Selected rarities from different specialized collecting areas are illustrated and described below. Included are Western Expresses, Trans-Oceanic Mails, Confederate States, U.S. Classics and U.S. Inverts.Other collecting areas will be highlighted from time to time.
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| Wells, Fargo &
Co., Pony Express, $1.00 Blue, Garter (143L6). Huge margins all around, tied by
"Pony Express, The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company, St.
Joseph, Mo., Aug. 29" large oval within circle datestamp, used with 10c Green, Ty. V
(35), tied by "New-York Aug. 24, 1861" cds and grid on 10c Green Nesbitt entire
with red printed frank and "Agent of Pony Express, St. Joseph, Mo." routing,
addressed to Alex Forbes at San Francisco, opening faults along the top edge have been
skillfully restored, including a small sealed tear in 10c, but the $1.00 stamp is sound
and unaffected, at one time part of the address was crossed out, but has been expertly
restored FINE APPEARANCE. THE EARLIEST OF THE FOUR RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE PONY EXPRESS GARTER STAMP AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE USED WITH THE 1857 ISSUE. There are four recorded covers with the $1.00 Garter stamp, listed here by St. Joseph date (all sent from East to West in 1861): 1) August 29th (ex H. J. Crocker), 2) October 24th (ex Caspary, Haas, Kapiloff -the finest known), 3) October 27th (ex Wm. H. Crocker, Knapp, Moody), and 4) Undated (c. October 16th) with strip of four $1.00 and four 10c 1861 for two-ounce quadruple rate (Kramer collection - the only recorded multiple). The Nathan book lists an October 31st "last kick of the Pony" cover with an untied Garter stamp, but this cover cannot be verified - the U.S. postage is only 10c for the single rate, making the presence of the $1.00 Garter suspect. The $1.00 Garter was required on letters weighing over the half-ounce limit for a single rate. It is found only on mail originating in the East and is presumed not to have been distributed to the California offices before termination of the Pony Express service. Because the 1857 Issue was superceded by the 1861 Issue in late August and September, the combination of the Garter stamp and 1857 Issue was possible for a brief time only. Therefore, considering the Garter stamp's limited function, brief period of use, and the exceedingly narrow opportunity for combined use with the 1857 issue, this franking is quite remarkable and necessarily rare. Illustrated in Nathan's The Pony Express, p.51. Ex Henry J. Crocker....................................Realized $150,000 |
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| 10c Yellow (116). Well-centered,
used with Peru 1868 1d Green (14) and Great Britain 1867 1sh Green, Pl. 4 (54) on small
cover to Springfield O., Peru and G.B. stamps cancelled together and tied by
"C38" in oval grid, faint "A Callao SP 28 70" backstamp, well-struck
"A Panama Oc 4 70" transit cds, 10c tied on arrival by "N.York Steamship
Oct. 27" cds, sender's routing instruction "Via St. Thomas", but the
absence of a St. Thomas transit marking and cross-check with sailing records indicate this
did not go thru St. Thomas AN EXTREMELY FINE AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE TRIPLE MIXED FRANKING WITH THE 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE. THE ONLY TIED EXAMPLE AVAILABLE OUTSIDE OF MUSEUMS. According to Jeffrey M. Forster's census of 1869 mixed-franking covers (The 1982 Register, 1869 P.R.A.), there are only four examples of the 1869's used with stamps of two other countries. All four covers were sent from Callao, Peru, to the United States and are classified as Group I mixed frankings, that is, the stamps of all three countries were applied at origin. Three have a single 10c 1869 with G.B. and Peruvian stamps, the fourth cover has a 30c 1869 with G.B. and Peruvian stamps. Of the three 10c covers, one has an uncancelled 10c stamp and the other is permanently housed in the National Postal Museum. The 30c cover is part of the Hirzel collection at the Swiss Postal Museum. Therefore, only one tied example of the 1869 Issue in a triple mixed franking available to collectors. Ex Hessel............Realized $70,000 |
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| 1c Blue, Ty. I, Ib (5, 5A).
Position 6R1E (one of the two best examples of Type Ib on the plate) and 7R1E (the only
Type I position on any of the imperforate plates), a horizontal combination pair with full
to large margins, beautiful bright Plate 1 Early shade and fine impression, each stamp
cancelled by two criss-crossing strikes of vivid red "PAID", a few tiny faint
surface scrapes in edge of top margin well clear of design EXTREMELY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE RARE ONE-CENT 1851 TYPE I CANCELLED BY A RED "PAID". WIDELY REGARDED AS THE FINEST OFF-COVER MULTIPLE CONTAINING TYPE I. This pair was originally part of a strip of three comprising Positions 6-7-8R1E, used on a cover postmarked at Alexandria, Louisiana, and addressed to Buchannon Carroll & Co. (later known as Carroll, Hoy & Co.) in New Orleans. A photograph and listing of the original cover is found in the catalogue for the May 26-28, 1943, auction held by Harmer, Rooke & Co., which comprised Part VIII of the Col. Edward H. R. Green collection. This eighth sale of the Green estate actually comprised the Storrow collection of United States, which Green acquired intact, providing him with a large number of important classic stamps and covers. The strip was subsequently soaked from the cover and the righthand stamp was removed.##Out of the many 1c 1851 stamps extant, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 examples of Type I (Pos. 7R1E) have survived - only 20 sound examples have been certified by The Philatelic Foundation and most of these do not have four margins. This combination pair of both rare types is the only example of Type I cancelled by a red "Paid".##Ex Storrow, Col. Green, Newbury and Ishikawa. With 1993 P.F. certificate. Scott value for combination pair (without premium for cancellation)..............................................................................................Realized $62,500 |
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| Charleston S.C., 10c
Blue on Dark Orange entire (16XU6). Woodcut provisional press-printed at upper
right corner of entire, bold "Charleston S.C. Jul. 11, 186-" circular datestamp
(1862 with blank fourth digit), addressed to Mr. A. O. Norris at Anderson C.H. S.C., July
14, 1861 receipt docketing "from J. H. Johnson" EXTREMELY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE CHARLESTON 10-CENT PRESS-PRINTED PALMETTO TREE ENTIRE, USED IN JULY 1862 DURING A SHORTAGE OF CONFEDERATE GENERAL ISSUES. This Palmetto Tree design is unique among Confederate postmasters' provisionals, although the symbol was also used on the unissued 10c adhesive stamp prepared for the Charleston postmaster, Alfred Huger. On this entire - the sole surviving example - the woodcut is printed in a dark blue identical in shade and consistency to the 5c woodcut provisional issued in 1861. The circular datestamp is struck at the center of the upper half of the entire, a position consistent with virtually all recorded genuine examples of the earlier 5c entire. Charleston did not have a separate cancelling device and used the datestamp to cancel adhesive stamps, therefore, the position of the datestamp on this entire confirms the presence of the printed provisional at upper right and precludes any possibility that an adhesive was removed.##The first provisionals used in Charleston were the press-printed 5c envelopes issued in August 1861 (eku Aug. 16) and used consistently until the estimated 5,000 prepared were sold out in November 1861 (lku Nov. 12). Approximately 25,000 5c adhesive stamps were produced and placed on sale as early as September 1861 (eku Sep. 4). Both provisionals were used concurrently with the handstamped "Paid" markings, but the surcharge on the price of provisionals made these less popular with the public. When Confederate General Issues were finally received and put on sale at the Charleston post office on December 7, 1861, the large number of 5c provisionals still on hand was withdrawn, although letters franked with the provisionals were still accepted as prepaid. In June1862 the supply of 5c General Issues available at the Charleston post office was evidently diminished, and Postmaster Huger authorized the renewed sale of provisional adhesive stamps. More than a dozen examples of the 5c provisional stamp are known used in the months of June, July and August 1862. The handstamped "Paid" marking was also used again briefly in June 1862 after having been previously retired in December 1861. The rate increase from 5c to 10c for any distance became effective July 1, 1862, during the shortage of General Issues. Charleston covers are recorded in early July 1862 with the 5c Blue Lithograph (Scott 4) or 10c Rose Lithograph stamps, but these are scarce, indicating that only a small supply of the newer General Issues was available. Further evidence of the shortage is an August 5th cover with a combination of the 5c De La Rue stamp and 5c provisional for the 10c rate. The press-printed entire must be viewed in the context of the above-outlined events and circumstances. It was almost certainly issued in anticipation of the July 1862 rate change and in response to the shortage of General Issues. The 10c press-printed entire's great rarity is probably due to the arrival of 10c Rose Lithograph stamps in July 1862, which are found on covers dated July 3, 4, 5 and continuing on with frequency until replaced by the De La Rue and Richmond 5c printings. The total absence of unused 10c entires from the original printing is consistent with other Charleston provisionals, which were probably destroyed when the post office was moved in August 1863, following the shelling of Charleston by Union forces on Morris Island. This unique example of the 10c Palmetto Tree entire was discovered by the late Dr. Don Preston Peters of Lynchburg, Virginia, in an original correspondence to A. O. Norris at Anderson Court House, South Carolina. Two pre-war covers from Pendleton and Greenville C.H., South Carolina, together with Dr. Peters' original notes, are included in this lot. The cover was offered in the 1949 auction of the Peters collection, at which time it was not listed in the Scott Catalogue. A letter from Stanley B. Ashbrook, dated November 19, 1949, is also included and affirms Ashbrook's opinion that the unique entire is genuine. We regard this entire as one of the most important and distinctive of all Confederate postmasters' provisionals, by virtue of its extreme rarity, its Palmetto Tree design, and as one of the few 10c provisionals issued east of the Mississippi after the July 1862 rate change. There are sixteen unique Confederate postmasters' provisional adhesives (A) or press-printed entires (E), the others are from Austin Miss. (E), Beaumont Tex. (A - large 10c type), Bridgeville Ala. (A - pair), Fincastle Va. (E), Franklin N.C. (E), Hallettsville Tex. (A), Hillsboro N.C. (A), Jetersville Va. (A - pair), Kingston Tenn. (E), Knoxville Tenn. (A - 10c), Mt. Lebanon La. (A), New Smyrna Fla. (A), Port Lavaca Tex. (A), Rutherfordton N.C. (A) and Salisbury N.C. (E - damaged). Ex Dr. Peters. Information on Charlestonpost office and provisional issues derived mostly from research published by Richard Calhoun and unpublished Levi records. Listed but unpriced in Scott and Dietz..................Realized $ 70,000 |
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24c Carmine Rose & Blue, Center Inverted (C3a). Pos. 15, lightly hinged, well-centered, bright colors, tiny thin A VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF UNITED STATES STAMPS Ex Clapp, Hoffman and Filstrip. Pencil "SA" Spencer Anderson guarantee on back......................Realized $75,000 |
