2007 Rarities of the World continued...

VERY FINE AND BEAUTIFUL COVER. EIGHTEEN FRANKLIN CARRIER COVERS ARE RECORDED, OF WHICH ELEVEN ARE CANCELLED BY THE PHILADELPHIA RED STAR.

This superb cover shows proper use of the Franklin Carrier stamp in December 1851 to prepay the fee for delivery within city limits by the carrier department, entirely outside of the regular mails. The Meyersburg census of Franklin Carrier covers, which has been revised with corrections, contains 18 confirmed examples. Included among the 18 covers are 3 from New York (each tied by the red circular datestamp, one of which is in the New York Public Library), one cover from New Orleans, and 14 covers from Philadelphia (3 tied by blue circular datestamp, 10 cancelled by red star but not tied, and one tied by red star).

Ex Seybold. With copy of 1980 P.F. certificate. (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. THE ONLY OFF-COVER STAMP AMONG THE FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE ST. LOUIS 2-CENT BLUE CARRIER (8LB3). A REMARKABLE CARRIER STAMP THAT WAS MODELED UPON THE ONE-CENT 1851 FRANKLIN DESIGN AND THE 3-CENT SILVER "TRIME".

Elliott Perry theorized that the design of this stamp was a cross between the 1851 1c stamp (ornamental border) and the 1852 3c silver coin known as a "fish-scale" or "trime", which had the shield in six-point star design (see Pat Paragraphs, reprint, pp. 263-264). The concept was "something between" 1c and 3c. Although previous reports date the stamp and covers to 1857, one of the Valentine covers has an enclosure that appears to have originated with the cover and is clearly dated 1853 (Siegel Sale 920).

Our records contain just five examples of 8LB3: 1) "1 ct" cancel, off cover, the stamp offered here, ex Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 425, realized $20,000 hammer), 2) tied by "1 ct" in frame on cover to Edwin Harrison, ex Middendorf, 3) used on large Valentine cover to Mrs. Scoot, dated Feb. 13, 1857, ms. "X" cancel (not tied) and "Paid" straightline, ex Bulger, Siegel Sale 846, lot 2403, 4) tied by "1 ct" in frame on cover to Miss St. Denis, Siegel Sale 846, lot 2404, and 5) cut to oval shape, tied by "Paid" in arc on large Valentine cover to Mrs. Scoot, Siegel Sale 920, lot 273.

Ex Golden. With 1999 P.F. certificate. (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THREE CONFIRMED COVERS BEARING THE EXTREMELY RARE BERFORD & COMPANY 6-CENT GREEN.

Richard G. Berford and Loring L. Lombard operated the Berford & Co. letter-carrying business beginning in 1851. Berford & Co.'s Express primarily served the West Coast of North, Central and South America, but also advertised rates to Hawaii, Hong Kong, China and other places. Although their letter and package express business was fairly large, the adhesive stamps for letter mail are rare. During the course of their operation, there were several bitter clashes with the government over their mail route. The company is reported to have been sold in June 1854.

We record the following seven 6c (11L2) stamps, on or off cover: 1) cancelled by colorless impression of handstamp on cover marked "Jamaica", same correspondence as the cover offered here, ex Caspary, Boker, 2) uncancelled off cover, ex Souren, 3) tied by smudge on Sep. 29, 1851 folded letter from Jamaica to N.Y., the cover offered here, ex Worthington, 4) uncancelled on cover to the Mayor of Albany, Siegel Jun. 20, 1944 sale (the status of this cover is uncertain), 5) cut to shape on Aug. 1852 cover to Paita, ex Chapman, Mason, Horner, Golden, D.K. Collection, 6) cut to shape on same Aug. 1852 cover to Paita as No. 5, and 7) creased, uncancelled, on piece (or possibly on cover), Sloane records.

A 10c rate to the British West Indies was listed in the "Table of Postage" in Berford's June 17, 1851, New York Herald advertisement announcing the "New Postage Law". The same ad listed 6c prepaid rates to certain California towns and a 3c prepaid rate to Chagres or Panama. Evidently the cover offered here and a similar cover from the same correspondence (ex Caspary) were prepaid 6c from Kingston, Jamaica. In the advertisement, the stamps (3c, 10c and 25c) are described and various rates are given, effective July 1, 1851. Obviously, Berford's was acting in response to the U.S. government postage reforms of the same date.

According to http://www.pt5dome.com/ships.htm,< /A> the S.S. Ohio was a "wooden side-wheeled steamer, built by Bishop and Simonson, New York, for the United States Mail Steamship Company. She was launched in 1848 and entered service from New York to Chagres via Charleston, Savannah, Havana, and New Orleans on September 20, 1849. She was withdrawn from service along with the SS Georgia in 1854, and laid up in New York until 1859. She was broken up in 1860." According to Wierenga's U.S. Incoming Steamship Mail 1847-1875, the Ohio departed Kingston, Jamaica, on September 29, 1851, and arrived at New York on October 6. The U.S. Mail Steamship Company steamers stopped at Kingston for coaling, and this letter describes problems in coaling the Ohio on this particular stop.

Ex Worthington and Hyzen. With copy of 1983 P.F. certificate. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST STRIDING MESSENGER STAMP USED ON COVER. ISSUED IN 1843, THIS IS THE WORLD'S FIRST PICTORIAL STAMP.

Ex Emerson, Hollowbush, Schwartz and Gordon N. John. (Image)

A VERY FINE CLARK & HALL PENNY POST STAMP GENUINELY USED ON COVER. ONLY FIVE EXAMPLES OF THIS STAMP ARE RECORDED, EACH USED ON COVER. ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES OF AMERICAN LOCAL POSTS.

William J. Clark and Charles F. Hall advertised the opening of their "City Express and Penny Post" in the Feb. 13, 1851, edition of The Missouri Republican. Clark and Hall timed their opening to capture a share of the lucrative Valentine market. The first announcement noted that stamps were available for one cent each.

The five covers with 49L1 are recorded as follows (all 1851 dates): 1) uncancelled, red Feb. 27 datestamp, to Emily Smith, Long Island N.Y., the cover offered here, ex Ferrary, Lilly, Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot 592, realized $17,500 hammer), 2) uncancelled, red Apr. 23 datestamp, to Emily Smith (as above), ex Boker, 3) uncancelled, red May 29 datestamp, to Emily Smith (as above), ex Boker, Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 980, realized $15,000 hammer), 4) uncancelled, red Jul. 20 datestamp, to Emily Smith (as above), ex Boker, and 5) cancelled by three ms. X's on Valentine cover to Eliza Pettus, local street address, Feb. 14, 1851 enclosure, discovered in 1924 by Morris Pettus (last sold Siegel Sale 878, lot 564, realized $10,000 hammer). No stamps off cover are known.

This cover was discovered by the family of T. H. Sanford and sold to C. H. Mekeel in September 1904. A copy of the original affidavit (in our files) accompanies the lot. In 1966 at a presentation before the Royal Philatelic Society of London, John R. Boker Jr. referred to this cover (ex Ferrary), stating that it had been "institutionalized" and "lost to collectors." He was evidently unaware that Lilly owned the cover. The Halls acquired it in the 1967 Lilly sale held by this firm.

Ex Ferrary, Lilly and Hall. (Image)

"Phila. Feb. 12th 1900. Personally appeared before me a Magistrate of the City of Philadelphia Mr. Franklin B. Kohlhund who being sworn according to law doth depose and say that the Clinton Penny Post stamp was removed by him from a used cover -- said cover being addressed to Mrs. Blackburn of Phila." [signed and notarized]

FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED GENUINE EXAMPLES OF CLINTON'S PENNY POST STAMP, BOTH OFF COVER.

Nothing definite is known about Clinton's Penny Post of Philadelphia, and the two recorded genuine stamps are the only proof of its existence. In 1894 the Clinton stamp was delisted from the Scott Catalogue when it was believed that this issue was one of a group of bogus posts, but it was restored in 1965 after Elliott Perry conveyed his opinion to Eugene Costales that there were at least two genuine Clinton stamps (and many counterfeits). Perry was not successful in locating among city directories the Clinton responsible for the post. There was a John Clinton listed in the 1841-42 directory as a "letter carrier", but this would be too early for the stamps. He is listed in 1851-52 as an "agent". Memos from Perry also indicate that no relevant Clinton was found in the directories for 1843-47, 1851, 1854 or 1856-59. Stylistically, the Clinton stamp is identical to Priest's Despatch stamps, which are found on covers dated between 1851 and 1855.

Ex Chapman and Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot 593, realized $20,000 hammer). (Image)

FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH THE SCARCE CORNWELL'S STAMP TIED. ONLY THIS COVER SHOWS THE OVAL MARKING WITH "CORNWALL'S" (SPELLING ERROR) DELETED, USED UNDER BENTLEY'S OWNERSHIP.

Daniel H. Cornwell established his Madison Square Post Office at 945 Broadway as early as May 1856 (May 28 use of Cornwell's oval is recorded), but sold out to Henry H. Bentley in August of the same year (as advertised). Covers showing Cornwell's markings or stamps are extremely rare, and the presence of Swarts markings on several of them indicates an arrangement between the two posts. The stamps come on white (52L2) or bluish paper (52L1), and it appears that this paper is bluish, but to be consistent with the Scott Catalogue, we list it as the white 52L2. This example is unusual not only for the tied stamp (two such tied examples are recorded), but the oval handstamp shows removal of Cornwell's name (mis-spelled "Cornwall's" in the device). The other tied usage, ex Caspary and Boker, has the name in the oval.

Ex Abt and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 991, realized $9,000 hammer) (Image)

ONE OF FOUR RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS LOCAL POST STAMP AND THE ONLY STAMP KNOWN UNUSED. RARER THAN THE UNITED STATES ALEXANDRIA PROVISIONAL, THE BERMUDA PEROT PROVISIONAL, THE HAWAIIAN TWO-CENT MISSIONARY AND THE MAURITIUS POST OFFICE STAMPS.

Between the July 1845 commencement of William B. Stait's Eagle City Despatch Post and sometime before October 1, 1846, the post's advertised address was 85 Chestnut Street, which appears in the handstamped markings used during the first fifteen months. Beginning no later than October 1, 1846, the address changed to 80 Chestnut Street, where the allied Adams' office was located. The title was also changed to "Eagle City Post" at this point and was further shortened to "Eagle Post" (the title on this stamp) as early as March 1849. Beginning July 1850, the name change to Stait's Despatch is reflected in markings on covers. In September 1848 Stait expanded to a second office at 48 South 3rd Street (source: Gordon Stimmell, The Penny Post, Apr. 1991).

The 61L1 stamp is listed in Scott as the first Eagle City Post adhesive, but Scott's 1847 issue date is probably incorrect. The cogwheel stamp (61L2) is recorded used as early as October 1, 1846. Logically, the handstamped adhesive with the new 80 Chestnut Street address would have been issued before the printed stamps -- the presence of Stait's initials on two of the stamps indicates a sort of provisional issue. The shortened title ("Eagle Post") and absence of any reference to Adams' Express in the 61L1 stamp are more typical of the early 1849 period, but the abbreviated wording probably owes itself to space limitations in the marking. Curiously, both the handstamped adhesive and the printed stamp (61L2) show the misspelling "Chesnut".

Only four examples of 61L1 are recorded: 1) cut-square stamp initialled "WS", uncancelled, used on folded cover (reported 1847) to Emily S. Townsend, 101 Arch St., ex Caspary, Boker, 2) cut-square stamp, initialled "WS", on piece, ex Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1031, realized $8,000 hammer), 3) irregular margins, unused (no initials), the stamp offered here, Siegel Sale 797, lot 1899, realized $12,500 hammer, and 4) cut to shape (no initials), affixed to cover with Norristown Pa. datestamp, addressed to local street address, ex Needham, Gibson, Middendorf. The lower right portion of the stamp shows very faint small printed letters -- an "N" appears most clearly just below the "T" of "Street". There is also a small loop of manuscript in the same area.

With 1997 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $14,000.00 (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE HAMPTON 77L1 STAMP, OF WHICH ALL BUT ONE HAVE UNCANCELLED STAMPS. ONE OF THE GREAT LOCAL-POST RARITIES.

This cover is the third of seven 77L1 covers recorded. One other off-cover stamp is known.

Ex Gibson, Boker and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1149, realized $5,000 hammer). With 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $5,000.00 (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF NINE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF HOYT'S LETTER EXPRESS STAMP -- AMONG THE RAREST OF THE 1844 INDEPENDENT MAIL ISSUES.

According to research by Elliott Perry, David Hoyt was an agent of Pomeroy & Co. before and after he operated his short-lived letter express in July and August 1844. Hoyt's letter express was not connected to the railroad, but instead utilized Genesee Valley canal boats to bring mail between Rochester and Danville, New York. As advertised in the Rochester Advertiser (Jul. 27-Aug. 31, 1844), Hoyt's Letter Express made intermediate stops at Mt. Morris, Cuylerville, Geneseo, Spenser's Basin, Piffordina, Avon and Scottsville. Hoyt connected with Pomeroy's Letter Express and through Pomeroy's with Boyd's for local New York City delivery.

Only nine stamps are recorded, including four singles on covers, a pair on cover front, an uncancelled stamp and two stamps on pieces (one of which is offered here). Three of the single stamps (including one "Lettcr" error) are used on covers in conjunction with Pomeroy's Letter Express Blue stamp (one to New York City with a Boyd's datestamp). The fourth single on cover has a manuscript Pomeroy's marking. The pair, of which one stamp is the "Lettcr" error, is used on a cover-front in combination with a Pomeroy's pair and Boyd's datestamp. The uncancelled single was offered in the Caspary sale, as was the piece offered here. Another single on piece is shown in a photo from the Costales files.

Ex Caspary, Lilly and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1189, realized $14,500 hammer). With 1999 P.F. certificate (as genuine stamp, but declining opinion as to whether it originated on this piece) (Image)

VERY FINE. A SPECTACULAR INDEPENDENT MAIL COVER, SHOWING CONJUNCTIVE SERVICE BETWEEN POMEROY'S LETTER EXPRESS AND WELLS' LETTER EXPRESS. THIS IS THE FIRST EAST-TO-WEST POMEROY/WELLS USAGE WE HAVE SEEN.

This cover is being offered by The Western Reserve Historical Society. This is probably the first time the cover has been available in the market. (Image)