Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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United States and Confederate States Postal History continued...

Local Posts: Adams thru Cummings & Wright

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

1720

Adams' City Express Post, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Gray (2L4). Irregular margins, large on two sides, into bottom left corner, ms. "X" cancel, tied by black "New-York 5 cts Apr. 12" circular datestamp on buff cover to Willsborough N.Y., blue "Williamsburg N.Y. Apr. 15" circular datestamp, ms. "Missent & ford.", slight creasing and wear around edges

FINE. AN ASTONISHING COVER, ON WHICH THE RARE CITY EXPRESS POST STAMP WITH "ADAMS" DELETED IS TIED BY THE POST OFFICE DATESTAMP.

Of the few covers known with the Adams 2L4 stamp, this is believed to be the only one with the stamp actually tied by a cancellation of any type. In this instance, the New York 5c unpaid rate datestamp was struck over the local stamp.

Ex Needham, Golden and Geisler. With 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $5,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $4,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

1721

Allen's City Dispatch, Chicago Ill., (unstated value) Black (3L2). Tied by purple "Allen's City Dispatch, 125 Clark Street, Jan. 11, 1883" double-line oval datestamp and Eagle fancy cancel on cover to local street address, cover with small tear at top edge and slight thinning on back, Very Fine, the Allen's City Dispatch Black stamp is extremely rare on cover, only three are recorded in census by Eric J. Karell (this cover is illustrated in The Penny Post, April 2002), ex Geisler, with 2009 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1722

Allen's City Dispatch, Chicago Ill., (unstated value) Red on Yellow (3L3). Tied by bluish Eagle cancel and matching "Allen's City Dispatch, 125 Clark Street, Feb. 5, 1883" oval datestamp on cover to local street address, reduced -3/4 in. at left, crease and small burned spot clear of stamp, Fine, ex Hall and Geisler (Image)

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E. $ 200-300

SOLD for $140.00
Will close during Public Auction

1723

American Express Co., New York N.Y., 2c Black on Green (4L1). Uncancelled, margins mostly clear of ornaments, slightly creased with minor surface disturbances, small tear at bottom, mounted on paper with notation "Ferrary Sale June 18/24"

VERY FINE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL LOCAL POST STAMPS -- FIVE GENUINE EXAMPLES ARE REPORTED TO EXIST.

Researchers have argued over the origins of this post, but the best evidence available indicates that it was run briefly in 1856 as American Express Co. (no relation to the well-known firm by the same name) by proprietors Smith and Dobson, and was changed to Smith's City Express Post after Dobson departed. Several excellent forgeries of this stamp exist (the example in the Golden sale is evidently one of the forgeries). An article by William W. Sammis (Penny Post, April 2005) reports a fifth genuine copy of 4L1.

Ex Ferrary, Schwartz and Kuphal. With 2009 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $9,000.00 (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $3,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1724

Bentley's Dispatch, New York N.Y., (unstated value) Gold (10L2). Clear to ample margins except touched at upper right corner, faint "Paid" cancel and pen stroke, small thin spot

FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE STAMP. ONLY FIVE OF THE SIX KNOWN EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.

Ex Kane, Boker, Richardson and Golden. With 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $7,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $4,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1725

Philadelphia Despatch Post, Philadelphia Pa., 3c Red (15L1). Octagonal margins just slightly into circle, partly clear impression with usual ms. "R & Co" initials, red "Paid" and "3" outline numeral handstamp, used on folded letter with Sep. 18, 1843 Quaker date, addressed to Dr. William Blanding, 5th and Willow Street, interesting contents regarding numismatics -- Blanding was a chemist who manufactured ancient coins as a hobby (two recipes for gold lacquer are attached) -- red "Phila. Despatch Post P.M." circular datestamp, stamp has two negligible creases and faint glue smear

VERY FINE. ONE OF FIFTEEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST RED STAMP. A WONDERFUL "PRIMITIVE" AMONG PHILATELIC RARITIES.

The Philadelphia Despatch Post is documented in an advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (Dec. 8, 1842) and in an expanded version with some differences (go to www.siegelauctions.com/enc/carriers/robertson.jpg for an image of the revised ad). In the later ad, the stamps are priced at 3c individually, 31c per dozen and $2 per hundred. Valuable-letter registration for 6-1/4c and a 6c rate on letters beyond two miles are quoted (no examples of either special service are known). The firm's address is 93 Chesnut Street, not 83 South Second Street as in the earlier advertisement.

Dr. Vernon R. Morris Jr. has recently published his own comprehensive census, which updates and expands the census previously published by our firm.

Scott Retail $8,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 4,000-5,000

SOLD for $6,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1726

Philadelphia Despatch Post, Philadelphia Pa., 3c Black (15L2). Cut to shape clear of circle almost all around, every letter of "Phila. Despatch Post" unusually well-defined, black "Paid" handstamp struck clearly and "R & Co." ms. control, affixed with wax seal, cancelled by red "3" handstamp on large part of folded cover front only to Mr. Shrack & Co. at local address, datelined "Philadelphia 4/20"

VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST CIRCULAR BLACK STAMP.

The Philadelphia Despatch Post is documented in an advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (Dec. 8, 1842) and in an expanded version with some differences (see Sale 825, p. 293, or go to www.siegelauctions.com/enc/carriers/robertson.jpg for an image of the revised ad). In the later ad, the stamps are priced at 3c individually, 31c per dozen and $2 per hundred. Valuable-letter registration for 6-1/4c and a 6c rate on letters beyond two miles are quoted (no examples of either special service are known). The firm's address is 93 Chesnut Street, not 83 South Second Street as in the earlier advertisement.

Dr. Vernon R. Morris Jr. has recently published his own comprehensive census, which updates and expands the census previously published by our firm.

Ex Gibson, Middendorf and Geisler. This is the stamp illustrated in the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue. With 1997 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $15,000.00 (Image)

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E. $ 5,000-7,500

SOLD for $6,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1727

Philadelphia Despatch Post, Philadelphia Pa., (3c) Black on Grayish, "R & Co." Initials (15L3). Ample to large margins incl. left sheet margin, touched at top left, tied by ms. "#" cancel on folded cover to local addressee

VERY FINE. A RARE TIED EXAMPLE OF THE ROBERTSON & CO. STRIDING MESSENGER STAMP ON COVER. ISSUED IN 1843, THIS IS THE WORLD'S FIRST PICTORIAL STAMP.

The first Striding Messenger issue (15L3) is very scarce on cover, and only a few tied examples are known.

Ex Geisler. With 2009 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $5,000.00 (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1728°

D. O. Blood & Co., Philadelphia Pa., (2c) Black (15L5). Four blocks of 12 (each a so-called pane), unused (no gum), forming a reconstruction of two-thirds of the original multiple of 72 from which five of the seven recorded blocks were cut (see notes below), margins generally large but just touching on two blocks, faint stains, some minor creases and small faults

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A BREATHTAKING COMPILATION OF RARE MULTIPLES. WITH THE ADDITION OF TWO MORE PANES OF TWELVE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO PRESENT THE ORIGINAL BLOCK OF 72, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE THE SIZE OF A COMPLETE SHEET AS PRINTED FOR D. O. BLOOD & CO.

Our records contain five intact panes of twelve, one pane of twelve severed in half and rejoined, and one block of eleven (bottom right stamp removed). We have determined that six of the seven panes come from different clusters of positions on the lithographic stone, each showing distinctive subject alignment and plate flaws. The seventh multiple (the severed pane) is an exact duplicate of one of the six clusters. Blood advertised stamps for sale at the rate of 25c per dozen; therefore, it follows that printed sheets comprised 72 subjects, which could be divided into six units of a dozen stamps for convenient sale.

The four blocks offered here are shown here as separate units and in the composite photo joined together in their original positions in the larger multiple. Assuming the sheet comprised six blocks of twelve (Blood's sale units), the letters A thru F may be used to identify the six distinctive pane arrangements. We offer A, D, E and F in this lot. If a serious philatelist were so inclined, he could acquire units B and C (C was last offered in Shreves Wampler sale) and reconstruct the complete printed sheet of one of the world's first stamps. Few philatelic artifacts would rival such an item.

As identified in the composite photo, the features and pedigrees of the blocks are: Position A) plate flaw at lower right of second stamp/third row, ex Schwartz; Position D) ex Hall; Position E) squeezed cliche and missing imprint on second stamp/third row, ex Gibson and Golden; and Position F) plate flaw at left of first stamp/second row, with 1998 P.F. certificate.

Regarding the other three recorded panes and their relationship to the 72-stamp multiple, one pane is intact and comes from Position C; its bottom margin aligns with the top of Position F in this lot. The severed pane is a duplicate of Position A and therefore could not have been part of the larger multiple reconstructed here. The pane with one stamp cut out from lower right does not match Positions A, C, D, E or F, and so logically becomes Position B, but its margins do not align with the multiples offered here, and therefore it must come from another sheet. Because all are creased horizontally between the second and third rows, we believe that the seven panes (possibly more and definitely from two sheets) were divided and folded when they were stored and discovered. The staining in the same relative positions on the panes also indicates that they were stacked together when the staining occurred. There is no written record of their discovery to confirm our speculations.

Ex Gordon N. John. Scott Retail $22,000.00 (Image)

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E. $ 15,000-20,000

SOLD for $12,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1729

D. O. Blood & Co., Philadelphia Pa., (2c) Black (15L5). Large margins, unobtrusive black cancel on folded printed meeting notice for Philadelphia Rail Road Co. dated July 13, 1847, light vertical file fold well away from stamp, fresh and Very Fine, ex Gibson and Hill, with 2008 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail $800.00 as not tied with certificate (Image)

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E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $650.00
Will close during Public Auction

1730

D. O. Blood & Co., Philadelphia Pa., (2c) Black (15L5). Full to large margins, tied by impression of small dots cancel thru paper on blue folded cover to local street address, docketed June 21, 1847, left side panel removed, still Very Fine, ex Sheriff, with 1979 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 400-500

SOLD for $200.00
Will close during Public Auction