Search Results: Philately from Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC

"The beaver in the hhd is as good as a parcell as ever came from Annapolis & I could have sold it all here at 13S a pound round, the box is a parcel of Suparlative Spring beaver from Pennopscot. . .."
Boston to London, 1735.
This two-page stampless folded letter measures 15" x 11¾" unfolded. It was sent by William Clark in Boston "To Mr Christr: Kilby / Mercht / In London". The letter was favor carried by a ship's master, Captain Cary. In nice shape. Transcript will be provided.
The letter which is primarily about the export of beaver pelts reads in part:
"Inclosed you have Invoice and bill of lading for the three hhd [hogshead] and a box of Beaver. . .. Inclosed are the three first bills of Exchange with the letters of advice & the beaver in the hhd is as good as a parcell as ever came from Annapolis & I could have sold it all here at 13S a pound round, the box is a parcel of Suparlative Spring beaver from Pennopscot, you may order the sale of it as you see it. . .. the number of skins I put at… Read More

"Leap for Joy . . . Dr. Warren has closed the operation upon Phoebe's unfortunate swelling."
Boston, Massachusetts to Coventry Connecticut, 1799.
This one-page stampless folded letter measures approximately 12" x 7.5". It is datelined "Boston Feby March 6. 1799." It bears a straight-line "Boston" handstamp, circled "7 / MR" Boston postmark, and a manuscript "10" rate mark. Small sealing wax tear from when the letter was opened. In nice shape. A transcript will be provided.
In this letter Abbot describes Dr. John Warren's surgery to remove a precancerous tumor from his daughter. The letter reads in part:
"My dear brother & Sister Betty . . . you will leap for joy when I inform you that this moment Dr. Warren has closed the operation upon Phebe's unfortunate swelling. The time of her suffering was as follows. 9 min'ts in cutting, 14 in taking up the blood vessels, & 22 in Sponging, airing, & dressing the wound. Her conduct, her fortitude & composure were astonishing, & unequaled says the Doctr. It… Read More

New York City to Warwick, Rhode Island via Providence, 1802. This stampless folded letter was written by Samuel Ward, Jr. in New York City on 11 October 1802 and sent to William Greee in Warwick, Rhode Island via Providence. There is a scorched vinegar disinfecting stain at its top. It has no rate marking but bears a relatively scarce New York City "clamshell" postmark dated "OCT/11". A small piece of the letter is missing, no doubt torn away when Governor Greene hurriedly broke the wax seal to receive this update on his daughter's health. The letter reads "I am sorry to write you that Mrs Ward lays sick with a nervous fever which is now in the 10th day - it is natural that I should be apprehensive for her safety. Our Doctors think the Symptoms yesterday and this day more favorable than when I wrote you on the 9th. / Your ever obedient Son / S Ward / 11 Octor 1802." . Typhoid Fever, referred to in early America as "nervous fever" because its victims were usually beset by delirium, stupor, and… Read More

New York City to Ramapowrks, New York, 1805. Unbound. Very good. This two-page stampless folded letter measures 15½" x 9¾" unfolded. It was sent by Caleb Hopkins in New York City to Jeremiah A Peirson in Ramapoworks, New York. It bears no postal markings other than an annotation that reads, "per Goshen Mail". Docketing reads, "Letter 8 Septer / 1805 / The fever / Recd". In nice shape. Caleb was the New York City business agent for the Pierson Iron Works located in the Ramapo Mountains about 40 miles north of the city. As other residents flee, Caleb reports that "The alarm on account of the Fever seems to increase a considerable population of the People in Pearl, Water, Front, & South Streets. . .. Ships have removed . . . and many intend to remove to morrow. . .. The removal will not be general until the Banks remove which is expected to be decided on Tuesday. One death, five new cases and two doubtful cases ocurred yesterday - six Deaths of Fever ocurred as I am informed this morning. . ..… Read More

"Concerning the Acquisition, which certainly no Nation has ever made a more important one to its Interests than the U.S. has done. Pray God its Peace and Prosperity may not be interrupted. . .."
New Orleans, 1807.
This 1807 two-page stampless folded letter, measuring 16" x 11¾" unfolded, was sent by Dr. Robert Dow, a long-time Scottish immigrant, living in New Orleans, Louisiana Territory, to John Watkinson at Middletown Connecticut. The letter was carried to New York as indicated by the annotation, "favored by Mr. Barnard" where it was placed into the mail system. It bears a circular 22 August New York postmark in red and manuscript rate marking, "12½", which at the time was the cost to send a letter between 90 and 150 miles.
In this letter, Dow expresses both admiration for the Louisiana Purchase as well as concern about potential international complications.
"Concerning the Acquisition, which certainly no Nation has ever made a more important one to its Interests than the U.S. has done. Pray God… Read More

1809. Unbound. Very good. This turned, two-page stampless folded letter, measuring 16" x 13" unfolded, was first sent by Moses Rogers, master of the steamboat Phoenix which traveled between New York Harbor and the Delaware River on the first steam-powered, ocean-going voyage in American waters between New York Harbor and the Delaware River. The letter was answered by General Jedidiah Huntington, the "Collector of the Port" in New London, Connecticut on August 30, 1809. It bears a "17" rate mark, a curved "PAID" handstamp, and an indistinct circular handstamp. It was turned, i.e., returned and addressed to Rogers "onboard the Steam boat Phanex (Phoenix), with a "17" rate mark and a manuscript postmark reading "N. London / Septr 5". (This is likely the fourth earliest known steamboat-carried letter and the first that was not carried by Robert Fulton's North River Line). In nice shape. In it, Rogers requested that Huntington issue his associate, a "sick & disabled' merchant seaman named Martin A.… Read More

"What ever you do now or hereafter look before you leap. . .. Getting a Whale Ship or have a part in one it would be far better than buying a House. . .."
England, Wales, Ireland, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1849.
This fascinating archive of 12 letters containing 28 densely packed pages of text was saved by the Reverend James Austin Roberts and his wife Sarah Gilby Robert. Besides addressing religious matters, they are filled with insight into 19th-century immigration law, westward expansion, social mores, family relationships, and concerns about health, illness, and death. They additionally provide glimpses into abolitionist thought, businesswomen, whaling, canal investments, and British politics. The letters bear a myriad of U.K. and U.S. postal markings. In nice shape. Transcripts will be provided.
Roberts was born in England and attended the Hackney Theological Seminary. Upon graduation, he was sent to serve in Ireland. Upon his return, he left the Anglican church and became a nonconformist… Read More

Canton, China to Philadelphia, 1816. This stampless folded letter from Philip Ammidon (an early American opium dealer, in Canton, China) to Benjamin Ives Gilman in Philadelphia measures 16½" x 9½" unfolded. It was sent on 30 November 1816 and is one of two copies sent by Ammidon to ensure his message was received. As this letter was sent long before mail from China was officially routed through the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, it was privately carried and bears no postal markings. It is likely the second earliest extant commercial letter sent to the United States from China. In nice shape. It reads in part: "I am shipping, on board the Ship North Point , John C. Paneson, a quantity of Teas & Silk, & I request that immediately upon receipt of this, you will affect insurance for my account on Said property, to Amount of Fourteen thousand five hundred Dollars ($14,500) at from Whampow to Baltimore, or a port of discharge in the United States, against all risk. The North Point is a fine . . . Ship,… Read More

Charleston, South Carolina, 1818. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This two-page folded letter measures about 15¾" x 10" unfolded. It is datelined Charleston April 8th, 1817, and was sent by Jnoen Fagan to "Mr. Robert Leckie / U. S. Ordnance Service / Augusta, Geo." It bears a red circular postmark reading "CHALSN SC / APR / 11" and an 18½ rate mark which was the postage cost to send a letter from 150 to 400 miles. In nice shape. At the time, Leckie had just finished building two military arsenals, one at Richmond, Virginia, and the other at Augusta, Georgia. His next project was to build a canal system from the port at Charleston through the Fall Line that would allow inland settlements to ship goods by water to the ports which was far preferable than by inadequate and often impassible roads. Irish masons from the north under Leckie's direction worked on this Landsford Canal until its completion in 1823. Traffic was never high, and its use was discontinued by 1840. In this letter Fagan, the… Read More

New Orleans to Glascow, Scotland. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This three-page stampless cross-hatched letter measures 15½" x 10" unfolded. It was sent by J N McLauren, Jr. on 15 June 1833 from New Orleans to the Dalmuir Paper Warehouse near Glasgow, Scotland. It bears a circular New Orleans postmark, crossed-out address, and "50" rate mark indicating that it was sent to New York City where a forwarding agent (MacGregor & Darling) ensured it was carried privately to England where it received a "Liverpool / Ship Letter" transit stamp, rectangular ½d Scottish road tax handstamp and Glasgow receiving mark. In nice shape. In this letter, McLauren describes the horrific New Orleans Cholera epidemic of 1832-1833. "That scourge of the human race, accursed Cholera, visited us two days after said interview and on the third or fourth day of its appearance it seized upon my poor friend Archibald Granton. . .. From the moment it seized him I never left his bedside, nor even sat down a minute for the 56… Read More

New York Cit, 1834. Very good. This stampless folded family letter measures 15½" x 12½". It was sent by Edward P Hill from New York City to Miss Rebecca H. Hill in Mason, New Hampshire. It was written in two parts, the first on August 26, 1834, and the second a few days later on September 4, the same day the letter was postmarked. It begins with a brief description of a trip from Mason to New York City that included travel by stagecoach and steamboat and then continues with a discussion of the epidemic. On August 26, Hill reported "At present the City is quite sickly the Choler5a appears rather on the increase but we hope it will soon subside the greatest number of deaths of Cholera in a day yet is 26. I saw Mr Wilran to day and he says that as soon as the Cholera subsides they are agoing to start for Mason. Mrs Wilson will not go & leave while the Cholera rages. . .." And, nine days later on September 4, he continued "The Cholera has somewhat abated. The inhabitants generally don't… Read More

"You may expect to see me branded as a coward and a traitor, although I went out of the door when some of the above went out the windows. . .."
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1838. Envelope or Cover.
This stampless folded letter, which was sent by John Strohm to a relative in Ohio, measures 15½" x 9¾". It is datelined "Harrisburg Dec 22nd 1838"." It bears a circular Harrisburg, Pennsylvania postmark, a paid handstamp, and a manuscript 25 rate mark. In nice shape. A transcript will be provided.
In it, Strohm described some of the events that occurred after both the Whigs and Democrats presented differing ballot tallies certified by partisan judges that would decide the control of the state's House of Representatives. The Whigs already controlled the Governorship and the Senate, so a victory in the House would have given them complete control of the state. Tempers ran hot, and violence appeared imminent.
"Tis true, we are no longer molested with lawless intruders, nor in danger of personal violence, but we… Read More

Troy, New York, 1840. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This two-page stampless letter measures 8¾" x 12½". It was sent by C.W. Thompson in Troy on 12 February 1840 to business associates, the Nye Brothers, in Champlain, New York. It bears a circular red Troy postmark and a manuscript "18¾", the cost to mail a letter between 150 and 400 miles. In nice shape. A transcript will be provided. In this letter, Thompson keeps his promise to write the Nye Brothers to inform them of changes to the Hudson River. It reads in part: "The Ice in the river here broke up yesterday, it was about 18 inches thick & it was feared much damage would be done but there was verry little. I believe there was no Lumber carried off any of the docks on either side of the river. Although the water was verry high we now think the danger is over the water is Falling & will probably be off the docks tomorrow or the day after. . .." He goes on to report that he is making progress getting payment from creditors for several… Read More

Envelope or Cover. Very good. Two-page letter and endorsement enclosed within a stampless cover. The letter was written by Justus Ingersoll on 6 December 1841 and endorsed by General Winfield Scott on 17 December before forwarding to the Secretary of War, John C. Spencer. The endorsement is signed "Winfield Scott", and a postscript is initialed, "W. S." The cover bears a circular "Detroit / Mich" postmark dated December 10 and a "FREE" handstamp. Additionally, a 5¼" x 8"print of Scott as a Lieutenant General is included. It was engraved and published by J. C. Buttre of New York, circa 1863. Everything is in nice shape. Ingersoll's request reads in part: "I do hope and trust General that it will be your good pleasure to give me the appointment at this place - of Military Store Keeper: as I candidly do not know how to support my family otherwise. [You] gave it to me before; at the last reduction I lost my place. I did suppose it was permanent. Do General, give me this situation for seeing that I… Read More

"My business it is not worth having. . .. I am [now] dismissing my thick shoe makers for I have no orders nor do I expect to have any and I have amost all my shoes on hand that I had made, several thousand pr at any rate. . .."
Quincy, Massachusetts and Exeter, New Hampshire, 1845.
This archive consists of nine stampless folded letters between Nathaniel White at Quincy, Massachusetts, and his son, George, who attended Philips Exeter Academy and later Yale. The letters were written between 1841 and 1845; eight were written by Nathaniel and one by George. The letters bear a variety of manuscript and hand-stamped postal markings. In nice shape. Transcripts provided.
The archive also contains two anti-Democrat "Hard Times" tokens, ridiculing Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren whose fiscal policies caused the American economy to crash and enter a depression as least as deep and catastrophic as that of the 1930s.
Nathaniel White was a prominent and extremely wealthy Democratic politician who had… Read More

"The cold season and scarcity of bread stuffs makes the Indians very uneasy and discontented. There is much talk among them of removing to Missouri. . .."
Duck Creek Reservation, Wisconsin, 1843.
This three-page stampless letter measures 15½" x 12½" unfolded. It was sent by Henry Root Colman to his brother-in-law, Richard P. Speir, who had recently settled in New Orleans. It is datelined "Duck Creek June 17th 1843" and bares a manuscript postmark reading "Duck Creek / W.T. June 19" and a "25" rate mark.
In this letter, Colman explained,
"An Indian Missionary does not see much of the world or have the privilege of sharing very largely in the blessings of civilized life. But all this we expected before we came here. We have been and are still endeavoring to labor for the good of the Indians. We have had some success among them but have not as yet seen any general outpouring of the spirit in the awakening and conversion of souls. We hope however to soon sow the seeds which may yet produce a plenteous… Read More

Macao, 1844. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This three-page stampless folded letter measures approximately 15½" x 10". It is datelined "Macao. Nov. 7th, 1844, and was sent by Michael Simpson Culbertson to his father, a banker in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In care of Walter Lowrie, New York City. It was carried privately to New York where Mr. Lowrie placed it in the mail system. It bears a red circular New York postmark date February 25 and a blue manuscript "37½" rate hand stamp. In nice shape. Culbertson graduated from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point in 1835 and was commissioned as an artillery lieutenant. He was assigned to duty at Rouses Point, New York, to guard against a possible British invasion across Lake Champlain and served in the Aroostook War, a pseudo-conflict that led to the definition of an official border between Maine and Canada. He resigned his commission in 1841 to study theology at Princeton. Culbertson was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1844 and sent to… Read More

Gainesville, Alabama, 1844. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This three-page stampless folded letter measures approximately 15" x 10" unfolded. Two pages were written by Horace Brooks in Gainesville, Alabama to his brother, Ira, at Franconia, New Hampshire and one page was written to his sister, Dolly Whitney. It is dated December 8. It bears a circular Gainesville postmark dated December 11 and a "25" rate mark. In nice shape. In this letter Horace reports that he had located the boarding house where Dolly's husband had stayed and found his trunk, paperwork related to cash and bank accounts, and some clothes "them negroes wore out." More interestingly, he describes his voyage to Mobile and steamboat trip up the Tombigbee River. "After experiencing all the vicissitudes of a land & sea voyage I have at last got to my journey's end in good health. It was midnight when the signal gun was fired to break the slumber of the inhabitants of Gainesville. It is refreshing after having been on the water ever… Read More

"I will set the 24th . . . to meet you and the Children at 10 Oclock A/M. on this side of the Missouri River either with a Sleigh or carriage as the roads may best suit. I think most likely that I will send a black Boy, & on that account as well as others I wish you to come with the Girls. . .."
Boonsville, Missouri, 1845.
This one-page stampless folded-letter measures 15½ x 9¾" unfolded. It is datelined "Glasgow [Missouri] Dec 16th 1845 and bears a circular postmark dated "Dec 91" (sic) and a manuscript "5" rate mark. It was sent by John [Strother] Harrison to "J. L. [Joshua Lazelle] Tracy" in Boonsville, Missouri.
The letter reads in part:
"I will set the 24th . . . to meet you and the Children at 10 Oclock A/M. on this side of the Missouri River either with a Sleigh or carriage as the roads may best suit. I think most likely that I will send a black Boy, & on that account as well as others I wish you to come with the Girls I will direct the Driver to hold up a red Hankachief for the signal of his… Read More

Nashville, Tennessee, 1846. Unbound. Very good. This four-page stampless folded letter with two pages of text measures 16½" x 10" unfolded. It was sent by Charles M. King in Nashville to Miss Anna Louisa Bockins of Philaldelphia. The letter is dated May 13, 1846, and bears a circular Nashville postmark dated May 24. In nice shape. A transcript will be provided. Charles reports that war fever that had gripped Nashville and describes his trip from Philadelphia. "There was a large war meeting held at the Court house on the 19th inst on which occasion governor Brown . . . addressed the citizens a great strain of eloquent war speeches, the excitement here is very great on last evening the requisition arived . . . calling for 3 regiments of Vollenteers amounting to twenty eight hundred & fifty men there are three companys of vollenteers ready formed & parading through the City daily, playing Yankee doodle, hail Colombia and various other airs. . .. The drums are continually ringing through my head. .… Read More