Lot 5074
Cartel Ship, "Fair American", 1814 Stampless Folded Letter from Liverpool to New York
Very Scarce Cartel Ship Usage
Opening: $500
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,250
Status: Unsold
Illustrated in Walske's North American Blockade Run Mail, 1775-1865 Exhibit
Stampless folded letter datelined at Liverpool on April 4, 1814, carried aboard the cartel ship Fair American, which sailed April 8 while transporting dispatches for the U.S. Secretary of State. The contents note that the “cartel now about to sail.” The letter arrived at New York on May 13, passing through the wartime blockade, and bears a manuscript “6” cents for in-port ship fee.
Period accounts of Fair American’s January 1814 sailing from New York record the presence of eleven unauthorized stowaways, later removed by a revenue cutter, with reports that letters and documents were destroyed during the incident (Niles’ Weekly Register, January 29, 1814, p. 364).
Provenance
Ex Walske, Arnell
When will this lot be auctioned?
Winter 2026 Sale | March 20-22
Sale 24 – U.S. Stampless — Sunday, March 22, 1:00 PM EST | 10:00 AM PST
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