Lot 2082
1798 Stampless Folded Invoice, London to Providence, Rhode Island, Carried by the Ship Minerva
Openingsbod: $150
schatting: $300 - $500
Stampless folded invoice, hand carried, datelined London, September 19, 1798, addressed to Henry Smith, Merchant, Providence, Rhode Island, with manuscript carriage endorsement by Captain F.W. Hall in the Ship Merchant.
Letter is the retained file copy from Clifford Crowninshield of London, marked "(Copy)," reporting the shipment of goods aboard the Ship Minerva, Stephen D. Turner Master, bound for Boston, consigned to Boston merchant Timothy Williams for delivery to Smith's order. A second copy letter to Williams of the same date is included. Accompanied by the original three-page itemized invoice "of Sundries Shipped by Clifford Crowninshield on board the Ship Minerva," totaling £307.14.6, comprising over 328 ounces of London silver and plate (gadrooned coffee and tea services, candlesticks, porringers, complete flatware services, salts, snuffers, fruit baskets), plus the Encyclopedia Britannica in 18 volumes, Voltaire's Works, a gold watch with chain, key and seal, knife cases, and a mahogany tea chest. Invoice signed "Errors Excepted, London 20 September 1798, Clifford Crowninshield."
Clifford Crowninshield (1762 to 1809) was the London representative of the Crowninshield merchant family of Salem, Massachusetts.
Veilinginformatie
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Sale 28: U.S. & Worldwide Stampless Postal History, and 18th Century American Historical Documents — Friday, June 26, 2026 | 3pm EST, 12pm PST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.