Summer 2025 | July 18-20, 2025

Aug 15, 18444 folded letter with red "FOWARDED BY AMERICAN MAIL CO. NO 102 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA" handstamp. Docketed "R.R. Boyd Aug 15/44", who was a merchant in New York. The stamp heavily torn away, perhaps to prevent reuse by the addressee, and the letter with horizontal and vertical file folds.

Manuscript "American Mail". The letter with fold separations.

Datelined September 18, 1844, folded letter sent from Birmingham, England to Philadelphia. Carried on the Cunard Line Caledonia, which departed Liverpool on September 18 and arrived in Boston on October 2. Addressed to Philadelphia. Forwarded from Boston to Philadelphia by the American Letter Mail Co. Duplicate invoice contents noted.

Folded letter dated August 1, 1844, from New York. Struck with "Forwarded by American Mail Co. from No. 109 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia" handstamp (ALM-PHL-F10) and "Collect 6 1/2 cts New York Office" (C05). Addressed to commission merchant A. N. Thom, referencing an order.

Folded letter dated September 6, 1844, from Troy, New York to New York City, carried on the Hudson River via steamboat.

Datelined “Troy March 15th 1845,” this letter was carried by Brainard & Co, as indicated by the Red Oval forwarding Handstamp (BRA-F-2), to NYC where it received the Hale & Co. collect handstamp (C-3). Hale carried it to Hartford.
Twenty-four letters originating from Troy are recorded by Gutman. The EKU is 9/3/44 and LKU is 6/20/45. Gutman records 45 letters with Hale markings going to Hartford. The EKU is 7/20/44 and LKU is 3/19/45. Gutman wrote it “is curious”… that Hale apparently stopped accepting outbound letters in March, 1845. But note that the Postal Act putting Hale and other independent mail companies out of business was enacted March 3. The above letter was written 12 days later.

Conjunctive use of two independent mail companies, mailed 3 Weeks after Postal Act of 1845 became law.
This folded letter, dated March 26, 1845, written by a husband to his wife, was carried by Brainard & Co. from Troy to New York City. There, it was transferred to Hale & Co. for final delivery to Hartford, Connecticut. The letter never entered the U.S. mails

Folded letter privately carried entirely outside the mails via two independent companies. Entered Brainard & Co.’s office in Troy, N.Y., where an agent carried it to Albany and placed it aboard a Hudson River steamboat for New York City. From there, it was transferred to Hale & Co., which transported it via Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River to Hartford. Struck with red oval "FORWARDED / BY / BRAINARD & CO. / TROY" and boxed "COLLECT / SIX CENTS / HALE & CO." handstamps.

Not recorded in the Lyons census of Brainard covers.

August 26, 1844 folded letter from North Easton, Massachusetts to New York. This is a newly discovered second recorded cover from North Easton, addressed to the same individual with the same date as the other recorded example. Hale & Co. did not have an advertised agent or office in Easton, and no rail or steamboat service existed to connect it directly, but this cover still made its way into the Hale system.

Folded letter sent from Boston to New York dated January 31, 1844, with red box handstamp “Forwarded through/Hale & Co.’s/Letter Office 13/Court St., Boston.” There are 84 recorded examples of the F-14 handstamp. Folded letter has tear on bottom across fold, almost completely separated.

Folded letter datelined Boston July 19, 1844, to New York. This is an unusual combination of two handstamp colors. The C-5 handstamp is only reported in red.

Folded letter sheet datelined New York, October 23, 1844, carried by Hale & Co. from New York to Hartford, Connecticut. Red boxed HALE & CO’S MAIL handstamp. The recipient was charged 6c for intercity carriage and an additional 2c for local delivery, totaling 8c due.

Prepaid letter datelined “New York, Jan 30th 1845,” with red "Forwarded by Hale & Co., from Courier & Enquirer Building, New York" (F-29) handstamp and red straightline "PAID" handstamps. The sender originally intended to send the letter via Adams & Co.'s Express, indicated by a crossed-out manuscript notation at lower left, but instead handed it to Hale & Co. for delivery.

Folded letter datelined Nov 29, 1844 from Philadelphia to New York with clear red "Collect Six Cents for Hale & Co." (C-3) handstamp and matching oval "Forwarded by Hale & Co. from No. 7 S. Third Street, Philadelphia" (F-33).

Folded letter datelined March 1, 1845 carried by Hale & Co. from Providence, R.I. to New York, with red "Forwarded by Hale & Co., Providence" (F-36) oval and matching red "6" collect rate handstamp (C-13), a marking unique to the Providence office. One of only 31 recorded letters with the C-13 marking.

"Collect 6 CENTS for BOSTON OFFICE"

Folded letter from New York City to Albany, bearing Hale & Co.'s red straight-line "PAID" handstamp (type P-8, 20mm x 5mm), as used in New York City, with approximately 45 examples recorded by Gutman. Manuscript "Hale's Express Paid" in bottom left.

This cover is illustrated as Figure 7-237 in Eastern Independent Mail And Express Mail Companies 1840-1845
Folded letter mailed from the Hale & Co. office in New York to Boston, datelined 4 June, 1844, and clearly struck with a red "6¼" cent handstamp. The C-14 handstamp was used to pay the basic letter rate for less than one half ounce or for one letter sheet, in the Spanish/Mexican coinage system.
This handstamp was only used for six months, or less, so only a few examples are known.

Letter datelined Sept 5, 1844. File fold through the stamp.

Manuscript "Single" at lower left indicating the rate. The letter with ink splatter.

Faint black, boxed company handstamp and red Philadelphia datestamp. The stamp with a light vertical crease.

Manuscript "5 CTS" and Red "6" handstamp, with pencil "2 CT TO PAY" at far left.

Stamp with mostly clear square margins, datelined Jan. 15, 1845. Red Collect handstamp (C-3).
Gutman records this cover as the only example of this precancel variety.