Blue Nov 20 Danville, Pa and circled "PAID 3" with manuscript "Reg" and "9" for registered. Small red Philadelphia "R"

Blue Dec 17 Cincinnati cds on cover to Illinois. Large red Cinncinati "R" and straightline "PAID" with manuscript "Paid, & Registered"

Nassau, Bahamas to Philadelphia, PA 1828 via St Thomas & New Haven, CT fancy pictorial SHIP & rated 95 ¾ cts due for 5 X 18 ¾ cts inland + 2cts ship letter fee

1837 Cover carried by the Black Ball Line ship South America, written in New York on October 14, 1837, and received in the U.K. at Liverpool. Marked with 'LIVERPOOL/SHIP LETTER' (Type S.13, in use 1834–38). Addressed to Mr. Fallow, Esq., M.P., 5 Peel St., Manchester.

Rated at 1/3d, comprising 6d for the ship letter rate, 7d for inland postage (30–50 miles), and 2d for the ship's gratuity. The South America, a 616-ton vessel, was in service with the Black Ball Line from 1832 to 1843, under the command of Robert H. Waterman by 1836. The ship was later used as a whaler from 1843 to 1860.

The cover has a strike of the scarce "5"

Numbers 3,4,5, and 6 are the only ones known. This strike of '5' is the earliest for this numberm previously 1839 was earliest and 1840 latest. All examples (save one from Manchester to Blackburn 1839) are addressed to Manchester from Liverpoo. So far none are known from Manchester to Liverpool - the use of the stamp is obscure, it was at first thought to be connected with the Manchester-Liverpool railway but this seems now to be unlikely.

1848 (Dec. 29) folded letter from Baltimore to London, carried on the first Cunard Line service from New York to Liverpool by the Hibernia. Blue 'BALTIMORE MD DEC 29' datestamp and matching circled '5' handstamp for U.S. inland postage prepaid. Manuscript '1/' indicating 1 shilling due upon arrival in the U.K.

Via "Africa", Maiden Voyage 26 October, 1850

October 26, 1850, folded letter to New York City with "Liverpool Oc 25 1850" origin postmark, endorsed "p Africa Steamer" departing Liverpool October 26 and arriving New York November 8, black "19 cents" rocking horse debit and "24" handstamp, very fine maiden voyage cover. Clear strikes.

New York Am Packet MAR 29 Black cds on front with manuscript "18", "50" and "71" on front. Black Alexandria 1853 cds and orange GB cds on reverse.

BOLD STRIKE New York AM Packet APR 6 Black cds on front. MAR 14 1854 cds orange GB cds on reverse.

New York AM Packet APR 6 Black cds on front with Alexandria Blue CDS MR24 1855 on reverse.

New York AM Packet 6 cds on front with Alexandria 24 1854 CDS on reverse.

Black Nov 5 Boston, Ms cds with red manuscript "40" on 1803 folded letter to Philadelphia.

France and England were at war from 1793-1815. It was unclear to the French as to where official American sympathies would finally rest; as they suspected that our Post was opening certain important mails, they sometimes would write a secret message in lemon juice, which was invisible to the eye. When these letters were received, a small chunk would be removed and soaked to bring out a trace of a message; if none appeared, so be it. But if there was a message, the entire letter would be soaked.

This 1803 letter, addressed to Philadelphia, is an example of this practice.

Stampless folded letter to New York with an APR 15 1835 Ypsilanti, Michigan Territorial postmark (Mic.T). Manuscript "25" for single letter rate to New York (400 miles).

1836 folded letter from Dundas, Canada to Albany, NY via Queenston. Red Dundas cds and blue Nov 2 Lewiston, NY cds. Red manuscript "6 1/2" rated for 4 1/2 pence Canadian postage to the border + 2 pence "Ferriage." Manuscript "18 3/4" US Postage due for 150-400 miles.

Mail between American and Canadian post offices, which were separated by the Niagara or St. Lawrence Rivers had to be ferried across because there were no existing bridges at this time. From January, 1829, until their termination in March 1837, the Canadian Deputy PMG levied a 2 pence "Ferriage" fee to be added to the appropriate Canadian postage due.

From the George Kramer Exhibit

Red "Baltimore Rail Road" handstamp with manuscript "ch 25" on Baltimore to Massachusetts folded letter, datelined November 15, 1838. Rated for over 400 miles rate.

The small notation "ch"is uncommon; it signified that addressee had an account with the Post Office, and that this letter did not have to be paid upon receipt.

On July 7, 1838, Congress passed an act providing "that each and every railroad within the limits of the United States which now is or hereafter be completed, shall be a post route, and the PMG shall cause the mail to be transported thereon". "RAILROAD" type markings were struck on mail which did not originate in a post office.

According to Remele, the railroad contracted to carry mail from Baltimore to Philadelphia, and from all intermediate Post Offices on the line, did not cross into Philadelphia until November 1838 when the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad Bridge was completed. This letter is datelined November 15, 1838.

Red "Halifax, PAID" tombstone handstamp on 2 November 1846 folded letter to New York.

Once the steam packet service between Halifax and Boston was established, correspondents could use the Cunard vessels for their letters. As this was not an item in the Cunard contract, the charge was the same as for the ocean mail : one shilling Sterling, which had to be prepaid. On arrival in the United States letters were charged as ship letters, seven cents.

This letter prepaid one shilling Sterling carried by the Cunard line "Britannia" out of Halifax on the November 5 1846. Britannia made Boston on November 7 and the letter was charged 7 cents: 2 cents ship letter fee and 5 cents for United States Inland postage. The "PAID" portion of the Halifax handstamp was deleted at Boston.