Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.

VERY FINE. ONLY FIVE HOMAN'S EMPIRE EXPRESS ADHESIVES HAVE EVER BEEN REPORTED -- THIS VARIETY WITH "PAID" IN SANS-SERIF TYPE IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF ITS KIND. A MAGNIFICENT RARITY.

Almost nothing is known about Homan's Empire Express. Its owner is reported to have been Richard S. Homan, listed in the 1850-53 city directories as a clerk at 172 Division Street, then as a partner in a flour business at 219 West Street from 1854 to 1859 (according to Elliott Perry).

The five recorded Homan's Empire Express stamps include one that is of a completely different size and format: it was offered in the Middendorf sale catalogue with an incorrect classification as 83L1, which it is not. The four remaining stamps belong to the 83L1 family, but among them there are three typographically distinct varieties. The four stamps are described here: 1) "Paid" in Roman type without punctuation, uncancelled (described by Sloane as repaired), used on cover with New York Apr. 7 (1852?) datestamp, to St. Augustine Fla., forwarded to Savannah, ex Boker, Sloane , 2) "Paid" in Roman type without punctuation (unconfirmed), first Homan's stamp reported, American Journal of Philately 1892 (Vol. 5, p. 520), described as used on Apr. 23, 1852 cover to a Reverend in Northfield Mich., ex Chapman, Needham, no photo seen, 3) "Paid" in sans-serif type with comma (unlisted variety of 83L1), uncancelled, used with 3c 1851, tied by New York May 6 datestamp on 1852 folded letter to Boston, ex Chapman, Caspary and Lilly (reported by Sl oane as ex Brown and Mason), the cover offered here, and 4) 83L1a, "Paid" in Roman type with numeral "1" for "I", uncancelled, used on cover front to Larkin Turner, Boston, New York May 8 (1852?) datestamp, ex Lilly, offered in lot 1180.

The stamp on this cover was described in the Caspary sale as repaired and noted by Sloane to be repaired along the top edge. Careful examination and gentle lifting of the stamp from the cover along the top edge reveals that the "repair" is actually the faint line of a razor cut that begins at the top edge about halfway across the stamp and continues to the right, slanting slightly downward into five ornaments. There is no paper mending or painting of the ornamental frame. The stamp was probably cut with a razor and, as frequently happens, the person making the cut corrected the angle after making a light pass of the blade.

Ex Chapman, Caspary and Lilly. Possibly also ex Brown and Mason (as reported by Sloane). (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST OF THE FOUR RECORDED HOMAN'S EMPIRE EXPRESS 83L1-TYPE STAMPS. THIS IS THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF 83L1a, THE "1" FOR "I" IN "PAID" VARIETY.

As detailed in the description of the previous lot, only four of the five recorded Homan's Empire Express adhesives belong to the 83L1 family. Of these four, two are normal "Paid" varieties, one is a sans-serif "Paid" (lot 1179), and this fourth stamp is the unique 83L1a variety. Typeset stamps are by nature more prone to variation. Typesetters composing a sheet of stamps were sometimes forced to sacrifice uniformity to complete the setting. Fonts or border pieces were interchanged. Even individual characters were used incorrectly, if misread by the typesetter or deliberately substituted for used-up type. Stamps such as the Honour's "Conours" and "Bents" (4LB8c), Davis's "Pennq" Post (see lots 1022 and 1023), Moody's "Henny Dispatch" (110L1b) and Hoyts "Lettcr" (85L1) are a few prominent examples of typographical errors among the carrier and local issues.

Signed Costales. Ex Lilly. (Image)