Lot 4044
Wells, Fargo & Co's, California Express and Banking Company, Express & Exchange, Large Blue Oval Handstamp on Front Page of 1857 San Francisco Herald
Very Scarce California Express Handstamp
Opening: $100
Estimate: $200 - $250
Sold For $100
Extremely Fragile, falling apart. Front page of the San Francisco Herald, dated July 25, 1857, with a large blue Wells, Fargo & Co.'s California Express and Banking Company, Express & Exchange, Montgomery St. cor. California, San Francisco oval handstamp. There are various shipping and steamboat advertisements.
There are only a handful of recorded uses of this handstamp, the two others also used on newspapers, with one of the examples also on a partial clipping from the same 1857 San Francisco Herald issue, and another example on the front page of a 1857 San Francisco Daily Globe newspaper. It is likely that this handstamp was used to mark prepaid delivery of bundled newspapers.
When will this lot be auctioned?
Winter 2026 Sale | March 20-22
Sale 23 – Western Postal History and Expresses — Saturday, March 21, 4:00 PM EST | 1:00 PM PST
We are excited to present the Winter 2026 Sale, our first auction of the year and a continued step in our ongoing effort to improve the Americana Stamps auction experience for collectors.
We have made several improvements to our auction platform designed to help bidders feel confident and well informed as they explore the sale.
As you browse the listings, you will notice a “Verified” icon next to items accompanied by certificates. In this sale, more than 400 lots are accompanied by Philatelic Foundation certifications.
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