Pony Express, San Francisco, Apr. 17 (1861). Running Pony oval datestamp in blue struck on 10¢ Green on Buff Nesbitt entire (U16) addressed to Charles Arthur Ely in Elyria, Ohio, no indication of $2.00 rate, carried on the Pony trip that departed San Francisco on Wednesday, April 17, 1861, and arrived in St. Joseph on April 30, entered the mails with bold green "St. Joseph Mo. Apr. 30" circular datestamp, with original letter enclosure datelined San Francisco, April 17, 1861, from Henry Leffingwell at 6 Montgomery Block, concerning debts incurred by Charles Ely and demanding reimbursement--"I send this by Pony, because I cannot wait any longer"

VERY FINE. THIS APRIL 17, 1861, EASTBOUND TRIP FROM SAN FRANCISCO MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE $2.00 PER HALF-OUNCE RATE PERIOD. PONY EXPRESS COVERS WITH ORIGINAL LETTER ENCLOSURES ARE VERY RARE.

The April 17 trip was the first to occur in San Francisco after notice of the new $2.00 rate was received from St. Joseph by Pony Express. This marks the beginning of what postal historians call Rate Period 3, and it is also the early stage of Phase II, known as the Interim Phase, in which the Pony Express was operated as a joint private enterprise by COC&PP (now controlled by Holladay) and the Overland Mail Company, with Wells Fargo & Company acting as agents for the business. Starting on April 15, newspaper ads announced the new rates and that Wells Fargo & Company would receive Pony Express mail.

The FKW census lists three covers from this trip. Two have the San Francisco Running Pony oval struck in blue (the other cover has a partly restored address) The third is the cover offered in lot 14, which has the dated Running Pony oval in red with tiny flecks of blue ink. Changes in management and operations could be factors explaining why red ink was temporarily used by the San Francisco office.

Henry Leffingwell, a San Francisco real estate agent with offices at 6 Montgomery Block, was a frequent newspaper advertiser, offering properties for sale or rent. According to the letter, Leffingwell had provided considerable financial assistance to his friend, Charles A. Ely, and was demanding payment of the long overdue debt.

Information about Charles Arthur Ely (1829-1864) may be found at OhioHistory.org: "[he] was the son of Heman Ely, who founded the city of Elyria. Ely attended Elyria High School and at the Scientific School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was interested in science, and played a prominent role in creating both the Natural History Society of Elyria and the Lorain County Agricultural Society. In 1852 he visited South America as an agent for the Goodyear Rubber Company. Two years later he married Louise Caroline Foote in Cleveland, Ohio. Facing declining health, the Elys went on an extended trip to China at his doctor's orders. Returning to Elyria in 1860, Ely pursued several philanthropic causes. In his will he provided for the establishment of a public library, which opened in 1870."

FKW Census E69. Signed by Stanley B. Ashbrook and illustrated in his Special Service (pages 225-226, photo 120). Illustrated in Nathan-Boggs, The Pony Express (page 39). From our 1985 Rarities of the World sale (Sale 645, lot 8).

Image Magnifier / Download

Power Search for Comparables