Sale 1289 — 2023 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Tuesday, 27 June, 2023
Category — Officials, including Special Printings from the William E. Mooz Collection
2c Ultramarine, Navy (O36). Tied by circle of hearts cancel, "Washington D.C. Mar. 29" (1874) circular datestamp on unsealed "Navy Department, Bureau of Provisions and Clothing. Official Business" imprint cover to Asst. Paymaster Nicholas H. Stavey, Asiatic Station, Yokohama, Japan, unsealed for 2c circular rate, carried on PMSS Great Republic from San Francisco to Yokohama, vertical fold at left, fresh and Very Fine, an extremely rare single use of the 2c Navy Department stamp on a circular-rate cover to Japan, from the Magnolia collection
10c Brown, Treasury (O77). Tied by violet "Washington D.C. Aug. 16, 7PM 1879" circular datestamp and quartered cork cancel on legal-size Treasury Department Fourth Auditor's Office penalty envelope to Yokohama, Japan, addressed to Commander G. W. Sumer, U.S.S. Monocacy, Yokohama receiving backstamp (Sep. 21), slightly reduced at right, minor toning, Fine, very rare use of 10c Treasury stamp on cover to Japan, from the Magnolia collection, ex Markovits
15c Brown, Treasury (O79). Tied by quartered cork cancel, "Washington D.C. Mar. 12 8PM" (1875) circular datestamp on legal-size Treasury Deparment First Comptroller's Office imprint cover to Tokyo, Japan, addressed to John A. Bingham with directive "U.S. Packet" -- carried on PMSS Alaska from San Francisco to Yokoahama -- blue "Yokohama Japan 6 P.M. 21 Apr" receiving datestamp, backflap removedVERY FINE. JAPAN IS AN EXTREMELY RARE DESTINATION FOR COVERS WITH OFFICIAL STAMPS, AND THIS SINGLE FRANKING PAYS THE 15-CENT RATE IN EFFECT IN 1875.
From the Magnolia collection. Ex Markovits.
30c Rose, War (O92). Centered to left, used with 6c Rose, War (O86) and tied by quartered cork cancel, "Washington D.C. Feb. 14" (1876) circular datestamp on large-size "Office of the Chief Signal Officer. Official Business." imprint cover to Tokyo (Yedo), Japan, addressed to "Benj. Smith Lyman Esq., Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer to the Kaitakushi, care of R. Yamauchi, Esq., Kaitakushi, Shiba, Yedo, Japan, red crayon "3" for triple 12c treaty rate, red "Yokohama Paid All Mar. 29" double-circle datestamp, erased pencil receipt docketing at upper left, some cover edge flaws affect 6cFINE APPEARANCE. THE MOST OUTSTANDING OF THE FOUR RECORDED 30-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT COVERS AND WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICIAL ISSUE COVERS EXTANT.
The census by Alan C. Campbell ("High Value Official Stamps on Cover", Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists four 30c War Dept. covers, including three with singles and the 6c War. Mr. Campbell refers to the pair of War Department covers to Japan offered in this sale as "rivals" to the Commodore Caldwell 24c and 30c Navy Department covers that were previously sold by our firm. The article contains a description of the covers from the late Dr. Lobdell, which we quote below:
"Both covers were sent by the War Department's Chief Signal Officer to 'Benjamin Smith Lyman, Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer to the Kaitakushi.' Lyman was a Harvard graduate who later studied at the Ecole de Mines in Paris and set himself up as a consulting geologist. Between 1873 and 1879 he was chief geologist to the Japanese government, principally working for the Kaitakushi, which was an agency with the responsibility for the colonization and development of the natural resources of the northern island of Hokkaido. (Hokkaido was Japan's version of our frontier in '70s, so that while we were sending homesteaders into our West and killing off the Indians, they were populating Hokkaido with ethnic Japanese and doing a number on the native hairy Ainu.) The pair of 24c War stamps pays four times the treaty rate of 12c per half ounce for mail from the United States to Japan. (Although the General Postal Union rate of 5c per half ounce for international mail was already in force for many countries, Japan did not sign the GPU until the following year.) The letter was mailed in Washington, D.C. on May 9 and reached Yokohama on June 29, 1876, where a red 'Yokohama Paid All' was applied by the US postal station there. It then took nine more days to travel less than twenty-five miles to Mr. Lyman at his lodgings in Yedo (the old name for Tokyo). How did it get from the US to Japan? There were two possible routes: (I) via New York to London, where it would have been put on a British ship round the Cape of Good Hope to the Orient, or (2) via the recently-completed transcontinental railroad to San Francisco, where it would have been put on an American ship to Yokohama. Since the envelope lacks New York and London transit markings, I favor the Trans-Pacific route. Both covers were at one time in the collection of Congressman Ackerman, the leading collector of United States official covers in the early part of this century."
From the Magnolia collection. Ex Ackerman, Hughes, Duckworth and Dr. Lobdell (acquired by him in the 1963 sale of the Duckworth collection).
24c Rose, War (O91). Horizontal pair, tied by bold strikes of quartered cork cancels, "Washington D.C. May 9" (1876) circular datestamp on large-size "Office of the Chief Signal Officer. Official Business." imprint cover to Tokyo (Yedo), Japan, addressed to "Prof. Benj. Smith Lyman, Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer, Joumin, Daimon, Shiba, Yedo, Japan", red crayon "4" for quadruple 12c treaty rate (the treaty rate was reduced to 5c in April 1876), red "Yokohama Paid All Jun. 29" double-circle datestamp, Japanese datestamp and writing on back, pencil 1876 receipt docketing at upper left, opened for display, some slight wear and faults, small piece out at upper left, right 24c stamp small perf flawsFINE. THE ONLY RECORDED FULL COVER BEARING THE 24-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT ISSUE (THE OTHER TWO USES ARE PACKAGE LABELS). THIS SPECTACULAR COVER, ADDRESSED TO BENJAMIN SMITH LYMAN IN JAPAN, IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL OFFICIAL COVERS.
This cover was prepaid for the quadruple 12c treaty rate, which had been superseded by a 5c treaty rate one month earlier. It was carried to Yokohama by the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. and then to Tokyo. A Japanese official translated the address into Japanese on back for the benefit of the local postman and then applied his seal.
The census by Alan C. Campbell ("High Value Official Stamps on Cover," Chronicle 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists three 24c War Department covers, including two used with the 90c on package labels and this full cover to Japan. This cover is No. 38 in the census. Mr. Campbell refers to the pair of War Department covers to Japan offered in this sale as "rivals" to the Commodore Caldwell 24c and 30c Navy Department covers that were previously sold by our firm. The article contains a description of the covers from the late Dr. Lobdell, which we quote below:
"Both covers were sent by the War Department's Chief Signal Officer to 'Benjamin Smith Lyman, Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer to the Kaitakushi.' Lyman was a Harvard graduate who later studied at the Ecole de Mines in Paris and set himself up as a consulting geologist. Between 1873 and 1879 he was chief geologist to the Japanese government, principally working for the Kaitakushi, which was an agency with the responsibility for the colonization and development of the natural resources of the northern island of Hokkaido. (Hokkaido was Japan's version of our frontier in '70s, so that while we were sending homesteaders into our West and killing off the Indians, they were populating Hokkaido with ethnic Japanese and doing a number on the native hairy Ainu.) The pair of 24c War stamps pays four times the treaty rate of 12c per half ounce for mail from the United States to Japan. (Although the General Postal Union rate of 5c per half ounce for international mail was already in force for many countries, Japan did not sign the GPU until the following year.) The letter was mailed in Washington, D.C. on May 9 and reached Yokohama on June 29, 1876, where a red 'Yokohama Paid All' was applied by the US postal station there. It then took nine more days to travel less than twenty-five miles to Mr. Lyman at his lodgings in Yedo (the old name for Tokyo). How did it get from the US to Japan? There were two possible routes: (I) via New York to London, where it would have been put on a British ship round the Cape of Good Hope to the Orient, or (2) via the recently-completed transcontinental railroad to San Francisco, where it would have been put on an American ship to Yokohama. Since the envelope lacks New York and London transit markings, I favor the Trans-Pacific route. Both covers were at one time in the collection of Congressman Ackerman, the leading collector of United States official covers in the early part of this century."
From the Magnolia collection. Ex Ackerman, Knapp, Hughes, Duckworth and Dr. Lobdell (acquired by him in the 1963 sale of the Duckworth collection).
1c Gray Blue, Navy, Soft Porous Paper, Specimen Ovpt. (O35xS). Complete sheet of 100 with top and bottom imprint and plate "No. 80", full selvage on all sides, without gum as issued, dark color, a few positions show varieties including Position 66 with small dotted "i", which is regarded as a printing flaw and not the listed constant variety found on the ribbed paper -- but interestingly both of the other complete sheets we have encountered also have this flaw in same position, so we wonder, perf separations including at top right and between the 5th and 6th rows where telescoped and reinforced, some slight toning or soiling in the selvageFINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE FULL SHEET OF 100 OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT 1881 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY SPECIAL PRINTING ON SOFT PAPER.
The 1c Navy Department on soft paper is found only with the "Specimen" overprint of the 1881 American Bank Note Co. Special Printing. 4,182 were sold, which represents just under 42 sheets.
Scott value as plate blocks and blocks.
12c State, "Sepcimen" Error (O63Sa). Without gum as issued, rich color, centered to top left with full perfs all around, couple shallow central thin spotsFINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 12-CENT STATE DEPARTMENT WITH "SEPCIMEN" SPELLING ERROR. A GREAT SPECIAL PRINTING RARITY.
Only 280 copies of the 12c State Special Printing were sold, but it is not known how the stamps were taken from the sheets or if full sheets were exhausted before breaking a subsequent sheet. If full sheets were used, then only three errors were sold, the number we record: 1) small thins, ex Lewenthal, Sheriff, Markovits and Inman (Sale 1135, lot 673); 2) sound, scissors-separated perfs, ex Mooz (Sale 1274, lot 767); 3) shallow thin spots, the example offered here (P.F. certificate no. 14827).
P.F. certificate 14827 no longer accompanies. It mentions regumming, which was subsequently removed.
$2.00 Green & Black, State, Specimen Ovpt. (O68S). Without gum as issued, bright colorsFINE. AN ATTRACTIVE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE RARE $2.00 STATE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING. ONLY 32 WERE SOLD.
Only 32 of the $2.00 State Department Special Printing were sold. Markovits estimated that approximately 20 are known (Bennett sale). Most seem to be strongly centered to one side.
With 2023 P.F. certificate.
1c Deep Rose, War, Specimen Ovpt., "Sepcimen" Error (O83S, O83Sa). Block of 79, including top row of nine plus other seven rows of the pane, selvage at left, without gum as issued, the "Sepcimen" error Position 21, first stamp in second row, bright color, beautifully intactFINE-VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING BLOCK OF 79 OF THE ONE-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING WITH THE "SEPCIMEN" SPELLING ERROR IN POSITION 21.
Scott value as blocks of four and singles.
2c War, Specimen Ovpt. (O84S). Bottom imprint and plate "No. 35" block of 16, natural straight edge with part arrow at left, without gum as issued, brilliant color and well-centered, tiny singe mark near edge of selvage is insignificantVERY FINE. A FRESH AND CHOICE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF THE 2-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING.
Imprint and plate number blocks of any Official Special Printing are rare and this 2c War example is particularly choice.
1c Agriculture, Soft Paper (O94). Without gum as issued, bright color on bright paperVERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT AGRICULTURE AMERICAN BANK NOTE PRINTING.
As discerning collectors know, the Officials can be extremely difficult to obtain in sound, centered condition. This is especially true of the American printings on soft porous papers, which are prone to faults.
With 2001 P.F. certificate.