Wells Fargo & Company Pony Express, $2.00 Red (143L1). Position 16, mostly large margins, ample to just touched at right, tied by blue "Wells, Fargo & Co., Carson City, Jun. 16" (1861) oval datestamp on 10¢ Pale Green on Buff Nesbitt entire (U18a) to William B. Taylor, current postmaster of New York City, with red Wells Fargo & Co. frank printed twice over green Freeman & Co. frank, sender's directive "Pr Pony Express June 16/61"--at Carson City the cover was placed into the way-mail pouch of the mochilla carried on the Pony trip that departed San Francisco on Saturday, June 15, 1861, passed through Carson City June 16, and arrived in St. Joseph June 27--entered the mails with green "St. Joseph Mo. Jun. 27" circular datestamp and matching grid cancel on 10¢ embossed stamp, cover restored at top with some paper added and part of red printed frank inked in, $2.00 stamp has faint crease and tiny repair at top right

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS COVER IS THE EARLIEST OF EIGHT RECORDED EXAMPLES OF PONY EXPRESS USAGE OF OBSOLETE FREEMAN & COMPANY FRANKED ENTIRE WITH THE WELLS FARGO & COMPANY OVERPRINT -- AMONG THE EIGHT, IT IS ONE OF FOUR WITH THE $2.00 RED, THE ONLY WAY-MAIL USAGE AND THE ONLY ONE ORIGINATING IN NEVADA TERRITORY.

John Freeman was an agent for Adams & Co. at the time of the firm's spectacular Lehman-like collapse in February 1855. He ran the Freeman & Co. Express until November 1859, then sold out to Wells Fargo & Co. The unused supply of 10¢ embossed envelopes bearing Freeman & Co.'s green frank was overprinted with the Wells Fargo & Co. red frank in two directions. Some of these were used to send letters by Pony Express. There are eight examples recorded in the FKW census, evenly divided between $2.00 and $1.00 Horse-and-Rider stamp frankings (see table below).

This cover was datestamped on June 16, 1861, by the Wells Fargo & Co. office at Carson City in Nevada Territory. The $2.00 Red paid the Pony Express fee (Rate Period 3), and the red frank presumably paid for Wells Fargo service from another location. Carson City was situated on the Pony Express route, and this cover was added to the mochilla containing the mail that originated in San Francisco on Saturday, June 15. The mochilla had four pouches. Three were used for mail originating at the San Francisco and St. Joseph offices. The letters were bundled and wrapped in water-resistant oiled silk, then placed in the pouches, which were locked for the entire trip (only certain offices had the key). The fourth pouch was used for way mail, which was collected at stations along the route and placed into the pouch by the station agents.

Pony Express way-mail covers are rare, as are Pony covers originating in Nevada Territory. Only five covers from Carson City are recorded in the FKW census: E23, E30, E60A, E97 and E152. This is the only one with the Freeman & Co. overprinted frank. The addressee, William B. Taylor, served briefly as New York City's postmaster, from January 16, 1861, through March 20, 1862.

FKW Census E97. Illustrated in Needham-Berthold, Handstamped Franks: Used as Cancellations on Pony Express Letters 1860 and 1861 and the Pony Express Stamps and Their Use (reprint of Collectors Club Philatelist articles, July and October 1927) and Nathan-Boggs, The Pony Express (page 41).

Ex Lichtenstein (Costales Apr. 26-27, 1950, lot 5) and J. David Baker

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