3070 – ERIVAN X

Wells, Fargo & Co, Virginia City Pony Express, 1862-4, 25c blue, margins touching on two sides, large at foot, showing frameline of adjoining stamp, tied to 3c pink Wells, Fargo & Co postal stationery cover with printed frank by blue oval "Wells, Fargo & Co / Gold Hill Utah / Express", to Yreka, California, docketing indicates receipt on May 3, 1863, a pleasing and very fine entire of great scarcity; ex Emerson, Knapp.After the termination of the transcontinental Pony Express, Wells, Fargo & Co. established an express route from San Francisco to Virginia City, Nevada Territory. To denote payment, Wells Fargo issued three new stamps, a 10c brown, 25c blue, and 25c red, similar in design to the earlier issues used on the Pony Express.  The docketing of this cover of May 3, 1863, falls in the period in which the 25c adhesive would have paid the single letter rate, which had been increased from 10c in February.Gold Hill, Utah, was on the Virginia City route, and the "Utah" cancellation continued to be used even after the Gold Hill region became part of the Nevada Territory, which it had two months to the day of this cover was posted.