Auctions
Milgram collection of steamboat mail to cross Rumsey auction block Feb. 10-11

By Charles Snee
On Feb. 10-11, Schuyler Rumsey
Philatelic Auctions will offer the James Milgram collection of steamboat mail
at its gallery in San Francisco, Calif.
In the introduction to the sale
catalog, Rumsey provides some background on Milgram and his expansive knowledge
of steamboats and their postal history.
“A collector since high school, Dr.
Milgram amassed one of the few remaining collections covering virtually every
aspect of U.S. postal history,” Rumsey said. “He is a renowned expert in the
field, who authored over 700 articles on postal history and 8 books including
the definitive work on United States Steamboats, Vessel-Named Markings on
United States Inland and Ocean Waterways 1810-1890. Dr. Milgram remains an
active collector and is a senior member of the Collectors Club of Chicago.”
Rumsey also indicated that more of
Milgram’s holdings will be coming to the philatelic marketplace soon.
“We are pleased to offer this
outstanding collection which is the finest ever formed highlighting the
important role which steamboats played in the expansion of the U.S. mails,”
Rumsey said. “Over the course of the next several auctions we are proud to announce
we’ll be offering further selections from this incomparable Milgram
collection.”
The catalog introduction concludes
with brief history of steamboat mail in the United States.
Illustrated nearby is an exceptional
cover from the collection, which is also pictured on the front cover of the
sale catalog.
The folded letter, from the Carroll
Hoy correspondence, is datelined Dec. 6, 1855, from Evergreen, La., and was
sent to New Orleans, La. According to Rumsey, the U.S. 1851 3¢ dull red George
Washington stamp (Scott 11), although affixed to the letter as required by law,
is not canceled because the letter never entered the postal mails.
What makes the cover a real gem is in
the upper left corner: a perfect strike of the “By Steamer Rapides”
name-of-boat handstamp.
“This is by far the finest strike of
this rare and highly desirable illustrated steamboat marking and the earliest
recorded example of this marking,” Rumsey said. According to Rumsey, the letter
is one of nine recorded covers bearing the “By Steamer Rapides” handstamp.
For added context, Rumsey includes a
short history of the Rapides and its namesake marking in the lot
description:
“The ‘Rapides’ was a wooden-hull side
wheel packetboat that was built in New Albany Ind. in 1855. Originally built
for C.J. Barston of Rapides Parish La., she plied the waters between New
Orleans and Donaldsonville up to 1856, then later between New Orleans and
Shreveport before being used by the Confederacy after 1861. The marking used on
mail carried by the ‘Rapides’ is a remarkable depiction of a Mississippi
steamboat without equal among the other handstamps of the period.”
Rumsey lists this splendid 1855 cover
with a “By Steamer Rapides” handstamp with an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
The cover is accompanied by a 2024 Philatelic Foundation expertizing
certificate.
Rumsey has prepared a single catalog
for the Feb. 10-11 Milgram steamboat mail auction. The catalog is available for
download on the Rumsey website. Online bidding is
through Stamp Auction Network.
For more information, email srumsey@rumseyauctions.com or write to Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions, 47 Kearny St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94108.
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