1917-1920 – Sales letter and 13 photographs of Sunnyside Apiaries, a large, single-owner beekeeping business in Montana
by B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Smith
Fromberg, Montana, 1920. Unbound. Very good. The one-page sales letter (appears to be a retained copy) is on Sunnyside Apiaries letterhead and dated October 9th, 1917. It is from B. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Smith at Fromberg, Montana, a small community near Billings. It reads in part: “Your favor of Oct 5th enclosing $600.00 check at hand. We are rushing everything to get this [box]car moving . . . in two weeks. [What] I have to do .... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1865 – Two letters sent by a woman in Washington, DC, to her mother and sister in Pennsylvania discussing canning, a hired ‘girl,’ and ill-fitting shoes
by Mary Smith
Washington, DC, 1865. Envelope or Cover. Very good. These two letters were written by Mary Smith in Washington, DC on October 1st and 2nd, 1865. They are enclosed in the same mailing envelope, which was sent to Miss Lizzie Smith. The envelope bears a 3-cent Washington stamp (Scott #65), and a double-circle Washington postmark dated 6 October. In nice shape with a bit of toning to the envelope. In these letters, Mary provided a report about... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1775 - A warrant directing Pennsylvania sheriff arrest several men on the charge of "Felonious Trespass" signed by Justice of the Peace Thomas Smith, a member of the Bedford County Pennsylvania revolutionary Committee of Correspondence, who would become a Revolutionary War Colonel and later be arrested for opposing the state's first Constitution of 1776
by Thomas Smith
Bedford County Pennsylvania, 1775. Unbound. Very good. This impressive warrant from Bedford County, Pennsylvania measures 13" x 4". It is dated the "Thirteenth Day of July in the fifteenth Year of [the] Reign" of George III, i.e., 1775. In nice shape. It reads in part: "George the third by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c To the Sheriff of Bedford County Greeting We command... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1809 - Broadside printing of an impassioned speech against President Thomas Jefferson's Embargo Act given by Revolutionary War Hero and Congressman Benjamin Tallmadge
by Thomas Smith
Unidentified, 1809. Unbound. Very good. Speech of Mr. Tallmadge. Tuesday, December 27th, 1809. On a motion to committ to a select committee, the bill from the senate for enforcing the embargo laws. Unidentified printer. Annotated on the reverse, "Mr. Tallmadge's Speech" and "Felino (?) Hale". In December of 1807, President Thomas Jefferson, with the aid of his legislative allies, forced an Embargo Act through Congress that, in effect, made all foreign trade illegal, in a... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1875 - An impressive invoice from the preeminent English steelworks to a Philadelphia bed and furniture factory
by William Jessop & Sons
Sheffield, England, 1875. Unbound. Very good. This illustrated partially-printed invoice on thin paper measures approximately 10" x 15.5" unfolded. It was prepared by William Jessop & Sons, Steel Manufactures of Sheffield, England for crucible steel sold to J. C. Hand & Company in Philadelphia. The document is dated February 7, 1875. It is annotated in black and red ink in a hand different from the drafter. A partially-printed two-page import certificate measuring about 5.5" x 9" is attached.... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1853 – An attractive certificate depicting the Cleveland waterfront attesting to a woman’s insurance policy issued by The Buckeye State Health Association
by Issued to Mary Stevens
Cleveland, Ohio, 1853. Unbound. Very good. This partially-printed certificate measures 8” x 10¼” and is dated 14 February 1853. It was issued by The Buckeye State Health Association, headquartered in Cleveland, to Mary Stevens of York, Ohio. The document features an attractive illustration of the Cleveland waterfront. The document reads in part, “This Certificate of Membership Provides, that Whereas, Mary Stevens . . . having paid $3.00 . . . has become a member... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1851 – An impressive multicolor two-page broadsheet for one of the preeminent hat companies in New York
by Swift, Hurlbut, & Company
New York City, 1851. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This two-page advertising broadsheet measures 17” x 10.5” unfolded. It was sent from the Swift, Hurlbut, & Company at 207 Pearl Street in New York City to Joseph A. Johnson , a Madisonville, Tennessee merchant. It bears a circular red New York “Paid” postmark and an additional manuscript “paid” annotation. In nice shape. The front of the broadsheet, printed on blue paper, features a 2.75” x 4.25”... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (Map No. 25 from A New Universal Atlas. . . .)
by H. S. [Henry Shenk] Tanner
Philadelphia: Carey & Hart, 1841. Unbound. Very good. Approximately 14" x 17.5" including the wide margins. Includes an inset map showing the western part of the Upper Peninsula and a distance table for Detroit Steam Boat Routes. Strong, clear image with attractive hand coloring. Very light soiling. This very attractive early map of Michigan shows little development north of the lower two tiers of counties with only a few identified cities or towns: Benton, Coltrellville,... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1894 – Two letters on illustrated stationery from the owner of a Hudson Valley apple brandy distillery assuring a supplier that he would make good on what he owed
by J. A. Terry
Walden, New York, 1894. Envelope or Cover. Very good. These letters from J. A. Terry, the owner of Old Sycamore Apple Brandy Distillery in Walden, New York to Esmond & Ward, perhaps apple suppliers, of Newburgh, are dated May 3 and May 16, 1994. Both are written on exceptionally attractive stationery depicting the busy distillery complex and enclosed in a mailing envelope that features the same illustration. The envelope bears a circular Walden postmark ais franked with a... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1816 - Letter from the former U. S. Officer who coordinated the transport and supply of Army units deployed to Detroit, Mackinaw, Chicago, and Green Bay, during the War of 1812 and continued to do so as a civilian contractor after the war ended in 1815
by , James Thomas
Detroit, Michigan, 1816. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This two-page stampless folded letter measures 15" x 9.5" unfolded. It was sent by former Colonel, James Thomas, from Detroit on 30 August 1816 to his business associate, Jacob Miller Haldeman, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It bears a scarce manuscript "Detroit / 30 Augt." postmark and "25" rate mark in red. Haldeman has docketed the correspondence "Letter 30 Augt 1816 / Col Thomas". In this letter, Thomas informs Haldemann... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1867 – Letter from an early settler in Cimarron, New Mexico, informing a friend back home in Ohio, that a gold rush had begun in earnest and that he might mine a claim and marry one “of these Black Eyed Mexican galls”
by A. J. Thomas
Cimarron, New Mexico Territory, 1867. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This three-page stampless letter was sent by A. J. Thomas, a hay farmer from Cimarron, New Mexico Territory, to J. B. Culver in Delaware, Ohio. It is franked with a 3-cent Washington stamp (Scott #65) tied to the envelope with a “Cimarron, New Mexico, Jul 18, 1867” postmark. It bears a straightline “ADVERTISED” hand stamp a circular handstamp that reads only “Sep 1” that were applied after the... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
Circa 1900 – A tribute to missionary nurses
by Unidentified
Unknown, 1900. Unbound. Very good. This two-page, manuscript tribute to missionary nursing is titled, “The Nurse in the Foreign Field.” It bears no author’s name or date of writing. However, from its content, paper, penmanship, and what is recorded about the history of missionary nursing, it was probably written around 1900. In nice shape with some toning and minor marginal wear.. It reads in total: “When we are sick there is nothing that is... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1900 – Envelope from one of the best-selling patent medicines of all time that transitioned into a food condiment after the Food and Drug Administration stepped in
by Mann S. Valentine
Richmond, Virginia, 1900. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This business envelope bears the printed return address of Valentine’s Meat-Juice Company of Richmond, Virgina. It was sent from Richmond to the Director of the Private Maternity Hospital of Berlin, Germany. It is franked with a 5-cent Grant stamp (Scott #281) that has been canceled with a Barry Postal Supply Company machine postmark, dated 21 February 1900. The reverse is filled with assorted postal labels, handstamps in various colors, and... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
Attacks of Fort Washington by His Majesty s Forces under the Command of Gen.l Sir Willm Howe K:B. 16 Nov.r 1776
by D.T. Valentine
New York: For D.T. Valentine's Manual for 1861 by Geo Haywood, 1861. Disbound. Very good. The hand-colored, lithographed map image measures 22" x 16.5" and has a 7/8" margin at top, a 5/8" margin on the right and bottom, and a 1/8" margin along most of the left edge where it had been trimmed when bound into David T. Valentine's Manual of the Common Council of the City of New York. It is oriented with north to... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
![[Circa 1850] 1950 - Photographs and description of graffiti left in Greenwater Canyon by an early traveler through Death Valley, perhaps by a member of the lost 1849 Death Valley Wagon Train which wandered through this area](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/108/821/1581821108.0.l.jpg)
[Circa 1850] 1950 - Photographs and description of graffiti left in Greenwater Canyon by an early traveler through Death Valley, perhaps by a member of the lost 1849 Death Valley Wagon Train which wandered through this area
by J. Wade
Death Valley, California, 1950. Very good. This lot consists of a one-page letter from the National Park Service at Death Valley National Monument, dated 17 February 1950, and two photographs of graffiti that read, "J W ADE". The letter is signed L. F. Kellar, "Death Valley National Monument Park Naturalist" L. F. Keller. The photographs were mounted on a piece of bond paper with cello tape that has discolored over time. The letter reads in part:... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1883 – An oil company’s response to a customer query on matching stationery that features a portrait of Colonel Edwin Drake, inventor of the first commercially successful method of drilling for oil
by Alfred Whitaker
Cleveland, Ohio, 1883. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This letter and its matching envelope sent by the Brooks Oil Company of Cleveland are both illustrated with portraits of Colonel Edwin Drake, “The first successful Producer of Petroleum.” The letter is dateline Cleveland, O. Apr 21, 1883. The envelope bears circular Cleveland, Ohio postmark and is franked with a green 3-cent Washington Stamp cancelled with a carved-cork ‘four-v’ handstamp. The letterhead reads “Brooks Oil Company /... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1951 – Three hand-illustrated humorous orders submitted by W. G. Williams of San Francisco to Stanely D. Harris, a prominent stamp dealer who operated out of New York and Vermont in the mid-twentieth-century
by W. G. Williams
San Francisco, California, 1951. Unbound. Very good. Two of the three letters feature several colorful small vignettes, one showing Harris as "El Rey del Timbres" (The King of Stamps) standing atop a tower of stamp journals and almanacs. The third contains an illustration in blue and black depicting Harris as a business mogul seated behind a large desk, surveying a huge stamp distribution warehouse and fleet of delivery trucks. All are enclosed in one of Harris's shipping envelopes. Harris was apparently also recognized as... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
MY ALUMNAE PIN CAME THIS MORNING, IT IS MY GRADUATION PRESENT FROM CLAUDE." An archive of letters and ephemera related to Dr. Grace Flanders Wilson, an 1899 graduate of the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women (NYMCHW)
by Kept by Grace Flanders Wilson
Various locations, 1895-1925. This archive consists of four medical school tests, eight letters, and one handbill advertising the sale of Grace's mansion. All in nice shape, however, worn mailing envelopes accompany three of the letters. Grace was the daughter of Abraham Hillard Frances, a prosperous physician who had graduated from the Philadelphia College of Medicine. Grace followed in her father's footsteps, attending the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women, one of the first and few medical schools that accepted females.... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1839 – Manuscript solution for encoding and deciphering the Masonic Royal Arch Cypher
by George K. Witmer
Paradise, [Pennsylvania], 1839. Unbound. Very good. This one-page manuscript document is titled “The Royal Arch Cyphers with Key.” It was written by George K. Witmer of Paradise, [Pennsylvania] on August 9th, 1839. Later docketing reads, “March 1st 1842.” The document was folded like a stampless,letter and addressed by Witmer to himself with an annotation in the lower left-hand corner that reads “Royal Arch Cypher / on April 1st 1839.” Within Freemasonry, the Royal Arch Cypher is... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
![1923 – Women of America! . . Outline of the Principles and Teachings [of] the Women of the Ku Klux Klan](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/804/873/1750873804.0.l.jpg)
1923 – Women of America! . . Outline of the Principles and Teachings [of] the Women of the Ku Klux Klan
by Robbie Gill and Mary G. Witt
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1923. Pamphlet. Very good. Women of America! The Past! The Present! The Future! Outline of the Principles and Teachings: Women of the Ku Klux Klan by Robbie Gill and Mary G. Witt. Little Rock, Arkansas: Imperial Headquarters Women of the Ku Klux Klan, 1923. 16 pages. Staple-bound within a tan card cover featuring an image of a woman carrying a torch and KKK shield. The Tip of the lower right front cover is missing, and... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
1900 – A small collection of advertising material for the Zimmerman Autoharp Company
by Charles F. Zimmermann (sometimes Zimmerman)
Dolgeville, New York, 1900. Various. Very good. This collection of material consists of one illustrated Zimmermann autoharp catalog, one used Zimmerman advertising cover, one unused generic advertising cover for Dolgeville, New York, businesses, and a one letter and reply, both in German that was enclosed in the used advertising cover. All in nice shape. The autoharp is a string instrument in the zither family that features a set of bars with separate damping pads that mute strings... Read More
Offered by Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC