3c Dull Red, Type II (11A). Horizontal pair, mostly ample margins to slightly in, tied by "San Francisco Cal. Jul. 16" (1853) circular datestamp on buff cover with Adams & Co. printed frank (missing "f" of "California") at upper left, to Uniontown Ala., carried from San Francisco to Panama on PMSS Golden Gate (depart Jul. 16, arrive Jul. 29), then from Aspinwall to New York on USMSC Illinois (depart Aug. 1, arrive Aug. 10), small tear in cover at upper right

VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF ADAMS & COMPANY'S PRINTED FRANK, OF WHICH ONLY TWO HAVE ADHESIVE STAMPS. THIS IS THE FIRST PRINTED FRANK USED BY ANY OF THE WESTERN EXPRESS COMPANIES. A COVER OF GREAT HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE AND ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE WITH THE 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE.

Adams & Company set up its California and Oregon business in December 1849 under the direction of William B. Dinsmore of New York and Daniel H. Haskell of Boston, with Alvin Adams as a third partner. Dinsmore left shortly thereafter. In 1852 I. C. Woods joined the firm and two years later became a partner. Its business in the shipment of gold, merchandise, parcels and letters flourished, and its related banking operations established Adams & Co. as a major force in the economic development of the West. All of this figuratively turned to dust in February 1855 with the failure of Page, Bacon & Company, a prominent banking firm. Two days later Adams Express collapsed as depositors rushed to withdraw their gold from a concern that was already weakened by competition (source: Wiltsee, The Pioneer Mule and The Pack Mule Express).

The significance of Adams & Company's printed franks is two-fold: first, they were produced in 1853, making them the earliest franks actually printed on envelopes or stamped entires; and, second, their function "was to facilitate the deposit of mail in letter boxes after the normal business hours of the express. Much like a printed adhesive stamp, these could be used to prepare letters for mailing so that they could be deposited in a box and without having to wait in line if the express office was still open." (Frajola).

With the Dale-Lichtenstein dispersal, the number of recorded examples of the Adams & Co. frank rose to seven, including three slightly different formats on plain envelopes, both stamped and stampless, and the 3c Nesbitt entire. Only two covers have adhesive stamps; both are addressed to Sarah L. Davidson in Uniontown, Alabama, and each has a pair of the 3c 1851.

Ex Dale-Lichtenstein, Walske and "New Helvetia". With 2008 P.F. certificate

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