5c Brick Red (27).
Horizontal pair, few short perfs at right, tied by "Mokelumne Hill
Cal." circular datestamp on yellow cover to Red Bank N.J., minor edge
wear, Very Fine, extremely rare use of the 5c Brick Red from this small
California post office, ex Sevenoaks (Image)
5c Indian Red (28A).
Choice centering, rich color in the true Indian Red shade, neat strike of
"New Orleans La. Dec. 19" circular datestampVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT INDIAN RED.
With 1995 P.S.E. and 1999 P.F. certificates (Image)
5c Indian Red (28A).
Horizontal strip of three, extraordinarily well-centered (especially the
center stamp), neat Highland Ill. datestamp and part of red transit at
bottom right, beautiful rich color and proof-like impression, right stamp
small corner creaseVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE STRIP OF THREE OF THE 1857 5-CENT INDIAN RED. THE CENTER STAMP IS TRULY SUPERB.
With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)
5c Indian Red (28A).
Horizontal block of six and single, deep rich color, tied by three strikes
of "Platteville Wis. Jan. 28, 1859" circular datestamps on buff cover to
Switzerland, Prussian Closed Mail rate, red "New-York Br. Pkt. Feb. 2"
circular datestamp on back, top right stamp with tiny tear, bottom left
stamp with small diagonal crease in marginVERY FINE. THE LARGEST RECORDED BLOCK OF THE RARE 1857 5-CENT INDIAN RED SHADE KNOWN ON OR OFF COVER. ONLY ONE OTHER BLOCK, USED OFF COVER, IS RECORDED. ONE OF THE GREATEST COVERS OF THE PERFORATED TOPPAN, CARPENTER ISSUES IN EXISTENCE.
Ex Consul Klep, Henry W. Hill, Ishikawa and Sevenoaks. Illustrated in Ashbrook's Special Service (pp. 515-516) and Brookman, Vol. 1, p. 222.
With 1996 P.F. certificate (Image)
5c Indian Red, 10c Green, Ty.
III (28A, 33). Each with perfs clear to wide all around, 5c deep rich
color in the true Indian Red shade, tied together by "New Orleans La. Jan.
26, 1859" circular datestamp and red "New York Paid 12 Feb. 2" credit
datestamp on blue folded cover to Bordeaux, France, red boxed "P.D."
and French transit, light horizontal file fold at bottomVERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL COMBINATION OF THE 1857 5-CENT INDIAN RED AND 10-CENT TYPE III.
Ex Sevenoaks. With 1995 P.F. certificate (Image)
5c Brown (29). Perfectly
centered, deep rich color on brilliant paper, black town datestamp,
red New York and ultramarine Havre transit
datestampsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN EXTRAORDINARY USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT BROWN WITH CANCELS IN THREE DIFFERENT COLORS.
See lot 284 for a cover bearing the ultramarine Havre transit.
With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)
5c Brown (29). Two
horizontal pairs, choice centering, used with 3c Dull Red, 10c Green,
Ty. V (26, 35), 3c left centerline straddle margin, tied by grid
cancels and bold "Nantucket Mass. Jun. 30" circular datestamp on light
yellow cover with printed address "Capt. George Gideon Coffin, Bark
Janet (of Westport,) Indian Ocean", sender's ms. routing instructions
at bottom "Island of Mahe [Seychelles] by the way of
Mauritius", "Boston Br. Pkt. Jul. 8" backstamp, red "London Paid JY 15,
1860" transit, red crayon "28" credit, red "1d" and "4-1/2" British
handstamped rates, neat strike of "Mauritius G.P.O. AU 23, 1860" backstamp,
stamps also tied by blue "American Consulate Mauritius" embossed
circular seal with eagle vignette, left 5c stamp single pulled perf at top,
cover with minor edgewear and barely reduced at rightVERY FINE. A REMARKABLE THREE-COLOR FRANKING TO THE CAPTAIN OF THE WHALER 'BARK JANET' ON SEYCHELLES WITH THE SEAL OF THE AMERICAN CONSULATE AT MAURITIUS. ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL AND STRIKING FOREIGN-MAIL USAGES OF THE 1857 ISSUE.
The Bark "Janet" of Westport Mass. was built at Portland Me. in 1845 and made eight voyages from Westport between 1846 and 1873. She was then sold to New Bedford owners and made three voyages from New Bedford between 1874 and 1879. She was abandoned at sea in 1879. Captain George G. Coffin made one voyage as master of the Bark "Janet".
The cover is fully prepaid for the 33c rate sent by British Packet via Southampton. A careful analysis of sailing records and rates is provided by Geoffrey Osborn, confirming the following transits: General Asia, N.Y.C. 7/4 to Southampton 7/14, P. & O. Ceylon, Southampton 7/20 to Alexandria 8/2, P. & O. Malta, Suez 8/4 to Aden 8/9, P. & O. Norma, Aden 8/10 to Mahe 8/18, assuming redirected after reaching Mauritius, then arriving Mauritius 8/23, leaving Mauritius 9/6, arriving Mahe 9/11.
Ex Ishikawa. (Image)
5c Brown, Ty. II (30A).
Original gum, wide even margins with perforations clear of design on all
sides, dark shade and detailed impressionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE 5-CENT TYPE II BROWN IS RARE IN THIS ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION.
Unlike its Orange Brown counterpart, the 5c Type II in Brown was not on hand in post offices when the 1861 demonetization order took effect. Therefore, original-gum examples of Scott 30A are far scarcer than Scott 30. The narrow spacing between subjects on the plate, as well as Toppan Carpenter's imprecise perforating, leaves collectors with very few well-centered original-gum examples.
With 1984 P.F. certificate (Image)