FINE. AN ASTONISHING COVER, ON WHICH THE RARE CITY EXPRESS POST STAMP WITH "ADAMS" DELETED IS TIED BY THE POST OFFICE DATESTAMP.
Of the few covers known with the Adams 2L4 stamp, this is believed to be the only one with the stamp actually tied by a cancellation of any type. In this instance, the New York 5c unpaid rate datestamp was struck over the local stamp.
Ex Needham, Golden and Geisler. With 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $5,500.00
VERY FINE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL LOCAL POST STAMPS -- FIVE GENUINE EXAMPLES ARE REPORTED TO EXIST.
Researchers have argued over the origins of this post, but the best evidence available indicates that it was run briefly in 1856 as American Express Co. (no relation to the well-known firm by the same name) by proprietors Smith and Dobson, and was changed to Smith's City Express Post after Dobson departed. Several excellent forgeries of this stamp exist (the example in the Golden sale is evidently one of the forgeries). An article by William W. Sammis (Penny Post, April 2005) reports a fifth genuine copy of 4L1.
Ex Ferrary, Schwartz and Kuphal. With 2009 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $9,000.00
FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE STAMP. ONLY FIVE OF THE SIX KNOWN EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.
Ex Kane, Boker, Richardson and Golden. With 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $7,500.00
VERY FINE. ONE OF FIFTEEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST RED STAMP. A WONDERFUL "PRIMITIVE" AMONG PHILATELIC RARITIES.
The Philadelphia Despatch Post is documented in an advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (Dec. 8, 1842) and in an expanded version with some differences (go to www.siegelauctions.com/enc/carriers/robertson.jpg for an image of the revised ad). In the later ad, the stamps are priced at 3c individually, 31c per dozen and $2 per hundred. Valuable-letter registration for 6-1/4c and a 6c rate on letters beyond two miles are quoted (no examples of either special service are known). The firm's address is 93 Chesnut Street, not 83 South Second Street as in the earlier advertisement.
Dr. Vernon R. Morris Jr. has recently published his own comprehensive census, which updates and expands the census previously published by our firm.
Scott Retail $8,500.00
VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST CIRCULAR BLACK STAMP.
The Philadelphia Despatch Post is documented in an advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (Dec. 8, 1842) and in an expanded version with some differences (see Sale 825, p. 293, or go to www.siegelauctions.com/enc/carriers/robertson.jpg for an image of the revised ad). In the later ad, the stamps are priced at 3c individually, 31c per dozen and $2 per hundred. Valuable-letter registration for 6-1/4c and a 6c rate on letters beyond two miles are quoted (no examples of either special service are known). The firm's address is 93 Chesnut Street, not 83 South Second Street as in the earlier advertisement.
Dr. Vernon R. Morris Jr. has recently published his own comprehensive census, which updates and expands the census previously published by our firm.
Ex Gibson, Middendorf and Geisler. This is the stamp illustrated in the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue. With 1997 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $15,000.00
VERY FINE. A RARE TIED EXAMPLE OF THE ROBERTSON & CO. STRIDING MESSENGER STAMP ON COVER. ISSUED IN 1843, THIS IS THE WORLD'S FIRST PICTORIAL STAMP.
The first Striding Messenger issue (15L3) is very scarce on cover, and only a few tied examples are known.
Ex Geisler. With 2009 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $5,000.00
VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A BREATHTAKING COMPILATION OF RARE MULTIPLES. WITH THE ADDITION OF TWO MORE PANES OF TWELVE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO PRESENT THE ORIGINAL BLOCK OF 72, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE THE SIZE OF A COMPLETE SHEET AS PRINTED FOR D. O. BLOOD & CO.
Our records contain five intact panes of twelve, one pane of twelve severed in half and rejoined, and one block of eleven (bottom right stamp removed). We have determined that six of the seven panes come from different clusters of positions on the lithographic stone, each showing distinctive subject alignment and plate flaws. The seventh multiple (the severed pane) is an exact duplicate of one of the six clusters. Blood advertised stamps for sale at the rate of 25c per dozen; therefore, it follows that printed sheets comprised 72 subjects, which could be divided into six units of a dozen stamps for convenient sale.
The four blocks offered here are shown here as separate units and in the composite photo joined together in their original positions in the larger multiple. Assuming the sheet comprised six blocks of twelve (Blood's sale units), the letters A thru F may be used to identify the six distinctive pane arrangements. We offer A, D, E and F in this lot. If a serious philatelist were so inclined, he could acquire units B and C (C was last offered in Shreves Wampler sale) and reconstruct the complete printed sheet of one of the world's first stamps. Few philatelic artifacts would rival such an item.
As identified in the composite photo, the features and pedigrees of the blocks are: Position A) plate flaw at lower right of second stamp/third row, ex Schwartz; Position D) ex Hall; Position E) squeezed cliche and missing imprint on second stamp/third row, ex Gibson and Golden; and Position F) plate flaw at left of first stamp/second row, with 1998 P.F. certificate.
Regarding the other three recorded panes and their relationship to the 72-stamp multiple, one pane is intact and comes from Position C; its bottom margin aligns with the top of Position F in this lot. The severed pane is a duplicate of Position A and therefore could not have been part of the larger multiple reconstructed here. The pane with one stamp cut out from lower right does not match Positions A, C, D, E or F, and so logically becomes Position B, but its margins do not align with the multiples offered here, and therefore it must come from another sheet. Because all are creased horizontally between the second and third rows, we believe that the seven panes (possibly more and definitely from two sheets) were divided and folded when they were stored and discovered. The staining in the same relative positions on the panes also indicates that they were stacked together when the staining occurred. There is no written record of their discovery to confirm our speculations.
Ex Gordon N. John. Scott Retail $22,000.00
VERY FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE FIRST BLOOD'S EMBOSSED BUFF ENTIRE, ISSUED SOMETIME IN LATE 1848 AND EARLY 1849.
The Blood's albino-embossed entires were the first envelopes issued by Blood's. With the emergence of this example, there are now three recorded postmarked buff entires, all addressed to Master Leighton Coleman (the others were sold in our Sale 846, lot 2408, and Sale 908, lot 4617). There is one recorded white entire (15LU1).
Ex Kuphal. With 2007 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $4,000.00
VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN OR EIGHT REPORTED EXAMPLES OF BOUTON'S MANHATTAN EXPRESS STAMP. ONLY FOUR COVERS ARE KNOWN.
The Manhattan Express was operated by William V. Barr as early as October 1845 until sometime soon after Valentine's Day 1847, when Barr sold out to John R. Bouton. The first stamp issued under Bouton's ownership is the 2c on Pink (17L1). Approximately seven or eight examples are known, uncancelled, including four used on covers.
Ex Schwartz and Geisler. With 2000 P.F. certificate that describes the "Paid Bouton" pencil notation as "non-contemporary" (an opinion with which we vehemently disagree). Scott Retail $4,500.00
VERY FINE STAMP AND A RARE COVER. ONLY NINE BRIGG'S DESPATCH "HAND & ENVELOPE" STAMPS ARE KNOWN ON ANY COLOR OF PAPER -- THIS STAMP ON DISTINCTLY YELLOW PAPER IS ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED 25L1'S ON COVERS.
Patton's history of Brigg's Despatch follows earlier accounts in attributing ownership to George W. Briggs, who Patton states is listed in Philadelphia city directories as a "currier" (mis-spelling for carrier) from 1841 through 1855. Based on surviving stamps and covers, Brigg's started his post in 1848 and probably closed the business in 1850. His office was located at 61 South 8th Street. Blood's office was located at 48 South 3rd Street in 1848 and moved to 28 South 6th Street in 1849. The similarity in design and issue dates between the Brigg's "Hand & Envelope" and Small "Paid" stamps and Blood's "Dove & Envelope" and Small "Paid" stamps suggests that Brigg's was a small copycat post.
Ex Caspary, Hall and Kuphal. Scott Retail $11,500.00
FINE. THE BROWNE & COMPANY 2-CENT IS A GREAT RARITY ON COVER, ESPECIALLY TIED IN COMBINATION WITH THE 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE.
The 1c stamp, 29L1, was designed with the "Brown & Co." spelling error. The correct spelling, Browne (with an "e"), appears on the 2c stamp and the markings used by the post. If the spurious Cincinnati "Dec. 7" carrier and local covers are disregarded, this is believed to be the only known combination tied in this manner.
Ex Piller and Kuphal. With 1959 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $4,500.00
VERY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE BROWNE & COMPANY 2-CENT USED ON A VALENTINE WITH THE 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE.
The 1c stamp, 29L1, was designed with the "Brown & Co." spelling error. The correct spelling, Browne (with an "e"), appears on the 2c stamp and the markings used by the post.
With 2013 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $4,500.00