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UNITED STATES LOCALS continued...

Metropolitan Post Office thru Mills' Despatch Post
Lot Sym. Lot Description
1626° c imageMetropolitan Errand and Carrier Express Co., New York N.Y., 1c Red Orange (107L1). Large margins to clear, tied by "Paid" in oval and also by oval company handstamp on cover to local street address, stamp with light pre-use creases, appears Very Fine, attractive usage (Image) 325.00

SOLD for $475.00
Will close during Public Auction
1627° c imageMetropolitan Errand and Carrier Express Co., New York N.Y., 1c Red Orange (107L1). Vertical pair, torn from sheet with very rough margins cutting in at top and lower right, uncancelled, used on yellow cover to local street address, ms. "2 Ct. Topay" (last word unclear but our best guess), Fine, extremely rare, this may be a collect usage with the stamps affixed by carrier as a receipt, ex Abt and Golden (Image) 1,000.00

CLOSED
Will close during Public Auction
1628° C imageMetropolitan Errand and Carrier Express Co., New York N.Y., 1c Red Orange (107L1). Cut to shape, tied by boxed "Paid" handstamp, used with 3c Dull Red (11), large margins to touched, tied by bold "New-York Mar. 27" circular datestamp on buff cover to Mass., 1856 enclosure, Fine (Image) 900.00

SOLD for $200.00
Will close during Public Auction
1629° c imageMetropolitan Post Office, New York N.Y., (2c) Pale Red on Glazed (108L3). Cut to shape as always, tied by clear strike of "Metropolitan P.O. Dec. 20" circular datestamp with "Paid/W. H. Laws" framed handstamp on undated folded printed circular written in German, to E. A. Matheson at local street address

VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL TIED EXAMPLE OF THE RARE "W. H. LAW" METROPOLITAN POST OFFICE STAMP, OF WHICH ONLY SEVEN COVERS ARE RECORDED.

The Metropolitan Post Office (a private post despite the name) is believed to have been established just prior to January 1854 by Lemuel Williams, whose abbreviated name "L. Williams" and 162 Ninth Street address appear on the first octagonal stamp (108L1). Curiously, Williams is never identified with the Metropolitan Post Office nor any mail operation in the city directories. The 1854-55 and 1855-56 directories list William H. Laws as proprietor of the "Post Office" at 13 Bible House, which was located across from Williams' address. The 1856-59 directories list Laws at the same address, but the name "Metropolitan Post Office" is used. In 1859 Laws is listed with the business "Books", which suggests the end of his involvement with the post. A trade directory links Williams and Laws in a partnership at 162 Ninth Street. (Reference: Patton book, p. 228, and Perry correspondence).

Although undated, it is our opinion that this cover could not have been mailed any earlier than 1856, based on the use of the "Metropolitan P.O." and "Paid/W. H. Laws" markings, as well as the worn impression of the 108L3 stamp. We record a total of seven covers with 108L3 (updated from our Golden sale), including six local usages with identical markings. (Image)

 4,000.00

SOLD for $3,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
1630° og imageMetropolitan Post Office, New York N.Y., (2c) Red (108L3). Original gum, margins partly cut in, slight break in frameline at right, otherwise Fine, very scarce (Image) 275.00

SOLD for $200.00
Will close during Public Auction
1631° c imageMetropolitan Post Office, New York N.Y., 1c Red on Wove (108L4). Cut to shape, cancelled by well-worn "Paid/W. H. Laws" framed handstamp (not tied), used with 3c Dull Red, Ty. II (26), tied by "New-York Feb. 12, 1859" circular datestamp on small cover to Norwich Town, Conn., neat receipt docketing, Extremely Fine, choice and very late usage (probably the last year of operation) -- Metropolitan P.O. covers in this period seem to be exclusively "to the mails" usages (Image) E. 750-1,000

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction
1632° og imageMetropolitan Post Office, New York N.Y., 1c Blue (108L5). Original gum, h.r., cut to shape mostly clear all around, Fine, very scarce with original gum, with 1985 P.F. certificate, drastically undercatalogued in Scott (Image) E. 200-300

SOLD for $375.00
Will close during Public Auction
1633° c imageMetropolitan Post Office, New York N.Y., 1c Blue (108L5). Cut to shield shape as always, tied by black cancel and used with 3c Dull Red (11), margins to in, tied by "New-York Jan. 14" circular datestamp on orange cover to Poland Me., fresh and Fine, scarce usage, with 1993 P.F. certificate (Image) 700.00

SOLD for $500.00
Will close during Public Auction
1634° c imageG. A. Mills' Despatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Black on Green Glazed (109L1). Large margins, slightly creased, uncancelled, used on 1847 blue folded letter to Bellerica Mass., red "New-York 5 Cts. Dec. 18" integral-rate circular datestamp, Fine, extremely scarce successor local to Hall and Mills, ex Caspary, Lilly and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1379, realized $1,600 hammer) (Image) E. 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

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