers or source documentation to establish exactly when service ended. There is one June 1, 1856, Penny Post entire with the name of the post and "Penny Postage Paid 7" crossed out (Siegel Sale 773, lot 219), which might be evidence that the Penny Post closed before that date.

For a relatively short-lived operation, the Penny Post produced a large variety of stamps and printed envelopes to facilitate prepayment and collect-on-delivery mail. Although the Scott Catalogue and other reference books (Nathan, Haller) have laid some groundwork in classifying all of the Penny Post stamps and entires, more work is needed to complete the listings and explain the usages. The printed franks are found on plain envelopes and U.S. 3c stamped envelopes. The rates correspond to the company's advertisements, but the application of these rates, patterns of usage and certain enigmatic covers have yet to be explained to our satisfaction. The cover offered here, for example, is a very rare use of the 5c frank on a plain envelope (34LU9) with U.S. postage paid by the 10c 1855 and 3c 1851 Issue. The 5c Penny Post rate covered delivery of the letter from the San Francisco office to the addressee. Very few Penny Post covers originating outside of California are known, and almost all came from the East Coast. The gap between the Feb. 23 origin date (indicated by the docketing) and the St. Louis Mar. 1 postmark date is intriguing. Perhaps the letter was written by someone travelling eastward from California, who carried with him a Penny Post entire and used it to mail the letter at Saint Louis. Another possibility is that the letter originated in the East, the entire (furnished by the California correspondent) was pre-stamped with the 10c for the transcontinental rate, then carried by a westward-bound traveller to Saint Louis and mailed from there. This latter scenario might explain the additional 3c stamp, possibly applied in response to a persnickity postal clerk who questioned the legitimacy of the 10c stamp.

Ex Dale-Lichtenstein. With 2004 P.F. certificate. An example with four 3c 1851 stamps, but sent from Stockton to San Francisco, realized $28,000 hammer in our recent sale of the Dr. Martin collection.

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Printed frank on plain envelope with two singles and pair of 3c Dull Red (11), bright shade, ample margins to slightly in, both singles tied by "Penny Post Co. Stockton" dateless circle (one over "U.S. Postage Must Be Pre-Paid" imprint), pair tied by "Stockton Cal. Nov. 8" (ca. 1855) circular datestamp, two additional strikes (one ties single at upper left), addressed to "Furniture Store" in San Francisco, oddly framed "13" in sender's hand, ms. "#12" on back, small part of lower left corner repaired (not affecting stamps)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE USAGES OF THE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY FRANKED ENTIRES. EXAMPLES WITH ADHESIVE STAMPS FOR GOVERNMENT POSTAGE ARE RARE, THIS BEING ONE OF THREE WITH FOUR 3-CENT 1851 STAMPS. ANY PENNY POST ENTIRE WITH THE ADHESIVE STAMP TIED BY A COMPANY HANDSTAMP IS EXCEEDINGLY RARE.

The California Penny Post Company was established in June 1855 by Henry L. Goodwin (sometimes reported as "J. P." Goodwin). The Penny Post advertised service in several larger California towns and cities, offering to carry letters to and from the local post office, to bring letters to one post office and deliver them to the addressee from the receiving office, and to run an express service between towns after the government mails were closed for the day. A specific rate was charged for each service, and these rates are reflected in the stamps and entires issued by the Penny Post.

Almost immediately the Penny Post incurred the wrath of the San Francisco postmaster, and Goodwin became involved in protracted litigation trying to fight the government. Most writers have reported that the Penny Post closed down after twelve to eighteen months, but we have never seen a thorough census of covers or source documentation to establish exactly when service ended. There is one June 1, 1856, Penny Post entire with the name of the post and "Penny Postage Paid 7" crossed out (Siegel Sale 773, lot 219), which might be evidence that the Penny Post closed before that date.

For a relatively short-lived operation, the Penny Post produced a large variety of stamps and printed envelopes to facilitate prepayment and collect-on-delivery mail. Although the Scott Catalogue and other reference books (Nathan, Haller) have laid some groundwork in classifying all of the Penny Post stamps and entires, more work is needed to complete the listings and explain the usages. The printed franks are found on plain envelopes and U.S. 3c stamped envelopes. The rates correspond to the company's advertisements, but the application of these rates, patterns of usage and certain enigmatic covers have yet to be explained to our satisfaction. The cover offered here, for example, is a very rare use of the 5c frank on a plain envelope (34LU9) with U.S. postage paid by the 3c 1851 Issue. The 5c Penny Post rate covered delivery of the letter from the San Francisco office to the addressee. Why 12c government postage was required is not obvious from the cover itself. Perhaps the sender or Penny Post office in Stockton applied enough postage to one envelope to cover four letters for delivery in San Francisco. Our records contain photos of two other Penny Post entires with four 3c 1851's, one used from San Jose (Oct. 25, 1855) to San Francisco (stamps pen-cancelled), and the other from San Francisco with uncancelled stamps (entire with "Circular" imprint). It seems unlikely that these three covers were heavy enough to require 12c postage.

A pencil note on back in Edward S. Knapp's hand reads "P.P. can(cel) on 3c is a rarity. This cover one of the few examples known and one of the rarest items from Dr. Chase's collection--1929". The Scott footnote to 34LU1-34LU15 states "The U.S. adhesives are seldom cancelled with the Penny Post cancellation. When they are, the cover sells for more."

Illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 65). Ex Chase, Knapp, Hindes and Haas (who acquired it in our 1971 Rarities sale for $2,100 hammer)

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California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Unused entire, accompanied by upper half of a used 34LU3a entire, former Very Fine, ex Ackerman

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on Buff Entire (34LU9). Mailed from Massachusetts with ms. "Lunenburg Ms. Octo. 22, 1855" postmark and ms. "Paid 10" transcontinental rate on entire to Morgan's Ranch Cal. in care of the San Francisco Penny Post, few small pinholes and wrinkles, still Very Fine, an extremely rare -- possibly unique -- use of the California Penny Post printed entire from the East Coast, illustrated in Nathan book and Coburn's Letters of Gold, ex Jessup, Pearce, Haas and "Edwards"

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