UNITED STATES LOCALS continued...

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE ONLY TIED EXAMPLE AMONG THE SEVEN RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RARE HILL'S POST STAMP OF BOSTON.

Hill's Post was operated by Oliver B. Hill. Our records contain seven covers bearing Hill's Post stamp. These are listed here in chronological order (dates refer to Boston circular datestamp): 1) Sep. 5 (1849), uncancelled, to Rev. R. G. Dennis, Grafton Mass., Sloane's records, 2) Sep. 28 (1849), octagonal margins, pen cancelled, to Edson Hill, Manchester N.H., with endorsement initialled "OBH", the cover offered in lot 1177, 3) Oct. 18 (1849), uncancelled, to Samuel Davis Jr. & Co., Cincinnati, ex Chapman, Caspary, Boker and Lilly, 4) Oct. 18 (1849), uncancelled, same sender as last, to Oglesby, Barnetz & Co., Middletown O., ex Ackerman, Emerson, Knapp, Schenck and Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot 665, realized $3,250 hammer), 5) Dec. 15 (1849), stamp tied by datestamp, to Seth Paddleford & Co., Providence R.I., the cover offered here, ex Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1176, realized $6,750 hammer), 6) Jan. 31 (1850), uncancelled, to Seth Paddleford & Co., Providence R.I., same correspondence as last, Costales files, and 7) unknown date and correspondence (first name is William), part photo in auction catalogue clipping, Costales file.

The Hill's Post stamp was left uncancelled, with one exception (number 2 above), and it is pure serendipity that the red Boston datestamp ties the corner of the 81L1 adhesive to this cover.

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

EXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST OF THE FOUR RECORDED HOMAN'S EMPIRE EXPRESS 83L1-TYPE STAMPS. THIS IS THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF 83L1a, THE "1" FOR "I" IN "PAID" VARIETY.

Only four of the five recorded Homan's Empire Express adhesives belong to the 83L1 family. Of these four, two are normal "Paid" varieties, one is a sans-serif "Paid", and this fourth stamp is the unique 83L1a variety. Typeset stamps are by nature more prone to variation. Typesetters composing a sheet of stamps were sometimes forced to sacrifice uniformity to complete the setting. Fonts or border pieces were interchanged. Even individual characters were used incorrectly, if misread by the typesetter or deliberately substituted for used-up type. Stamps such as the Honour's "Conours" and "Bents" (4LB8c), Davis's "Pennq" Post (57L1a), Moody's "Henny Dispatch" (110L1b) and Hoyts "Lettcr" (85L1) are a few prominent examples of typographical errors among the carrier and local issues.

Signed Costales. Ex Lilly and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1180, realized $7,500 hammer). With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE. PROBABLY FEWER THAN FOUR OR FIVE COVERS EXIST WITH THE HOPEDALE PENNY POST CIRCULAR STAMP ON YELLOW. A MAJOR LOCAL-POST RARITY.

Ex Hollowbush and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1187, realized $2,200 hammer). Unpriced in Scott as on cover. (Image)

THE ONLY RECORDED MULTIPLE OF ANY HOPEDALE PENNY POST STAMP -- A GREAT PHILATELIC RARITY.

Only a few examples of the circular stamp on Pink (84L4) are known -- this being the only recorded multiple of this or any Hopedale Penny Post issue.

Ex Boker and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1188, realized $4,250 hammer). (Image)