Pony Express to Abraham Lincoln 35

Abraham Lincoln

This cover (to our right) was carried via Pony Express to Abraham Lincoln from an unknown sender in between the contentious convention of May 1860 and the general election in November. During this time Lincoln was quite reclusive, making few speeches and writing almost no letters. It is nearly impossible to imagine the future president's mindset at this time, with both the Republican Party and the United States on the brink of war. The fact that the only Pony Express cover addressed to Abraham Lincoln also bears one of the service's rarest markings (the carmine Running Pony) only enhances the appeal of this spectacular item. While we tend to err on the side of caution when using superlatives, the last time this cover was sold by Christie's in 1991 it was said to be "considered by many to be the most important Pony Express cover in existence". The prominance with which this cover has been featured in promotional material for the ParkeBernet Knapp sale in 1941, the Nathan and Boggs book in 1962, and the Christie's sale of the "Edwards" Collection in 1991 (where it received both the front and back covers) certainly speak to the veracity of such a statement.

35 6 "Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois", running pony in blue on cover addressed to “Hon. Abraham

Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois”, backstamped “Pony Express St. Joseph May 22” Running Pony in carmine,

1857 10c Green (35, few short perfs) at upper right tied by “Saint Joseph Mo. Aug 31 1860” datestamp, “Needs no answer” at right in what appears to be John George Nicolay's handwriting (previously attributed to Lincoln himself), light postal wear along edges, Very Fine cover carried on the second eastbound trip after the first rate reduction was published, one of ten covers with the distinctive “carmine pony” handstamp, but most importantly the only Pony Express cover addressed to Republican nominee and future president Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the 1860 election (FKW Census E13) Provenance: Edward S. Knapp (Parke-Bernet Galleries, 1941) "Edwards" Collection (Edward Grumbacher, Christie's-Robson Lowe, 1991) $ 150,000