Davis's Penny Post, Baltimore Md., (1c) Black on Lilac (57L1). Type F (Position 6), ample margins just touching corner ornaments, tied by red "Davis' One Cent Dispatch" circular handstamp on ca. 1856 brown cover to Capt. Wm. W. Virdin at the Western Hotel in Baltimore, blue embossed woodcut corner card of Fountain Hotel, cover has two small sealed edge tears, stamp lightly creased

VERY FINE. THE FINEST AND MOST OUTSTANDING OF THE FOUR RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RARE DAVIS'S PENNY POST STAMP.

Our records of 14 Davis's Penny Post stamps contain four genuine covers: 1) Ty. F, tied by red handstamp on Fountain Hotel corner card cover to Western Hotel, Baltimore, ex Hollowbush, Malcolm, Golden and D.K. (realized $11,000 hammer in 2003), the cover offered here; 2) Ty. F, with bottom right corner sheet margins, tied by red handstamp on back of cover to Miss Louise Senss (?), Baltimore, ex Caspary, Boker; 3) Ty. A, with top left sheet corner margins, uncancelled on small Valentine cover to Miss Caroline Lamden, ex Hollowbush, Golden; and 4) Type unknown, tied by red handstamp, ex Brown (5c 1847 stamp added to cover at the time -- possibly removed now). In addition to the genuine covers, there are other covers to which genuine Davis stamps have been added (all predate the post's existence). The cover census by Steven M. Roth (Chronicle 173) agrees with our data.

Ex Hollowbush (his partly erased cost code on back), Malcolm, Golden and D.K. Collection. With 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $11,000.00.

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