United States of America continued...

12c black with 3c dull red vertical pair, uprating 3c Nesbitt entire to Madrid, Spain, cancelled with neatly-struck PAID straight-lines, clear "Brunswick Me / Jul / 16 / 1860" c.d.s. also overstruck PAID, adjacent "New York Am. Pkt / Jul / 21" c.d.s. in red, endorsed "via London / Am Packet" and "By Ocean Steamers / to the care of the American Minister" in manuscript, blue Spanish "8Rs" due marking, London (2 Aug) transit and Madrid (5 Aug) c.d.s. arrival backstamps, refolded along top, just clear of perforations, a beautiful example of the 21-cent American Packet rate to Spain, with 2001 and 2023 Philatelic Foundation certificates; ex Piller, Sevenoaks. 

Get Market Data for [United States 26, 36] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

12c black and 10c green, Type III, tied to cover to Wurttemberg by "Indianapolis Ind / Jul / 19 / 1858" c.d.s., paying the 22c rate to Germany by Hamburg Packet via Bremen, red "N. York 8 U.S. Pkt Paid / Aug / 7" exchange datestamp, blue "America / Uber Bremen / Franco" three-line transit, further endorsed "via Bremen" in manuscript at top, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and further indistinct German c.d.s. backstamps, tears to back flap and some light cover stains, a fine usage; ex Ishikawa.

Get Market Data for [United States 33, 36] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

24c brown lilac, in conjunction with 1c blue, two 3c rose, and 10c yellow green vertical pair, all tied by black circle of wedges fancy cancel to folded cover to Genova, Italy, multiple script due markings, red "N. York Am Pkt Paid / May / 28" c.d.s. transit on front, London (9 Dec) and Genoa (12 Dec) backstamps, hinge remnants on reverse, light transit wear to front, a charming franking; with 2004 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States 63, 65, 68, 70] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

3c lake, imperforate on stamp paper, trial color block of eight, large even margins all around, showing complete "Engraved by the National Bank Note Company City of New York / No. 52 Plate" inscription in lower margin, never hinged, natural vertical paper crease through two stamps, a fresh and rare inscription proof block; with 2023 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States 65TC6a] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

12c black vertical pair, with 3c ultramarine horizontal pair, postmarked with black grid cancellations, "Wellesborough Pa / Jul / 26" double-circle c.d.s., to Paris, France, red "New York Paid 6 / Jul / 27" credit datestamp and boxed "P.P.", blue "Cherbourg" 1869 c.d.s. ties 12c pair, filing fold just clear of adhesives, a fine and desirable double-rate cover.

Get Market Data for [United States 69, 114] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

24c brown lilac vertical pair and 5c brown, tied to cover to Shanghai, China, with circular black grid cancels, faint red "N.York Br. Pkt Paid / SP 29" c.d.s., red "32" manuscript and "1d" red handstamped credit markings, red "London / Paid" split-ring transit, endorsed "via Marseilles" in red, partial "Hong Kong / NO 17 / 63" transit and "Shanghai / NO 24" c.d.s. backstamps, back flap mostly removed, trivial edge wrinkles, a lovely franking to a sought-after destination; signed Jakubek BPP, with his 1987 certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States 70a, 76] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

30c orange on folded cover, two singles, tied by red circular grid cancels and NEW YORK PAID c.d.s. (17 Jan), to Lyon, France, endorsed “Steamship New York”, red French entry c.d.s. on front, Paris (31 Jan) and Lyon (1 Feb) backstamps, wrinkling and filing folds, yet an uncommon quadruple rate cover from the Payen correspondence, signed A. Diena.

Get Market Data for [United States 71] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

1c blue, F Grill, tied to locally-addressed cover by ornate “Hinman & Titus / Dealers in / Groceries / and / Provisions / Moravia, N.Y. / Return if not called for in 10 days” commercial handstamp, a fresh and most unusual illustration of the 1c circular rate, very fine; ex Ishikawa.

Get Market Data for [United States 92] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

2c brown, block of ten, pair, and single, cancelled in manuscript, the single and pair tied by double-circle "Hiogo / Japan" c.d.s. to cover to Siegen, Rheinish Prussia, endorsed "via S. Francisco", where the block was cancelled with Nov 18 c.d.s., red "New York Paid All / Br. Transit / Nov 26" c.d.s., German c.d.s. receiver (8 Dec) on reverse, cover opened for display, one adhesive creased from being affixed over bottom edge, some edge flaws, but a remarkable and rare franking; with 1997 Philatelic Foundation certificate.
This cover, being undated, leaves the rate open to some conjecture. If sent in 1869, it is a 1c overpayment of the  25c rate, being 10c per 1/2oz from the United States to Prussia via New York, and 15c for Prussian closed mail via England. If sent in 1870, it is a six cent overpayment of the 10c transpacific and 10c transatlantic rate. If the latter, one would assume the sender would have simply used the block of ten, unless the earlier rate was still in mind.

Get Market Data for [United States 113] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

1c blue green to $5.00 dark green, tied to 2c Washington entire by oval "New York USA / Foreign / 9-23 / 1904" c.d.s., registered to Lucerne, Switzerland, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp, two adhesion remnants on reverse, stamps chiefly fine, a rare and colourful franking.

Get Market Data for [United States 300-313] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

1c-10c "Kans." Overprints, set of eleven, tied to Nickels first day cover by "Washington D.C. / May 1 / 5 PM / 1929" duplex, fresh and very fine. 

Get Market Data for [United States 658-68] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

65c - $2.60 Graf Zeppelin, set of three on 2c Sesquicentennial Exhibition entire, tied by "Washington D.C. / Apr 19 / 5PM / 1930" duplex, dual United States and Germany flight cachets, with small circular "This Article Made the Complete Round Trip / Via Graf Zeppelin" handstamp, with Friedrichshafen (6.6.30) and New York (Jun 8) backstamps, light uniform toning, a rare flown Graf Zeppelin first day cover; with 1996 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States C13-15] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Italo Balbo Return Flight Cover, 1933, $1.00 violet black, three singles, with 10c orange and 50c lilac, tied to cover from New York City to Rome, Italy, struck with partial New York City Hall duplex,  purple United States "Italian Air Cruise / New York – Roma" and blue Italian "crociera Aerea del Decennale / Italia – Nord Amerika" handstamped flight cachets, manuscript "By Italian Air Cruise / to / Europe", Rome c.d.s. arrival backstamps, to Paris, France, crossed-out and forwarded to Interlaken, Switzerland, with indistinct c.d.s. arrival backstamp (17.VIII.33), light soiling in places, a fine and scarce flight cover; ex Ainsworth.(AAMC "1184f)

2c-$2.00, Offices in China, tied to registered cover by "U.S. Pos. Service Shanghai China / Mar 7 / 11AM / 1922" duplex, printed address of New York crossed-out and re-addressed Shanghai, filing folds clear of adhesives, adhesives chiefly fine-very fine, a scarce franking of the complete set of Shanghai overprints; with 1984 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States K1-16] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

13c blue, "H.I. & U.S. Postage," 1852, large margins all around, showing trace of "kiss print" of upper letters, fresh and bright appearance, tied to folded letter by crisp red "Honolulu / US Postage Paid  / Jul / 24" c.d.s., black "PAID" handstamp alongside, postmarked with ideal San Francisco c.d.s. (1 Sep) in black, adjacent circular "8" in black from San Francisco, from Maria Whitney Pogue, with extensive letter datelined at Lahainaluna, to Miss Fidelia Fiske in "Ooromiah" (Oroomiah), Persia, endorsed in manuscript at lower left "care of H. Hill Esq., 33 Pemberton Sq., Boston Mass", an astounding and sound entire, the finer of two recorded Missionary covers to Persia, and the unique example with only a Hawaiian franking, a rarity of the utmost quality, with 1995 Philatelic Foundation certificate; ex Champion, Lichtenstein, Ostheimer III, Honolulu Advertiser.
 
The first issues of Hawaii are known as the Missionary stamps. Printed by letterpress at the Government Printing Office, the first three stamps made available on 1 October, 1851 in Honolulu and Lahaina. The design and production was overseen by Henry Whitney,  Honolulu’s first postmaster, and brother of the sender of the letter offered here.  An exceptional overview of the production and history of the Hawaiian Missionary stamps by Fred Gregory may be found at Post Office in Paradise (www.hawaiianstamps.com)
 
The 13c adhesive paid the Hawaiian and United States postage, as well as the 2c ship’s fee. The crossed-out endorsement “care of H. Hill…”, indicates that once received in Boston, the cover was conveyed to Oroomiah privately. Both the sender, Maria Whitney Pogue, and recipient, Fidelia Fiske, are well-known. Pogue was born on 19 October, 1820, at Waimea, Kauai, and her passing in May, 1900, was recorded by the Aloha Aina newspaper, noting “This morning Mrs. Maria Whitney Pogue, the first haole [non-native] girl to be born in the Hawaiian archipelago, died after a long illness. She was eighty years old. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Whitney, missionaries who arrived first with other missionaries for the islands.” Her brother, Henry Martyn Whitney, served as Hawaii’s first Postmaster, and was a prominent figure in both Hawaiian publishing and politics.  Like her correspondent Fiske, Whitney would be educated in the United States at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, among the most prominent institutions at the time for educating women missionaries. While Whitney would return to Hawaii to continue the missionary work of her family, Fiske, while maintaining a life-long connection to Mount Holyoke, would find her calling further afield. Fiske is remembered today for her extensive work among the Nestorian (Christian Assyrian) community of present-day Umria, Iran. The Assyrian Church, desiring encourage the education of girls in the region, called upon Fiske to lead this project, which she did, as a teacher and principal at the Urmia Seminary, later renamed in her honour. 
Extensive collections of Fiske’s correspondence are today held in several institutional collections. Of note, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum holds in its collection Fiske’s document box, which they note “was likely used in her travels, and contained letters and writing materials.”
An exceptional piece of Hawaiian history.
 
 
 
 
 

Get Market Data for [United States Possessions (Hawaii) 4] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

6c carmine, 1874, two singles, with single Hawaii 2c rose vermilion, 5c blue, and 6c arranged, arranged in overlapping fashion and tied together on cover from Honolulu, Hawaii, to East Hatley, Quebec, Canada, postmarked with Hawaii double-circle "G.P.O. Honolulu / Sep / 21 / Paid All" and violet "San Francisco Cal / Oct / 17 / Paid All" c.d.s., reverse with Montreal transit (24 Oct) and Hatley split-ring receiver, cover reduced at left, a few small wormholes including through 6c, and light overall soiling, but a rare and most likely unique franking, signed Ashbrook; ex Ainsworth.  Ashbrook surmises that this is an overpaid, double rate letter, the 2c, 5c, and 6c Hawaiian adhesives overpaying the double rate to the United States by 1c, the two 6c carmine paying the correct double rate to Canada.

Get Market Data for [United States Possessions (Hawaii) 148] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Baltimore, Maryland, 1c blue on bluish paper, good impression, margins touching on three sides, cancelled with manuscript "x" and tied to cover by circular blue "1", postmarked with "Baltimore Md / Aug / 1" c.d.s. with enclosed letter, a scarce usage; with 2023 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

Get Market Data for [United States 1LB2] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Baltimore, Maryland, 1c red, ample to large margins all around, tied by blue "Baltimore MD” c.d.s. (9 Jan), Heim Nicodemus & Co advertising cover, multiple hinge remnants on reverse from prior mounting, a scarce and attractive usage on an illustrated cover.

Get Market Data for [United States 1LB9] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Charleston, South Carolina, Steinmeyer's City Post, 2c black on pink paper, sheet of 10, large sheet margins, hinged original gum, partially disturbed in places, the odd small tone spot, signed "J.F. Steinmeyer Jr." at foot, lower left corner slightly trimmed and small corner crease at lower right, else a fine and scarce sheet.

Get Market Data for [United States 4LB20] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census

Cincinnati, Ohio, Williams' City Post, 2c brown on wove paper, margins just touching to ample, tied to locally-addressed cover by partial blue "City Post" c.d.s., manuscript dated 1854, a rare cover; ex-Knapp. 

Get Market Data for [United States 9LB1] Visual Pricing Guide Sample Census