Existing comment:
Vanderbilt's Accessory Transit via Nicaragua, c. 1852:
During the California Gold Rush, Cornelius Vanderbilt pioneered a fast, cheap route form New York to California across Nicaragua. The marking "Via Nicaragua/Ahead of the Mails" paid the company's fee and boasted of its speed. The 12-cent George Washington stamp was bisected to pay the 6-cent government postage rate for over 3,000 miles. |