30c Orange (38). Cancelled by blue grid with matching "Louisville Ky. Aug. 13, 1861" duplex double-circle datestamp on folded cover (without side flaps) from New Orleans to Bremen, Germany, well-struck "Adams Ex. Co. * Louisville, Ky. * Aug. 12, 1861" circular datestamp on back (folded up for display), blue oval handstamp applied by Pandorf & Co. in New Orleans, sender's routing instructions "Per Adams Express Co. to New York, per first steamer via Liverpool or Southampton" and "paid in full", manuscript "60/1" rate notation at upper left (25c express fee plus postage, which was apparently calculated at 35c in the Adams New Orleans office), red "New York Am. Pkt. 7 Paid Aug. 17" credit datestamp, red boxed "Aachen Franco" transit handstamp

VERY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED USE OF THE 30-CENT 1860 ISSUE ON A COVER THAT WAS CARRIED ACROSS THE LINES BY EXPRESS AND THE ONLY RECORDED THRU-THE-LINES EXPRESS COVER TO GERMANY (FIVE KNOWN IN TOTAL).

This cover was posted from Confederate New Orleans and is franked to pay the 30c rate via Prussian Closed Mail. It was datestamped August 12 by Adams Express Company in Louisville, ten days prior to demonetization of the old stamps. The 30c stamp was probably applied at the Adams office in Louisville. The Walske-Trepel census records five thru-the-lines express covers in the June 15-August 26 period, including three carried by Adams (two to France, one to Germany) and two by American Letter Express Co. (to France and Switzerland). This is the only cover to Germany and the only 30c cover among the five recorded.

Special Routes Census No. N-AD-61. Ex Grunin

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