Sale 1260 — 2022 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Tuesday, 28 June, 2022
Category — Free Franks and Stampless
George Washington. Free frank "President U.S." as President on folded cover addressed in another hand to "His Excellency George Walton, Governor of the State of Georgia", endorsed "Public Service", light strike of "N. York Jul. ?" straightline datestamp with matching "FREE" handstamp, paper shows clear "C Taylor" of watermark, docketed "Letter President of the United States 9th July 1789", some expert restoration, some soiling along foldsVERY FINE. AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE EARLY EXAMPLE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S "PRESIDENT U.S." FREE FRANK.
George Washington's term as president began on April 30, 1789. On July 6, just three days before this was written, Washington signed into law the first major piece of legislation of the new government by passing the Tariff of 1789, to protect domestic manufacturing and to raise revenue.
WINDSOR LOCKS CT. Type I with scrolls under "CT" and "KS", unusually bold and detailed strike of red pictorial handstamp with Jan. 6 date in manuscript on folded letter datelined "Windsor Locks 4th January 1835" to Bremen Maine, "18-3/4" rate in manuscript, minor edge soilingVERY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE PICTORIAL WINDSOR LOCKS HANDSTAMP AND THE SECOND EARLIEST RECORDED IN THE DUFFNEY CENSUS. A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN POSTAL ART.
Windsor Locks is the northernmost point that seagoing vessels can reach on the Connecticut River before transferring to smaller ships. The post office used two different pictorial handstamps showing a steamer in locks. The example offered here is the first type. Richard B. Graham wrote that the Windsor Locks "Boat-in-Canal" pictorial postmark is "possibly the most distinctive early handstamp of them all."
PANAMA. Bold strike of red straightline handstamp, slightly smudged blue manuscript "30" for U.S. rate from Panama on cover to William Henry Aspinwall in New York with "Corwine, Bro. & Co. Commercial Agents & Forwarding Merchants Panama." corner card, small trivial tear top left cornerVERY FINE. A SCARCE AND CHOICE "TRIPLE THREAT" COVER WITH THE RED "PANAMA" STRAIGHTLINE AND TWO ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT PANAMA ASSOCIATIONS.
Amos B. Corwine served as the U.S. consul in Panama. His responsibilities included arranging for mail to be carried across the Isthmus and to receive mail for transport on the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Co. line. The red "PANAMA" straightline was applied by Corwine in Panama. William Henry Aspinwall (1807-1875) was the promoter of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. and the Panama Railroad. Aspinwall, Panama (New Grenada), was named for him.
Ex Jarrett. Illustrated in Wierenga United States Incoming Steamship Mail (figure 353, p. 246).
New Orleans La. Apr. 22 (1867). Clear strike of circular datestamp and "15" (cents) in circle due handstamp, "New York 12 Apr. 27(?)" 12c debit datestamp on Andrew Jackson "The Hero of New Orleans, On the Square before the St. Louis Cathedral" illustrated cover to Bordeaux, France, red Havre arrival datestamp (May 10) and "8" decimes due handstamp, Paris (May 11) and Bordeaux (May 12) backstampsVERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE ANDREW JACKSON "THE HERO OF NEW ORLEANS" ILLUSTRATED DESIGN ON A COVER MAILED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE CENTENNIAL OF HIS BIRTH, FROM THE CITY WHERE THE WAR OF 1812 ENDED WITH HIS GREATEST VICTORY.
General and President Andrew Jackson was a popular figure in both the South and the North prior to and during the Civil War. Along with Thomas Jefferson, he was one of two great Americans whose likeness appeared on stamps of both sides during the war (U.S. No. 73 and C.S.A. Nos. 3 and 8). This "Hero of New Orleans" design, while giving the initial impression that it was created as Civil War patriotic stationery, is not present in any of the major Civil War catalogues or auction catalogues we searched, and we have not seen an example used during the war. Based on what we know and its use from New Orleans in 1867, it seems quite possible this design was created after the war, in 1867, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of "Old Hickory's" birth on March 17, 1767. Certainly in this case, it was used to celebrate the centenary.