Lot 2136
1846 Halifax "PAID" Tombstone, Folded Letter to New York, Kennedy Correspondence
Included in the Malcom Montgomery Exhibit
Mise à prix: $360
Estimation: $700 - $800
Red "Halifax, PAID" tombstone handstamp on 2 November 1846 folded letter to New York.
Once the steam packet service between Halifax and Boston was established, correspondents could use the Cunard vessels for their letters. As this was not an item in the Cunard contract, the charge was the same as for the ocean mail : one shilling Sterling, which had to be prepaid. On arrival in the United States letters were charged as ship letters, seven cents.
This letter prepaid one shilling Sterling carried by the Cunard line "Britannia" out of Halifax on the November 5 1846. Britannia made Boston on November 7 and the letter was charged 7 cents: 2 cents ship letter fee and 5 cents for United States Inland postage. The "PAID" portion of the Halifax handstamp was deleted at Boston.
Provenance
Ex Malcolm Montgomery
Informations sur la vente
The Philatelic Icons Sale 2026 | June 26-28
Sale 28: U.S. & Worldwide Stampless Postal History, and 18th Century American Historical Documents — Friday, June 26, 2026 | 3pm EST, 12pm PST
We are honored to present The Philatelic Icons Sale, the largest and most significant auction Americana Stamps has ever offered.
America's history lives in the letters that crossed goldfields and battle lines, in express covers that linked frontier towns to the outside world, and in the stamps that mark how a young country built its postal system from scratch. This sale brings together more than 1,500 lots that trace that story, including philatelic icons seldom offered to the public.
This auction is a natural fit for 2026, the 250th year of the United States, and for the Boston 2026 World Expo (May 23 to 30, Booth 141), the once-per-decade international exhibition where we are proud to open the sale. More than 750 lots are accompanied by Philatelic Foundation certifications, the largest concentration of certified material we have ever offered in a single sale.
As always, the sale is designed to serve both the collector and the researcher. Whenever available, you can expect:
✔ High-resolution imagery of all aspects of the item
✔ Links to reference articles and supporting research
✔ Links to philatelic certifications
✔ Census data and population insights
✔ Provenance details to trace notable histories
Whether you are pursuing a long-sought rarity or simply enjoy the chance to study material of this caliber, we invite you to explore the Philatelic Icons Sale and join us in Boston for our largest in-person preview to date.