Sale 776 — The K.L. Collection of Classic Rarities
Sale Date — Tuesday, 23 April, 1996
Category — British Columbia
BRITISH COLUMBIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND, 1860, 2-1/2p Dull Rose (2; SG 3). Used with United States 1861 5c Buff, 10c Green (67, 68), 10c horizontal strip of three (right stamp has small faults), U.S. stamps tied by cogwheel cancels, 2-1/2p tied by red "4" oval grid on buff cover from Fort Yale, British Columbia, to Bergamo, Italy, red "Paid" in oval handstamp, "San Francisco Cal. Aug. 1, 1862" double-circle datestamp, red "N.York Br. Pkt. 7 Paid" credit datestamp, red Aachen transit and rare matching directive handstamp (translates "Paid Prussian Union Members Deliver to Border"), transit backstampsVERY FINE AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE MIXED FRANKING FOR TRANSIT FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA TO ITALY.
The 35c U.S. postage was insufficient to prepay the 42c rate to Lombardy via Prussian Closed Mail. At the New York exchange office, the cover was rated as a fully prepaid 28c rate letter to the German Union and collect beyond its borders. The three-line directive handstamp is very rare.
Illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 138) and in an article by Charles J. Starnes, "Prussian Directive: Paid to the Border" (Chronicle, Vol. 39, No. 4). Ex Grunin and Ishikawa.
BRITISH COLUMBIA & VANCOUVER ISLAND, 1865, 5c Rose, Imperforate (3; SG 11). Full to huge margins showing part of adjoining stamp at right, deep rich color, tied by blue "Post Office Victoria Vancouver Island Paid" in oval on cover mailed from Maple Bay to New Westminster B.C., intriguing docketing "Bread once eaten is soon forgotten", opening tears in flap and along top edgeA SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT IMPERFORATE AND ONE OF THE CHOICEST OF THE FEW COVERS KNOWN.
The imperforate stamps were usually separated only partially by scissors, resulting in irregular margins with parts of the design touched or cut into where the stamps were torn apart. This example is extraordinary both for its margins and for the quality of the cover.
With 19?? B.P.A. certificate