Thread for interesting postal history

covers

I will try to present an interesting cover here periodically. Others please do so as well.

The letter below relates to the "Cow War" and is described at www.philamercury.com (item 4707):

Sent Back To England Without A Reason For Non Delivery red three lines handstamp on 1854 folded letter from Morpeth, England, regarding an estate, addressed to Mr. James Wilmot, Company G, 6th Infantry, United States Army, Fort Laramie, Oregon Route, North America, manuscript "pd" and 1sh 2 1/2d California rate, green "Liverpool MR 27 1854" backstamp, San Francisco Cal Jun 1 transit and "Paid", sent to Oregon in error and then back to San Francisco with boxed "Missent", Oregon Route underlined for route correction
On August 19, 1854, Lieut Richard B. Garnett's (later CSA General killed at Pickett's charge) command, Company G, killed Sioux Chief Mat-to-I-O-Way after he refused to turn over to American authorities the killer of a cow owned by Mormons. As a result 6 additional Sioux braves were killed and 29 in Garnett's command were killed.

This incident, called the "Grattan massacre" by Americans as Lt. Grattan was killed, but Garnett was in charge of the company, was a major event in the history of Sioux-American wars.

The addressee of the letter was presumably one of the American soldiers killed and this is the reason for non delivery of the letter.

edueku

Richard, I wish you luck with this. I still have a hard time posting images (anywhere on boards) but if I ever figure a quick easy way(which I'm sure it is) I'll have stuff all over this board etc. Little of interest in relation to postal history I'm sure, but maybe some images of stamps(ah yes the dreaded single stamp not attached to it's original cover, tag, document, photo, box, package etc. ) Anyway there are several here who could up some decent photos of interesting stuff, maybe they will do so. Been kinda dead around these here parts other than the occasional tumbleweed (such as myself) that blows by.

LickThoseStamps

Following the success of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, many foreign exhibitors in Chicago expressed interest in a further opportunity to display their goods in the United States.

M. H. de Young, the second vice president of the Columbian Exposition Committee, organized an event that was conducted at the Golden Gate Park in California, in 1894.

This cover represents a small piece of postal history coming out of that event.

covers

LTS - Nice cover!

Believe it or not, I know a collector in LA who has a collection of just "Mid - Winter" fair covers. Very pretty stuff.

LickThoseStamps

I believe it. I am looking for more!

covers

Brazil was the second country, after Great Britain, to issue stamps. Their "Bulls Eye" issue of 1843 has long been a favorite. The 60 reis on cover:

covers

New Caledonia / New South Wales combination cover to Melbourne, Victoria. New Caledonia 1859 issue 10c black, position 32, defective, with boxed "P.D." cancel tied by Port De France Nouv Caledonie October 22, 1860 datestamp, New South Wales 6d. Diadem, full margins, purchased and applied at Port de France, cover endorsed "per Eagle" and with bold "Ship Letter Sydney No 6 1860" backstamp and red Melbourne arrival, ex Powers, B.D. Forster and Mayer, Calves expert handstamp and 2008 clear B.P.A. certificate

the unique combination cover with "Triquerat" 1859 issue

covers

A cover carried by Thurn & Taxis post from Cassel, Germany:

covers

Natal used an interesting albino embossed stamp impressed on colored paper. A cover is here:

KentuckyJ

Great history here. Thanks!

LickThoseStamps

A gentleman contacts a major auction company regarding the handling of his collection.

The auction company responds that they don’t accept such small consignments.

However, they will be willing to purchase the collection outright – if the price is reasonable.



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The auction company is Scott Stamp and Coin. The year is 1896.
Some aspects of this hobby are timeless.

covers

LTS - Very cute!

One advantage of being in the auction business I suppose.

bdunndchi

Cool stuff! Keep it coming

LickThoseStamps

Here are two Civil War Patriotic covers, depicting the first Union Officer death of the Civil War. Colonel Ellsworth was killed after removing a Confederate flag flying over the Marshall House Inn in Alexandria, Virginia. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln.

Here is a link with further information on Wikipedia.

Enjoy!

SCDHunter

Let's see some more postal history!

edueku

Why? It's only been over a year! LOL

rolew1946

When I get the time I will scan and post a picture of a very nice Waterbury leaf cancel on cover. Less than 15 are estimated to exist.

edueku

I think I sold something like that a year or two ago... Probably not Waterbury though.

rolew1946

Here is a link to the cover I talked about.

SCDHunter

Image Link.

Matttodd1

Here's a bit of interesting postal history - although about 100 years after the items above. About a year ago my wife's Grandpa passed away, and my wife's Dad sent a bunch of stamp related stuff that he had accumulated over the years. It's mostly FDCs, topicals, and mint sheets, but I also found this crash cover addressed to my wife's Grandpa . . .








Doing a bit of Google searching, I found that TWA flight 595, a Lockheed Constellation cargo plane crashed in a Chicago neighborhood on November 24, 1959.

Matt

rolew1946

That is a very nice item. I have seen crash covers on ebay and toyed with the thought of bidding on one just to have it. After seeing yours I think I might attempt to pick one up. A great show and tell at the stamp club.

Rolin

SCDHunter

Here is the information from Volume One of the 5th edition of the American Air Mail Catalog (1974). It is listed as Interrupted Flight 59.5:

“NOVEMBER 23, CHICAGO, ILL. – TWA- AM 2, 5, 7 a.m. Trip 595. Flight originated at New York (IDL) via Philadelphia, Chicago to Los Angeles. Pilot, Capt. Claude Helwig, First Officer Delas Earl Watters, and all crew members killed. The flight took off from Midway Airport at Chicago, fire developed in one engine and in attempting to circle back the plane grounded and fire ensued. Of 41000 lbs. of mail aboard 85 to 90 percent was retrieved and sent on to the addressee without any endorsement. The balance was stamped with a cachet as shown above; other pieces were stamped “Damaged in handling in the Postal Service” or “Damaged By Fire in the Postal Service” in magenta. There was also a mimeo reading “Chicago Post Office. Enclosure Recovered from Plane Wreck 11-24-59”. Just what percent bore any respective cachet is not known.”

Note that the cachet mentioned is the one shown by you.

Thanks for sharing!

Matttodd1

Thanks for the additional info. I have to say of all the stuff I found in Melanie's Grandpa's things, this was the most fun to see. I'd never actually seen an actual crash cover before.

You'll notice that the front of the cover is acid stained from the note that's been enclosed with it for 50 years.

Matt

SCDHunter

I hope Richard has not given up on this place!

covers

SCDHunter - I have given up on this board really - but read it once a week at least for now.

I would suggest the Ebay stamp Chat board - that would answer most of the few questions raised, better and faster most likely. If anybody has a postal history question (First Day Covers and assorted souvenir covers are not postal history ), they can find my board easily enough ...