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Offered here is a fine transatlantic postal history item connecting San Francisco’s leading publishing house with the cultural heart of Germany:
Stamp & Postmark: 5¢ Zachary Taylor, brown (Scott #179, Banknote Issue), tied by bold cork fancy cancel with clear San Francisco, Cal., Apr 7, 4 AM circular date stamp. Correct UPU 5¢ rate for single-weight letter to Germany via England.
Addressee: Mrs. A. L. Bancroft, Sophienstrasse 7, Weimar, Germany. Routing instruction “via England” written lower left.
Corner Card: Ornate printed return of A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco, one of the premier West Coast publishing houses of the 19th century.
Historical Significance:
Albert Little Bancroft (1836–1914), president of A. L. Bancroft & Co., was the younger brother of historian Hubert Howe Bancroft. Under Albert’s leadership, the firm became the leading publisher and book distributor on the Pacific Coast, issuing law books, textbooks, and fine literature. The Bancroft company’s imprint is highly sought after by collectors of California and Western history.
This cover was mailed to Albert’s wife while she was residing in Weimar, Germany—a city celebrated as the home of Goethe, Schiller, and Franz Liszt. The Bancrofts’ correspondence from San Francisco to Europe provides a remarkable glimpse into the international connections of California’s intellectual and cultural elite in the 1870s.
Condition:
Very fine. Clean envelope with intact printed corner card, strong strike of the San Francisco cancel, and well-centered 5¢ Taylor stamp.
Collector Value:
A desirable transatlantic Banknote Issue cover combining:
San Francisco imprint advertising
UPU foreign rate usage
Direct association with the Bancroft publishing dynasty
