Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY EIGHT BRIGG'S DESPATCH "HAND & ENVELOPE" STAMPS ARE KNOWN ON ANY COLOR OF PAPER -- THIS STAMP ON DISTINCTLY YELLOW PAPER IS ONE OF SIX RECORDED 25L1'S ON COVERS.

Patton's history of Brigg's Despatch follows earlier accounts in attributing ownership to George W. Briggs, who Patton states is listed in Philadelphia city directories as a "currier" (mis-spelling for carrier) from 1841 through 1855. Based on surviving stamps and covers, Brigg's started his post in 1848 and probably closed the business in 1850. His office was located at 61 South 8th Street. Blood's office was located at 48 South 3rd Street in 1848 and moved to 28 South 6th Street in 1849. The similarity in design and issue dates between the Brigg's "Hand & Envelope" and Small "Paid" stamps and Blood's "Dove & Envelope" and Small "Paid" stamps suggests that Brigg's was a small copycat post.

Our records of the "Hand & Envelope" issue contain two off-cover stamps (one added to a cover) and six covers, including the unique example on Blue paper (25L2, offered in lot 787). The design of the stamp is stylistically identical to Blood's "Dove & Envelope" (15L11), issued about the same time in 1848. Although the Scott Catalogue describes 25L1 paper as "Yellow-Buff", a comparison of the two 25L1 stamps offered in this sale shows that one is on Yellow paper (the cover offered here) and the other is on Rose paper (lot 786). The other recorded 25L1 stamps are not available for comparison (nor are there any color photographs or accurate descriptions), so it is impossible to say how many are Yellow or Rose, or if other color varieties exists. The 25L1/25L2 examples we record are as follows: 1) 25L1, Yellow paper, cut to shape, ms. "X" cancel, on Jul. 26 (1847-48) local folded letter to Wilkins, the cover offered here, 2) 25L1, Rose paper, ms. "X", on folded letter with Philadelphia "5" handstamp, docketed Nov. 11, 1849, ex Souren, Gibson, Boker, offered in the following lot, 3) 25L1, ms. "X" cancel, Jun. 7, 1848 folded letter to Rev. Ward, Washington D.C., part blue Philadelphia datestamp, ex Caspary, 4) 25L1, ms. "X" cancel, tied by Philadelphia Jun. 29 datestamp on 1848 folded letter to Pennypacker, West Chester Pa., ex Boker, 5) 25L1, ms. "X" cancel, on local cover to Burrows, Costales photo files, 6) 25L1, smudged cancel (pen?), added to a cover to Adele U. Picot, Jul. 18 datestamp, Harmer, Rooke sale, Mar. 6-7, 1951, lot 241, and P.F. records as "did not originate", 7) cut to shape, pen cancel, faults, Lyons collection, and 8) 25L2 on Blue paper, on printed circular to 28 S. Front St., Southwark, blue Philadelphia May 20 (or 30) datestamp, ex Caspary, Boker, offered in lot 787 in this sale.

The content of this letter is amusing. It is written by a young orphan girl to her cousin, who she accuses of spreading "slander" about the orphaned girl and her brother. The tone is best summed up by the closing line, "...all this talk must be stopped, those that injure lonely orphans will be come up with some day." (Image)

A FINE EXAMPLE OF THIS EXTREMELY RARE STAMP, OF WHICH SEVEN EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED.

Details of the eight recorded Brigg's Despatch stamps (25L1 and 25L2) are provided in the previous lot description. This Brigg's usage is enigmatic. There is no street address for Wm. H. Newbold, but the sender did mark the letter "Paid", and the Brigg's stamp is cancelled (but not tied). The docketing identifies the sender as George S. Robbins & Son, a well-known New York City firm. The cover entered the Philadelphia post office and was rated "5" with their distinctive blue handstamp. If the stamp originated on this cover and Brigg's was involved, it must have been carried outside the mails to Philadelphia and given to Brigg's for delivery -- without a street address, the cover was dropped at the post office. Refusing to accept it as a drop letter, Philadelphia rated it 5c due. The alternate explanation is that the cover came into Philadelphia by railroad and was never handled by Brigg's, which would of course make the stamp superfluous to the cover. Because of the possibility that this genuine 25L1 stamp has been added to the cover, it is offered on its own merits.

Ex Souren, Gibson and Boker. (Image)

THE UNIQUE BRIGG'S "HAND & ENVELOPE" STAMP ON BLUE PAPER. ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES OF LOCAL POST ISSUES.

Of the eight recorded Brigg's "Hand & Envelope" stamps, only this example is printed on Blue paper -- it is the unique 25L2.

The blue Philadelphia circular datestamp indicates post-office handling, and the absence of a government rate marking is typical of this class of mail during the period. The circular itself is interesting. The Wagner & McGuigan firm -- which printed the Blood's Striding Messenger and Jenkins' Camden Dispatch lithographed stamps -- offers a lithographic process to make facsimiles of a handwritten letter, which they suggest will draw more attention than letterpress circulars. The point is demonstrated by using their own facsimile letter.

Ex Caspary and Boker. (Image)

FINE. THE FINER OF TWO REPORTED EXAMPLES OF THE GOLD ON YELLOW BRIGG'S "PAID" STAMP.

The second and later Brigg's issue is the Small "Paid" stamp, found in three genuine color varieties: Gold on Yellow Glazed (25L4), Gold on Black Glazed (25L5) and Gold on Pink (25L6). Our records contain just one other example of 25L4: a cut-in stamp on a cover with Philadelphia 10c integral-rate circular datestamp, addressed to Frederica Ga. (Siegel Sale 285, lot 736).

Ex Lilly and Boker. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. PROBABLY THE FINEST OF THE FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE BRIGG'S DESPATCH "PAID" STAMP IN GOLD ON BLACK GLAZED PAPER. AN OBVIOUS ATTEMPT BY THIS SMALL PHILADELPHIA LOCAL POST TO EMULATE THE LARGER BLOOD'S DESPATCH.

The Brigg's Gold on Black "Paid" stamp is conceptually identical to Blood's "Paid" 15L12 stamp, and the two were issued at approximately the same time in mid to late 1848. Our records contain five examples of 25L5: 1) the stamp offered here, 2) the stamp offered in the following lot, 3) the stamp affixed to a cover offered in the Caspary sale, 4) the stamp in a photo in Sloane's records (no details), and 5) cut-in stamp on Nov. 7, 1848 cover with Brigg's "Paid" circular handstamp on back, ex Roth collection. (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE DISTINCTIVE BRIGG'S DESPATCH "PAID" STAMP IN GOLD ON BLACK.

A noted in previous description, the Brigg's Gold on Black stamp is very similar to the Blood's "Paid" stamp (15L12) and was probably made by the same printer. This example shows another Brigg's emulation of Blood's: the use of acid to cancel stamps.

Ex Richardson. (Image)