Price's City Express, New York
N.Y., 2c Black on Green Glazed (119L3). Cut octagonally with frameline
touched at places, bright color, tied on piece by red "Price's City
Letter Exp. 3 Everett House, Paid" oval handstamp, Very Fine, this
stamp is common in unused form, but used examples are extremely rare. Two
different Price's are listed in the city directories of the period, but the
proprietor of Price's City Express is still not known. The oval handstamp
used by this post gives the address as 3 Everett House, which was located
in Union Square, James E. St. John Price and Philo Price lived more than
two miles away from Union Square. Dated covers exist from 1858, undated
covers appear to be earlier usages. (Source: Elliott Perry, Pat
Paragraphs reprint, pp. 452-453 and Patton book, p. 236). (Image)
Price's City Express, New York
N.Y., 2c Black on Green Glazed (119L3). Ample margins to just touching
frameline, bright color, light pencil cancel (slight impression thru paper
and gum toning seems to tie stamp), used on Nov. 29, 1858 folded printed
notice to Dr. Benjamin Drake at 151 East Broadway, red "Price's City Letter
Exp. 3 Everett House, Paid" oval handstamp, Very Fine, notation on back by
Richard Schwartz indicates that Elliott Perry believed this cover could be
genuine -- Dr. Drake received notices from the New York Academy of
Medicine, and they are known stamped and unstamped (but usually sent by
local post) -- offered on its own merits
(Image) 
Priest's Despatch,
Philadelphia Pa., (2c) Black on Yellow Wove (121L6). Full margins to
very slightly in, uncancelled, used on small embossed Valentine cover to
Miss Sally Wheeler at local street address, envelope with scalloped flap
and hand-painted bird design on flap (mended opening tear in
flap)VERY FINE. ONLY SIX PRIEST'S 121L6 COVERS ARE RECORDED IN ROTH CENSUS.
The Roth census (Penny Post, January 1994) lists six 121L6 covers, including four in combination with the 3c 1851. (Image)
Robison & Co., Brooklyn N.Y.,
1c Black on Blue (128L1). Ample to large margins, some faint soiling,
but no evidence of cancellationVERY FINE. ONE OF OF THE FINEST OF THE SEVEN REPORTED OFF-COVER EXAMPLES OF ROBISON & CO.'S LOCAL-POST STAMP.
Robison & Co. was a relatively small local post in Brooklyn, New York. Elliott Perry located three Robisons in the city directory listings who were in the express business: Cornelius D. Robison at 140 Chambers, 1857-58, Francis Robison at 707 Greenwich, 1857-58, and William Robison at 64 Cedar, 1852-53. It is not known which, if any, of these men was the proprietor.
The most famous example of the Robison & Co. local-post stamp is the one tied on cover to Jas. H. Watson, 231 Henry Street in Brooklyn. The cover was discovered circa 1895 by F. E. Kneeland Jr., a Brooklyn teen-aged boy who found it while searching through a relative's papers. It passed to Ferrary, then to Caspary, and was later to become one of the cornerstones of the Boker collection. Other examples of Robison & Co.'s stamp must have been discovered in the 1860's, because catalogues published in 1864 and 1865 contain listings for a Robison & Co. post.
Our records contain eight examples of 128L1, including seven off cover and the one on cover. Five of the off-cover stamps are known to have small faults. The stamp offered here and possibly one other (shown in Sloane's records) are the two finest of the group.
Ex Lilly and Perry. (Image)
St. Louis City Delivery Co.,
St. Louis Mo., (1c) Red, Perf 12 (131L1). Tied by grid with "St. Louis
City Delivery, 506 Olive St. Jan. 24, 1883" sawtooth double-circle
datestamp on wrapper to local street address, Very Fine, the St. Louis City
Delivery stamp is extremely rare used on cover -- an example was absent
from the Middendorf and Golden collections -- accompanied by a one-page
letter from Warren P. Edgarton, Inspector for the U.S. Post Office
Department, to John K. Tiffany, dated May 10, 1883, describing the illegal
post and its suppression by the U.S. attorney -- ex Malcolm, signed Sloane
(Image) 
Swarts' City Dispatch Post,
New York N.Y., 1c Red on Bluish, "For the U.S. Mail" (136L16). Ample to
large margins, small tear at left (virtually undetectable), tied by
hollow star cancel on brown cover to local street address, red "Post
Office, Swarts, Chatham Square" oval and "Paid" straightline, cover
creased, otherwise Very Fine, extremely rare tied example -- also an
unusual usage of the "For the Mails" stamp on a local letter -- ex Caspary,
with 2000 P.F. certificate (Image) 
Swarts' City Dispatch Post,
New York N.Y., 1c Red, "For the U.S. Mail" (136L15). Large top margin,
others ample to touching, tied by sunburst cancel, used with 3c Brownish
Carmine (11), ample margin to touching, both stamps tied by "New York May
7" (with three slugs) circular datestamp on brown cover to Deckertown N.J.,
one side flap missing, Very Fine and rare combination
(Image)
Third Avenue Post Office, New
York N.Y., 2c Black on Yellow (139L3). Cut to oval shape as always,
original gum, clear impression on brightly colored paperVERY FINE. THE FINER OF THE TWO KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE YELLOW THIRD AVENUE POST STAMP WITH ORIGINAL GUM.
Ex Perry. The other original-gum stamp (with a thin spot) realized $2,000 hammer in the November 1999 Golden sale. (Image)