45754 SFL Quebec dateline November 4 1779 to St. Johns, Quebec, dually rated 8d Stg and 9d Cy, carried to Montreal and then by South Shore courier. The courier served the settlements across the St. Lawrence River and south of Montreal in exchange for 1d per letter for his services. The letter is to Michel Hamel and complains of unpaid debts. Rare. $850

1779 Quebec to St. Johns, via Montreal, Dually Rated, South Shore Courier

The Michael Rixon collection “To, through & from Montreal: A Prestamp Postal History to 1851”

Every time Michael Rixon entered this collection in a national exhibition he won a gold medal AND the Grand Award. He also won an International Gold Medal as a first time exhibitor (limited to only five frames, quite an accomplishment) at the St. Petersburg, Russia FIP exhibition held in June, 2007. The

collection in its current form was exhibited in the Court of Honour at the Royal Philatelic Society’s Annual Convention in Quebec City in August, 2008.

The sale of the material here is only a small portion of the 500+ covers available from the Rixon collection. Happily, Michael is continuing his stampless collection, this time refining his interests to Canadian town mark-ings from 1828-1867.

Stampless – Domestic

The Rixon collection has a diverse range of domestic mail from pennyweight and grain rated covers, dual cur-rency and early postmarks, to exotic official post office usages and important historical covers. Much more is available and these covers are merely a sample of the quality that is available. The fur trade cover to New Caledonia (present day British Columbia) is a new find and has never been publically offered before. The vari-ous “paid” handstamps represent an affordable and intriguing opportunity as the nucleus of a new collection and exhibit on paid hammers.

45753 SFC “QUEBEC CANADA” (type III) with bishop mark insert “18 JY” an intense backstamp which is 95% on one flap and the rest visible on the other flap, a sealed tear, boxed “PAID” hs and re ms”9”d to St. Joseph (Parish) Basin Chambly, via Montréal, likely by postal courier left at the rectory in St. Joseph Parish since the Chambly post office did not open until 1816. Ex Des Rivieres. $1,000

1795 Quebec to Chambly via Montreal

45757 “QUEBEC 17 CANADA 98” large cds type IV (used 1798-1799) with bishop mark insert “OC 8” on SFC to Montreal, red ms “1 oz” and “3N”. The docketing indicates it is from “Ma-jor Green” plus the initials “J.G.” at lower left support the likelihood that this cover was sent by Major James Green, the military secretary to Lord Dorchester (Carlton). A rare cancella-tion and an excellent example of it. Ex Jarret.

$1,200

1798 Quebec Canada Large CDS

45758 “NIAGARA U. CANADA MAR 5 1818” belt buckle type cancel on SFL to Montreal, red ms “Paid 2N4”. The letter was rated double with the contents noting two drafts enclosed and instruc-tions of other financial transactions. The letter is from the firm of Long and Crysler which begs the question if it is John Crysler of Crysler farm fame during the War of 1812. Online research wasn’t able to determine if he was associated with this firm. This cancel was used between 1817-1819 and is an excellent strike as the large hammer was often faintly or only partially struck.

$500

1818 Niagara Belt Buckle Type Cancel

45786 SFL dateline “Laggan Vale, April 21st 1822” to “John Stuart Northwest Company Montreal Canada”, carried by private ship to Quebec, rated “11 1/2”d Cy collect (2 1/2d incoming ship letter fee plus 9d postage to Montreal). The letter was carried west by Hudson’s Bay Company brigade and probably remained at Rainy River for the winter, being sent forward in the sprint to Stuart who was the Chief Factor at Fort St. John, the administrative center of New Caledonia (present day British Columbia). An incredibly rare transcontinental letter which in fact is three letters written by John Peter Stuart (his nephew in french), Elizabeth Stuart (niece in french) and Thomas Robert Stuart (nephew in english). The letter discusses family matters and Thomas mentions that Hugh left for Cape of Good Hope but was ordered back to England with the 72nd Rgt, Donald wishes to return home but will be away five more years, etc etc. A showpiece. $4,000

1822 England to New Caledonia (British Columbia), Fur Trade

1835 Lasted Use of Montréal’s First CDS Cancel

45790 SFC “MONTREAL JAN 28” red cds to Quebec, ms rated “9”d Cy collect. This was the first Montreal cds to be employed (1828-1835) and this is the latest recorded use of this hammer. $150

45791 SFC Montreal to Quebec with red Quebec (JA 31 1840), two red strikes of “FREE” and “MONEY LETTER”, ms endorsed “Free A Porteous PM” (of Montreal”. A very clean and pretty cover. Porteous served as postmaster from July 7 1828 - Jan 6 1841. $150

1840 Montreal to Quebec, Free Money Letter

45778 1847 SFL Lachine, Que to Red River Settlement, internal dateline “Lachine 30th April 1847” from Duncan Finlayson (HBC Director and Governor of Assiniboia) to Revered Smithurst at Red River Settlement, carried by Hudson Bay Company spring canoe brigade to Lake Supe-rior, up the Winnipeg River to Lake Winnipeg and finally to the Red River Settlement. No postal markings as expected as there was no postal service to the Red River Settlment at this time. The two page letter reads in part, “happy to hear that although you were surrounded by disease and death you enjoyed uninterrupted health”, “As our last winter’s Express was forwarded by mail to the Sault Ste Marie, I could not send you the seed wheat what you wanted...” but will forward the “8 bushels of Black Sea wheat in Montreal... by loaded canoes to Fort Alexander..”, discussed a missing “Albion Gallery” and replacing it with plates of Sir Walter Scott for each subscriber, the “London Quarterly Review could not now be found in this Province as they are considered a Contraban goods and the Montreal booksellers owing to the very heavy charge of postage on the London and Edinburgh periodicals do not import them to this country... your wisest plan will therefore be to have them sent to you by the Bay Ship”, plus other news. The only Lachine cover from the Smithurst correspondence. $2,500

1847 Lachine, Quebec to RED RIVER SETTLEMENT

45766 “PAID” (type II, 22 x 6 mm used 1783-1804) on SFL ms rated “7”d to Trois Rivieres. Date-lined, “Isle Jesus” (present day Laval) reverse with “MONTREAL / 4 JUNE 1804” straight-line type XIII (used 1810-1828). $150

Montreal PAID Type II

45767 “PAID” (type III, 15mm used 1793-1816) on SFC from Montreal to Quebec, ms “9”d and “MONTREAL / MARCH .8” straightline (type VIII used 1793-1797), some separation along edges. An excellent strike of this paid hs. $150

Montreal Paid Type III

45768 “PAID” (type IV, 13 mm, used 1809-1817) on SFC (internal tape reinforcement stains), red ms “9” d to Quebec, reverse with “MONTREAL / 24 JUN 17” straightline (type XIV used 1810-1828). $100

Montreal “PAID” Type IV

Montreal PAID Type V

45769 “PAID” (type V, 17 mm italic, used 1820-1826) on SFC to Quebec, reverse with “MON-TREAL / 11 MAR 20” straightline type XIV (used 1810-1828). $100

45660 “BATH” straightline in red with ms date beneath “14 Oct 1822” on reverse of cover to York, ms rated “2N3” prepaid. The letter is from the collector of Customs in Bath to John Dunn, Receiver General. The Bath straightline was used from 1819 when the post office opened until 1822. $1,200

BATH 1822 Straightline

Straightlines

Straightline postmarks of Upper and Lower Canada vary from relatively common to incredibly rare. Rixon’s straightline collection grew out of his “to, through and from Montreal” collection and represents an award winning collection in its own right.

Collecting straightlines offers the new collector and potential exhibitor a combination of important opportuni-ties – availability of material, early and classic nature, opportunities to expand and undertake original research as well as having a broad base of interest (rather than single stamp interest) when the time comes to sell.

Additionally, a collector can focus on a single town, a county or region, Upper Canada or Lower Canada. An-other suggestion would be to focus on the towns along the early Grand Route or one of its branches.

45668 “BERTHIER / 31 AUG 180(4)” straightline on reverse of folded cover to Montreal, black “PAID”, ms “4 1/2”d prepaid, docketing. The year “4” is missing from the hammer. This is type II (measuring 34 mm, with “BER” measuring 12 mm and was used from 1802-1829. $300

BERTHIER Straightline 1804

45670 “BERTHIER / DEC 180” straighltine bs on folded letter to Pliny Moore, Champlain, NY, ms “Care of Mr. Jas Woolrich Merch. Montreal”, ms rated “4 1/2”d. Inside dateline of Dec 8 1815 whereas the straightline is used in the old format “180x” with the year date unchanged. This straightline its type III and was used from 1802-1829. This cover was sent to Montreal to a forwarding agent where it was sent to Champlain under separate cover or carried outside the mail. Pliny Moore was an important merchant, and founder of Champlain, NY. The letter mentions the repair of his house, acquiring soap, dye and laundry kettles, the repair of the road and interesting news “East and West Floridas have been assigned over to Great Britain, it is said a King’s Messenger is arrived at Washington with the official intelligence”. $300

BERTHIER Straightline 1815

BERTHIER Straightline 1816, Type II

45671 “BERTHIER” straightline bs, type II on folded cover to Montreal, docketed St. Cuthbert 14 Juin 1816”, “PAID” hs and red ms “4 1/2”d prepaid. This is the earliest use of this hammer in use from 1816 until 1818. $300

45779 “CORNWALL” straightline in red with ms “14 October 23” beneath bs on SFL from Quebec to Charlottenburg via Montreal but missent to Cornwall and second red ms date “18 October” as dis-patch to the proper destination. The letter was ms rated “Paid 11” and has a “Missent to Cornwall” manuscript on the face. Particularly desirable and early missent notation. The letter is to Alexander McDonell (1786-1861, Colonel, Legislative Assembly, timber merchant) relates to timber sold by H Gowen from a suspicious middleman that others claim wasn’t the rightful owner. Gowen asks Mc-Donell to reply to being named in a lawsuit and declare whose side he is on. $400

Cornwall Straightline, 1823

45662 “DUNDAS / JAN 25 1817” straightline, type II small type on reverse of folded cover to Thom-as Ridout, Surveyor General, York, ms “post pd” and “Paid 8d”. The straightline was used from 1817 until 1819 and this is an excellent, clear strike during the first year of use. Ex Sanderson. $1,500

“DUNDAS” 1817 Straightline

"DUNDAS" 1816 Straightline

45661 “DUNDAS / AUGT 31 1810” straightline on reverse of folded letter from Buffalo, NY to Port Tal-bot, UC, ms in red “Free Augt 12” and red “Buffalo” and red “Paid 12 1/2”, ms “8d” collect in black. The straightline year date 1810 is an error for 1816 as the Dundas post office opened in 1814 and this hammer was used from 1816 until 1819. An excellent strike of this hammer in the first year of use. $1,500

“GANANOQUE” 1822 Straightline

45663 “GANANOQUE” straightline, ms date beneath “Nov 5 1822”, on reverse of FL to York, UC, ms rated “Paid 1N6”. The Gananoque straightline was used from November 1822 until Janu-ary 1829 and this likely represents the earliest recorded date. $1,000

45677 “KINGSTON / 9 APRIL” (1818) straightline type II (used 1800-1829) on SFL to Montreal, rated “1N” prepaid. The correct postage was 9d for less than 200 miles and this is an example of the period of deliberate overcharging by a group of Upper Canada postmasters. This issue was the subject of an enquiry by the Upper Canada House of Assembly in February 1820 and again in December 1821. Ex Lussey (internal hs) $250

1818 Kingston to Montreal, Deliberate Overcharging

45764 “LANCASTER” straightline (used 1819-1829) in red as backstamp with red ms date beneath “21 March 21” on SFL to Benson, VT, USA, red ms “Paid 1N1” to border, Swanton Mar 25” straightline and ms “12 1/2”¢ collect. The letter is from Lawrence McManus who it seems from the letter has fled creditors or hurt someone and is fleeing the law and writes his friend with instructions for the sale and disposition of his assets, telling him to give $50 to his wife and ask her to come to Canada if she will. Interestingly he signs off” of that accident which I hope time will blot out. If you don’t tell, John Bull I remain, Uncle SamÕs friend, Lawrence McManus”. A rare straightline. $750

LANCASTER Straightline 1823

45755 “MONTREAL” straightline (type IV used 1777-1784) on SFC docketing “filed 13 July 1783” to Quebec, black “PAID” hs and ms rated “9” d Cy in red. This is Montreal straightline type IV (CS catalogue) but the first three types are only found in archives so this is the earliest Montreal straightline type available to collectors. $400

MONTREAL Straightline 1783 Type IV

45776 “Montreal / JULY. 14:” straightline type VI (used 1785-1788) bs on SFL dateline “Montreal 13 July 1785” to Quebec, ms rated “1N6”. The letter written by Arthur Davidson (advocate, judge) to Quebec merchant Constant Freeman is a lengthy account of suspicious activity re-garding the non-payment of a bill. $350

Montreal Straightline 1785 Type VI

45775 “MONTREAL / Nov.r: 29” straightline type V (used 1784 only) bs on SFC to Quebec, ms “9”, internal docketing, doodles with ink stain showing through on front. This straightline was used only in 1784 with fewer than 10 reported examples. Rare. $350

Montreal Straightline Type V, 1784

45756 “MONTREAL / AUGUST . 12” straightline (type VII) on reverse of SFC to Mickinaui Bay, redirected to Quebec., ms rated “9”d collect. The cover is addressed to Samuel Holland, Sur-veyor General of Lower Canada who was likely away on a survey expedition in the New or Eastern Townships southwest of Montreal as the cover is marked “in the Country 14th Augt 1793” and the cover was subsequently redirected to Quebec. The Montreal straightline type VII is recorded used 1789-1791 with this being a much later 1793 example. Ex Sanderson $400

MONTREAL Straightline 1793 Type VII

45773 “MONTREAL / OCT;R: 23” (15 mm, used 1789-1797) bs on SFC to Mr. Nielson, printer, c/o Mr. Boutillier Post Office Quebec, not rated as it was free franked by Edward Edwards, postmaster of Montreal from 1785-1807, ms “1797 E. Edwards” on reverse. Type VII straightline is stated to be 15mm in height and type VIII as 17 mm. In fact this mark can be found as 15, 16 or 17 mm height making it likely that the hammer is variable rather than three discrete hammers. A reasonable strike, not crossing back flaps, and enhanced by the fact that the cover is free franked. $300

Montreal Straightline Type VII, 1797

45774 “MONTREAL / SEPT;R: 3” straightline type VIII (16 mm high, perhaps variable type VII as men-tioned) bs on SFL dateline “Montreal 3rd Setr 1792” to Quebec, ms rated “9”, light docketing erased on face. An excellent strike showing rectangular edge of hammer as well.

$200

Montreal Straightline Type VIII 1792

45770“MONTREAL / NOV;r 23 . 99” straightline type IX (used 1799 only) faint bs on SFC (file fold small loss) to Quebec with red ms “9”. This straightline is all upper case with two year digit and was used only in 1799. It is extremely difficult to find in any condition.

$500

MONTREAL Straightline Type IX 1799

45771“MONTREAL / AUG, 18 1800” straightline type X (used 1800-1801) bs on SFC to Que-bec, ms rated “9” in red. This straightline is all upper case with 4 year digit and was used for only two years.

$150

Montreal Straightline 1800 Type 10

45772“MONTREAL / 24 SEP, 1801” straightline type XI (used 1800-1801) bs on SFL to Honourable Hugh Finlay, internal dateline “St. Armand 12 Sept 1801”, ms rated “9” in red. Docketing on face and rectn paper supporting where wax seal removed. A letter to Hon. Hugh Finlay (former deputy postmaster general). Fin-lay had mounting debts and eventually resigned his position as postmaster and invested (speculated) in land. This letter relates to land and selecting lots in Durham township, saving all premium site (mill seats) for the leader (presumably Finlay). Finlay died three months after this letter was sent, and although bur-dened with enormous debts upon his death was still highly regarded as a pioneer Canadian merchant, pol-itician, land owner and deputy postmaster general.

$250

Montreal Straightline Type 11, 1801

45669 "MONTREAL / 21 AUG 1809" straightline bs on folded cover to Quebec, black "PAID", ms "9"d Cy in red. This is Montreal type XIII with full year date, used from 1802-1810. $150

MONTREAL 1809 Type 13 Straightline

45777 "MONTREAL / 16 AUG 1804" straightline type XIII (used 1802-1810) bs on SFC to Quebec, ms rated "9". $150

Montreal Straightline Type 13

45664 "PERTH" straightline on reverse of folded letter (ca 1820) to Montreal, ms rated "9d" collect. The straightline was used between 1820 and 1829. $300

PERTH Straightline 1820

QUEBEC Straightline 1801

45666 "QUEBEC 14 MAY 1801" straightline bs on folded cover to Montreal, black "PAID" hs, ms "9"d. This is Quebec straightline type II used from 1799-1808. Interestingly, this example shows the outer rim of the circular hammer around the straightline. $400

45795 "QUEBEC" straightline and bishop mark "6 AV" on reverse of SLF from Quebec to Mon-treal, ms rated "9" in red, repaired area where wax seal removed (clear of cancels). The letter to Captain Galloway at Montreal outlines the itinerary $750

QUEBEC Straightline 1792

45785 "SANDWICH / 6 MAR 1807" bs on SFL from Sandwich, UC to London, England, ms "Paid to Niagara 1N10" in red as a double letter, then "NIAG.A. / MR, 15" (NY), straightline, charged "50"¢ collect to New York, private ship to Dover, England, "SHIP - LETTER (crown) DO-VER" double ring oval hs, charged 1/- (8d ship + 4d inland) to London, England. Endorsed "care of Thos Dinon, Esq Niagara / Alex Macomb Esq, New York".Part letter with internal sheet gone, signed "Rd Pollard, Curate of Sandwich Mission" letter describes area, popula-tion, people's jobs total of 200 pounds subscribed with a church being able to be built for 150 pounds, reverse with notation "Mr. Dinon will please to pay the inland postage and oblige YOS (your obedient servant) R Pollard" $1,000

Sandwich Straightline 1807

45667 "MONTREAL / 30 DEC 1802", "THREE RIVERS / 31 DEC 1802" straightlines on back flap of folded letter from Montreal to Quebec. The letter was received outside of the mails at Mon-treal and received the ms "After Closing" indicating the mail bag had already been sealed, but the letter accompanied the mail to Three Rivers where it entered a mail bag there and proceed-ed to Quebec, rated "1N6" in red indicating prepayment. The letter is from S. Sewell to his brother Jonathan (1766-1839) who in 1793 was appointed solicitor general of Lower Canada, attorney general in 1795 and in 1808, chief justice. The long letter discusses family matters including children getting measles and whether Jonathan Sewell will contact the disease as an adult. News of others, an employee being sent off and will deliver a letter and payment, etc. Mentions his anxiety with the disease, "I was in a state of great anxiety so much so that I did not even open the door to wish William adieu as I love him extremely..". Interesting to show that the deadly disease showed no favoritism to the upper reaches of society. Ex de-Volpi. $750

“MONTREAL”, “THREE RIVERS” Straightlines and “After Closing”

45792 "THREE RIVERS / 12 AUG 1806" straightline type V (used 1802-1815) on SFL to Montreal, rated "7" in red. $250

THREE RIVERS Straightline Type V 1806

45780 "WILLIAMSBURG" straightline with ms date beneath "Dec 20th 1822" to Easton, NY, ms rated "Paid 4 1/2"d Cy to the lines (Prescott), exchanged at Ogdensburg, NY and rated "18 1/2"¢ to Easton. Although worn and toned, this is the only recorded example of the Wil-liamsburg straightline and an essential cover for any Dundas county exhibit or early postmark exhibit. An incredible showpiece. $5,000

Williamsburg Straightline 1822. Only Recorded Example

45665 "WINDSOR C. W. / 29 NOV 1844" straightline in red on folded cover (stain along file fold) to Montreal with ms "Money" and three different strikes in red of "MONEY LETTER", ms rated "1/8" Cy collect. Montreal and London bs. The straightline was used from October 1843 until September 1845. Incredible. $400

45759 "YORK / AUG 14" straightline type III (used 1818-1829) on SFC to Montreal, ms rated "1N2" in red $200

“WINDSOR” Straightline 1844

“YORK” Straightline 1823

45784 1820 "STEAM BOAT" italic handstamp used at Montreal (1817-1826) on SFL from Quebec to Montreal, ms rated "9"d collect in red. The letter was carried from Quebec to Montreal via steamboat (quite possibly one of Molson's) and handed to the post office in Montreal where it was struck "STEAM BOAT" indicating a Captain's gratuity had been paid. Lengthy letter re business funds, his lace as commission worth a mere 3 pounds, shoes, books and requests samples of beavers, mentions Mr. Orkney's intent to swindle them out of 500 pounds, some edge loss and wax seal cut out. A rare steamboat handstamp. $1,250

1820 “STEAM BOAT” Montreal Straightline

Stampless – Steamboat and Ships

Montreal served as an important point for both ship mail as well as steamboat mail and Rixon’s collec-tion has an incredible range of material. The pair of triangle “Q” hammers prove there were two ham-mers used, the “SHIP” hammer is rare and an exceptional strike. Much more material is also available

including many items from the Robert Parsons collection.

45781 1836 SFL dateline "Manchester April 13, 1836" to Montreal, carried via private ship to Mon-treal where it was struck with the rare "SHIP" hs in red and rated 2 1/2d as an incoming ship letter to the port of arrival. Some interesting research shows that for the quarter ending Oc-tober 5, 1834 ship letter gratuities paid at Quebec were 5 pounds, 13 shilling, 0 pence while Montreal paid out only 8 shilling, 3 pence representing just 40 ship letters. There are only three recorded strikes, one of which is weak on a partial cover. This is an incredible example of one of the rarest ship letter markings. A showpiece. $3,000

1836 Montreal “SHIP”

45760 1841 Triangle "Q" steamboat hs in red on pair of covers that confirm two hammers were used. The first SFL Quebec to Bytown with triangle "Q" steamboat mark (HAMMER I) with ms date "18 Aug 1841", carried by steamer to Montreal where it was datestamped Aug 19, ms rated 2/4 to Bytown. The second SFC with docketing "Frampton 16 Aug 1841" to Kingston, with triangle "Q" steamboat hs (HAMMER II) in red, ms date "19 Augt 1841" to Montreal where it was datestamped Aug 20, ms rated "2/4" to Kingston with red "FORWARDED" hs. As this pair of covers is dated just one day apart and the steamer trip took two days round trip, this pair of covers confirms that TWO HAMMERS were used for the triangle "Q" steamboat marking. A rare pair. $3,000

1841 Triangle “Q” Steamboat Pair, Both Hammers

45782 1842 "Steamboat Letter Q" Hammer I oval in red with ms date "June 29 (184) 2" on SFL from Quebec to Kingston with Montreal cds (JU 30 1842), ms rated "1/2" collect. Collectors will be keen to learn that Hammer I is identifiable by the narrow spacing of the letters and the star is below and to the right of the letter "Q". The old Canada Specialized only lists one hammer but now you know how to identify the difference. Letter from James Bell Forsyth (1803-1869) who was a merchant and author of "A few months in the east", describes his wife's travel for health, invites his friend to visit and states "have no favor to ask from Harper who is a Bear of the first magnitude". $600

45783 1842 “Steamboat Letter Q” Hammer II oval in red with ms date “19 July (184) 2” on SFC from Quebec to Montreal, ms rated “9” collect. Hammer II is identified by the wide spacing of letter and the star is below and to the left of the letter “Q”. $600

1842 Steamboat Letter Quebec, Hammer I

1842 Steamboat Letter Quebec, Hammer II

45751 SFC favoured from British occupied Fort Detroit (Michigan) to Montreal with "Montreal / JUNE 6:" straightline bs, ms rated "9" to Quebec. This cover is from the famous Baby corre-spondence between Fort Detroit and Quebec and is docketed as having been written May 24, 1785. After the American Revolution, the British retained a number of forts south of the Great Lakes at the urging of the Montreal Fur Traders who felt it was their only hope of competing with the Hudson Bay Company. Fort Detroit was finally surrendered to the Americans on July 11 1796, 13 years after the Treaty of Paris. $2,500

1785 British Occupied Fort Detroit to Quebec

Stampless – Cross Border

Several early covers are offered here but the Rixon collection also includes such rarities as the exchange surcharge, freight money to England (via USA), peculiar rates, rare handstamps and much more. Col-lecting cross border mail opens numerous options including a wider range of material, an opportunity to

focus on the changing postal relationships (pre and post postal treaty, the affect of War, blockades, retaliatory rates, expansion of services).

45794 1804 SFL dateline “York 11th Dec 1804” to New York, carried outside the mail to Niagara, NY where it entered the mails, red “NIAGARA / DEC 27” straightline, ms “75”¢ triple let-ter rate to New York. The letter from Alexander McDonell requests “You will oblige me by forwarding Lord Selkirk’s letter by the earliest possible conveyance...”. $1,000

1804 York to New York, Niagara Straightline, Lord Selkirk reference

45788 SFL Montreal, LC (Aug 24 1844) to Keeseville, NY two strikes of red italic "PAID" hs and ms rated "4 1/2"d Cy, and "6"¢ US postage, Champlain, NY cds (28 Aug 44) in blue with additional notation "Undercharged 4 / 11". Very nice contents describes trip across Lake Champlain by woman, given a cabin with 5 doors and barricading each with her bed, trunk etc, wishes she had the skill of "a Dickens or Sam Slick to give you a description of a French dinner which I sat down to about 12 miles below St. John's...", also includes a six line poem "When weary I are / I smokes my segar..."written by M.M. Curries (whom I could not find online as an author or poet). $200

1844 Montreal to Keeseville, NY, Undercharged

Stampless – Transatlantic (to/from England)

The nostalgic age of the sail ship and the advent of the pioneer steamers provides the transatlantic collector the opportunity to study the age of exploration when Canada was little more than untamed wilderness and pioneer outposts. The carriage of mails via Falmouth packets, military convoy, the Cunard, Allan line and

other steamship lines, coupled with the many aspects of rates and postal markings provides the transatlantic collec-tor with many options. A wealth of research and handbooks are available to educate and guide the adventuresome collector willing to delve into the nuances of stampless transatlantic mail. Early mail, pioneer steamers, military mail and peculiar practices (post paid withdrawn ship letters) provide a rich opportunity to learn which many people remark is much more satisfying than “checkbox philately” filling holes in a page. The collector defines and refines the collection primarily as his interests grows and his knowledge base increases. Several very keen and dominant transatlantic collectors have passed away (Steinhart, Arnell, Sanderson), leaving the current market wide open with an abundance of material and little competition. A serious collector looking for a new area should seriously consider transatlantic stampless.

45789 1802 SFC carried outside the mail from London, England to Montreal, received first at Que-bec with a double oval "Ship Letter QUEBEC (crown)" and "QUEBEC / 18 MAY 1802" straightline bs, then onto Montreal, redirected to Quebec again. Most intriguing and excellent clear strike. $400

1802 Ship Letter Quebec Crown

45680 SFL dateline "Montreal 7 Novembr 1785" to London, England via Quebec with "Montreal / Nov: 7." straightline type VI (used 1785-1788), "PAID" hs and ms "9" in red to Quebec dou-ble ring with triangle and bishop mark insert "10 NO", endorsed "per The Susannah" carried by private ship to England with London "SHIP-LRE", "24 DE" bishop mark, rated ms "11"d Stg collect (1d captain's gratuity plus 10d postage), hinge reinforcement of surface scuffs. $700

1785 Montreal to London via Quebec

45762 SFL London dateline “5 Feby 1787” to St. Culpice, care of Montreal forwarding agent “Ric’d Doby”, red “POST PAID” circular hs, , 1 shilling postage from Falmouth to Halifax, NS where rated “2/1” Cy collect to Montreal. A regular overland route from Halifax to Quebec was established in October 1787”. A Mr. Gordon, writing to his wife in Montreal states, “I am still of the living in great torture”, speaks of his impending doom and advises wife to “tread therefore the paths of virtue”. A sad, perhaps last letter $400

1787 London to Montreal, via Halifax

45681 SFC docketing "Montreal 19 Nov 1793" to London, England, carried via private ship to Do-ver with "DOVER / SHIP-LRE", ms "9" d Stg to London (1d captain's gratuity plus 8d post-age), reverse with "CA 25 94". $400

1793 Montreal to London, England

45763 SFL dateline "Woolwich 29th Nov 1795" to Major Hughes, Montreal. The letter is rated 2/ packet postage and has a red PAID DE 4 1795 cds, via December Falmouth packet "Princess Elizabeth" to New York and thence to Montreal, rated "3N2" upon arrival in Canada. The letter from William Johnstone written to Major Hughes asks that he send his two daughters to him and offers to pay their expenses to travel. Presumably Major Hughes was serving in Canada and his close friends wished to rescue his daughters from the depravity of the wilds of Canada. $350

1795 Woolwich, England to Montreal

45678 SFL "Montreal / 26 JUL 14" (1814) straightline bs to London, England, double oval crown Ship Letter Quebec, via private trader or naval ship through the American Blockade to Liver-pool with "Ship Letter Liverpool" on arrival, rated "2/6" Stg collect, 2 x 4d ship letter fee and 2 x 11d postage to London. This letter was carried through the American blockade of North America during the War of 1812. Rare. $700

1814 Montreal to London – Through the Blockade War of 1812

1814 War of 1812 Through the Blockade

45676 SFL dateline “6 March 1814 Tullich Scotland” to Montreal, Canada, prepaid 11d to Glas-gow via Edinburgh, 1/2d Scottish Road Tax, “PAID” hs, “Missent to Birmingham”, sent to Glasgow, ms “To be forwarded by Mr. Benjamin Greig Mercht Glasgow”, by private ship to Quebec, double oval crown “Ship Letter Quebec”, and Quebec fleuron bs (JU 10 1814), rated 10d collect to Montreal (1d Captain’s gratuity plus 9d postage). During the War of 1812 mails to the US were suspended and 12 British mail packets were captured by American privateers. This letter ran the American blockade of the North American colonies. Rare. $700

45674 SFL London July 6 1815 to Montreal with “Post Paid Withdrawn Ship Letter London (crown) 27 JY 1815” bs, prepaid ms “ 8 1/2”, being one third of the 2/2 packet postage (8 2/3d rounded down to 8 1/2d), sent via “per Ship Sterling Capt Ruse QDC”, single ring Ship Letter Quebec on arrival, rated 2 1/2d ship letter fee plus 9d postage for 11 1/2d collect. This letter was a triplicate with ms notation inside “1ast per Clyde, 2d per Garden Grove”. The PPWSL mark was applied across the backflap to prevent additions to the letter. This is one of 5 or 6 recorded PPWSL. Illustrated in Arnell’s BNA Transatlantic mail (page 23). $1,200

1815 Post Paid Withdrawn Ship Letter London

45675 SFL dateline Liverpool 29 May 1815 to Quebec, ms "pr R Yeoman", a Post Paid Withdrawn Ship Letter Liverpool" crown hs in red across the backflap to prevent later additions, ms rated "P 9" which is one third the packet rate of 2/2 (8 2/3d Stg rounded up to 9d), handed back to the sender and sent as a withdrawn ship letter, arriving in Quebec with a black double oval crown "Ship Letter Quebec", ms "11 1/2" which is 2d ship letter fee plus 9d postage, to Mon-treal. One of only five or six PPWSL handstamps on mail to Canada. Rare.The letter refers to replacement goods for those wrecked in the "Alexander & Mary".Letter gives business advice and prices of ash, oak, pine, rum and wheat. And end note "We are it appears at War with France, tho it be not formally declared" is a reference to the "War of the Seventh Coalition 1815", the final of the Napoleonic Wars, with Napoleon abdicating June 22 and surrendering to the British July 15 just two months after this letter was written. $1,200

1815 Post Paid Withdrawn Ship Letter Liverpool

1840 Pioneer Steamer “President”

45679 SFL Montreal (Aug 27 1840) to Edinburgh, Scotland, ms “per President” Maiden Voyage from New York (Sept 1 1840) to Liverpool arriving Sept 17., two red “PAID” hs ms “4 1/2”d to border and “18 3/4”¢ to New York, 25¢ freight money fee not shown but collected, Brit-ish “8”d hs for 8d ship letter fee collect in England, reverse with “Liverpool Ship Letter” straightline. The British and America Steam Navigation Company formed in 1838 and was the first North Atlantic steamship line with three vessels, the “British Queen”, “President” and “Sirius”. The President was lost at sea in 1841 and the company collapsed. The “President” made only four return voyages. A rare pioneer steamer, especially on mail from Canada. $1,200

45761 SFL from G. Patton St. Helens (Island?), Quebec to Company Sgt Richard Lynch Captain R Story's Regiment, 1st Battn Royal Artillery, Woolwich, England, ms "P1" for 1d Soldiers Concession rate, ms "prepaid" and Montreal red "JU 27 1844", red "I PAID 14 AU 14 1844", redirected to Mr & Mrs Patton near Dundee, Scotland, a long religious letter telling his son to move to Scotland to seek fine clean air and that he will send 30 pounds for them. Judging by the redirection the soldier did move to Scotland before his father's suggestion arrived. $750

1844 1d Soldiers Concession Rate to England

45787 SFL Montreal dateline "Montreal 21st Jany 1830" to the Governor of Lofa, Venezuela via forwarding agents in New York and Catregena. The letter was sent to forwarding agent "For-warded by YOS R Wadsworth & Son N 5 South St New York" ms on reverse with tape stains, ms on front "Care of Inspector Bund British Merchant Cartegena (Colombia) South America", red "Carteagna" double oval and "4" hs. The letter is from Katharine Robertson, wide of the late General John Robertson, a Canadian who fought with Simon Bolivar. The widow writes asking for a pension that Bolivar had promised Robertson for his assistance in liberating South America. The letter includes a transcript of Bolivar's letter to Robertson when Bolivar was in exile in Jamaica. A typewritten transcript of both accompanies. A book was written on General John Robertson and his role in fighting with Simon Bolivar, and published by the Venezuelean embassy in Canada. One of only two stampless covers to Venezuela and incredible Canadian link to Bolivar. $3,500

1830 Montreal to Venezuela, General John Robertson, fought with Bolivar

Stampless – To and From Foreign Countries

Canadian mail to “foreign” countries (excluding USA and England) range from scarce to exceedingly rare. Mail to France is often found, Germany less so, but some countries have only one or two stamp-less covers recorded. For example, the cover from Canadian General John Robertson’s widow to a

Venezuelan governor seeking his pension include a copy of Bolivar’s letter to the General. It is the earliest of two recorded covers to Venezuela and and incredible historic document. Collecting mail to foreign countries is particularly difficult as there is very little material available and when it comes on the market it often reaches strong prices. Issue collectors (Pence, Cents, Large Queens, Small Queens) often buy rare destinations as stampless covers because few franked examples exist and they want to show the rates in their time period. The complexities of postal treaties and the many currencies involved can seem overwhelming but once a collector examines enough covers, the pattern of rates, and the relevant postal treaties become familiar if not second na-ture. Between the items I have in stock personally and the several rarities Michael Rixon owns, a collector could very quickly develop a strong exhibition.

1853 Quebec to Portugal

45672 SFL Quebec, LC (Nov 26 1853) to Cadiz, Portugal, red “PAID” , “3/ 1d” reratred 31 2”, Montréal bs (Nov 29 1853), marked “Too Late” and Montreal (Dec 7 1853) despatch mark, carried via Cunard steamer “Europa” (39th voyage) via New York to Liverpool arriving Dec 25, British “2/1” claim, red “Paid 1853 27 DE 27 DT”, red “Forwarded Cadiz” straightline, large red “20 R” (reals) Spanish postage, Cadiz receiver. Scarce destination. Contents relate to importing salt, sherry and timber. $750

45673 SFL dateline "Valparaiso (Chile) 4th April 1841", an odd short note to a friend stating " had a repetition of the illness I had in Quebec and that I was starting for the tropics", further men-tions that if God should call him, he is prepared. from A.G. Stewart to D.G. Stewart, HM Cus-toms, Quebec. The folded letter with a repaired weakness at right, a red oval "SHIP LETTER (crown) QUEBEC", Quebec datestamp (May 23 1842) and ms rated "9". The cover was an incredible 421 days in transit. The writer states that he is heading to Tacna (Peru). $2,000

1841 Chile to Quebec

45752 SFL Woodstock, NB (12 Dec 1841) to Bridgetown, NS, via Fredericton and Halifax, ms rated "1N1" plus "9" for a total "1N10" Cy collect. The letter described the border dispute which lead to the Aroostock War in detail... "There has been a good deal of jealousy and heart-burning about the boundary line this summer - but at present little is said about it -- during the summer a party of Americans ran a line from the Monument at the Head of St. Croix to some distance beyond the Grand Falls and through the whole distance is is from 10 rods to somewhat bettern than 1/2 mile East of the old line formerly by the joint commission. It is what is called an exparte survery -- that is a survey at the direction and expense of the US Government alone, for the purpose of gaining information and not for the purpose of taking possession. But what galls the people is this they run through their lands cutting an open line from about 18 to 40 and even 60 feet wide. I am very fearful that the disputed territory will eventually lead to bloodshed together with other difficulties every day arising. I have learned that the 68th Regiment are under orders for Madawaska and tenders are advertised for moving troops up the river this winter if required....".The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 resolved this Aroostook War. $750

1841 Woodstock, NB Aroostook War Border Tensions

Stampless – New Brunswick

The Rixon collection contains few items that transited through the Maritime provinces but I had to include this gem of an historical cover that discusses a US exparte survey of the border between New Brunswick and Maine that caused the Aroostook War. Take a minute to read the history hidden within this cover,

then “google” the phrase “Webster-Ashburton Treaty” to read of the importance of this small, simmering but potentially huge border dispute that could have significantly altered the map of Canada.