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Auction: 17025 - Bermuda, Crossroads of the Atlantic: A Postal History from 1617 to 1877 - The David Pitts Collection
Lot: 100

(x) Packet Letters
G.P.O./Admiralty Period, 1806-1840
The G.P.O. continued its Falmouth Packet service to North America, extending it to Bermuda in 1806 in response to military needs. At first the G.P.O. had a virtual monopoly on the North America route though by 1823 competition from American companies rendered the service unprofitable and the Admiralty assumed responsibility for it since military needs remained unchanged
The service went underwent a number of route changes before it was finally abandoned in 1840 and contracted to Cunard. There are seven different routes
Route 7, July 1833-June 1840 by Cunard to Halifax
In July 1833 the Admiralty discontinued its Bermuda-Halifax service and contracted it to Samuel Cunard. The Cunard Line carried mail to and from Bermuda by one route or another until 1886. During this period Cunard used five sailing vessels to carry the mail from Bermuda to Halifax and return. From Halifax mail was carried by an Admiralty packet to Great Britain or the United States
1839 (25 Sept.) entire letter "Post Paid" to London per Velocity to Halifax and per Star to Falmouth, rated "1/-" (the packet rate having been reduced from 2/2d. to 1/- on 4 March 1839) and showing, on reverse a light but legible strike of the very rare "bermuda/paid" datestamp (P1, one of only five recorded examples); a little soiled though the earliest known date of the 1/- rate from Bermuda and the earliest known date of use of the Bermuda P1 datestamp. Photo

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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,200