# 143L4 - 1861 $2 Green, Wells Fargo Pony Express

Own a Legendary Pony Express Stamp

Now is your chance to own an authentic Pony Express stamp. This stamp is a piece of history and this is your chance to lock it safely away in your collection.

Before 1860, it could take eight weeks for mail to travel across the country – the Pony Express was created to reduce that time.  The first trip began in St. Joseph, Missouri, on April 3, 1860, and arrived in California just 10 days later.  In 1861, Wells Fargo took over part of the Transcontinental route west of Salt Lake City.  To make accounting easier and to advertise their company, they hired Britton and Company to print stamps for the eastbound mail from California. 

The Pony Express stamp only covered the part of delivering the letter the Pony Express did.  At the end of the run, the letters would be turned over to the Post Office to be delivered by the postal service, so a postage stamp was also required.  The green $2 stamp was used to cover the fee for a 1-ounce letter and was used from July 1861 until November 1861.

The intrepid Pony Express ended 18 months after it began, when telegraph lines reached the West Coast.  Few stamps can match the Pony Express issues in beauty and history.  Quantities are limited and this remarkable opportunity won’t last forever.  Order now.