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EXTREMELY FINE. AN IMPORTANT LARGE MULTIPLE OF THE $1.00 PONY EXPRESS STAMP. POSITION R9 IS THE BROKEN LEG” LITHOGRAPHIC FLAW.
When Britton & Rey received Wells Fargo & Co.’s order for new stamps needed for the July 1861 rate change, they were apparently instructed to produce a new $1.00 value in Red and to print more $2.00 and $4.00 stamps in different colors. Since the printers still had the stones for the $2.00 and $4.00, it was a simple matter to make more impressions in Green ($2.00) and Black ($4.00). Their approach to the $1.00 Red, evident in the product itself, is more complicated.
Instead of 20 subjects, there were 40 subjects on the $1.00 stone, which suggests that the print order anticipated a much higher volume of usage. In fact, the average number of letters per eastbound trip jumped from 201 in Rate Period 3 (prior to the government contract) to 305 in the Rate Period 4 (as a government contractor). The total number of eastbound letters, documented at 10,057, indicates that at least an equal number of $1.00 stamps were printed, so doubling the size of the stone meant half the number of impressions (250 vs. 500 for a print run of 10,000). The process of creating the $1.00 printing stone is described on page 28 of this catalogue.
This sheet of 40--one of four recorded--contains the most distinctive plate flaw found on any Pony Express stamp: the Broken Leg” flaw, in which the horse’s front right leg is cut off where the background shading lines end.
The Broken Leg flaw occurs only on Position R9 (Group A Type V). The fact that it does not occur on the other three Type V positions (L9/11 and R11) indicates that it was not present on the Transfer Groups A or B. It may have occurred as the re-transfer of Group A/B was made on the printing stone, possibly due to a flaw in the transfer paper. It also could have resulted from damage to the printing stone, possibly during the erasure process to remove s” from Dollars”.
We have seen eight unused examples of the Broken Leg, including four in sheets, two in blocks, and two singles (most without gum). Only one used example is recorded, which proves the Broken Leg flaw was present when the stamps were actually used on Pony Express mail. One unresolved question is whether Position R9 exists without the flaw, which would prove that some sheets were printed before the flaw occurred on the printing stone.
Ex Hall. (Image)
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EXTREMELY FINE. ONLY NINE EXAMPLES OF THE BROKEN LEG” TRANSFER FLAW ARE KNOWN TO US (EIGHT UNUSED, ONE USED).
The most distinctive plate flaw found on any Pony Express stamp is the Broken Leg” flaw, in which the horse’s front right leg is cut off where the background shading lines end.
We have seen eight unused examples of the Broken Leg, including four in sheets, two in blocks, and two singles (all without gum). Only one used example is recorded, which proves the Broken Leg flaw was present when the stamps were actually used on Pony Express mail. One unresolved question is whether Position R9 exists without the flaw, which would prove that some sheets were printed before the flaw occurred on the printing stone.
Ex Schwartz and D.K. Collection. (Image)
FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED USED EXAMPLE OF THE BROKEN LEG” FLAW, WHICH PROVES IT WAS PRESENT IN SHEETS USED DURING THE OPERATION OF THE PONY EXPRESS.
This stamp is the first and still the only recorded used example of the Broken Leg” flaw. No used examples were known at the time the Trepel book on the 1861 Pony Express stamps was published. This stamp proves that the sheets containing the error were actually sold and used at the time the Pony Express was running (as opposed to coming from unused remainders). Only eight unused examples are recorded. (Image)
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST USED EXAMPLES OF THE $1.00 HORSE & RIDER ISSUE EXTANT.
Although the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue places all of the Pony Express stamps among its listings of private issues, the July-August 1861 issues ($1.00 Red, $2.00 Green, $4.00 Black, $1.00 Garter and Type II envelope) were in fact issued by Wells Fargo & Co. to meet the requirements of the Post Office Order of March 12, 1861, which authorized the contractor to operate a Pony Express semi-weekly at a Schedule time of ten days eight months of the year and twelve days four months of the year...” Therefore, the July-August 1861 issues have as much official status as any stamp issued for use on government contract mail. (Image)
EXTREMELY FINE. AN IMPORTANT RECONSTRUCTION OF THE $2.00 GREEN HORSE & RIDER PONY EXPRESS SHEET, INCLUDING THREE BLOCKS OF FOUR AND A BLOCK OF SIX.
The $2.00 and $4.00 were printed in sheets of 20. Rather than build up the printing stone from intermediate transfer groups or from a Primary Matrix containing the denomination, the printers used a blank matrix to enter each subject on the stone for each value. This required a total of 40 transfers (20 for each value). The denomination (shaded numerals 2” and 4”) then had to be individually transferred to each subject on both stones, thus requiring another 40 separate transfers. It seems incredible that experienced lithographers such as Britton & Rey did not simplify the process by using intermediate transfers.
Based on the fact that the $2.00 Green and $4.00 Black of the July 1861 issue were printed from the same stones as the April 1861 issue, it is certain that the printers had retained the two original stones. Lithographic stones were usually re-used by erasing the image and repolishing the surface, but in the case of the Pony Express stones, they were preserved for future printings.
EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. A SCARCE MULTIPLE OF THE $2.00 GREEN HORSE & RIDER SECOND ISSUE.
With 1999 P.F. certificate. (Image)
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. FEWER THAN TEN USED EXAMPLES OF THE $2.00 HORSE & RIDER SECOND ISSUE ARE REPORTED.
The $2.00 Green Second Issue is extremely scarce in used condition. Only two covers are recorded, and we have seen approximately eight genuinely cancelled stamps off cover.
With 1996 P.F. certificate. (Image)
EXTREMELY FINE. AN IMPORTANT RECONSTRUCTION OF THE $4.00 BLACK HORSE & RIDER PONY EXPRESS SHEET, INCLUDING TWO BLOCKS OF FOUR.
Ex Hall (Image)
EXTREMELY FINE. A GORGEOUS BLOCK OF SIX OF THE $4.00 BLACK PONY EXPRESS ISSUE.
With 1997 P.F. certificate (Image)