Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

2005 Rarities of the World, Part Two continued...

**Western Express Franks continued...**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description	Est/Cat	Realized
658		Hopkinson's Express. Printed frank in blue (Haller FH13, Ty. 2a, unlisted color) on 3c Pink entire (U58) to Nevada City Cal., neatly docketed Sep. 24, 1866, slightly reduced at right, Very Fine, extremely rare frank from Hopkinson's second term of ownership (1865-on), ex Dale-Lichtenstein (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	1,000.00
659		Langton's Pioneer Express. Printed frank (Haller FL3, Ty. 4) and 3c Dull Red (26) tied by red "Langton's Pioneer Express Downieville" oval handstamp on plain buff envelope to Sacramento Cal., conjunctive usage with blue "Wells, Fargo & Co. Marysville Jan. 19" double-oval datestamp, remarkably fresh and pristine, Extremely Fine, after forming the Pioneer Express in 1855, Langton progressively expanded his routes throughout California and eventually into Nevada, this cover dates from the 1858-59 period when Langton connected with Wells, Fargo & Co. at Marysville, although the markings are typical, the use of a 3c 1857 adhesive is extremely rare (almost all of Langton's franks are on Nesbitt entires), thus this is a significant opportunity for the 1857 Issue collector, ex Jessup, Pearce and Haas (who paid $200 for this cover in 1970) (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	2,600.00
660		Langton's Humboldt Express, 25c Brown (86L1). Large margins to just touched at corner of frameline, tied by blue "Langton's Pioneer Express Unionville" oval handstamp on 3c Pink entire (U34), black Langton's printed frank, addressed to Bidwell's Bar Cal. "Care of Capt. Singer", a bit age toned and worn around edges, stamp has slight gum toning VERY FINE. ONLY SIX INTACT COVERS ARE KNOWN WITH LANGTON'S HUMBOLDT EXPRESS STAMP. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF WESTERN POSTAL HISTORY. The Humboldt Express was the last of seven successive Western express services operated by Samuel W. Langton, who has been described by historians as the most energetic and persevering of the numerous expressmen of the period. Langton launched the Humboldt Express in February 1860 and oversaw its operation until his accidental death in 1864. Service was provided between the Humboldt mines in Nevada to Carson City, the state capital. For transportation across this difficult route, 25c was charged in addition to the $2.00 per letter fee. To facilitate prepayment of this surcharge, Langton issued the 1860 25c Brown adhesive stamp. The stamp, with its exceptionally detailed depiction of a stagecoach drawn by a four-horse team, is widely regarded as the finest example of a pictorial stamp issued by the numerous local posts operating in the United States between 1842 and the 1870's. The style, lettering, color and lithographic technique used to print Langton's stamp are identical to those of the Wells, Fargo & Co. pony express stamps of the same period, and it is accepted, though unproven, that the issues of both companies were made by the same printer (Britton & Rey of San Francisco). We record the following Humboldt Express 25c Brown covers: 1) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, the cover offered here, ex Brown, Moody, Simpson, Hertz, 2) Star City (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U35 with Langton frank, repaired, PFC, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, 3) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, ex Caspary, Nathan, 4) Star City (blue oval) to G. Borzo, Placerville Cal., U34 with Langton frank, WF Nevada Jun. 10 oval, ex Jessup, Hawley, Polland, Jacobitz, 5) Unionville (red oval) and "Paid" in oval tying 25c, to Charles Lott, Oroville Cal., U34 with WF frank and WF Carson City May 11 oval, PFC, ex Haas, Edwards, and 6) Star City (blue oval) to S. W. Holladay, San Francisco, U34 with Langton frank, 3c 1861 tied by "Paid" and WF Nevada Jul. 11 (1863) oval, with enclosure, PFC, ex Hall, Kapiloff. In addition to these six intact covers, there are two restored fronts or pieces and a few faked examples. Our census has been compiled independently of the Gamett census and more recent Lyons census, which contain incorrect sale history data for #1 and #2 above. Ex Brown, Moody, Simpson and Hertz (Image)	E. 40,000-50,000	42,500.00
661		Langton's Pioneer Express. Printed ornamental frank with "Nevada" imprint (Haller FL3, Ty. 5a) on 3c Red Star Die entire (U26), with patent lines, addressed to J. B. Cutler, Forest City Cal., no markings, slightly reduced at left, fresh and Very Fine, Samuel W. Langton is described by Nathan as "the greatest of all of the independent express men in California and Nevada" and his franks have been studied in great detail, this is the only example of Langton's "Nevada" frank we can find in any sale catalogue or reference list, the use of a 3c Star Die entire points to an 1861 usage, which would be very early for Langton's express in the Humboldt mining region, ex Barkhausen (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	1,700.00
662		Langton's Nevada Mail and Express Company. Printed frank (Haller FL3, Ty. 7) on unused 3c Pink entire (U59), Extremely Fine, all of the few known examples of this frank are unused, it is believed to have been printed soon before Langton was killed in an accident in August 1864, ex Barkhausen and Clifford (Image)	E. 500-750	600.00
663		Leland's Express. Circle in 8-Point Star ("Sun") handstamp with "Leland's Express" (and possible traces of "San Jose"), matching "AHEAD OF THE MAILS" straightline handstamp on 3c Red Nesbitt entire to Yankee Hill Cal., conjunctive use with Wells, Fargo & Co. frank and blue "Wells, Fargo & Cos. Express S. Frco. 22 Feb." double-circle datestamp, sender's routing "Via Oroville", ms. "Collect 1/-" (possibly one bit, or 12-1/2c), vertical folds and small tear at right, a few letters of lightly struck Leland marking strengthened in pencil VERY FINE. BELIEVED TO BE THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THESE MARKINGS, APPLIED BY GEORGE H. LELAND AFTER HIS VARIOUS PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED BY LATE 1855. In 1853 George H. Leland maintained a letter box in San Francisco, into which mail could be deposited for outbound sailings. His "Via Nicaragua/Ahead of the Mails/Leland" framed handstamp is seen on covers from San Francisco, and it is almost certain that the marking on this cover is a cut-down version for use on letters carried by his express. The Leland partnerships with John McCombe and David McComb ended by October 1855, when Leland advertised his name only. "Lelands Express", the last of his expresses, lasted a very short time, which explains the rarity of these markings. Ex Jessup, Pearce and Kramer. (Image)	E. 3,000-4,000	5,000.00
664		Leland & McComb's Express, Humboldt Bay. Large blue double-oval handstamp and matching "Not Paid" in oval on 6c Green Nesbitt entire (U14) to an addressee in care of a firm located in San Francisco, ms. "Leland & McComb Collect" (probably a forwarding notation) and pencil docketing "M. S. Aldrich Letter Aug 22/54", small opening nick at left, Very Fine, in 1853 George Leland and John McCombe started their express business, carrying mail by water between San Francisco and Crescent City, Port Orford and other towns in Humboldt Bay, their partnership was dissolved in June 1854, and Leland formed a new partnership with David McComb (without the "e"), serving the same area and expanding in August 1854 with a South Coast express to Moneterey, Santa Barbara, San Pedro, Los Angeles and San Diego, the use of a 6c entire is unusual and intriguing (perhaps this was carried by another express from the East Coast), and the "Humboldt Bay" marking with the Leland & McComb name is extremely rare (in fact, we have been unable to locate another example), ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)	E. 1,500-2,000	2,400.00
665		Leland & McComb's Southern Express. Blue double-line oval handstamp on 3c Red Nesbitt entire (U10) to Baltimore Md. with 3c Dull Red (11), ample margins to slightly in, corner crease and small tear at bottom left, tied by "San Francisco Cal. 16 Aug." (1854) circular datestamp, faint waterstain at left, still Very Fine, an early use of Leland & McComb's new "Southern Express" service from points along the Southern Coast of California, carried north to San Francisco where it entered the mails for next Panama sailing, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	1,600.00
666		Morley, Caulkins & Co.'s Daily Express. Printed frank (Haller FM8) on 10c Green Nesbitt entire (U18) to Burlington Ia. (redirected to Davenport), blue "Marysville Cal. Paid by Stamps Nov. 19" (month inverted) circular datestamp and matching large grid of squares cancel, minor edgewear and faint toning, otherwise Very Fine, this is the first of a series of related express companies that operated in the LaPorte and Gibsonville Ridge mining region from 1853 until 1867 when the last sold out to Wells, Fargo & Co., the Morley, Caulkins & Co. frank is recorded on one 3c and four 10c Nesbitt entires, illustrated in Nathan and Letters of Gold, ex Edwards (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	1,700.00
667		Myers Express. Sender's ms. endorsement "(Pr Myers Express)" on brown cover to San Francisco street address, from the McKay correspondence, Fine, this is the only recorded artifact linked to the express operated by Samuel H. Myers, "The Cayoosh Expressman", between Port Douglas and Cayoosh, British Columbia, in 1859-61, described in Nathan book as a "frank" (p. 144), ex Haas and Edwards (Image)	E. 750-1,000	800.00
668		Nichols & Co.'s Express. Printed frank (Haller FN3, Ty. Ia with small "Paid") on plain brown envelope with 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (26), wide misperfed bottom sheet margin, tied by red "Nichols & Co.'s Express San Francisco" oval handstamp, to San Francisco street address (McKay correspondence) with sender's instructions "Please deliver immediately, Schaffer, San Mateo", indicating origin at San Mateo, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, backflap removed, stamp lightly soiled and cover slightly wrinkled, still Very Fine, C. P. Nichols and Edward Ludlow started their express in the spring of 1858, carrying mail between San Francisco and San Jose, and eventually expanding their routes northward, their distinctive express frank pictures a dog guarding a safe, sailing schooner, steam vessel and railroad train, and it was printed on plain envelopes and on 3c entires, but covers bearing a tied U.S. adhesive are extremely rare, Nichols & Co. eventually sold out to American Express, who adopted the same woodcut frank, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)	E. 1,000-1,500	1,300.00

Western Express Franks continued...

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

Est/Cat

Realized

658

Hopkinson's Express. Printed frank in blue (Haller FH13, Ty. 2a, unlisted color) on 3c Pink entire (U58) to Nevada City Cal., neatly docketed Sep. 24, 1866, slightly reduced at right, Very Fine, extremely rare frank from Hopkinson's second term of ownership (1865-on), ex Dale-Lichtenstein (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

1,000.00

659

Langton's Pioneer Express. Printed frank (Haller FL3, Ty. 4) and 3c Dull Red (26) tied by red "Langton's Pioneer Express Downieville" oval handstamp on plain buff envelope to Sacramento Cal., conjunctive usage with blue "Wells, Fargo & Co. Marysville Jan. 19" double-oval datestamp, remarkably fresh and pristine, Extremely Fine, after forming the Pioneer Express in 1855, Langton progressively expanded his routes throughout California and eventually into Nevada, this cover dates from the 1858-59 period when Langton connected with Wells, Fargo & Co. at Marysville, although the markings are typical, the use of a 3c 1857 adhesive is extremely rare (almost all of Langton's franks are on Nesbitt entires), thus this is a significant opportunity for the 1857 Issue collector, ex Jessup, Pearce and Haas (who paid $200 for this cover in 1970) (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

2,600.00

660

Langton's Humboldt Express, 25c Brown (86L1). Large margins to just touched at corner of frameline, tied by blue "Langton's Pioneer Express Unionville" oval handstamp on 3c Pink entire (U34), black Langton's printed frank, addressed to Bidwell's Bar Cal. "Care of Capt. Singer", a bit age toned and worn around edges, stamp has slight gum toning

VERY FINE. ONLY SIX INTACT COVERS ARE KNOWN WITH LANGTON'S HUMBOLDT EXPRESS STAMP. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF WESTERN POSTAL HISTORY.

The Humboldt Express was the last of seven successive Western express services operated by Samuel W. Langton, who has been described by historians as the most energetic and persevering of the numerous expressmen of the period. Langton launched the Humboldt Express in February 1860 and oversaw its operation until his accidental death in 1864. Service was provided between the Humboldt mines in Nevada to Carson City, the state capital. For transportation across this difficult route, 25c was charged in addition to the $2.00 per letter fee. To facilitate prepayment of this surcharge, Langton issued the 1860 25c Brown adhesive stamp. The stamp, with its exceptionally detailed depiction of a stagecoach drawn by a four-horse team, is widely regarded as the finest example of a pictorial stamp issued by the numerous local posts operating in the United States between 1842 and the 1870's. The style, lettering, color and lithographic technique used to print Langton's stamp are identical to those of the Wells, Fargo & Co. pony express stamps of the same period, and it is accepted, though unproven, that the issues of both companies were made by the same printer (Britton & Rey of San Francisco).

We record the following Humboldt Express 25c Brown covers: 1) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, the cover offered here, ex Brown, Moody, Simpson, Hertz, 2) Star City (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U35 with Langton frank, repaired, PFC, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, 3) Unionville (blue oval) to J. S. Bendle, Bidwell's Bar Cal., "Care of Capt. Singer", U34 with Langton frank, ex Caspary, Nathan, 4) Star City (blue oval) to G. Borzo, Placerville Cal., U34 with Langton frank, WF Nevada Jun. 10 oval, ex Jessup, Hawley, Polland, Jacobitz, 5) Unionville (red oval) and "Paid" in oval tying 25c, to Charles Lott, Oroville Cal., U34 with WF frank and WF Carson City May 11 oval, PFC, ex Haas, Edwards, and 6) Star City (blue oval) to S. W. Holladay, San Francisco, U34 with Langton frank, 3c 1861 tied by "Paid" and WF Nevada Jul. 11 (1863) oval, with enclosure, PFC, ex Hall, Kapiloff. In addition to these six intact covers, there are two restored fronts or pieces and a few faked examples. Our census has been compiled independently of the Gamett census and more recent Lyons census, which contain incorrect sale history data for #1 and #2 above.

Ex Brown, Moody, Simpson and Hertz (Image)

E. 40,000-50,000

42,500.00

661

Langton's Pioneer Express. Printed ornamental frank with "Nevada" imprint (Haller FL3, Ty. 5a) on 3c Red Star Die entire (U26), with patent lines, addressed to J. B. Cutler, Forest City Cal., no markings, slightly reduced at left, fresh and Very Fine, Samuel W. Langton is described by Nathan as "the greatest of all of the independent express men in California and Nevada" and his franks have been studied in great detail, this is the only example of Langton's "Nevada" frank we can find in any sale catalogue or reference list, the use of a 3c Star Die entire points to an 1861 usage, which would be very early for Langton's express in the Humboldt mining region, ex Barkhausen (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

1,700.00

662

Langton's Nevada Mail and Express Company. Printed frank (Haller FL3, Ty. 7) on unused 3c Pink entire (U59), Extremely Fine, all of the few known examples of this frank are unused, it is believed to have been printed soon before Langton was killed in an accident in August 1864, ex Barkhausen and Clifford (Image)

E. 500-750

600.00

663

Leland's Express. Circle in 8-Point Star ("Sun") handstamp with "Leland's Express" (and possible traces of "San Jose"), matching "AHEAD OF THE MAILS" straightline handstamp on 3c Red Nesbitt entire to Yankee Hill Cal., conjunctive use with Wells, Fargo & Co. frank and blue "Wells, Fargo & Cos. Express S. Frco. 22 Feb." double-circle datestamp, sender's routing "Via Oroville", ms. "Collect 1/-" (possibly one bit, or 12-1/2c), vertical folds and small tear at right, a few letters of lightly struck Leland marking strengthened in pencil

VERY FINE. BELIEVED TO BE THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THESE MARKINGS, APPLIED BY GEORGE H. LELAND AFTER HIS VARIOUS PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED BY LATE 1855.

In 1853 George H. Leland maintained a letter box in San Francisco, into which mail could be deposited for outbound sailings. His "Via Nicaragua/Ahead of the Mails/Leland" framed handstamp is seen on covers from San Francisco, and it is almost certain that the marking on this cover is a cut-down version for use on letters carried by his express. The Leland partnerships with John McCombe and David McComb ended by October 1855, when Leland advertised his name only. "Lelands Express", the last of his expresses, lasted a very short time, which explains the rarity of these markings.

Ex Jessup, Pearce and Kramer. (Image)

E. 3,000-4,000

5,000.00

664

Leland & McComb's Express, Humboldt Bay. Large blue double-oval handstamp and matching "Not Paid" in oval on 6c Green Nesbitt entire (U14) to an addressee in care of a firm located in San Francisco, ms. "Leland & McComb Collect" (probably a forwarding notation) and pencil docketing "M. S. Aldrich Letter Aug 22/54", small opening nick at left, Very Fine, in 1853 George Leland and John McCombe started their express business, carrying mail by water between San Francisco and Crescent City, Port Orford and other towns in Humboldt Bay, their partnership was dissolved in June 1854, and Leland formed a new partnership with David McComb (without the "e"), serving the same area and expanding in August 1854 with a South Coast express to Moneterey, Santa Barbara, San Pedro, Los Angeles and San Diego, the use of a 6c entire is unusual and intriguing (perhaps this was carried by another express from the East Coast), and the "Humboldt Bay" marking with the Leland & McComb name is extremely rare (in fact, we have been unable to locate another example), ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

E. 1,500-2,000

2,400.00

665

Leland & McComb's Southern Express. Blue double-line oval handstamp on 3c Red Nesbitt entire (U10) to Baltimore Md. with 3c Dull Red (11), ample margins to slightly in, corner crease and small tear at bottom left, tied by "San Francisco Cal. 16 Aug." (1854) circular datestamp, faint waterstain at left, still Very Fine, an early use of Leland & McComb's new "Southern Express" service from points along the Southern Coast of California, carried north to San Francisco where it entered the mails for next Panama sailing, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

1,600.00

666

Morley, Caulkins & Co.'s Daily Express. Printed frank (Haller FM8) on 10c Green Nesbitt entire (U18) to Burlington Ia. (redirected to Davenport), blue "Marysville Cal. Paid by Stamps Nov. 19" (month inverted) circular datestamp and matching large grid of squares cancel, minor edgewear and faint toning, otherwise Very Fine, this is the first of a series of related express companies that operated in the LaPorte and Gibsonville Ridge mining region from 1853 until 1867 when the last sold out to Wells, Fargo & Co., the Morley, Caulkins & Co. frank is recorded on one 3c and four 10c Nesbitt entires, illustrated in Nathan and Letters of Gold, ex Edwards (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

1,700.00

667

Myers Express. Sender's ms. endorsement "(Pr Myers Express)" on brown cover to San Francisco street address, from the McKay correspondence, Fine, this is the only recorded artifact linked to the express operated by Samuel H. Myers, "The Cayoosh Expressman", between Port Douglas and Cayoosh, British Columbia, in 1859-61, described in Nathan book as a "frank" (p. 144), ex Haas and Edwards (Image)

E. 750-1,000

800.00

668

Nichols & Co.'s Express. Printed frank (Haller FN3, Ty. Ia with small "Paid") on plain brown envelope with 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (26), wide misperfed bottom sheet margin, tied by red "Nichols & Co.'s Express San Francisco" oval handstamp, to San Francisco street address (McKay correspondence) with sender's instructions "Please deliver immediately, Schaffer, San Mateo", indicating origin at San Mateo, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, backflap removed, stamp lightly soiled and cover slightly wrinkled, still Very Fine, C. P. Nichols and Edward Ludlow started their express in the spring of 1858, carrying mail between San Francisco and San Jose, and eventually expanding their routes northward, their distinctive express frank pictures a dog guarding a safe, sailing schooner, steam vessel and railroad train, and it was printed on plain envelopes and on 3c entires, but covers bearing a tied U.S. adhesive are extremely rare, Nichols & Co. eventually sold out to American Express, who adopted the same woodcut frank, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

E. 1,000-1,500

1,300.00