"189_" Dead Letter Office Return Seal, affixed to cover bearing 2¢ carmine (279B), tied by "New Bedford Mass. Apr. 28 1900" wavy flag machine cancel, manuscript "Insf. Address", sent to D.L.O., reverse with D.L.O. May 19 triangular backstamp, label with red manuscript "21 Sheriden St, Central Falls, R.I." redirection; reduced slightly at left, clean and Very Fine. Scott No. OXB6  Estimate $300 - 400. $0 (Image)

"Baltimore.", utility label with manuscript name and "3126" number on C.H. Mekeel corner card registered cover from St. Louis to Argentina bearing 5¢ Indigo, 10¢ brown (216, 209), latter faulty with minor improvement, tied by "St. Louis Mo." oval cancels, purple "Worlds Fair St. Louis 1892" handstamp partly under adhesive, blue "Registered, Nov 21 1889, St. Louis, Mo." three-line postmark, New York (11.23, 11.25) and Buenos Aires (1.13) arrival backstamps, a Very Fine use, Census No. BA-8. Scott Nos. FX-BA3; $3,500  Estimate $1,500 - 2,000. ONE OF ONLY 8 RECORDED BALTIMORE MD. REGISTRY LABEL USAGES, THIS BEING ONE OF TWO MANUSCRIPT EXAMPLES. $0 (Image)

"Cumberland Me. Mar. 16", printed precancel postmark with manuscript day on unsealed orange buff cover with part-printed address to Deer Isle Me. bearing 1¢ blue (63), light corner crease, well centered with deep rich color, cancelled by matching manuscript "X", prepaid for the 1¢ circular rate, manuscript "1863" dates the cover, includes a misdated March 10th 1860 circular announcing sale of Highway Surveyor's Books and other printed products, Very Fine, ex-James Lee; with clear 1985 P.F. certificate. Estimate  $2,000 - 3,000. Horace I. Gray was a "Card and Job Printer" located in Cumberland, Maine offering a variety of stationery merchandise. All of the known Cumberland precancels are on cover from only two firms, that of Gray himself and the Portland firm of Sanborn & Carter. It is suggested that Gray did the printing for Sanborn & Carter, together with the mailing, thus accounting for the Cumberland precancel on the Portland firm's mail. Five distinct types of the Cumberland precancel are known. Illustrated and discussed in Donald Evans, The United States 1¢ Franklin 1861-67, pg. 139, fig. 8-37. $0 (Image)

"Cypress Top Texas, April 6 /67", manuscript postmark on gray cover to the Land Agent at Galveston Tex. bearing 1¢ blue (63) and 2¢ black (73) cancelled by matching manuscript; stamp and cover faults, Fine. Estimate  $150 - 200. Cypress Top was a post office in Harris County that operated 1852-1905. $0 (Image)

"Eagle Pass Tx", registry label with manuscript name tying and number "565" on large piece of package front from Germany to Mexico bearing two 20pf ultra (32) singles and 50pf olive green (35) pair tied by four strikes of "Hamburg 7/9 88" cds, Hamburg registry label affixed, Very Fine and rare, Census No. EG-2. Scott No. FX-EG3; $3,500  Estimate $750 - 1,000. ONE OF ONLY SEVEN RECORDED EAGLE PASS REGISTRY LABELS, THIS BEING ONE OF ONLY TWO WITH MANUSCRIPT NAME. $0 (Image)

"Fence" Grid, three strikes of fancy cancel tie 1¢ blue (63) strip of three on orange buff cover to Springfield Oh., matching "Mason Ohio Jul 30" cds; right stamp with upper right faulty, otherwise Very Fine; with 2010 P.F. certificate. Skinner-Eno No. SD-G 84  Estimate $300 - 400. Skinner notes this fancy cancel as a stylized picket fence grid cancel, although the Philatelic Foundation declines to characterize them. $0 (Image)

"Forever" Flag within Shield, red white and blue patriotic design with Harbach & Brother imprint on cover to Philadelphia Pa. bearing 1¢ blue (63), s.e. at left, and 3¢ rose (65), torn, tied by bold "Philadelphia Pa. Jun 19 1862" cds to Manayunk in Philadelphia Pa., clear strike of "U.S. Penny Mail, E, Phila. Pa, Jun 19 5½PM" octagonal carrier datestamp; edge wear, Fine and interesting local use, ex-Bischel, Morris; with 2000 P.F. certificate. Estimate  $200 - 300. In 1854, Manayunk and other small towns then outside Philadelphia, but within Philadelphia County, were disbanded and merged into the City of Philadelphia. Nonetheless, Manayunk maintained, to the present, its small town character and separate identity. $0 (Image)

"Four Suits", of Galva Ill., bold strike of fancy cancel ties 3¢ ultramarine (114) on small piece; stamp with rounded corner and light corner creases, a Very Fine strike; with 1990 P.F. certificate. Scott Nos. 114. Skinner-Eno Nos. PH-H 73  Estimate $500 - 750. $0 (Image)

"Grizzly Bear House, Cal, Aug 1st, 1859" (Placer), manuscript postmark on 10¢ green (U16) entire to East Northport Me.; reduced slightly at right, cover tear top left, Fine. Estimate  $200 - 300. At this time Grizzly Bear House was a stage coach stop and not a formal post office. The post opened Nov. 1st 1858 and lasted until 1871, when the name changed to Butcher Ranch. Less than half a dozen covers are known from this location (see http://www.examiner.com/article/a-night-at-the-grizzly-bear-house). We have only offered one other cover also from this correspondence, see Sale 41, Lot 263. $0 (Image)

"Jeff Davis Getting to the White House", caricature patriotic design on cover to Downieville Cal. bearing 1¢ blue, dot-in-u, pl 9 (63 var.) pair and single, tied by grid cancels, matching "Sacramento Cal., Jun 5 1862" cds, original undated enclosed letter, the pair was placed over a 1¢ 1857 issue stamp; opened on two sides, reduced slightly at right, ex-Straley. Estimate  $750 - 1,000. $0 (Image)

"Key West", registry label with manuscript name, affixed on registered cover to Turkey bearing 5¢ dark blue (281), two singles, and 8¢ violet brown (272), cancelled by neat manuscript strokes, complete "Registered, Key West, Fla., Dec 13 1899" origin cds, New York (12.17) transit backstamp with New York registry label FX-NY1a(ii) affixed, Constantinople; couple minor flaws, Very Fine, Census No. KW-1. Scott No. FX-KW3; $3,000  Estimate $2,000 - 3,000. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE KEY WEST FLA. REGISTRY LABEL. It is noteworthy that this cover has the distinction of being mail in one century - but received in another without delays. This was the subject of an article in the American Philatelist December 1989 on p. 1148. $0 (Image)

"Paid 3" in Arc, neat strike of fancy cancel on 15¢ brown & blue, type II, bright colors, a Very Fine strike, scarce on the 15¢ value; with 1995 P.F. certificate. Skinner-Eno Nos. PM-PNc 7. Scott Nos. 119  Estimate $400 - 600. $0 (Image)

"Paid" Fancy Shield with Stars, clear strike ties 1¢ blue, F. grill (92), s.e. at right, on light buff locally addressed cover, "Dedham Mass Jan 4" cds, manuscript "Masonic" docketing notation at left, Very Fine, Pictured in Evans as fig. 11-4 on page 205., ex-Christian. Scott No. 92. Skinner-Eno No. PS-C 13  Estimate $300 - 400. $0 (Image)

"Paid" in Shield with Stars, bold strike of fancy cancel on 10¢ yellow (116), rich color, centered to bottom right; diagonal creases at top right and bottom left, a Very Fine strike of this desirable cancel; with 1996 P.F. certificate. Scott Nos. 116. Skinner-Eno Nos. PS-C 13  Estimate $400 - 600. $0 (Image)

"Per Overland Mail Stage, Via Placerville, in hope of the [railroad]", illustrated railroad propaganda design with Chorpenning Route designation and E. B. Davidson of Sacramento imprint on circa 1859 yellow cover bearing 10¢ green, type II (14), four full to large margins, neatly cancelled by three manuscript strokes, blurry "Little York Cal Oct 10" cds, addressed to Johnston R.I.; some trivial light stains, a Very Fine use, ex-Jessup, Pearce; with 2014 P.F. certificate. Estimate  $4,000 - 6,000. AN EXTREMELY RARE RAILROAD PROPAGANDA ENVELOPE PREPARED FOR THE "VIA PLACERVILLE" CHORPENNING ROUTE. This is an extremely rare use of the Chorpenning Route railroad propaganda envelope during the period when the route was operating. Another example (ex-Hall, Jarrett) realized $11,500 in 2009. This is the only example of this design we have seen bearing the imperforate 10¢ 1855 Issue. $0 (Image)

"Prarie Home, May 11th 1867" [Texas], manuscript postmark on gray cover to the Land Agent at Galveston Tex. bearing 1¢ blue (63) and 2¢ black (73), each cancelled by manuscript "X"; cover folds and some light aging, Fine. Estimate  $150 - 200. Prairie Home, Texas was a post office in Montgomery County, Texas that operated 1860-1871. $0 (Image)

"Rose Hill, Texas, March 23", manuscript postmark cancels 1¢ blue (63) and 2¢ black (73) on gray cover to the Land Agent at Galveston Texas; 1867 pencil docketing at left, stamp faults, F.-V.F. Estimate  $100 - 150. The Rose Hill post office operated 1852-1905 in Harris County, north of Houston. $0 (Image)

"San Diego Cal. June 16" (San Diego), manuscript postmark and matching "12½ paid" rating on folded cover to California Governor John McDougal in San Jose Cal., carried by northbound PMSS Oregon from San Diego departing Jun. 17th to San Francisco arriving Jun. 19th; part of lower flap trimmed, Very Fine, a scarce coastal steamer use between California towns, ex-Pearce, Myerson. Estimate  $300 - 400. $0 (Image)

"San Francisco (Model Post Office Sta.) Cal., Registered, Nov 30 1915", two strikes of purple backstamps on registered Department of Official Coins and Medals corner card cover to Sacramento Cal., bearing 2¢ carmine, 10¢ orange (402, 400A), each with "PPIECo" perfin, 10¢ nat. s.e. at right, tied by two strikes of "San Francisco Cal., Model Post Office" double-oval (SF15-05), magenta "Return Receipt Requested" straightline and matching "Registered No." framed handstamp with pencil "970", Sacramento (12.1) arrival backstamp, Very Fine. Bomar Nos. SF15-06  Estimate $400 - 600. $0 (Image)

"Shoo Fly", of Kittrell N.C., complete bold strike of fancy cancel on 3¢ ultramarine (114), also with part of red circular datestamp at bottom, small corner crease at top left, a Very Fine strike; with 1995 P.F. certificate. Scott Nos. 114. Skinner-Eno Nos. PA-Is 5  Estimate $3,000 - 4,000. A REMARKABLE CHOICE STRIKE OF THE KITTRELL N.C. "SHOO FLY" FANCY CANCEL. This cancel was apparently inspired by the children's song "Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me!" written by Thomas Brigham Bishop, who also wrote other famous patriotic songs. The words were later changed to "I belong to somebody" from "I belong to Company G", a reference to a black detachment commanded by Bishop. The song remained popular over the decades, and was commonly sung by soldiers during the Spanish-American War of 1898, when flies and the yellow fever mosquito were a serious enemy. $0 (Image)

"Shoo Fly", Toledo Oh. fancy cancel on 3¢ ultramarine (114), centered to top right, stamp with small flaws and small repairs, still a Very Fine of this scarce fancy cancel; with 1998 P.F. certificate. Skinner-Eno Nos. PA-Is 6. Scott Nos. 114  Estimate $1,000 - 1,500. $0 (Image)

"Smiths flat: 5 Juni 1859", dateline on folded letter with manuscript "Downieville" postmark addressed to Peter Moller and Christ Lind, North Fork of the Feather River, County of Plumas, Cal., interesting miner content…my cousin, Lorenz, arrived here three weeks ago, healthy and enthusiastic. But because he did not especially like our tunnel, he preferred to stay here in this area just temporarily for a month, since it might be a long time yet before we get an payment out of our claim, because we have to make 4300 more feet of new tunnel… I broke two ribs in my chest and my right arm was so badly hurt that I cound't move it for 8 days, and my head was so swollen almost double. But now I'm already pretty well back to normall and… Prospecting is not not good here in this region, as almost all rivers and creeks have been worked already, and since prospecting here is bound up with significant expenses at the banks, a person can sometimes buy into a claim here cheaply"; stained, some separations, Fine (no photo). Estimate  $200 - 300. $0

"Strayed" Caricature, patriotic design on cover bearing 3¢ dull red (26), bright color, tied by grid cancel to Ira, N.Y., manuscript "Yorktown, Ill, Aug 19" postmark at lower left; minor water stain, Fine. Walcott No. 972. Weiss No. C-A-H 38. Scott No. 26  Estimate $150 - 200. $0 (Image)

"Union" Double Star, strong clear strike ties 3¢ rose (65) on light buff cover to Gill, Mass., matching "West Hampton Mass. Jun 13, 1865" cds, light stain, Very Fine, ex-Beane. Skinner-Eno Nos. ST-C 14  Estimate $750 - 1,000. A CHOICE STRIKE OF THIS DESIRABLE PRO-UNION PATRIOTIC CANCEL FROM WEST HAMPTON MASS. $0 (Image)

Estimate $400 - 600. AN EXCELLENT COLLATERAL ITEM FOR THE POSTAL CARD COLLECTOR CONCERNING THE PRINTING OF UX7. This is the basis for the beginning of production for the UX7 card, referred to in the Essay Proof Journal #57 on page 4. $0 (Image)