Archive 01-Portland Oregon Pioneer Archive 01 53 Day Transit
OVERVIEW
Offered is an authentic transatlantic commercial cover mailed from Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empire, on December 8, 1880, and addressed to Theodore B. Trevett of Portland, Oregon.
The cover bears a horizontal pair of Germany's 10-pfennig Large Eagle definitives paying the 20-pfennig international letter rate and preserves a complete sequence of origin, exchange-office, and arrival markings documenting its journey to the Pacific Northwest.
This piece is Archive 01 from a recently identified correspondence group linking Germany with Portland during the early 1880s, establishing a documented commercial or personal postal connection across the Atlantic.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
The cover is franked with a horizontal pair of 10-pfennig Large Eagle definitive stamps, cataloged as Scott 39 and Michel 41, for a combined franking of 20 pfennig.
The stamps depict the Imperial German eagle within the embossed shield design introduced following German unification.
The 20-pfennig franking correctly prepaid the international letter rate from Germany to the United States.
The stamps are tied by clear Weimar circular datestamps dated December 8, 1880.
Upon arrival in the United States, the cover passed through the New York Foreign Mail Exchange Office, where it received a New York Paid All exchange marking dated January 16, 1881.
The journey concluded with a Portland, Oregon, receiving circular datestamp dated January 30, 1881, at 2 PM, providing a complete 53-day documented postal route from Imperial Germany to the American Pacific Northwest.
The envelope is fully addressed in manuscript to Mr. T. B. Trevett in Portland.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
The addressee, Theodore B. Trevett, was an early Portland resident associated with the city's pioneer period, including service as a founding member of Multnomah Engine Company Number 2.
This identifiable recipient significantly enhances the historical interest beyond an ordinary nineteenth-century transatlantic cover.
The combination of a correctly paid Large Eagle franking, a complete postal routing through the New York Foreign Mail Exchange Office, the desirable Paid All accounting mark, and a documented Portland arrival makes this an attractive example for collectors of Imperial German postal history, Oregon pioneer correspondence, and nineteenth-century transoceanic mail routes.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: Germany
Year: 1880
Type: Commercial Transatlantic Cover
Topic: Imperial Germany Transatlantic Pioneer Mail
Theme: Transatlantic Postal History
Subject: Large Eagle Definitives
Era: German Empire (1880)
Occasion: International Commercial Mail
Region: Weimar Grand Duchy of Saxe Weimar Eisenach
Stamp Color: Carmine
Denomination: 2 x 10 Pfennig (20 Pfennig Total)
Currency: German Mark / Pfennig
Perforation: 13.5 x 14.5
Printing Method: Typography (embossed design)
Cover Stock/Paper Type: Standard Wove Envelope
Cancellation Type/Date: Weimar CDS (December 8 1880)
Catalog Numbers: Germany Scott 39 Michel 41
GERMANY-1880-WEIMAR-TREVETT-PORTLAND-01
CONDITION
Original nineteenth-century commercial cover in expected 1881 received condition. The envelope shows normal age-related handling wear, light toning, creasing, and a visible tear at the right edge where it was opened.
This peripheral tear does not materially affect the franking or principal postal markings. The pair of Scott 39 stamps remains securely affixed with well-struck Weimar cancellations.
The New York Paid All exchange marking and Portland receiving datestamp remain highly identifiable and contribute significantly to the postal history value.
Please examine all high-resolution images carefully on the individual listing to verify the exact condition, edge wear, stamp placement, and cancellation clarity prior to purchase.