STEAMER/WINFIELD SCOTT. Red two-line handstamp clearly struck on 1853 brown cover to Ellisburgh N.Y., perfectly clear strike of "Mokelumne Hill Cal. Nov. 28" circular datestamp with "Paid" and "6" handstamps, very faint waterstain, small nick in right edge

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE SEVEN KNOWN COVERS RECOVERED FROM THE WRECK OF THE PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY STEAMER WINFIELD SCOTT.

The Winfield Scott was a 1,291-ton steamer built in New York City in 1851, which was put into service along the Pacific Coast route in 1852. Her first trip as a Pacific Mail Steamship Co. contract vessel was on August 16, 1853. On December 1, 1853, she left San Francisco for Panama, but was stranded off Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel and lost. The mails, passengers and cargo were saved, and the recovered mail was transferred to the PMSS California, which left San Francisco on December 7 and arrived in Panama on December 24. The USMSC Illinois carried the mail from Aspinwall to New York (depart December 26, arrive January 5, 1854).

Our Levi records contain nine examples of the two-line handstamp, including seven recovered from the December 1 wreck. This and one other have the Mokelumne Hill circular datestamp (the other, dated November 25, realized $9,000 in our Sale 820, lot 103).

Ex Walske and "New Helvetia"

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