The Elliott H. Coulter Collection of The United States 1869 Pictorial Issue continued...

VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 2-CENT 1869 BISECT USED ON TAX NOTICES FROM LURAY, VIRGINIA. THE OTHER, BEARING THE MATCHING HALF OF THIS STAMP, IS PERMANENTLY ENSCONCED IN THE MILLER COLLECTION AT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY.

The Luray 1869 bisects were used on tax notices prepared by Frank J. Bramhall, the Assistant Assessor of the U.S. Internal Revenue office at Luray, Virginia. The notices were to be brought before him, completed and signed by the addressee. This notice to Samuel Miller in Luray was mailed on March 26, 1870, and filed with Bramhall on April 4. The Luray notices and small pieces thereof exist with two different rates: 1c for local addressees and 2c for those outside Luray. Only two notices have 2c 1869 bisects -- two halves of the same stamp (the one offered here and the other in the Miller collection) -- each paying the 1c local rate. The others have 3c 1869 stamps cut into one-third (1c), two-thirds (2c) or two one-thirds of different stamps joined along the perfs (2c), depending on the rate.

Ex Wunsch (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT 1869 VERTICAL BISECT. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS FROM EAST CLARENDON, VERMONT, BEARING MATCHING HALVES OF THE SAME STAMP. THESE ARE THE ONLY AVAILABLE MATCHING 1869 BISECTS AND THE ONLY 1869 BISECTS KNOWN ON POSTAL STATIONERY OF ANY KIND.

The mate to this cover, dated March 17, was sold in our Sale 869 (lot 3108). It has the right vertical half of the same stamp (see digital reconstruction). Based on the 33 2c 1869 bisect covers listed in the Rose census (United States Postage Stamps of 1869) and the Luray bisect in the Miller collection at The New York Public Library (omitted in the Rose census), these two covers are a) the only 2c 1869 bisects from East Clarendon, a tiny post office in Vermont, b) the only matching bisects of the 1869 Issue available to the public, and c) the only 1869 bisects known on postal stationery. The Luray bisect in this sale (previous lot 82) and the bisect in the Miller collection are matching halves of the same stamp, but for obvious reasons they cannot be reunited.

Ex Seybold (realized $52.00 in 1910 sale!). With 1981 P.F. certificate

EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED BISECTED USE OF THE 6-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE, THE ONLY UNIQUE BISECT IN CLASSIC UNITED STATES PHILATELY AND ONE OF THE GREAT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE COVERS.

Illustrated in color in 1869 PRA Census (p. 128) where described as "the only known genuine example" of a 6c 1869 bisect. With 1954 and 1978 P.F. certificates. Listed in Scott on the basis of this cover, but unpriced. (Image)