Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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United States and Confederate States Postal History continued...

Western Mails cont: California Private Posts

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

1851

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 5c Black on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU3a). To local San Francisco street address, without any express or postal markings, original enclosure datelined "Sacramento July 25 1855" regarding an order for wagons, faint toning, Very Fine, this style of entire was used early in the Penny Post's operation, ex Ackerman and Hall, with 2001 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction

1852

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Vermilion on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU7). Instructions and list of eight offices at left, unusual square grid cancel, addressed to "Adams & Co." at corner of Merchant and Montgomery in San Francisco, some wear incl. creasing, otherwise Very Fine, genuinely used examples of this entire are extremely rare (remainders were used to create forged Wells Fargo express usages), one of the fascinating aspects of this issue is that both the Penny Post oval and 3c U.S. stamp were embossed in the same color by George F. Nesbitt, ex Golden and Geisler, with 1967 and 2009 P.F. certificates (Image)

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E. $ 1,000-1,500

SOLD for $850.00
Will close during Public Auction

1853

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Black on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU11a). Beautiful clear strike of blue "Knight's Ferry Cal." in circle with ms. "Oct. 30" (1855) date, to local addressee in San Francisco, sender's notation on back "Direct to LaGrange, Stanislaus Co., Cal." Extremely Fine, a pristine example of this rare Penny Post Co. entire, very few known used from Knight's Ferry, ex Dale-Lichtenstein and from our 2005 Rarities sale, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

1854

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Dark Blue on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU11a var). This frank is listed by Scott only in Black, "Sacramento City Cal. May 13" (1856) circular datestamp, to San Francisco street address, ms. "PP" (Penny Post)

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY ENTIRE IN BLUE.

This variation of the "Penny-Postage Paid, 7" frank (Haller P10-Ty. 3a; Scott L98A) is printed in blue, not black, and contains the words "Care of" in tiny type between the denomination and "To The Penny Post Co." imprint. Both we and Larry Lyons record three examples: 1) Undated, Wells Fargo & Co. Sacramento ovals, to San Francisco, ex Knapp, Barkhausen, Golden; 2) Benicia Cal. May 12 (1856) datestamp, to San Francisco, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, Golden; and 3) Sacramento City Cal. May 13 (1856) datestamp, the cover offered here, ex Chapman, Polland, Haas and Kuphal. These entires were probably printed in mid-1856 toward the end of the Penny Post Company's existence (reported to have occurred in June 1856). The Scott Catalogue has not yet listed the 34LU11a in Blue, even though all three have been offered at auction during the past 15 years.

Illustrated in Letters of Gold. Ex Chapman, Polland, Haas and Kuphal. With 1967 and 2007 P.F. certificates (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

1855

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Black on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU11B). Instructions for mailing and list of towns on back, "Penny Post Co. Stockton" double-line circular handstamp, "Stockton Cal. Nov. 8" (1855) circular datestamp, to local San Francisco street address, couple small stain spots, Extremely Fine example of this rare California Penny Post Co. entire, delivered to the post office (for 2c) in Stockton, carried by government mail to San Francisco where delivered by the Penny Post Co. (for 5c, total 7c), very rare with the Penny Post Co. handstamp, ex Haas (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1856

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Black on 3c Red on Buff Entire (34LU11B). Instructions for mailing and list of towns on back, "Weaverville Cal. Sep. 4" (1855) circular datestamp, to local San Francisco street address, negligible faint stain at right, Extremely Fine example of this rare California Penny Post Co. entire, delivered to the post office (for 2c) in Weaverville, carried by government mail to San Francisco where delivered by the Penny Post Co. (for 5c, total 7c), ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,400.00
Will close during Public Auction

1857

California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Black on 3c Red on White Entire (34LU12). Instructions for mailing and list of towns served on back, clearly struck "Penny Post Co. San Francisco" double-line circular handstamp on entire to Sacramento street address

EXTREMELY FINE. A REMARKABLY PRISTINE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY ENTIRE. ONLY THREE OF THE ORNATE BORDER FRANK ARE KNOWN ON THE WHITE NESBITT ENTIRE.

Only three used entires are reported in Lyons census in July 2005 Penny Post. Another example of the rare 34LU12 entire travelling in the reverse direction, from Stockton to San Francisco, was offered in our Hall sale (Sale 830, lot 533, realized $4,250 hammer).

Ex Polland and Kuphal. With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $3,750.00
Will close during Public Auction

1858

California Penny Post Co., California Penny Post Co., San Francisco, 7c Black on 3c Red Entire (34LU15). "Sacramento City Cal. 4 Apr." (1856) circular datestamp, addressed to Whiting & Co. in San Francisco

EXTREMELY FINE. THIS CALIFORNIA PENNY POST COMPANY 7-CENT FRANK IS RARELY FOUND ON THE 3-CENT NESBITT ENTIRE.

This format of the 7c prepaid frank is typically found on plain envelopes with an adhesive stamp paying U.S. postage. We are aware of only one or two others printed on 3c postal stationery entires.

Ex Ackerman and Hall. With 2001 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

1859

Reed's City Despatch Post, San Francisco Cal., (unstated value) Black on Blue Glazed (126L2). Large margins, slight creasing, uncancelled, used on small unsealed cover addressed to "Mr. Warren, Horticulturalist", Col. Warren was the first publisher of the California Farmer, very slight edgewear

VERY FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED STAMPS ISSUED BY REED'S CITY DESPATCH POST, THE FIRST LOCAL POST IN SAN FRANCISCO. ONLY TWO 126L2 STAMPS ARE RECORDED, EACH USED ON SMALL COVERS ADDRESSED IN THE SAME HAND TO WELL-KNOWN SAN FRANCISCO CITIZENS, WHICH UNDOUBTEDLY CONTAINED INVITATIONS. THIS WAS THE DISCOVERY COPY OF REED'S STAMP.

All that is known about Reed's City Despatch Post was provided by Henry B. Phillips, who published Filatelic Facts and Fallacies" during the 1890's and included an article on Reed's post in the April 1894 issue. Subsequent writers have repeated Phillips' statements, almost verbatim, and we shall, too.

The December 17, 1853, edition of the Daily Alta California carried an advertisement by Reed that is considered to be the inaugural announcement of this post, the earliest established in San Francisco. The other known contemporary reference to Reed's City Despatch Post is found in the San Francisco 1854 city directory published by Le Count & Strong, which states that the post was owned by Henry Reed and held its offices at Adams & Co.'s Express on Montgomery Street. It is clear from the advertisements and one of the recorded covers that Reed operated the City Despatch Post as a local delivery arm of Adams. Under the direction of Daniel H. Haskell, the Adams firm prospered as an express company and banking house in California. In 1855, in the midst of a national banking crisis, the firm was dissolved, and its express business was taken over by Freeman & Co. Presumably, the City Despatch Post closed at this time. Henry Reed is possibly the same-named employee of the Holladay Overland Mail and Express Co. who operated the Penny Express Co. in 1866.

Our records contain three Reed's covers: 1) 126L1 Green Paper, tied by Adams & Co. large double-circle datestamp on Jul. 15, 1853 folded letter from Guatemala to James Bell & Co., San Francisco, framed "Via Nicaragua/Ahead of the Mails" handstamp, discovered by E. W. Smith in 1903 in San Francisco warehouse (per 1927 letter to Needham), ex Ferrary, Jessup and Boker; 2) 126L2 Blue Paper, uncancelled, used on unsealed cover to John S. Hagar Esq. in San Francisco, ex Wiltsee, Caspary, Boker, Clifford and Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1457, realized $27,000 hammer); and 3) 126L2 Blue Paper, uncancelled, slight creases, used on cover to "Mr. Warren, Horticulturalist", original publisher of the California Farmer, same handwriting as No. 2 cover to Judge Hagar, the cover offered here, ex Phillips, Lichtenstein, Needham, Jessup, Golden, Kuphal, and Geisler.

This envelope was unsealed when mailed and almost certainly contained an invitation (the flap is now partly sealed). A pencil notation on back reads "Mrs. Cooper at Mrs. Gallreath, 280 Clay above Sutton", which may indicate that the invitation reply was returned in this envelope. This cover was discovered in 1892 and reported by Henry B. Phillips in Filatelic Facts and Fallacies (Apr. 1894). It was exhibited in 1894 at the Midwinter Fair in the philatelic exhibit. When the Phillips collection was acquired by Alfred F. Lichtenstein, the Reed's Warren cover was presented to Henry C. Needham. With the 1950's dispersal of Needham's collection, the cover was acquired by Edgar B. Jessup. It was subsequently acquired by David Golden and sold through the Siegel firm in 1999 to Edgar Kuphal. The Kuphal collection was sold in 2006 (this cover was acquired by Mr. Geisler in the 2007 Rarities sale).

Ex H. B. Phillips, Lichtenstein, Needham, Jessup, Golden, Kuphal and Geisler. With 1976 and 1999 P.F. certificates. Scott Retail $27,500.00 (Image)

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E. $ 10,000-15,000

SOLD for $12,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

1860

San Francisco/City Letter Express. Ornately framed rectangular handstamp struck in blue on yellow cover addressed in ink to "Col., Warren, Mason & Pacific" and with pencil street address, extensive docketing on back, small tears at top from opening, Very Fine strike of this scarce San Francisco local, ex Haas, with 2006 P.F. certificate (Image)

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E. $ 750-1,000

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction

1861

San Francisco Letter Express. Absolutely perfect strike of blue Horse and Rider oval handstamp on orange cover to local addressee, Extremely Fine it is difficult to imagine a finer strike or cover with this scarce local-post marking, illustrated in Letters of Gold, ex Malcolm (where it realized $950 more than 30 years ago) and Jarrett (Image)

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E. $ 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction