UNITED STATES LOCALS continued...

VERY FINE STAMP AND AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER. PROBABLY NO MORE THAN A HALF-DOZEN EXAMPLES OF THE ADAMS 2-CENT ON BUFF EXIST. THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE THE ONLY CANCELLED STAMP ON COVER.

We have located four or five covers bearing the Adams 2L2 stamp, of which only this example is cancelled.

Ex German Sale and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 436, realized $9,000 hammer). With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE. A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS EXTREMELY RARE STAMP.

A survey of auction catalogues produced no more than a half-dozen examples of this stamp, including four or five covers bearing uncancelled stamps. We could locate no other original-gum copy of 2L2.

Illustrated in Patton book (p. 7). Ex Lilly and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 435, realized $4,500 hammer). With 1998 P.F. certificate. (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL LOCAL POST STAMPS -- FIVE GENUINE EXAMPLES ARE REPORTED TO EXIST.

Researchers have argued over the origins of this post, but the best evidence available indicates that it was run briefly in 1856 as American Express Co. (no relation to the well-known firm by the name name) by proprietors Smith and Dobson, and was changed to Smith's City Express Post after Dobson departed. Several excellent forgeries of this stamp exist (the example in the Golden sale is evidently one of the forgeries). An article by William W. Sammis (Penny Post, April 2005) reports a fifth genuine copy of 4L1.

Ex Ferrary and Schwartz (Siegel Sale 824, lot 380, realized $8,000 hammer) (Image)