Post by jamesw on Sept 4, 2018 2:19:51 GMT
I may be a little over my head with this one, but I do love a challenge.
This is the cover I picked up this on the weekend that I posted on the British Stampless thread. But I don't want to hijack that with my ramblings or requests, so I'll start a new thread here.
It is a little worse for wear, but it's got a lot going on. I'll recap.
front
The front is a mess. Two rates written and crossed out. Notice at top 'Per North American Mail Steamer'. One faint cancel on left, but I think may be an offset from another envelope, as it looks like it might be in reverse.
back
Four cancellations - blue green Liverpool Oct 18 1847, black oval Liverpool office stamp, red London U.C. Nov 12 1847 receiver cancel and a very faint red cancel overlapping the Liverpool mark.
Using photoshop I was able to determine that this faint red cancel is from Devonport in Plymouth on the southern coast - Oct 17 1847. So I think this may be the place of origin.
The mystery lies in the name of the steamer written at the top of the page. There was a steamer called the North American sailing with the Allan Line, a Canadian company, but the Allan Line didn't start operations until 1854. There were other lines crossing the Atlantic in 1847, the Ocean Line (American) and Hérout & de Handel (French). Neither of these had a ship called the North American either.
I think that the notation at the top of the envelope refers not to a ship called the North American, but to the Cunard Line, which was originally called The British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, thus a North American Mail Steamer. Also Cunard departed out of Liverpool, so it would make sense with the cancels on the reverse.
Y'all still with me?
Any thoughts you folks may have on these would be appreciated. Especially the rates. I'm assuming the crossed out rates are for different stages of the journey.
This is the cover I picked up this on the weekend that I posted on the British Stampless thread. But I don't want to hijack that with my ramblings or requests, so I'll start a new thread here.
It is a little worse for wear, but it's got a lot going on. I'll recap.
front
The front is a mess. Two rates written and crossed out. Notice at top 'Per North American Mail Steamer'. One faint cancel on left, but I think may be an offset from another envelope, as it looks like it might be in reverse.
back
Four cancellations - blue green Liverpool Oct 18 1847, black oval Liverpool office stamp, red London U.C. Nov 12 1847 receiver cancel and a very faint red cancel overlapping the Liverpool mark.
Using photoshop I was able to determine that this faint red cancel is from Devonport in Plymouth on the southern coast - Oct 17 1847. So I think this may be the place of origin.
The mystery lies in the name of the steamer written at the top of the page. There was a steamer called the North American sailing with the Allan Line, a Canadian company, but the Allan Line didn't start operations until 1854. There were other lines crossing the Atlantic in 1847, the Ocean Line (American) and Hérout & de Handel (French). Neither of these had a ship called the North American either.
I think that the notation at the top of the envelope refers not to a ship called the North American, but to the Cunard Line, which was originally called The British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, thus a North American Mail Steamer. Also Cunard departed out of Liverpool, so it would make sense with the cancels on the reverse.
Y'all still with me?
Any thoughts you folks may have on these would be appreciated. Especially the rates. I'm assuming the crossed out rates are for different stages of the journey.
