An historic stampless cover which sold for ten-times its estimate was among the highlights at Spink Shreves' Collectors Series Sale at the weekend (July 21-23).
Lot #1 in the sale is dated to 1838 and addressed to Mrs Mary Forrest in Baltimore, Maryland, US. In the corner, the envelope is marked "Navy Department/Republic of Texas".
The three-page letter, from Moreau Forrest to his wife, talks about business ventures in Texas, the difficulty of sending US money, as well as personal family issues.
![]() The unstamped, folded letter from 1838 |
Other features on the cover include a red "SHIP" handstamp. According to Spink Shreves' condition report, there are some splits in the letter, caused by a vertical fold.
Nevertheless, the letter remains a remarkable historic philatelic artefact. It appeared in the auction with a printed transcript of the letter's contents and a pre-sale estimate of just $1,000-1,500.
Attracting spirited bidding, this rare Navy Department/Consulate specimen from the Republic of Texas realised a final price of $10,000 - clearly a great investment for the seller.
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