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FINE. ONE OF SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE RICKETTS & HALL STAMP, OF WHICH THREE HAVE THE NAME AND ADDRESS AROUND THE PERIMETER CUT AWAY. ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER OF AMERICAN LOCAL-POST STAMPS.
Denwood N. Kelly provided an excellent overview of what little is known about Ricketts & Hall in his Collectors Club Philatelist series on Baltimore (Vol. 50, No. 6). Stephen Gronowski updated the census of known examples in The Penny Post (Apr. 1994) and Steven M. Roth included the three recorded covers in his February 1997 Baltimore survey (Chronicle 173). A review of our own records (including the Costales and Sloane notes and P.F. files) produced no additional examples or information.
The stamps and advertisements from The Sun (Feb. 10-11, 1857) give the address of Ricketts & Hall as 4 Rechabite Hall, the location of Cook's Dispatch three years earlier (considered by Kelly to be purely coincidental). Several candidates for the proprietors are found in city directories, but nothing is known that directly links any of them to the post. Kelly speculated that John Ricketts, a printer, and Robert Hall, a tailor, were the best choices, given their proximity to 4 Rechabite Hall. The post started in February 1857 (the year appears on the stamp) and probably did not exist more than a few months. The three recorded 127L1 stamps with the surrounding name and address cut away have led to speculation that the post was sold to a new owner, who removed his predecessor's imprint; this is not an unreasonable theory, but no evidence beyond the stamps has been found to support it. If this occurred, it would have to pre-date the May 15, 1857 cover which bears a stamp with the outer circle and label cut away.
The Gronowski census is current with only seven recorded examples, all but one cut to shape and three, including this example, with the outer name and address removed. See Siegel Sale 1063, lot 1787 for a census of known examples (Image)
Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com
FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF SPAULDING'S LETTER CARRIER HANDSTAMP AND THE ONLY STRIKE KNOWN IN RED.
The rate was changed from 1c to 2c on November 15, 1848. The 2c Letter Carrier handstamp was introduced in 1848, probably in proximity to this May 20th use. The other recorded example is in black on a May 3, 1849 folded letter.
Illustrated in Petri's CCP article (Vol. 32, No. 2). Ex Golden and Hahn (Image)
AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER -- ONE OF ONLY TWO SQUIER'S ROSE BROWN ROULETTED STAMPS USED ON COVER WITH ADDITIONAL UNITED STATES POSTAGE.
This cover was submitted to the P.F. in 2007 as 132L3, Brownish Purple, but certified as 132L2, Rose Brown with color faded. The Scott Catalogue calls the cover we sold in Sale 862 (lot 101) the unique Rose Brown used with No. 26 (see that sale description for information on the post and a census of covers). This is now the second example.
With 2007 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $11,500.00 (Image)