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| Scott Number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date | October 5, 1850 |
| From City | Boston |
| From State | MA |
| To City | St. Catharines |
| To State | Canada |
| Addressee | Thomas R. Merritt |
| Cert Author | PF |
| Cert # | 584951 |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 2 |
| Quantity 2 | 0 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
From Halifax, Nova Scotia. Handed aboard the British packet Cambria and carried by favor to Boston. The stamps were put on and the cover mailed at Boston on October 5, 1850.
The stamps paid the 10c rate for over 300 miles to the exchange office of Queenston on the Niagara River. Here the due Canadian postage of 4 ½ d was applied for less than 60 miles to St. Catherines.
The postage rate from Halifax overland entirely within British North America was 2 & 7 1/2 , or over 50c US so that the saving in money by the bootleg route was considerable (about 35c). If the departure of the packet from Halifax coincided with the date of writing, a substantial time advantage was also gained over the overland route
Creighton C. Hart exhibit, First Issue of US Stamps
Susan McDonald, Remember that Time is Money: Two Unusual Covers with 1847 Stamps, 39th American Philatelic Congress (1973) p101, fig 2
Robert G. Kaufmann sale 66 (Hart) lot 247 realized 1500
Alexander listed as 10/5/50
Image from the William Gross exhibit frame 7-3 on the USPCS website.
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries sale 1211 (William H Gross) lot 142 realized 1600 notes letter docketed “Wm Pryor & Sons, Halifax, Octr. 2, 1850, state of market"
PF 22721 genuine cover
PF 564951 - IT IS A GENUINE USAGE
The stamps paid the 10c rate for over 300 miles to the exchange office of Queenston on the Niagara River. Here the due Canadian postage of 4 ½ d was applied for less than 60 miles to St. Catherines.
The postage rate from Halifax overland entirely within British North America was 2 & 7 1/2 , or over 50c US so that the saving in money by the bootleg route was considerable (about 35c). If the departure of the packet from Halifax coincided with the date of writing, a substantial time advantage was also gained over the overland route
Creighton C. Hart exhibit, First Issue of US Stamps
Susan McDonald, Remember that Time is Money: Two Unusual Covers with 1847 Stamps, 39th American Philatelic Congress (1973) p101, fig 2
Robert G. Kaufmann sale 66 (Hart) lot 247 realized 1500
Alexander listed as 10/5/50
Image from the William Gross exhibit frame 7-3 on the USPCS website.
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries sale 1211 (William H Gross) lot 142 realized 1600 notes letter docketed “Wm Pryor & Sons, Halifax, Octr. 2, 1850, state of market"
PF 22721 genuine cover
PF 564951 - IT IS A GENUINE USAGE

