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TRAINS ON U. S. STAMPS
and POSTAL STATIONERY

Locals and Expresses
Page 3

Corner card of Truman and Chapman Express envelope, 1861

TRUMAN & CHAPMAN San Francisco 1860-? Truman & Chapman San Francisco 1861 Not in Scott Not in Lyons Not in Mosher Despite the absence of the word "PAID," most sources I consulted consider this a true frank of the period. Truman and Chapman was a relatively short-lived San Francisco express company. At the time I created this page, the only illustration I could find of this design was from Siegel auction 825 but Richard Frajola has published this article declaring the item a fake. At least the T&C corner card is genuine!

TRUMAN & Co's Express San Francisco 1860-? Truman & Co's Express San Francisco 1865 Not in Scott Not in Lyons Not in Mosher The illustration/corner card on this envelope includes that text "Prepaid Envelopes, $7.00 per Hundred", making it clear that the cost per envelope was 7¢, including the 3¢ US postage, so it is clear to me that illustration represents payment of postage, and this item belongs here unquivocally.

WELLS, FARGO & CO 1852-1918 Wells Fargo 1883, 1884, 1892 Not in Scott Not in Lyons Not listed in MOSHER, though he has an extensive section about the company, of which he says "Transcontinental private mail and package express company that was started on March 18, 1852 in New York by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo. The intended operating area of this express company was the California coast and gold fields and it began its express business in California later in 1852. Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express quickly expanded throughout California and gradually acquired other express companies and railroad express contracts until it achieved true transcontinental coverage on March 16, 1888. It became one of the four largest U.S. express companies ever, and perhaps it alone was the biggest in U.S. history. The official business name was changed to Wells Fargo & Company Express in 1898. The U.S. package express business portion of this company subsequently ended and was absorbed by the American Railway Express Co. on July 1,1918 by federal proclamation. However, Wells Fargo continued with their express business in Mexico into the 1940's. The Wells Fargo banking operations that was started in the 19th century also continued to prosper after 1918 and this institution is still going strong today." He shows other corner cards, but not these.??? The illustration here includes the text "DOMESTIC FRANK" and "PAID OVER ALL OUR LINES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES", both of which indicate the design represents payment of postage. The first date - 1852 - is the date the company was founded. The second is the date the envelope was issued, I assume, though I have seen only three different dates - 1883, 1884, and 1892. Berthold (Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Handstamps and Franks, 1926) confirms this, with the addition of a "VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND" variety of the 1884 frank (quite rare), and two varieties of the 1892 frank - one with a small "1892" and one with a large one. Each frank was applied as well to various different USPOD envelopes, differing in denomination, die, or paper, so for the specialist there are at least 45 different combinations to collect.

WELLS, FARGO & CO 1852-1918 Wells Fargo EXPRESS LABEL Not in Scott Not in Lyons I paid $70 for this, based on little more than my own desire to have it, and the dealer's reputation. It is listed in Bruce Mosher's invaluable 2002 (REVISED EDITION 2018) "Catalog of Private Express Labels and Stamps" as label number WFCX-L565, and was probably franking of a sort for a package carried by Wells Fargo. Here's another label, contributed to the site by Bill Taylor (though he wants credit given to Calvert R Stier, whose collection it belonged to). This one appears to be WCFX-L530 in Mosher's book. And two nice Wells Fargo envelopes, also from Calvert R Stier via Bill Taylor.   The inscription on the second one is particularly interesting - it reads: Have gold dust coined and deliver coin to Levi Strauss & Co 16 Battery St. Return paid (?) receipt to this office. Which begs the question "Was coinage not restricted to government mints in 1888?"

W WYMAN Boston, Mass 1844 W. Wyman Boston 1844 Scott 149L1 $200 used $800 on cover According to Scott, Wyman's was "established to carry mail between Boston and New York," making them an Independent Letter Carrier or Letter Express. Their stamp is one of the most widely reproduced and forged. It is also considered "the first stamp in the world to picture a locomotive", making it especially popular among train stamp collectors. The two covers above (there are 34 covers known bearing these stamps) are examples of the effect of the combination of scarcity and good salemanship. Scott values the stamp on cover at $800, yet the cover on the left sold for over ten times and the one on the right for three times that amount. Here are the auction writeups to help you understand their allure: lot 1607, Siegel auction #817, Nov 15-17, 1999 - realized $9,000+10% W. Wyman, Boston Mass., 5c Black (149L1). Three huge margins, slightly in at bottom, tied by large ms. "X" on Dec. 31, 1844 folded letter from Boston to Geo. S. Robbins in New York City, red "Overton & Co's City Mail, Office, 3 Broad Street" oval handstamp, file fold VERY FINE. EXTREMELY RARE USE OF WYMAN'S STAMP AFTER TAKEOVER BY OVERTON. William Wyman established his "cheap postage" letter express on August 1, 1844, with service between New York and Boston. On December 14, 1844, Wyman sold the business to Overton & Co. and announced that his distinctive Locomotive stamps ? the first stamps in the world to depict a train ? could be redeemed or used on mail given to Overton (reference: Richard Schwartz, Opinions). Only two recorded covers show acceptance of Wyman's stamps by Overton: the cover offered here and another with two Wyman stamps and the Overton oval. In a postscript to the letter contained within, the writer informs us "I will use Wymans last stamp on hand today". Ex Abt...... E. 2,000-3,000 lot 386, Siegel auction #830, Nov 13-14, 2000 - realized $2,400+10% W. Wyman, Boston Mass., 5c Black (149L1). This position with incomplete "W" initial, large to huge margins, tied by smears from ms. "X" cancel on Nov. 21, 1844 blue folded letter from Boston to Geo. S. Robbins in New York City, red Wyman's handstamp, fresh and Extremely Fine, only sixteen covers recorded, acquired by the Halls from Economist Stamp Co. in 1925..... E. 1,500-2,000 I wrote a page attempting to answer another collector's inquiry as to the identity of the train on this stamp, and rather than repeat what I already wrote there, suggest you look at it, if you want to know a lot more about this stamp.

American Express American Express (Not a stamp) Not in Scott I show this one, a recent eBay acquisition, simply because I like it. It does have a train, and was used by an express company. The envelope was used to transmit invoices and payment between American Express agents, and as such had no "postage fee" connected with it. The seller said it dated from the 1870's, and the notation "7/11-77" could mean November 11, 1877. American Express was founded in 1849   (some say 1850 - scroll down), so it did exist in 1877. If anyone has knowledge of the envelope, its use, or its date, please email me at .

END OF LOCALS AND EXPRESSES - CONTINUE TO REGULAR ISSUES

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Revised -- 07/29/2018