Lot
4043 
(Kanawha Canal Route 2434) 1851 (Sep. 17) Richmond Va. to Lynchburg Va., illustrated folded waybill for A.S. Lee agent bearing 3¢ orange brown (10A), margins to slightly in, tied by blue "Way 6" circular rating handstamp, letter was treated as unpaid and charged 5¢ for under 500 miles plus the 1¢ way fee; light staining, F.-V.F. Estimate $150 - 200.
The use of canals for mail contracts was very rare with the majority operating in the 1840s on Ohio canals. The Kanawha Canal contract in Virginia was contracted as soon as the canal had reached Lynchburg from Richmond in June 1840. Boyd Edmund held the contract for 21 years with an initial payment of $4,448 a year for a twice weekly service. The route was extended to Pattonsburg in 1851 at $4,650 per year for a three times a week service.
Realized: $135