The Van Koppersmith Collection of Ship Mail

receiving backstamp on incoming cover to Providence, Rhode Island, arced "Ship 4" handstamp and pair of 2c Postage dues on front, purple straightline "Consignees Letter", light toning and repaired tear, fine appearance

partial backstamp on cover from Liverpool to Providence, Rhode Island, arced "Ship 4" handstamp, endorsed "Per S.S. Saxon, Consignees letter", pair of 2c Postage dues, very fine

manuscript postmark with matching "Ship 12" rate on folded letter from Liverpool to Boston, very fine, an unlisted and scarce port of entry

manuscript postmark with matching "Ship 14½" rate on incoming folded letter from London to Boston, endorsed "Pr America", very fine

manuscript postmark with matching "Ship 14½" rate on folded printed prices current to Boston from Bahia, Brazil, very fine

red datestamp with matching straightline "Ship" and manuscript "12" rate on folded letter datelined "Maui [Hawaii], Oct. 7, 1845", lengthy contents, even toning, still fine and rare, ex-Golden

red datestamp with matching boxed "Ship" on folded letter from Pictou, Nova Scotia, 6c implicit due, very fine and scarce

datestamp with manuscript "Sh 19" re-rated to "22" on folded letter from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Philadelphia, endorsed "Pr Captn J. Webber via Cape Ann", very fine

manuscript postmark with matching "Ship" and "27" rate on folded lettersheet from Smyrna, Turkey to Boston, endorsed "p Sea Eagle, W. G. P.", very fine

manuscript postmark with matching "Ship 58¼" rate on folded letter from Canton, China to New York City, endorsed "Sumatra", very fine, a wonderful origin

datestamp with straightline "Ship" and "6" rate marking on cover from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Brooksville, Maine, endorsed "Bk E.F. Harriman", very fine, personal letter from sailor to wife enclosed, scarce port of entry

manuscript postmark on October 1762 folded letter to Boston, straightline "Martinico" handstamp applied at origin, some toning and internal splitting, fine and extremely rare incoming colonial-era letter from British Martinique, in January and February of 1762 Great Britain launched an invasion of the island of Martinique in a series of actions that also saw the capture of Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent, the island was returned...