Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black (24L1). Cut to shape clear of circle, uncancelled, red "Forwarded by Brainard & Co. Albany" oval (Ty. F1), red "6" due handstamp (Ty. C12) and "Collect/Six Cents/for/Hale & Co." box handstamp (Ty. C2) on Sep. 3, 1844 folded cover (portion of letter with dateline intact) from Albany to Philadelphia street address

VERY FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS SHOWING CONJUNCTIVE USE OF BRAINARD & COMPANY'S BLACK ADHESIVE AND HALE'S SERVICE TO PHILADELPHIA.

We record four Brainard & Co. 5c Black 24L1 covers from Albany to Cornelius & Co. in Philadelphia, each of which involved conjunctive service between Brainard (Albany to New York City) and Hale (New York City to Philadelphia). The dates are July (docketed "Jul/44"), Sep. 3 (the cover offered here), Sep. 9 and Nov. 26 (with two Brainard stamps). In three cases, the Brainard stamp paid half of the postage, and the other half (Hale's share) was represented by a "6" due marking and Hale's Collect box. The Nov. 26 cover (ex Peltz) bears two Black 24L1 stamps for both rates involved and no due marking, which corroborates the genuine double-rate franking and the three single frankings (half prepaid, half unpaid).

Illustrated in the Independent Mails book (p. 275) and Gutman's Hale & Co. book (p. 252).

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Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black (24L1). Large margins all around, cancelled by diagonal pen stroke, used on Sep. 16, 1844 folded letter from Troy N.Y. to New York City with street address for delivery, perfect condition

EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE RARE BRAINARD & COMPANY 5-CENT BLACK STAMP ON COVER FROM TROY, NEW YORK.

The Brainard & Co. Black stamps were used interchangeably on letters carried on the company's routes between New York City, Albany and Troy. This folded letter from Troy is one of the finest of all Brainard & Co. covers bearing stamps.

Signed Stern. Ex Frajola. With 2000 P.F. certificate

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Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black (24L1). Cut octagonally, tied by pen line, red "Forwarded by Brainard & Co. Albany" oval handstamp on folded cover addressed in blue to New York City, pencil street address added for delivery, docketed with July 18, 1844 origin date, no side panels but it appears that is the way it was mailed, Fine, very rare and seldom found tied, ex Knapp and Schwartz

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Brainard & Co., (5c) Black (24L1). Cut to shape, tied by pen stroke and affixed over manuscript "Paid 6-1/4 from Lansingburg" on July 23, 1844 folded letter from Lansingburg to New York, blue manuscript "Hale & Co. Express Paid" at left, toned file fold at bottom, Very Fine, a fascinating and enigmatic use, Lansingburg is only a few miles from Troy, the letter asks the recipient to return via Hale & Co. Express as they "have an office established at this place"

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Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black, 5c Blue (24L1-24L2). Three covers, each with single stamp cut to shape, first two with Black and Blue respectively, both genuinely used on 1844 north and southbound folded covers, Black stamp uncancelled and used to to Burlington Vt. from Albany, Blue stamp pen-cancelled and used to New York City, file folds including one thru Blue stamp which also has gum staining, Fine appearance and very scarce, includes a third cover with 5c Blue, pen cancel and "B" initial (Albany), we believe it has been added to a cover to Elizabethtown N.J with red New York Post Office circular datestamp, stamp is Fine, an argument could be made that it was sent down from Albany by Brainard and posted by them in New York for carriage to New Jersey but that is a stretch, counted as an off-cover stamp which is still scarce, Scott Retail for cut-to-shape untied stamps on two covers and one off-cover $6,900.00

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Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black (24L1). Three large margins, in at left, tied by ms. stroke on undated folded cover to New York City, probably originating at Troy N.Y., circa 1844-45

A FINE AND FRESH COVER AND ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF INDEPENDENT MAILS. PROBABLY FEWER THAN A DOZEN EXAMPLES OF THE BLACK BRAINARD STAMP EXIST ON COVERS.

With 1990 P.F. certificate. Not listed in Scott as a single tied on cover

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Brainard & Co., New York-Albany-Troy, 5c Black (24L1). Huge square margins, affixed with wafer, ms. "T" cancel (not tied), a remnant of a second stamp affixed to wafer at upper left, used on July 26, 1844 folded letter from Troy to Boston, no Brainard marking, conjunctive red "Forwarded by/American Mail Co./No. 12 State St. Boston" three-line handstamp, postscript to letter mentions use of express mail, ink smears at right, tiny tear in right margin of stamp

VERY FINE STAMP AND PRESENTABLE COVER. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH BRAINARD'S STAMP USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AMERICAN LETTER MAIL COMPANY SERVICE.

Brainard & Co. provided service from Troy, but not to Boston, thus the letter was given to American Letter Mail Co. (transfer point unknown). It is one of two covers known to us which show conjunctive use of a Brainard stamp with American Letter Mail Company.

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Brainard & Co., (5c) Black (24L1). Cut to shape slightly impinging on circle, pencil cancel (not tied), red "Forwarded by Brainard & Co. Albany" oval, "6" due handstamp and Hale's red Collect box on Sep. 9, 1844 folded letter to Philadelphia street address, file fold clear of stamp

FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS SHOWING CONJUNCTIVE USE OF BRAINARD & COMPANY'S BLACK ADHESIVE AND HALE'S SERVICE TO PHILADELPHIA.

We record four Brainard & Co. 5c Black 24L1 covers from Albany to Cornelius & Co. in Philadelphia, each of which involved conjunctive service between Brainard (Albany to New York City) and Hale (New York City to Philadelphia). The dates are July (docketed "Jul/44"), Sep. 3, Sep. 9 (the cover offered here) and Nov. 26 (with two Brainard stamps). In three cases, the Brainard stamp paid half of the postage, and the other half (Hale's share) was represented by a "6" due marking and Hale's Collect box. The Nov. 26 cover (ex Peltz) bears two Black 24L1 stamps for both rates involved and no due marking, which corroborates the genuine double-rate franking and the three single frankings (half prepaid, half unpaid).

References: Perry-Hall (Schwartz, editor), "Brainard & Co.", Chronicle, May 2000; and Calvet M. Hahn, "The Brainard Independent Mail Companies", Collectors Club Philatelist, May-June 1984.

A similar cover realized $10,500 hammer in our Hall sale.

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Brainard & Co., (5c) Black (24L1). Cut to shape slightly into frameline, pencil cancel (not tied), red "Forwarded by Brainard & Co. Albany" oval and "6" due handstamp on Sep. 9, 1844 folded letter from Albany to Philadelphia street address, partly readable strike of red Hale & Co. collect box

FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS SHOWING CONJUNCTIVE USE OF BRAINARD & COMPANY'S BLACK ADHESIVE AND HALE'S SERVICE TO PHILADELPHIA.

Of the nine Black 24L1 covers we located in auction catalogues and our photo files (updated since our Hall sale), three were mailed from Troy; these are a Sep. 16, 1844, folded letter, an undated cover to William B. Marsh (both to New York City), and the conjunctive American Letter Mail Co. usage to Boston offered in the following lot. One of the remaining six Black 24L1 covers is a Jun. 21, 1845, folded letter with two tied stamps paying the double rate from New York City to Albany (ex Caspary). No less than five Black 24L1 covers were mailed from Albany. Among these is a Jul. 18, 1844, folded letter to New York City with the red Brainard & Co. Albany oval, bearing a stamp tied by pen cancel (ex Schwartz). The other four Black 24L1 covers from Albany, including this example, are from the well-known Cornelius & Co. correspondence, each addressed to Philadelphia, which involved conjunctive service between Brainard & Co. (Albany to New York City) and Hale & Co. (New York City to Philadelphia). In the case of this cover, the ex-Middendorf cover and the cover from our Hall sale (lot 238), the Brainard & Co. Black stamp paid half of the postage, and the other half (Hale's share) was represented by a "6" due marking (this cover also bears the Hale & Co. collect box). The fourth conjunctive-use cover from the Cornelius & Co. correspondence (ex Peltz) bears two Black 24L1 stamps for both rates involved and no due marking, which corroborates the genuine double-rate franking and the three single frankings (half prepaid, half unpaid).

References: Perry-Hall (Schwartz, editor), "Brainard & Co.", Chronicle, May 2000; and Calvet M. Hahn, "The Brainard Independent Mail Companies", Collectors Club Philatelist, May-June 1984.

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Brainard & Co., (5c) Black (24L1). Huge square margins, affixed with wafer, ms. "T" cancel (not tied), a remnant of a second stamp affixed to wafer at upper left, used on July 26, 1844 folded letter from Troy to Boston, no Brainard marking, conjunctive red "Forwarded by/American Mail Co./No. 12 State St. Boston" three-line handstamp, postscript to letter mentions use of express mail, ink smears at right, tiny tear in right margin of stamp

VERY FINE STAMP AND PRESENTABLE COVER. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH BRAINARD'S STAMP USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AMERICAN LETTER MAIL COMPANY SERVICE.

Brainard & Co. provided service from Troy, but not to Boston, thus the letter was given to American Letter Mail Co. (transfer point unknown). At the time of the Hall sale, we had no record of this cover; it now becomes the second example of a Brainard stamped cover showing conjunctive use with American Letter Mail Company.

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