Roughly 165 years ago, the far west of the US was just that…far. While rumblings of civil war were brewing in the east, in the west, millions of buffalo roamed the plains and American Indians inhabited thousands of square miles.
After gold was discovered in California at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, the flood gates opened. Even so, most of the lands remained barren. Sacramento had barely been established and, towns such as Tombstone, AZ wouldn’t exist for another decade or so. Nevertheless, people were flocking to the young state of California. It was clear communication would be key....
The Transcontinental railroad wouldn’t be in operation for years. Travel by sailing ship to the isthmus of Panama, or on horseback/wagon train across the great plains, Rocky Mountains and Indian country were the only choices. Any of those could take months.
Around 1859, someone had the clever but, admittedly, obvious idea of combining horseback with multiple horses and riders traveling at a fast clip across the expanse. The route would be from the existing terminus in St. Joseph, Missouri to distant Sacramento. Riders would carry satchels filled with letters. Each would travel 10 to 12 miles to the next station, switch from one horse to a fresh one and ride another dozen miles. He would do that eight to 10 times per day. Then, new riders would take over.
I say “he” because riders were advertised to be “Young, skinny wiry fellows under the age of 18…willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” Wages were $25 per week, a goodly sum back then. The term coined for the service was the Pony Express. Letters and envelopes that survive from those harrowing journeys are now especially coveted.
Collectors have a special fascination for items involved in significant events. Years ago, I ran across a stamp collection containing an envelope from the Hindenburg. The airship had made dozens of successful trips carrying thousands of letters. Such stamped envelopes are fairly common and worth only a few dollars apiece.
Then, there was one fateful and final trip. This collection allegedly contained an envelope on the Hindenburg when it exploded in flames in Lakehurst, NJ. The envelope’s owner dismissed it as a fake worth only a few dollars. It took almost six months to have it expertly authenticated. In the end, it proved genuine. The value of that scorched letter and envelope soared to over $12,000.
As for the short-lived Pony Express, (the telegraph rendered it obsolete in October 1861) many dozens of successful 1,900-mile rides took place in the 18-months prior. Some, not so successful.
On one early trip in 1860, the rider and mail disappeared in the Nevada desert. It is assumed he was killed by hostile Indians when the mail pouch was found a few years later containing two of the letters. On one is written the words, “Recovered from (a) mail stolen by Indians in 1860.” That letter was eventually delivered to the recipient in New York City. The inscribed envelope is on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Its value is considered “priceless.”
Special stamps for the Pony Express were printed by Wells Fargo & Co., official agents for the service. Each stamp showed a rider racing on horseback. They weren’t cheap. Prices for the stamps were in one-, two- and four-dollar denominations. (The original cost for Pony Express mail was a stratospheric $5.00 per half ounce.) Unused examples of just the stamps now sell for between $200 and $1,000. Used examples start at around $1,200.
Many Pony Express letters and envelopes have been lost to history. Most envelopes that survive are in the hands of private collectors. Values for the stamped envelopes begin at $5,000 and rapidly climb to $10,000 or $20,000 depending on the type of envelope, such as those with patriotic images. A unique Pony Express envelope delivered to the remote destination of Prince Edward Island is currently valued at over $350,000.
Today, modern riders annually retrace the Pony Express route on horseback carrying “mail.” The cost to the public is $5.00 per letter. Those are fun and amusing collectibles but pale in comparison to the originals. Of course, there are still some early and actual Pony Express envelopes hiding in old boxes. For those who run across any, it will be like a gold strike in the Old West. Good luck.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.