Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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The Wilson Born Collection of U.S. Telegraphs continued...

Los Angeles & San Gabriel, Marconi, Mercantile Telegraph Cos.

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

1071

Los Angleles & San Gabriel Valley Railroad, 1886, Grayish White (unlisted in Scott). Frank perforated on three sides, original gum, h.r., red manuscript "C5", back with pencil notation "$35.00 Deats", Fine, the only recorded example of this company's franking stamp, the 21-mile line of the railroad between Los Angeles and Duarte was started in 1883 and completed in 1887, the company was then sold to the Santa Fe Railroad, ex Kramer and illustrated in his book on page 61 (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $1,200.00
Will close during Public Auction

1072

Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co., 1913, Brown (unlisted in Scott). Complete pane of four with tab and three singles, pane original gum, singles disturbed or without gum, serial no. C68 on the pane, one of the singles without serial no. and defective, the others Very Fine, accompanied by a photo postcard of Guglielmo Marconi (Image)

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E. $ 300-400

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1073

Mercantile Telegraph Co., 1892, Blue on Lilac (unlisted in Scott). "J. H. Townsend, Prest." at bottom, used (very lightly), small faults

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE FRANK FOR THIS SHORT-LIVED TELEGRAPH COMPANY, THE PRIMARY BUSINESS OF WHICH WAS ILLEGAL BOOKMAKING FOR HORSE RACES. HEREINAFTER TO BE KNOWN AS THE TELEGRAPH "BOOKIE" STAMP.

The short-lived Mercantile Telegraph Co. was incorporated in 1892, had offices in St. Louis, Chicago and St. Paul and leased telegraph lines from other companies. Using Google Books, we located an 1892 appeal of a criminal complaint by the State of Missouri against J. H. Townsend, President of the Mercantile Telegraph Co., in which Townsend was accused of running an interstate bookmaking operation for horse races. F. N. Shaw, named on the stamp as the addressee for "ten word messages" was a co-conspirator. In fact, the complaint states that the telegraph office business consisted almost exclusively in taking money orders for bets on horses. Townsend was convicted, appealed and had his conviction affirmed. (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction