3c Dull Red, Type II (11A). Horizontal pair, margins to in on left stamp, couple small faults, tied by "Salt Lake City Utah Jan. 5" territorial circular datestamp on 3c Red on Buff Nesbitt entire (U10) to Hopewell N.J., manuscript directive "Via California" (see below for significance), slightly reduced at left and minor edge and corner wear

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A FASCINATING COVER SENT VIA THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL ON THE CHORPENNING ROUTE FROM UTAH TO CALIFORNIA AND THEN TO THE EAST COAST BY STEAMER. THIS ROUTE CAUSED THE SALT LAKE CITY POSTMASTER TO CHARGE A 9-CENT "PHANTOM" RATE.

This cover was carried from Salt Lake City to California via the Chorpenning route, probably over the Old Spanish Trail to San Pedro and San Diego, including carriage over the Sierra Nevadas by "Snowshoe Thompson", then by steamer to San Francisco. From San Francisco it was carried by the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Golden Age to Panama. After crossing the Isthmus it was carried by the U.S. Mail Steamship Co. Illinois, arriving at New York on March 12.

There was no official 9c rate that could have applied to this cover. It can be logically speculated that the "Via California" notation caused the Mormon postmaster at Salt Lake City to charge what he thought appropriate for mail going east via California. He may have reasoned that since the letter could have gone overland east for only 3 cents, if the sender wanted it to go via California he should pay the 3c inland rate for under 3,000 miles to California plus the 6c rate for over 3,000 miles from California via Panama, for a total rate of 9c. Very few covers are known with this "Phantom" rate.

Illustrated and discussed in Chronicle 215 (p. 203). Ex Walske and Risvold

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