US Postal History & Civil War Cover Collection

Country of Origin: USA, CA

Period: Mid 19th - 20th century

Dimensions: Various

Condition: Various Age and Handling Wear

Additional Information: Collection of approximately 34 antique and vintage envelopes, postal covers, advertising covers, commemorative covers, and philatelic pieces dating from approximately the 1840s through the 1900s.

The collection includes several particularly desirable 19th-century and Civil War era pieces, along with illustrated commercial advertising, hotel, fire company, occupational, commemorative, and Virginia postal history material.

Highlights include:

• Four hand colored Civil War era pictorial envelopes depicting military, hospital, barracks, naval, and Virginia picket post scenes
• One Civil War pictorial envelope bearing the Charles Magnus, New York publisher imprint
• Early stampless folded covers from Natchitoches, Louisiana; Norfolk, Virginia; Milford, Virginia; and Montreal, Canada
• Early Montreal-to-New York cross-border postal cover with manuscript “Paid” notation and rate marking
• French-language Natchitoches cover addressed to a church official in New Orleans
• Norfolk stamped envelope concerning 1855 Dismal Swamp Land Company stock dividends
• Illustrated Bausman & Eaby fire insurance cover with horse drawn fire apparatus
• Pioneer Fire Company No. 1 illustrated cover from Hazleton, Pennsylvania
• Cithens & Brotherton printing and typesetting advertising cover with detailed printing-press illustration
• Two Cleveland Letter Carriers’ Mutual Benefit Association illustrated covers
• Hunt House and Mansion House hotel advertising covers
• Charlottesville Woolen Mills corner card envelope
• Dixie Hound Kennels illustrated advertising covers
• The Washington Post business envelope
• Forwarded 1868 cover with Milwaukee forwarding marking
• Century of Progress, George Rogers Clark, French Bicentennial, postal convention, precancel, and other commemorative covers
• Numerous 19th and early 20th century Washington stamps, embossed postal stationery indicia, receiving marks, transit markings, manuscript rates, and town cancellations

Locations represented include Virginia, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Canada, and other areas.

Most of the stamps are common issues individually, but their value and historical interest come from remaining intact on their original envelopes with period cancellations, advertising, forwarding marks, rates, routes, recipients, and historical associations.

Condition varies throughout the collection. Pieces may show age toning, staining, folds, tears, edge wear, handwriting, opened sides, missing flaps, fading, mounting remnants, or other expected evidence of age and postal use. Some pieces appear unused. The four Civil War pictorial pieces are complete envelopes. 

All pieces are being offered together as one intact postal history and ephemera collection. Please examine all photographs carefully, as the photographs form an important part of the description. Attribution and approximate dates are based on visible postal markings, printed information, stamps, addresses, and historical context.