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UNITED STATES LOCALS continued...

Swarts' City Dispatch Post
Lot Sym. Lot Description
1686° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Black on Light Green Glazed (136L1). Stone 1, large even margins, intense jet-black impression on beautiful rich green paper, cancelled by clear strike of red "Paid" straightline (small version without line beneath), used with 5c Red Brown (1), large to huge margins, rich color, both stamps tied by red square grid, matching "New-York Jun. 12" (1849) circular datestamp, red "Post Office, Swarts, Chatham Square" oval handstamp on fresh folded cover to Burlington N.J., sender's notation "Paid", Swarts' red oval promotional backstamp "Letters for New York City, Direct To Chatham Square Post Office", immaculate condition

EXTREMELY FINE. A COLORFUL AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE COMBINATION OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE AND SWARTS' CITY DISPATCH STAMP ON GREEN GLAZED PAPER. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 1847 ISSUE AND LOCAL POST COMBINATION COVERS WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.

Aaron Swarts was employed by the Post Office Department at Chatham Square in 1845 and 1846. On January 5, 1847, the Chatham Square branch was discontinued, leaving area residents and businesses without a convenient nearby post office. Swarts saw his opportunity and on January 15 announced the opening of his local post at 6 Chatham Square, advertising it as the Branch Post Office, although there was no official connection at all to the government post office. Swarts' City Dispatch Post was one of the most successful of the many private posts in New York City in the 1840's and 1850's. (source: Perry, The Chatham Square Post Office).

No later than January 15, 1849, Swarts bought another major local post operated by John Bouton. The exact date of the buyout is unknown, but there is one cover dated January 15, 1849, with Swarts' "Paid" cancel applied to Bouton's stamp (ex Hall, Siegel Sale 830, lot 762), followed by another dated January 29, 1849, with the "Swarts" overprint on Bouton's stamp (Hall sale, lot 763). Therefore, the change in ownership certainly occurred days, if not weeks, prior to January 15, 1849.

After using up the Swarts-overprinted Bouton stamps between January and April 1849, Swarts adopted the Zachary Taylor "Rough and Ready" design used by Bouton, which was originally inspired by Taylor's successful 1848 presidential campaign. The early impressions from Swarts' first lithographic stone (Stone 1) are very sharp, as this example demonstrates. Later Stone 1 printings are less clear, and Stone 2 printings can be differentiated from Stone 1 by the presence of the "horn" (line of color) to the left of Taylor's forehead. The first printing was made from Stone 1 in Black on Green surface-coated paper (136L1) and in Black on Bluish Gray paper without surface coating (136L7). Covers with either 136L1 or 136L7 are scarce, and only some of them can be reliably year-dated (in particular, covers from the Pierpont Mallory & Co. correspondence). The early Bluish Gray 136L7 covers are clustered between July 23 and August 30, 1849. One Green 136L1 is known tied on a folded letter dated May 16 (ex Hall, Siegel Sale 830, lot 766), but there is no year date, it is more likely 1849 than 1850, based on the stamp's sharp early impression and Swarts markings. Three Green 136L1 and 5c 1847 combination covers are dated June 8 (1849 folded letter), June 12 (1849 folded letter) and again on June 12 (the cover offered here, without year-dated content). These are followed by a September 25, 1849, year-dated letter with 136L1 and a few later or undated usages. It is likely that the earliest printing from Stone 1 was made on Green surface-coated paper, represented by the stamps on the May/June 1849 covers.

Two of the 136L1 and 1847 combination covers are addressed to Sarah Platt in New London, Connecticut. Ashbrook, in his Special Service, claimed that the June 8 cover to Platt had stamps that did not originate, but he was unaware of the June 12 cover to Platt (ex Baker). All three of the 136L1 and 1847 combination covers were written up by Jerome S. Wagshal (Chronicle No. 169, February 1996), who corrected the misidentification of the Swarts stamps (accurately identifying them as 136L1, Stone 1) and raised doubt about Ashbrook's analysis.

Ex Emerson (Kelleher sale, Oct. 19, 1937, realized $345) and Brigham. (Image)

E. 15,000-20,000

SOLD for $40,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
1687° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Black on Light Green Glazed (136L1). Stone 1, large margins, tied by red "Paid" handstamp (with line beneath), used with 3c Orange Brown (10), ample margins to slightly in, rich color, tied by "New York & Phil. R.R. Mar. 28" (ca. 1852) route agent's circular datestamp on blue folded cover to Philadelphia, horizontal filing crease thru both stamps has been pressed out, Very Fine appearance, the Swarts stamp is tied and the filing crease affects both stamps, March 1852 usage is a late use of the Green 136L1, this is the unique basis of the Scott listing, ex Piller (Image) 450.00

SOLD for $500.00
Will close during Public Auction
1688° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Black on Blue Gray Wove (136L7). Stone 1, full to large margins, tied by red "Paid" handstamp, matching "Post Office, Swarts, Chatham Square" oval handstamp on cover to local street address, a bit age toned, Fine (Image) 400.00

SOLD for $300.00
Will close during Public Auction
1689° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Blue on Wove (136L8). Stone 2, two, each with ample margins (one has minute tear at right) and tied by red "Paid" cancel at opposite ends of 8-1/4 x 5-1/2 in. bronze decorative Valentine cover addressed in blue to Grandville Mich., vivid red "New-York 10 cts. 17 Feb." integral-rate circular datestamp, with original Valentine enclosure, lace with red heart paste-on and handwritten poem (matches address), a light toning band across and some greenish discoloration in bronze ink at bottom

EXTREMELY FINE. AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING VALENTINE COVER BEARING TWO SCARCE BLUE SWARTS "ROUGH AND READY" STAMPS. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED DOUBLE FRANKING OF THE BLUE STAMP AND, IN OUR OPINION, THE MOST OUTSTANDING SWARTS VALENTINE USAGE.

This marvelous cover qualified for the 1967 Rarities of the World sale, where it realized $650. (Image)

E. 4,000-5,000

SOLD for $3,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
1690° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Blue on Wove (136L8). Stone 2, full to large margins, bright color, tied by Swarts' red "Paid" handstamp, red "New-York 5 cts. 12 Dec." integral-rate circular datestamp on blue folded cover to British Consul in Philadelphia, undated but probably 1850 usage, lightly cleaned, Very Fine, often overlooked by collectors is the rarity of the Blue "Rough and Ready" stamp in choice condition -- please refer to Caspary, Middendorf, Golden and Hall sales for an enlightening look at how few covers exist (Image) 650.00

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction
1691° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Pink on Wove (136L3). Large to huge margins, tied by circle of wedges cancel, red "New-York Paid 3 Cts. Jun. 7" integral-rate circular datestamp on brown cover to Boston, Extremely Fine (Image) 350.00

SOLD for $550.00
Will close during Public Auction
1692° C imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Red on Wove (136L4). Large margins except touched at top, used with 3c Brownish Carmine (11), ample margins to just touched, tied together by "New-York Nov. 4" circular datestamp on small cover to Ovid N.Y., 2c additionally tied by indistinct star in circle, Very Fine and charming combination, ex Perry, dos Passos and Piller (Image) E. 250-350

SOLD for $600.00
Will close during Public Auction
1693° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Red on Wove (136L4). Stone 2, ample to large margins, tied by two strikes of "Paid" cancel, "Swarts B. Post Office N.Y. Chatham Square" oval handstamp on Jun. 18, 1852 folded letter to local street address, ms. "12-1/2 O'clock June 18/52" notation possibly applied by Swarts, Very Fine (Image) 275.00

SOLD for $375.00
Will close during Public Auction
1694° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Red on Wove (136L4). Stone 2, large margins, beautiful deep shade, tied by red Calais Jul. 24, 1850 transit datestamp on blue folded letter to Monheim, Bavaria, Germany, red "Colonies/& Art. 13" framed accountancy handstamp, "22 JY 1850/Liverpool/Ship" framed backstamp, "Wurzburg Auslage" transit, various rate markings, minor bleached spots, otherwise Very Fine, rare use of Swarts stamp on foreign-bound mail, with 1995 Richter certificate (Image) E. 500-750

SOLD for $1,200.00
Will close during Public Auction
1695° ogbl imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (2c) Red on Wove (136L4). Block of fourteen with interpanneau margin at left, original gum, large margins, bright color, light creases, appears Very Fine, attractive multiple (Image) 290.00

SOLD for $225.00
Will close during Public Auction
1696° c imageSwarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., (1c) Red (136L9). Mostly large margins, circular cork cancel, tied by "N. York Br. Pkt. 23 Apr. 29" debit datestamp on cover to Frankfurt, Germany, appropriate transit and rate markings, waterstain at bottom right, stamp has slight corner crease, otherwise Fine, scarce transatlantic usage (Image) E. 300-400

SOLD for $300.00
Will close during Public Auction

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