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| Lot | Sym. | Lot Description | Est/Cat | Realized |
| 1015° |  |
 American Letter Mail Co.,
(5c) Black on Gray (5L2). Ample margins to slightly in, ms. "Am Mail
Co" cancel, filing crease ties stamp on blue folded cover to Boston,
red "Forwarded by American Mail Co. from No. 101 Chesnut Street, Philada."
circle and red Boston receiving oval, address crossed out by sender and
re-written, note on back indicates Mar. 22, 1845 origin date, Fine, the "Am
Mail Co" cancel is unusual (Image) |
E. 300-400 | 350.00 |
| 1016° | |
 American Letter Mail Co.,
(5c) Black on Gray (5L2). Horizontal pair, huge margins to just
touching outer frameline at top, tied by ms. cancel on folded cover to
Philadelphia, red "Forwarded by American Mail Co. Nov. 15 from No. 101
Chestnut St. Philada." circular datestamp, docketing indicates Nov. 14,
1844 origin from New York City, file folds not affecting pair, Very Fine,
rare use of Large Eagle multiple (Image) |
E. 1,000-1,500 | 1,000.00 |
| 1017° | |
 American Letter Mail Co.,
(5c) Blue on Gray (5L3). Margins mostly clear of inner framelines,
tied by ms. "J. Gray" cancel applied by agent John Gray on June 13,
1845 folded letter from Philadelphia to New York, red "Forwarded By
American Mail Co. No. 101 Chestnut St. Philada." in circle with matching
"Paid" straightline handstamp, one panel of lettersheet removed and
refolded slightly at bottomVERY FINE. ONE OF TWO TIED EXAMPLES AMONG THE TWELVE RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RARE BLUE EAGLE STAMP OF AMERICAN LETTER MAIL COMPANY. This use of the rare Blue Eagle stamp probably occurred soon before the independent mail firms were effectively abolished by the government. On July 1, 1845, the postage rate for distances under 300 miles was reduced to 5c per half-ounce. By the same Act of Congress, Federal law prohibited the carrying of letters by private companies between cities where the Post Office Department offered inter-city mail service. American Letter Mail Company, which had aroused popular support for cheaper domestic postage, was a catalyst for the 1845 legislation. However, it could no longer sustain its fight with the government over mail routes and closed on June 30, 1845. The Large Eagle stamp in Blue is recorded on covers dated from August 1844 through June 1845, with about half of the reported covers addressed to Hopkins & Weston in New York. The Blue and Black color scheme for the American Letter Mail Co. Large Eagle stamps, which lack a denomination (unlike their predecessor issue, the Small Eagle), may have been modeled upon Great Britain's 1840 Penny Black and Two-Pence Blue. The Blue stamp was used for the single rate, but its original purpose might have been to pay a double rate. Ex Gibson, Middendorf and Roth. (Image) |
12,500.00 | 8,500.00 |