10¢ Black (2), horizontal pair, left stamp with short transfer at top plate variety, large margins to full all around, bold black grid cancels, matching "N. York Steamship" dateless circle handstamp on envelope originating in Chagres, Panama, with original letter enclosure datelined "Panama Sept. 14th 1850" from a husband and father to his wife, Mattie B. Stewart, and their five children in Wellsville, Ohio, letter mentions the cost of crossing the isthmus ("it is 2 or 3 times as expensive crossing the isthmus as it was last spring"), reports the cholera epidemic in Panama, describes the wife of a doctor succumbing to the lecherous advances of a Captain Graham of the U.S. Mail Steamship Co. Falcon, and notably "The U.S. Mail agent Mr. Whitney has been a companion & is now a room mate"

Very Fine; tiny margin tear at top of right stamp, cover with small mended opening tear at top and flap repair, and lightly cleaned.

This was part of the mail arriving at New York on the U.S. Mail Steamship Co. Ohio on September 22, 1850. There is offset of two black grids from another cover on back, which confirms use of the stamps on this envelope. It is one of only ten examples of the 1847 Issue originating in Panama, of which this is the only one originating on the east coast of the isthmus. The rate from Panama City on the west coast was 30¢, but the rate from the east coast was only 20¢.

Ex Ernest Wiltsee, Ryohei Ishikawa and Joseph Hackmey.

Image Magnifier / Download

Power Search for Comparables