Show Your 1851-61 Era Cancellations And Postal Markings

Otto, NY negative lettering postmark.

I've been buried with work lately, I thought I'd throw something up quickly to keep things going.

That's a one-in-a-million, well-struck postmark, txstamp! Thanks for showing it.

There are a number of different styles of the Kelley's Island marking.
Here's one in period.

Nice! Kelley's island has always been a favorite of mine. I still do not own one, as I can never seem to win a bid on one. I seem to be a permanent-under-bidder on these, as they are quite popular.

I recall first seeing the 42c rate one to Switzerland in 1999 at the Tito sale at Spink/Christies. What an amazing cover - back then I was still trying to understand how to break down rates and such, and I was an infant at understanding covers, so I recall seeing the dreaded 'pen' cancels on those stamps and allowing that to downgrade it in my eyes. How uneducated of me that was. What Dick Celler and I both noticed on that cover as we sat there, to our shock, was the 1c #7 pair was positions 24-25L3, with 24L being the famous 'forked lighting crack' position. Totally undocumented at that point in time. I recall Dick and I just staring at each other, going how crazy is this ?

Lot 368 on this page for anyone interested:
https://auction.siegelauctions.com/...41?PageNo=29

Anyway, nice cover !

That Kelley's Island to Switzerland cover has too many things going for it. A wonderful piece.

Jim Milgram found a third type of Kelley's Island postmark which he wrote up in the Chronicle of the USPCS with dark shading on the island (Chronicle 255). The other two types have a frame and imprint of the engraver, and the one I showed. There is also a non-postmark Kelley's Island map used as an advertising corner card a bit later.

Chip

Since that last cover was "out of period" for this thread, here's one to get back on track. It also has a lot going for it.

Yea, no nothing at all going for that cover --- (sarcasm off now) ...

Lets see -

- patriotic cachet
- confederate Florida usage, and across the lines if really 62.
I wonder if its 61 though - has to be, right?
- if not, still a Florida usage.
- forwarded
- nice Leominster label
- last and least, a #26 with what appears to be a centerline - 10L column copy

Nothing to see here.

- 1862 letter enclosed.
- Key West was in Union control due to Anaconda Plan - Was a base for the Gulf Squadron, so Union use. Probably sent by ship up the Atlantic coast to Mass (2 week transit).
- and everything else.
C.

Just a modest little item.

Very interesting.

My period of study mostly stops at the end of 1861, and excludes many details of the civil war. Nice item.

Chipg, would you give us a synopsis of the content?

Will go through the contents eventually. Right now, it's mounted up for a show and I really don't want to pull the page apart. In the interim, here's another cover:



Mails to the Confederate States was suspended on May 31, 1861. This was after that date so was forwarded to the Dead Letter Office in D.C. where it was received Aug. 5. They routed it back to Philadelphia (nice that there was a return address) and arrived back on Aug. 6.

The 1861-issue stamps weren't released until the end of August with a rolling release through different post offices.

Chipg, thanks for the response about the content and certainly understood.
Follow-up question, will you have a panel display at the World Show in Boston?

While I was here pestering Chipg I thought I would post a cover.




The back is more interesting than the front. Not sure but it seems the PM and a relative were conversing. ?

Crow:
Nice cover. Very unusual handstamp. You can go into the Annual Reports of the Post Office and find out when Augustus Clarke was the Postmaster.
As for Boston, probably a few different things, including:
https://cgpostal.com/leominster/index.html
https://cgpostal.com/redriver/index.html
Chip