Scarce Virginia City Pony Express Cover Can Be Yours
Only One Available!
Before Wells Fargo began its own Pony Express service, the company ran stage coaches to deliver letters and packages. In 1862, with torrential rains making travel hard for stagecoaches going between Nevada Territory mining camps and the state of California, Wells Fargo organized a new "Pony." U... more
Scarce Virginia City Pony Express Cover Can Be Yours
Only One Available!
Before Wells Fargo began its own Pony Express service, the company ran stage coaches to deliver letters and packages. In 1862, with torrential rains making travel hard for stagecoaches going between Nevada Territory mining camps and the state of California, Wells Fargo organized a new "Pony." Unlike the original, this was a regional mail service called the Virginia City Pony Express. Ponies and riders could make the trip more easily and much faster than heavy stagecoaches over the rough and muddy terrain.
There was also a lot of competition for mail delivery in this period of westward expansion. It's not surprising Wells Fargo wanted to get in on the action. After all, they were partners in the first Pony Express, which had failed a year earlier after the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line.
The scarce Virginia City Pony Express cover we're offering you here is over 160 years old. That means you'll own an authentic historic artifact from America's Wild West. The cover will come to you encapsulated in museum-quality archival material that assures it will be preserved in its fine to very fine condition for future generations. That lets you hold the cover, examine it closely, and show it off to your friends without damaging it in any way.
At the upper right corner is a 25¢ Pony Express stamp (#143L8) on a 3¢ stamped entire envelope. Wells Fargo’s distinctive oval cancellation in Virginia City appears in the upper right.
Picture the strenuous and lonesome ride over rough terrain by night and day to deliver this cover and its contents. It's hard to imagine what a young Pony rider might have experienced during his long journey. This Virginia City Pony Express cover really is history you hold in your hands. A true artifact of America as it expanded across the continent.
More About The Virginia City Pony Express
On August 11, 1862, Wells Fargo inaugurated its Virginia City Pony Express, which carried mail between Nevada mining towns and California business centers.
While the original Pony Express delivered news, the Virginia City Pony was more concerned with business matters. Letters required a 10¢ Pony Express stamp for every half-ounce, plus an appropriate US stamp to meet the current rate. The rate was raised to 25¢ in January 1863. By 1865, the roads were improved enough to allow for faster transportation and the Virginia City Pony was discontinued.
As for Wells Fargo, the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad brought about the end of long-distance stagecoach routes. The stagecoaches were then used to transport people and mail between small towns that lacked a railroad link. By the 1880s, the Post Office was able to offer better service at lower rates than Wells Fargo and they soon discontinued their mail service. Wells Fargo offered express service until 1918 when that service was taken over by the government. Since then, the company has focused on banking and financial services.
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