9th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Sale 1211 — The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 29-30 October, 2019
Category — Fancy Cancellations (other than Waterburys)
Perfectly struck Pinwheel fancy cancel of Louisville, KentuckyPinwheel, Louisville, Kentucky (related to Skinner-Eno GE-P26), bold strike of this unusual design ties 3¢ Orange Brown, Type II (10A), large margins to just in, rich color, blue "Louisville Ky. Sep. 6" (1851) circular datestamp on folded letter to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fresh and Very Fine, fancy cancels in the early 1851 Issue period are rare, ex Jennings
Large blue segmented grid cancel and Marysville, California, "Paid by Stamps" circular datestampLarge Segmented Grid, Marysville, California, bold strike ties 10¢ Green, Type I (13), large margins all around, matching "Marysville Cal. Paid by Stamps Dec. 19" circular datestamp on cover to Sharon, Ohio, missing top flap, Extremely Fine, the Marysville large "killer" was originally created to cancel pairs of 3¢ stamps used for the 6¢ rate, this is a superb example on a choice 10¢ 1855 Type I stamp, ex Jennings
Full and bold strike of Running Stag fancy cancel of Shelburne Falls, MassachusettsRunning Stag, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno PA- Dr 1), bold strike on 3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), large margins to in, Very Fine strike, this cancel often appears as an ill-defined blob but the example offered here shows far more detail than normally seen, ex Jennings
Little Piggy of Sandisfield, MassachusettsLittle Piggy, Sandisfield, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno PA-E 1), fantastic strike on 3¢ Dull Red, Type III (26), small thin spot at top left, Extremely Fine strike of this rare and desirable fancy cancellation, ex Jennings
Perfect strike of red 5-Point Star with "PAID" of Bonds Village, Massachusetts, on 1¢ 1857 Issue5-Point Star with "PAID", Bonds Village, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno ST-C 18) bold strike in red on 1¢ Blue, Type V (24), choice centering, small spot of manuscript likely from address at bottom right, Extremely Fine strike on an Extremely Fine stamp, ex Jennings
"34" in Star fancy cancel of Hatfield, Massachusetts"34" in Star, Hatfield, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno ST-C5), bold strike with clear "34" at center cancels 5¢ Brown (29), single short perf at top right, Very Fine strike of this rare fancy cancel, Hatfield was founded in 1660 and is near Springfield, the "34" refers to the number of states in the Union, ex Jennings
Washington's Profile--the West Fairlee, Vermont, postmaster's tribute to the 3¢ 1861 IssueWashington's Profile, West Fairlee, Vermont (Skinner-Eno PH-F 36), bold strike on 3¢ Rose (65) with sheet selvage, mostly clear "West Fairlee Vt. Nov. 25" circular datestamp on cover to Newbury, Vermont, few small cover edge tears, Extremely Fine strike of this remarkable fancy cancel carved by West Fairlee postmaster Edmund P. George, this was the subject of a 2015 article by Richard Marek (Chronicle 248), in which he reported the discovery of a third cover and convincingly showed that the profile is a replica of Washington's profile on the 3¢ 1861 stamp, ex Slawson, Beals, Sheriff and Jennings
The remarkable cameo portrait of Calais, VermontPortrait Inside Octagon, Calais, Vermont (unlisted in Skinner-Eno), delicately carved cameo portrait in a chamfered frame, perfect strike on 3¢ Rose (65), straight edge at left and double perfs at top, neat "Calais Vt. Apr. 18" double-circle datestamp on cover to Boston street address, stamp and cover have a few trivial toned spots, Extremely Fine strike, accompanied by a second cover from the same correspondence mailed two days later showing a fair strike of the same marking, these are reported to be the only two known examples of this remarkable fancy cancel, probably the handiwork of postmaster Ira Kent (the only other fancy credited to Calais is a simple "OK"), unlisted in Skinner-Eno or Slawson's Postal History of Vermont, acquired by Mr. Gross in the 1994 Siegel sale of the Sapperstein collection (Sale 761) and offered to the market for the first time in 25 years
Bold and essentially complete strike of the West Meriden Devil & PitchforkDevil & Pitchfork, West Meriden, Connecticut (Skinner-Eno PF-F 40), perfect and nearly complete strike on 3¢ Rose (65), all details of the devil, pitchfork and globe are clearly visible, few pulled perfs at left, Extremely Fine strike of this desirable fancy cancel, ex Jennings, for a history of this remarkable fancy cancel go to www.ctpostalhistory.com, a fascinating article on this subject by William Duffney also appeared in the most recent Congress Book
Union Soldier's Head fancy cancel of New York CityUnion Soldier's Head, New York, N.Y. (Skinner-Eno PH-F 72), bold strike on 30¢ Orange (71), trivial perf crease at top left, Very Fine strike of this distinctive fancy cancel, the creation and use of this fancy cancel in the Spring of 1866 coincided with the return of soldiers from the Civil War, it is known on at least one domestic cover, but apparently the cancelling device migrated to the foreign-mail exchange office, where it was used to cancel stamps on mail to foreign countries, ex Jennings
Man in the Moon and Star of BostonMan in the Moon and Star, Boston, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno PH-F 91), neat strike cancels 3¢ Rose (65), light corner crease at bottom right, pulled perf at bottom right, Very Fine strike, a rare cancel, ex Eno and Jennings
Boy's Profile in Circle of White House Station, New JerseyBoy's Profile in Circle, White House Station, New Jersey (Skinner-Eno PH-F 37), full and clear strike on 2¢ Brown (113), Very Fine strike of this desirable fancy cancel which Skinner-Eno describes as a man's head, but we believe is better described as a boy, ex Eno and Jennings
Bearded Man's Profile (or Napoleon) fancy cancel of Corry, PennsylvaniaBearded Man (resembles Napoleon on French stamps), Corry, Pennsylvania (Skinner-Eno PH-F 87), perfect strike on 3¢ Ultramarine (114), rich color, choice centering, Extremely Fine, the Skinner-Eno book does not list the origin of this fancy cancel, a cover bearing a pair of 3¢ 1869 Pictorials with this cancel surfaced in 1981, providing its origin, the stamp offered here was the right stamp in a strip of five illustrated in the 1869 Times (No. 29, May 1983, p. 12), this is by far the finest strike of the five, several of which are blurry, ex Eno and Jennings
The rare Hand Pointing West of West Point, MississippiHand Pointing West, West Point, Mississippi (Skinner-Eno PH-HF 3), bold strike ties 3¢ Rose (65), "West Point Miss. Apr. 19" circular datestamp on buff cover to New Haven, Connecticut, Very Fine strike, ex Jennings
Peace Dove of New York CityPeace Dove, New York, N.Y. (Skinner-Eno PA-B 9), fantastic strike ties 3¢ Rose (65), straight edge at right, on small piece, Extremely Fine strike of this rare fancy cancel from New York City, although collectors have previously given this fancy cancellation the title "Bird on Nest", in our opinion it is more accurately described as the "Peace Dove", the design copies contemporary illustrations of a dove carrying the banner of peace, its use in April 1866 coincides with post-Civil War sentiments toward peace and reconstruction, ex Jennings
Running Fox of Hockanum, ConnecticutFox Running to the Right, Hockanum, Connecticut (Skinner-Eno PA-D 6), bold and essentially complete strike on 3¢ Rose (65), sealed tear at right, pulled perf and thinned at bottom, still an Extremely Fine strike of this popular and scarce fancy cancel, a history of the fascinating Hockanum Running Fox cancel, written by Connecticut postal historian William J. Duffney, can be downloaded at www.ctpostalhistory.com--the Running Fox cancel was carved by postmaster Dudley Fox, who was also a silversmith, giving him the skills to carve this intricate fancy cancel, ex Jennings
Horse's Head of New York City on 24¢ 1861Horse's Head, New York, N.Y. (Skinner-Eno PA-H 13) bold strike on 24¢ Grayish Lilac (78a), Very Fine, the Horse's Head and Union Soldier's Head cancellations are two of the more famous fancy cancellations used in New York City's foreign mail office, it is especially scarce on the 24¢ stamp, ex Jennings
Horse's Head of Knoxville, TennesseeHorse's Head, Knoxville, Tennessee (Skinner-Eno PA-H 1), bold and complete strike on 30¢ Orange (71), few flaws at top including sealed tear, Extremely Fine strike and very rare on the 30¢ stamp, ex Jennings
"N & W" with Star of Norwich & Worcester Railroad"N & W" With Star, Norwich & Worcester Railroad (Skinner-Eno LC-N 4), bold and mostly complete strike on 3¢ Rose (65), Very Fine strike, one of the few fancy cancellations of the 1861 Issue period associated with a railroad, ex Jennings
The Salem "Witch Mark" on a 1¢ 1861Witch Mark, Salem, Massachusetts (Skinner-Eno PH-F 44), perfect strike from what must be an early state of the device on 1¢ Blue (63), rich color, Extremely Fine strike, especially scarce on the 1¢ stamp, ex Jennings
Hand-drawn Flora cancellations from Tioga Centre, New YorkTall Fern and Plant, Tioga Centre, New York, two covers, each with a hand-drawn design, first is a plant with eight leaves and a center stalk which ties 3¢ Rose (65) on cover to Gibson, Pennsylvania, "Tioga Centre March 23" manuscript postmark at left, second is an elaborate fern or tree which ties 3¢ Rose (65) on cover to Susquehanna Depot, Pennsylvania, matching "Tioga Centre N.Y. Sept. 2" manuscript postmark, each has light crease affecting stamp, still Very Fine, an attractive pair of covers, ex Jennings
Two-Cent Coin of Marshall, Michigan--probably the finest strike extantTwo-Cent Coin, Marshall, Michigan (Skinner-Eno PO-Co 1), fantastic strike ties 3¢ Rose (65), boldly struck "Marshall Mich. Mar. 18" circular datestamp on buff cover to Lee Centre, New York, stamp with corner crease at bottom right, still Extremely Fine strike of this unusual cancellation device, the postmaster used a 2¢ coin which he inked and impressed on the stamp and cover, the 1861 2¢ was the first coin minted with the motto "In God We Trust", ex Grunin and Jennings
Three different Brattleboro "Blues" fancy cancels, including the unique "Farmer Chasing the Fox Out of the Barn"Brattleboro, Vermont, Fancy Cancels, three covers with blue fancy cancels tying 3¢ Rose (65): first with complete strike of standing figure chasing an animal, which has been named "Farmer Chasing the Fox Out of the Barn," with matching September 4 double-circle datestamp on cover to New York City (1866 receipt docketing); second is a Stylized Segmented Cross (Skinner-Eno GE-E 66) with matching July 19 double-circle datestamp to Provincetown, Massachusetts; third is an unusual geometric derivative of Skinner-Eno GE-C 155 used to Walpole, New Hampshire; last with few toned perfs, Fine-Very Fine and desirable group--the pictorial cancel is unique--ex Jennings
Balance of the William H. Gross Collection of Fancy Cancellations and Postal MarkingsBalance of the William H. Gross Collection of Fancy Cancellations and Postal Markings, two beautiful red leather Godden albums containing 94 covers and 312 off-cover items, wide range of issues represented including 5¢ and 10¢ 1847 Issue through Columbian, strength is in the 1851-1869 period with the 1861 Issue strongest with several different denominations such as 1¢ Blue (63), 5¢ Buff (67), 10¢ Green (68), 90¢ Blue (72), cancels arranged by design, including nice array of grids and simple designs, letters/initials, portraits and pictorial, different colors including green, blue and red, some great strikes of fancy cancels including Chicopee Star of David, Humphreyville Pa. Face (SE PH-F 110), Memphis N.Y. Laughing Clown (SE PH-F 94), Darien Conn. and Vicksburg Miss. Masks, nice group of Hearts, Animals, Plants, Anchors, Top Hat (on 3¢ 1869--SE PO-Ht 6), several are designs we have never encountered before, some auxiliary markings such as "Steamboat", "Supplementary Mail", "Too Late" and "Old Stamps Not Recognized", Wells Fargo & Co. blue datestamp on 30¢ Orange (71), San Francisco cogwheel is represented by a cover from Hawaii to Boston with No. 69, few Revenue uses, small group of unusual place names in town markings, foreign postal markings such as French Anchor on 30¢ Orange (71), stamp faults to be expected, generally the strikes of the cancels are Very Fine with some Extremely Fine, a phenomenal opportunity to acquire a strong basis for a cancellation collection--the basis for the collection was formed by Clyde Jennings, who spent decades accumulating fancy cancels, and the collection was supplemented from a range of additional sources. A PDF of the collection is available on our website.
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