Salomon Rosenthal Collection of Mexican Maritime Mail
February 20, 2008
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #542 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1824 Prior to the establishment of the monthly Admiralty Packet service in June, 1825, mail to be conveyed by British ships, had to be privately forwarded. A FL from Veracruz, 13 March, to Cadiz, red "Nueva Espana" (origin hs), forwarded at New York by "J.B. Marie" 14 April, but still rated "7R" (reales) as if it had arrived directly from Mexico, fine and interesting item  | Price Realized $525.00 |
 | Lot #543 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1824 FL from Mexico, 24 September, forwarded in New York by "Le Roy Bayard & Co." (boxed handstamp) and placed on a private ship to London arriving at the port of Deal on December 24th, with "Deal Ship Letter" handstamp, charged 4 shillings due from recipient, fine | Price Realized $240.00 |
 | Lot #544 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1825 Beginning in June 1825 (after diplomatic relations between newly-independent Mexico and Great Britain had been established), a British Admiralty packet sailing monthly from Falmouth called at Jacmel (Haiti), Kingston (Jamaica), Havana (Cuba) and Veracruz; returning via Havana, St.Thomas, Barbados and Bermuda. The British Legation in Mexico City sent both official mail and letters handed over by the Mexican post for delivery abroad to its postal agency at Veracruz, via their special courier. Since the rates established for the Mexican mail were higher than those for mail from Jamaica, a "Fleuron" handstamp with "Mexico" was delivered to Jamaica to be applied on letters from Mexico. A letter from Mexico City, 23 April to London, forwarded at Veracruz, 28 April by Josiah Perrett, with the earliest recorded example of the red "Mexico" Fleuron applied in Jamaica, also faint Kingston July 8 transits, with July 25th arrival pmk in London, rated 3 shillings, fine. A rarity | Price Realized $3,250.00 |
 | Lot #545 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1825 FL from Mexico City, August 16 to London, forwarded at Alvarado by Phillip J. Kramer, arriving in London November 17th, charged 11sh due from the recipient, boxed "Liverpool Ship Letter" hs, fine. The port of Alvarado was used because of the Spanish blockade of Veracruz | Price Realized $230.00 |
 | Lot #546 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1825 FL from Mexico City to London, carried to New Orleans and forwarded by H. Monro, March 18th, taken on board "Le Frances" bound for Liverpool, arriving May 27th, with "Liverpool Ship Letter" handstamp, 2 shillings paid by recipient, fine example of pre-Admiralty Packet mail forwarded at New Orleans | Price Realized $230.00 |
 | Lot #547 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1825 FL from Mexico to London, sent via Tampico where it was forwarded by "Bainbush and Co." (endorsement) to new Orleans. From there it was forwarded again, this time by Fred Frey & Co., arriving in London July 1st, rated 4 shillings, paid by recipient, boxed "Ship Letter Liverpool" handstamp | Price Realized $140.00 |
 | Lot #548 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1826 FL from Veracruz, 18 May to London; carried by a Royal Navy brig "Beaver" on June 4th to Kingston, Jamaica, where the mail was sorted and the red "Mexico" Fleuron added. From Kingston, the letter was sent to London on 24 July, arriving there on August 18th, with 3 shillings due noted, fine and extremely rare transit through Jamaica | Price Realized $3,250.00 |
 | Lot #549 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1827 FL from Veracruz to Gibraltar, via London where it was rated 2sh6p, forwarded on April 10th by "Lubbock and Co." via France (endorsement) red "Angleterre" and 11R assessed by the Spanish post office, fine cover, illustrated in Mexican Maritime Mail (page 49) | Price Realized $450.00 |
 | Lot #550 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1828 FL from Mexico, May 23 to London, with red "Franco" hs, sent by the packet "Sheldrake" arriving July 19th, with the handstamped marking "Oz at 12s/per Oz", rated 12 shillings on arrival | Price Realized $375.00 |
 | Lot #551 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1832 FL from Mexico City, per Admiralty packet "Princess Elizabeth" to Belfast Ireland, 11 July, with red handstamp "Franco Hasta el Puerto" (paid to port) and with "Mexico" Fleuron on back (applied in Jamaica) indicating origin, charged 3sh 6d to recipient, with red August 30th arrival datestamp, fine letter, illustrated in Mexican Maritime Mail (page 41) | Price Realized $450.00 |
 | Lot #552 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1833 Outer FL from Tampico, 31 January to London, per packet "Sphinx," arriving April 5th, with handstamped "Oz at 12s/-per Oz" preceded by manuscript "1+" (oz) and therefore rated 18 shillings on arrival | Price Realized $450.00 |
 | Lot #553 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1834 FL from Tampico, 18 June to London with the official seal of the "Maritime Custom House in Tampico de Tamaulipas", with "Paq(uet) Ing (les)" routing specifications, carried aboard the "Goldfinch" via Veracruz (June 25) and Falmouth, arriving August 26th, rated "3" on arrival. Illustrated in Mexican Maritime Mail (page 44), "the earliest known official cover from the Custom House in Tampico" | Price Realized $230.00 |
 | Lot #554 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1835 FL from Mexico City with red "Franqueado Mexico" departure postmark, sent to Amsterdam, carried by H.M Packet "Reindeer" to London, arriving on 21st October, charged "9/" due for triple rate, crossed out since another 4 shillings (3x 1sh4d) was added for the crossing to Holland. The total of 13 shillings converted to Dutch currency was 780 cents, to which an additional 75 cents was added for internal postage making for "855" (8 guilder 55 cents) due from recipient, with 25th October arrival pmk on back | Price Realized $260.00 |
 | Lot #555 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1837 FL from Veracruz to London, per packet "Nightingale" to Havana where it was forwarded 3 February by Oliver Bastian (manuscript endorsement) to New York. From there the letter was forwarded again, this time by "Hogan & Miln" (oval handstamp), with "Liverpool Ship Letter" boxed handstamp, red 19 March 1838 arrival cds, rated 1sh 6d, fine double forwarded item | Price Realized $150.00 |
 | Lot #556 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1837 FL from Mexico City to Amsterdam, red "Franqueado Mexico July 10" departure, per Packet "Skylark", red "England over Rotterdam" handstamp on back, various other markings and charges, fine | Price Realized $230.00 |
 | Lot #557 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1838 FL from Veracruz, 3 October to Philadelphia, carried per packet "Swift", New York, November 12 arrival pmk in red, fine cover used during the "Pastry War" (Guerra de los pasteles). In November 1838, a French pastry cook, Mr. Remontel, claimed that his shop in the Tacubaya district of Mexico City had been ruined by looters and demanded compensation. When payment was not forthcoming, King Louis-Philippe of France ordered a blockade of all Mexican ports from Yucatan to the Rio Grande, with most of the Mexican navy captured at Veracruz. With diplomatic intervention from Great Britain, French forces withdrew from Mexico on 9th March, 1839 | Price Realized $450.00 |
 | Lot #558 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1841 FL from Mexico to London, forwarded by "Hoffman y d'Oleire, Veracruz" (April 3rd), by H.M. packet "Petrel" to New York. where it was forwarded twice by "C. & F. Schumacher" and "Gilpin's Exchange Foreign Letter Office", taken by private ship "St. James" to Plymouth (with ship letter handstamp) and rated 8 pence for ship letters, finally arriving London on 29th May, fine letter with triple forwarding markings | Price Realized $550.00 |
 | Lot #559 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1842 In January, 1842, the General Post Office awarded the mail contract for the route between England and the West Indies (which until then was maintained by the Admiralty) to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. This contract was the first of five, with many route revisions (at the start of each contract and sometimes during one's course). That same year, an agency similar to that at Veracruz was established within the British consulate at Tampico (which was added to most of the itineraries). Both were issued their first postal marking: the "Paid ATa" with crown, and double arc type cds. The original contract called for stops at various Caribbean ports, then Havana, Veracruz, Tampico, New Orleans and, again Havana, before returning home via Nassau, Bahamas, Bermuda, and a coaling stop in the Azores. This was revised in October so that New Orleans was dropped and Tampico was followed by a return to Veracruz, before Havana. A FL from Veracruz, April 16 to London, carried per "Solway" to Havana, departing May 1st to Nassau (May 6th), Bermuda and Falmouth (May 26th) arriving in London May 28th where it was charged 2 shillings due. During a three month period, March-May, 1842, mail was sorted at Nassau (Slave Islands) which accounts for the straight line "Bahamas" handstamp. A rarity, fewer than five such covers are known | Price Realized $1,700.00 |
 | Lot #560 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1842 FL from Mexico City to Paris, via Veracruz (red "Franqueado Mexico" cds indicates internal postage was pre-paid) with the newly issued cds of the British agency on flap and red "Packet Letter" box indicating the letter was in transit to other parts of Europe. Taken by packet "Teviot" through Tampico, New Orleans, Havana (June 18) and then by "Isis" to Falmouth, following the short-lived route called for in the original contract. Charged 3 shillings 2 pence (British) and 48 decimes (French), with Calais exchange office cds, Paris July 13th arrival docketing. A great cover, less than five recorded for this early route | Price Realized $800.00 |
 | Lot #561 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1843 FL from Mexico City, via Veracruz to Hollywood (near Belfast), taken by the steamer "Teviot" (February 24) to Southampton (April 2) through London and delivered in Ireland on April 5th, charged 2sh 3d due from recipient, with transit and arrival pmks on back | Price Realized $140.00 |
 | Lot #562 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1843 FL from Mexico City to Italy, per "Avon" (departing Veracruz January 10) through London (February 5), and then via Dover and France, overland to Genova (handstamp "via de Beauvois" indicates Alps overpass), rated 15 decimes, bearing the Anglo-French exchange mark "Colonies & Art. 12", fine | Price Realized $350.00 |
 | Lot #563 MEXICO BRITISH SHIPS - 1809-1844 1844 From June 1843 until the end of the 1st Contract in November 1847, five different plans (designated Route Plans "U" through "Z") were used which included calls at a Mexican port. They differed mainly in the stops at various Caribbean ports, before ending with the previously established: Havana-Veracruz-Tampico-Veracruz-Havana-Nassau-Bermuda-Fayal (Azores)-Southampton. One plan ("V") omitted Tampico, while another "Y" added St.Thomas after Nassau. Falmouth, though no longer the important port it had been, was sometimes visited before Southampton. A FL from Guaymas, 1 January, by British naval vessel "Champion" to Mazatlan where it was forwarded by "W.W. Scarborough and Co." (Port of Mazatlan handstamp) overland to Veracruz where it was placed in the mail on May 1st and taken by "Teviot" through Havana (May 7), Nassau (May 12), Bermuda (May 17), arriving in Southampton on June 5th, fine letter, ex-Hugh Wood collection | Price Realized $550.00 |
