The Curtis Collection: U.S. Officials continued...

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VERY FINE. AN INCREDIBLY RARE 12-CENT NAVY DEPARTMENT USE, BEING ONE OF ONLY FIVE RECORDED. THIS IS ONE OF TWO SOLO FRANKINGS KNOWN. AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF OFFICIAL POSTAL HISTORY.

Unlisted in the Campbell census (Chronicle 193, February 2002) which only lists two examples known. No. 51 (used with 3c) in his census is ex Lockyear and Hughes, No. 56 (used with 30c) is ex Starnes (Siegel Sale 945, realized $37,500 hammer), and the other unlisted cover (also used with 30c) is the newly-discovered Commodore Caldwell cover (Siegel Sale 1048, realized $15,000 hammer). We have reports that one other solo use is in private hands.

According to the Stanford Archives, the recipient of this package was Rear Admiral Andrew Allen Harwood (1802-1884), who was a great grandson of Benjamin Franklin. He began his career in the Navy as Midshipman on the USS Saranac in 1818 and ultimately retired in 1874 as Rear Admiral.

With 2013 P.F. certificate (Image)

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ONE OF THREE RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE 24-CENT NAVY DEPARTMENT STAMP, INCLUDING TWO TO URUGUAY. THIS COVER FROM THE COMMODORE CALDWELL CORRESPONDENCE IS ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING OFFICIAL COVERS EXTANT.

In an article on Navy Department covers, Alan C. Campbell wrote: "Despite the obvious need for regular communication with station squadrons in foreign waters, little foreign mail from the Navy Department has survived. I record only six covers, of which three were in the Starnes collection stolen in 1983 and may have been lost to philately forever. These were the celebrated pair to Commodore Caldwell (24c to Uruguay, 12c, 30c combination to Brazil) and a 2c, 3c combination on an 1875 cover to Italy." ("Usages of Navy Department Stamps", Alan C. Campbell, Chronicle 193, Feb. 2002, pp. 44-58). This cover was also listed as No. 20 in Campbell's census of high-value Official stamps on cover (Chronicle 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299). Campbell's article was published before the recovery of the Starnes collection and the emergence of other covers from the Caldwell correspondence.

Commodore Charles H. B. Caldwell was the commander of the U.S. Navy's South Atlantic Station (the flagship was the U.S.S. Richmond). As a lieutenant during the Civil War, commanding the U.S.S. Itasca, Caldwell captured the Confederate schooner Lizzie Weston off Florida en route to Jamaica with a cargo of cotton. The following year, the Union Mortar Flotilla under his command opened the bombardment of the Confederate works at Port Hudson, Louisiana.

At the time of mailing, Uruguay was not a U.P.U. member. There were two rates to Uruguay: 23c by U.S. Packet via Brazil and 27c by British mail (effective 7/1/1875 to 7/1/1880). The April 1877 U.S. Postal Guide only lists the 27c rate with a note that U.S. Packet service was infrequent and unreliable. The 27c rate via G.B. included 5c for the U.S. and a 22c credit to G.B. for carrying the letter to Uruguay (the credit is expressed in centimes, as per the U.P.U. regulations). Although underpaid 3c for the 27c rate, this Navy Department cover was treated as fully prepaid.

Ex Starnes (Image)

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