Rare Pony Express Cover?

I recently acquired this cover from auction and would like opinions as to its authenticity. I have discovered from research that is would be quite rare if it is the real deal. The cover is addressed to John T. Hardie & Co New Orleans. There are several references online to auctions that have sold covers and letters to such. Then you have the two Pony Express cancels. The oval "CALIFORNIA PAID PONY EXPRESS" handstamp is only known in red according to page 71 of The Pony Express A Postal History by Richard C. Frajola. The undated oval "PONY EXPRESS SACRAMENTO" handstamp is only known to exist on one cover in black per page 68 of The Pony Express A Postal History by Richard C. Frajola. It also states that the earliest known usage of this handstamp is Jan 7. This cover appears to have a red manuscript day marking of Jan 12, which would be a couple days prior to the black circular town postmark dated Jan 15, not sure what town it is? Any help or opinions regarding this cover would be greatly appreciated.

Looks it started as a genuine cover sent from Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans with 2 fake pony ovals added.

What auction firm?

Here is are real Sacramento ovals:




Siegel #1262, lot 67




Siegel #1207, lot 22

Another cover from Siegel:

Now the referenced page 71:



Detail of cancel:


Note, "only on westbound mail originating in New York"



So rodneystover, where do you think your cover started, New York ?




Edit:


There are more if you want to post them all rogdcam.

Was adding one that I happened upon. It was not meant to show you that you missed something or were incomplete or anything else. I was just adding to the topic.

Is that OK? Am I good? Let me know.

Post one of the covers with the real, New York applied California Pony Express oval hand stamp. I did not bother after the page copies since it was only applied in NY, NY which the OP left out or did not bother to read and include in the OP. That alone makes the mark bad but the illustration from the book does too. I felt no need to pile on on that point.

My fear is the OP who still had a hope the cover was a unearthed gem find, would not take my two examples and end it there. With yours, he may want to every one know "just to double check." I provided two example under the plate variety logic, here is one, here is another and they both look the same and nothing like the third (the OP's).

I am surprised no one has yet asked the first question which came to my mind when reading the first post, "Don't you think those were important questions to ask BEFORE bidding?"

Alabama to NY then California followed by New Orleans. Think the CA to NO was a ship around the horn or by airmail?

In response to Parcelpostguy What auction firm?
Ebay - I paid less than $100 for it.

Well, there you go. Pretty much impossible to find a genuine PE cover for under $1000, plenty in the $10,000 - $100,000 range, though. This is a classic "If it's too good to be true..." situation.

I agree with John that it is a real Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana cover that someone has added two very fake looking Pony Express cancels to. The Mobile cancel is a little light but to my eye it is easily read. The Pony Express never came anywhere near either Alabama or Louisiana so going by Pony Express between these two cities is inot even a vague possibility. I think it is a shame that someone trying to scam an eager Pony Express collector ruined an otherwise nice authentic Mobile to New Orleans cover. I would not place any value on it, but there are some people who actually collect forgeries, even clumsy ones like this cover, and perhaps they might pay a couple of dollars for it.

I hope a lot less than $100. We all learn. My down fall was the "NACO Express" fakes done on otherwise good covers. Well written up just a couple of years before I started collecting. I purchased one or two before knowing (being pointedly told, hey idiot, those are fake) better. I have become a holding location for them now and the several hundred I have will eventually go to the APS.

If you tire of the item, may I suggest you send it (read "donation") to the American Philatelic Society to be added to the reference collection of fake and forgeries as well as seeing it is off the market even at "under $100."

Edited for examples of fake Naco Express added below:

Just the front image-



Front and rear-




The boxed "NACO Arizona Transit" is fake as well as, not shown, "Naco Express." The underlying Mexican covers were fine until ruined.

I picked up this fake cover a few years ago from a street vendor during a fair. Cost me $5.00 to get it out of circulation--it will go to the APS in time. Stamps are #207. That Express Co. was out of business before the stamps came out. As I remember, it was sold in about 1862 to another company.

I have one of those NACO covers too, although without a parcel post stamp. I only paid a few bucks for it; I didn't know it was fake until later either.

Al E Gator - One of my many sub-interests is the Pike's Peak gold rush era. The COC&PPE marking is known to have been faked - obviously yours is one.

I saw a fake strike of it in a list of fakes ... I want to say maybe by John Fox; but my memory fails me there as to the originator of those fakes of it. I think it may have been Fox.

Hey, your cover at least went "somewhere" in Colorado, at "some" point in time