Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

THE BUSH'S BROOKLYN CITY EXPRESS ADHESIVE STAMP, FIRST DISCOVERED IN 1950 BY EUGENE N. COSTALES AND STILL THE ONLY EXAMPLE EVER FOUND. A WONDERFUL "PRIMITIVE" AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S RAREST STAMPS.

Based on covers with the oval Bush's Brooklyn City Express handstamp, this post is known to have existed from early 1848 through early 1850. At least three dated stampless covers are recorded in this period: 1) Feb. 14, 1848, Valentine cover to Mary Thompson with dated enclosure, offered in lot 856, 2) Mar. 30, 1848 folded letter to Charles P. Williams, ex Mason (Sloane records), and 3) Jan. 5, 1850, to Manhattan street address with Cole's City Despatch P.O. datestamp, ex Hollowbush. Only a few other covers with Bush's handstamp are known.

To our knowledge, a city directory listing for the post has not been located, although a "John Bush, carpenter Fleet op Bolivar" and "Samuel L. Bush, merchant NY h 56 Harrison" are listed in the 1847-48 and 1848-49 directories (according to Scott's Stamp Monthly article cited below). Perry noted that John O. Bush is listed as a "carrier" of "newspapers" almost continuously from 1851 to 1858 in New York City (Pat Paragraphs, reprint, p. 394).

The unique adhesive stamp was made by impressing the handstamp device on glazed green paper. The color of ink is red, but the shade has darkened over time. Using digital scans, we overlayed the Bush handstamp from a cover on the adhesive stamp and matched the letters precisely. The same device was used to make the adhesive and the markings on covers.

The story of the unique stamp's discovery was published by James B. Hatcher in Scott's Monthly Journal (May 1952). According to the Hatcher account, the stamp on piece was contained in a collection in an old J. W. Scott album, circa 1870-80. The album was brought to the Nassau Street office of Eugene N. Costales around 1950. After recognizing the Bush stamp as a rare local adhesive, Costales consulted Elliott Perry to help authenticate it, based on a favorable opinion, 157L1 appeared for the first time in the 1953 Scott U.S. Specialized catalogue. According to Sloane's notes, Costales sold the stamp to Sloane, who in turn placed it with John R. Boker Jr. in November 1952. However, it does turn up in the 1967 Lilly sale held by our firm. It was acquired by Mr. Golden in the 1973 Robson Lowe sale of the off-cover portion of the Boker collection.

Ex Lilly and Boker. (Image)

VERY FINE. PROBABLY NO MORE THAN A HALF-DOZEN COVERS EXIST WITH THE HANDSTAMPED OVAL OF BUSH'S BROOKLYN CITY EXPRESS. ONLY TWO OF THE COVERS KNOWN TO US ARE VALENTINES.

The previous lot description provides details of the post. This cover and the one offered in the following lot are the only Valentines with Bush's handstamp that we record. (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED VALENTINES WITH THE HANDSTAMPED OVAL OF BUSH'S BROOKLYN CITY EXPRESS.

The description for lot 854 provides details of the post. This cover and the one offered in the previous lot are the only Valentines with Bush's handstamp that we record. (Image)