Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

VERY FINE. THE ONLY TIED EXAMPLE AMONG THE SEVEN RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE HAMPTON 77L1 STAMP. ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING OF THE PHILADELPHIA LOCALS.

Very little information about the T. A. Hampton post is known. Different students have located the same 1852-53 city directory listing for Thomas A. Hampton, a printer located at Marshall and 5th, but nothing earlier. In his CCP article on Philadelphia locals (Nov.-Dec. 1994), Calvet M. Hahn attaches special significance to the fact that tobacconists named Gilbert Harris and Benjamin Hampton occupied the same address at 11 North 10th Street during the relevant years. Although the first names do not match the local-post proprietors' names, Hahn believes that a family connection might exist that would link the two local posts. Steven M. Roth also noted the possibility of an association, based on the sequence of dated covers (Penny Post, Oct. 1993). Given the similarity of the stamps and the association of names and addresses, another possibility is that the Despatch Post was neither Harris's nor Hampton's individually, but that they were partners -- the stamps with each partner's name could have been a convenient accounting method. Nothing is impossible, given the paucity of documentation.

Roth records five genuine 77L1 covers. Hahn records seven, but he casts doubt on three of them (as well as all 77L2's) because they are used in August 1848 and September-November 1849, which he considers to be too late for this post. Other researchers are less inclined to dismiss such a significant group of artifacts without additional information. The eight reported examples of 77L1, all cut to shape, including seven covers and one stamp added to a cover, are listed here in chronological order: 1) Aug. 7, 1847 (content), to P. H. Purviance, Auditor General, Harrisburg Pa., John A. Fox sale, Sep. 8, 1978, 2) Aug. 23, 1847, tied by Philadelphia datestamp on folded letter from unidentified origin to Friendsville Pa., ex Ackerman, Gibson, Boker, the cover offered here, 3) Oct. 5, 1847, to Daniel Blade, Easton Pa., ex Gibson, offered in lot 1149, 4) Mar. 21, 1848, stamp cut in at bottom, no other details known, ex Worthington, 5) Aug. 22, 1849, stamp repaired at bottom, to Tho. Woolman, Burlington N.J., Siegel Sale Apr. 1, 1965, 6) Sep. 25, 1849 (content), embossed cover to Benjaline French "Present", Sloane's records, and 7) Nov. 22, 1849 (content), embossed cover to Miss Benjaline French, 390 N. 7th St., ex Boker, offered in lot 1150, and 8) no date, stamp added to cover with Philadelphia "Ship" and "12" handstamps, ex Caspary, Middendorf.

This cover is of the greatest significance as it is the only known tied example of any of the Hampton stamps. It is also the only stamp known with the small colorless "X" impressed below "Paid", which has never been previously noted.

Signed Robson Lowe. Ex Ackerman, Gibson and Boker. (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE HAMPTON 77L1 STAMP, OF WHICH ALL BUT ONE HAVE UNCANCELLED STAMPS. ONE OF THE GREAT LOCAL-POST RARITIES.

This cover is the third of seven 77L1 covers recorded (see list, lot 1148). One other off-cover stamp is known.

Ex Gibson and Boker. (Image)

VERY FINE. A CHARMING AND IMMACULATE COVER BEARING THE RARE HAMPTON LOCAL STAMP.

This cover is the latest of the seven recorded. Another cover from the same correspondence, dated Sep. 25, 1849 (by content), has an uncancelled 77L1 stamp affixed at upper right.

Ex Lilly and Lowe (who signed it as genuine). (Image)

VERY FINE STAMP AND ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF THE LARGE T. A. HAMPTON STAMP, 77L2, ARE RECORDED, EACH CANCELLED BY THE "3" HANDSTAMP AND USED ON COVER. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL LOCALS.

What little is known of T. A. Hampton's City Despatch is provided in the description of lot 1148. In his Penny Post article (Oct. 1993), Steven M. Roth lists three examples of 77L2, but one of these is definitely a handstamped marking, not an adhesive. Roth was confused by the auction describer's use of "77L2" to describe the marking (the actual cover is offered in the next lot in this sale). The other known example of 77L2 is also struck with the "3" handstamp (not tied) and used on an undated Valentine cover to Christiana Hague. This "3" handstamp on 77L2 is found used as a re-rating device over Hampton's 2c marking on two of the known stampless covers and indicates a change in Hampton's rates from 2c to 3c.

In Calvet M. Hahn's Nov.-Dec. 1994 CCP article on Philadelphia locals, he expressed his opinion that the Hampton 77L2 and Harris 79L2 (see lot 1169) adhesives are cut-out handstamped markings from stampless covers. He wrote (in part): "At this point, I should state that as a collector/student of locals, I have real reservations about the existence of any genuine 77L2 or 79L2 adhesives. Both are too easy to create using stampless covers of the locals where the handstamp can be cut out and applied to covers of the period." Mr. Hahn has made many outstanding contributions to our knowledge of local posts, however, with due respect, we can show that 77L2 and 79L2 are not cut-out stampless markings, which refutes the basis of his "reservations."

The enlarged images presented here show both 77L2 stamps, the Hampton handstamp and the Harris 79L2 stamp. It should be apparent to those familiar with printing that the stamps are printed, not cut out from stampless covers. For those who feel less qualified to distinguish handstamped markings from printed impressions, we will make some observations.

The Hampton and Harris adhesives were certainly made by the same printer, possibly George S. Harris or Thomas A. Hampton, both of whom were printers. The impressions of the stamps we have examined are flat, dark and uniformly inked on grayish-white wove paper. They appear to be lithographed (offset process), but there are very slight indentations in the asterisks and tips of a few letters, as well as pooling of ink around the perimeter of several letters, all of which characterize typographic printing. However, the plate was not set from loose type, or typeset, as indicated in the Scott Catalogue. Rather, it appears that the Hampton and Harris stamps were printed from plates made from the same basic template. The template comprised the inner and outer circles, the title "Despatch Post" at top, the asterisks within the circles and ornaments above and below "Paid" -- the labels "G. S. Harris" and "T. A. Hampton" were left blank on the template.

Using digital overlays, we verified that the template portion is identical in the three adhesives and the one available Hampton handstamped "Paid" marking. However, one key to determining whether the stamps could be cut from stampless covers is the "T. A. Hampton" label on the stamp offered here, which varies considerably from the label on the other known example (Christiana Hague Valentine cover). It also differs from the label in the handstamped marking used for comparison. Employing a standard method of platemaking, the printer created the Hampton and Harris forms by taking the basic design template and inserting the title for each company. The Hampton plate included at least two types: one with fatter letters and less space between "T. A. and H[ampton]", and the other with narrower letters and more space in between. Therefore, one finds uniformity in the basic template design and variation in the label lettering. This variation, as well as the impressions of the stamps versus the handstruck markings, is strong evidence that the stamp offered here could not have come from a handstamp.

Ex Gibson, Souren and Lowe. (Image)