Auctions

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

Jan 27, 2025, 8 AM
A highlight of Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions’ Feb. 10-11 sale of the James Milgram collection of steamboat mail is this 1855 letter mailed from Evergreen, La., to New Orleans, La., that bears a perfect strike of the “By Steamer Rapides” handstamp.

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.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter

    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter