10c Green, Ty. II (32). Tied by excellent strike of "San Francisco Cal. Jan. 2, 1860" circular datestamp on yellow cover to Bennington Vt. with large "Overland" illustrated four-horse stagecoach design, Boyd imprint at lower left of woodcut, showing names of San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis and New York, accompanied by original letter enclosure, stamp with minor faults (lifted and moved), cover with repaired small piece missing at top right and slightly reduced, Very Fine appearance, ex Knapp

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10c Green, Ty. V (35). Cancelled by bold 5-Point Star fancy cancel, "Downieville Cal. Jun. 26, 1860" circular datestamp on cover to Jones, Iowa, with blue illustrated four-horse stagecoach design and "The Star of the Union--California" imprint, "Overland via Los Angeles U.S. Mail" on coach, stamp with frayed perfs at right, light soiling and minor cosmetic edge improvements, still Very Fine, ex Kramer and Walske, with 2004 P.F. certificate

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10c Green, Ty. V (35). Tied by ""Benicia Cal. Mar. 8" (ca 1860) circular datestamp on cover to Neponsett Mass. with "Per Overland Mail, via Los Angeles, In hope of the [train]" illustrated railroad propaganda design, Hutchings & Rosenfield imprint, stamps has minor flaws at left

VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING HIGH-QUALITY EXAMPLE OF THIS SCARCE RAILROAD DESIGN.

As early as 1845, bills were submitted to Congress to seek government support for a “Pacific” railroad. The transcontinental railroad was part of the Republican Party’s platform in 1856, and both parties supported the concept in the 1860 election. To rally public and political support for the railroad, different types of envelopes were printed with the image of a train--on this one, the locomotive is steaming along and a slogan expresses “hope” for the railroad. These envelopes still served a practical purpose of directing the letter to go by the overland mail stage, but they carried a message to legislators back home: build the railroad!

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10c Green, Ty. V (35). Tied by blue segmented cork cancel, matching "Marysville Cal. Oct. 6" (1859) circular datestamp on buff cover to Lowell Mass. with red brown "Freeman & Co. Atlantic States Express 124 Montgomery St. San Francisco" embossed cameo corner card, manuscript directive "via Los Angeles Overland Mail", receipt docketing with contents summary including "Alonzo...spent one day with Col. John C. Freemont", reverse with blue "Freeman & Co. Marysville Oct. 6" oval handstamp, some edge and corner mends, Very Fine appearance, a scarce Freeman & Co. transcontinental use, within months after this mailing Freeman sold out to Wells, Fargo & Co., ex Haas, Kramer and Walske

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10c Green, Ty. III (33). Tied by partly clear strike of "Sacramento Cal. Oct. 10, 1859" circular datestamp with clear strike of "OVERLAND" straightline handstamp on cover to Meadville Pa., minor edge tears and stamp with some perf toning, Fine and very rare, only six examples of this Sacramento "OVERLAND" marking are recorded, all used between August 1859 and January 1860, in the case of the cover offered here, the Butterfield overland trip of October 10 had already departed, the Sacramento postmaster used the straightline handstamp to ensure it would be carried on the next overland trip on October 14, rather than the steamer scheduled for October 20, illustrated in Mails of the Westward Expansion on p. 166, ex Walske, with 2006 P.F. certificate

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10c Green, Ty. II (32). Tied by bold strike of "Shakopee M.T. Apr. 5, 1859" Minnesota Territory circular datestamp on buff cover to Benicia Cal., sender's directive "Overland route via S. Louis & El Paso", some waterstaining at top not affecting stamp, missing part of backflap, appears Very Fine, carried by the Butterfield Overland Mail stage on the Southern Route, via St. Louis, Fort Smith, El Paso, Tucson and Los Angeles, ex Risvold, Kramer and Walske

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3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26). Tied by "Lincoln Ill. Dec. 22" (1859) circular datestamp on cover to Grizzly Flats Cal., endorsed "Over land", original letter enclosure datelined from Big Prairie, Michigan, on Dec. 22, stamp with small stain at top, still Very Fine and scarce westbound mail carried on the Central Overland route, sent via St. Louis and St. Joseph for the Leavenworth & Pikes Peak Express mail (LPPE) which left January 3 and arrived Salt Lake City around January 25, from Salt Lake City it was carried on the Chorpenning stagecoach on February 1, arriving Placerville around February 10, illustrated in Mails of the Westward Expansion on p. 133, ex Walske

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10c Yellow Green (68). Tied by cogwheel cancel on 1867 cover to Lisbon Falls, Maine, posted at Williams Creek, British Columbia with strip of four British Columbia & Vancouver Island, 1860, 2-1/2p Dull Rose (2), tied by barred "10" cancels (of Williams Creek), "San Francisco Cal. Aug. 26" double-circle datestamp ties strip, blue "General Post Office British Columbia 17 Aug." double-circle datestamp struck on back, left stamp in strip with some slightly blunted scissors-trimmed perfs at bottom and small nick

VERY FINE. A STRIKING AND RARE MIXED FRANKING WITH THE U.S. 10-CENT 1861 ISSUE AND THE BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER ISLAND 1860 2-1/2 PENCE ISSUE, USED ON COVER TO MAINE VIA THE OVERLAND MAILS.

The BC&VI 1860 2-1/2p stamps had been retired in November 1865, but some were sold during shortages of 3p stamps in 1867. In this case they are used provisionally as 6-1/4 cents.

Ex Carr, Wilkinson and Walske. With 2005 P.F. certificate

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Long Bar Cal. to France (1861). Bold strike of "Long Bar Cal. Jun. 23" (1861) circular datestamp, "PAID" straightline with red manuscript "30" (double rate) on buff cover to France, unreadable red New York exchange office datestamp, Calais entry datestamp, transit and receiving backstamps, some minor corner wear, Very Fine, carried on the first eastbound trip of the Overland Mail Company on the Central Route, departing Placerville July 1, ex Noel and Walske

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France to Salem Mass. via San Francisco (1866). Small tissue paper cover with original contents, originating in Nice, France on Jan. 31, 1866 and addressed to Salem, Mass., pair 1862, 40c Pale Orange on Yellowish (27; Yvert 23) tied by "2656" in diamond grid cancels and by "Boston Br. Pkt Paid 21 Feb." exchange office circular datestamp, carried on Cunarder Europa from Queenstown on Feb. 5, despite its arrival in Boston a mere 25 miles from its final destination, it was routed west on the overland route in error, arrived San Francisco where Mar. 26 double-circle datestamp struck along with "MISSENT TO SAN FRANCISCO" straightline handstamp, carried overland back to Massachusetts, right stamp light corner crease, Very Fine and rare example of this San Francisco marking, ex Walske

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"Union Pacific R.R. July" (1869). Circular datestamp with indistinct date on cover to Paris, France, carried on the Inman Line steamer City of London departing New York on July, 24, 1869, arriving Queenstown August 3, blue Calais entry datestamp, Paris arrival and "8" decimes due handstamp, tear at top left, Very Fine appearance, a rare use to a foreign destination entering the mails with a railroad route agent, ex Noel and Walske

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"Fort Arbuckle Ark. Nov. 8" (1859). Clear strike of Arkansas Territory circular datestamp on 3c Red on Buff Nesbitt entire (U10) to Philadelphia Pa., addressed to Col. Edmund B. Alexander (who established Fort Bliss in Texas), various contemporary notes and docketing indicating origin at Camp Cobb on November 5, 1859 (Camp Cobb was established on October 1, 1859, near the Wichita Indian Agency), carried via Fort Smith, other notations including names of the two brothers of Col. Alexander and place names, Fort Chadbourne Texas, Camp Colorado (Texas) and Fort Cobb, missing piece of top from rough opening which tore off most of backflap, Fine appearance, an unusual and enigmatic use but a rare postmark from Chickasaw Nation, ex Kramer and Walske

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