Lot 6033
Wells, Fargo & Co. Eastern Transcontinental Pony Express Frank, Type I (WFE-097), "Free" Company Use to Official N. H. Stockwell
Only Three Other Known Examples, This being the Only Known "Free" Usage
起拍价: $2,000
Estimate: $4,000 - $5,000
An attractive usage of the Wells, Fargo & Co. 1/2 OUNCE PAID FROM St. JOSEPH TO PLACERVILLE PER PONY EXPRESS, Type I, printed frank. The Type I printed frank was used to prepay the $2.00 per half ounce express fee for only two months, approximately April to June 1861.
The design differs from the more common Type II design (WFE-098) by having a comma at the end of the word "Placerville." Thomas notes that besides being printed on U40 envelopes, these printed franks were printed on white non-government envelopes, like this example.
The addressee, N.H. Stockwell, was on the Board of Directors for Wells Fargo from 1858-1867.
The manuscript "1/4 oz free" indicates that this was carried free as company use to an official, making this the only known free usage of the Type I design. There are only three other used examples of this design.
来源
Ex Henry H. Clifford Collection of Western Express Franks, Kramer
拍卖会信息
The Philatelic Icons Sale 2026 | June 26-28
Sale 32: Western Postal History & Expresses — Saturday, June 27, 2026 | 6pm EST, 3pm 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.