The Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito Collection of Independent Mails continued...

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. THE ONLY RECORDED COMPLETE SHEET AND LARGEST KNOWN MULTIPLE OF ANY HALE & COMPANY ISSUE. AN IMPORTANT AND SPECTACULAR ARTIFACT OF THE 1844-45 INDEPENDENT MAIL ISSUES.

There are three distinct states of the stereotype plate used to print Hale's stamps. In the First State, the "13 Court St." address is included in the design (Scott 75L1 in Blue and 75L2 in Red). The address line was removed from each position on the plate after Hale opened its Boston office at 23 State Street and left 13 Court Street, which gives us the Second State of the plate (Scott 75L5 in Blue only). The earliest recorded date of use of a stamp from the modified plate is May 20, 1844. The Third State of the plate resulted from damage to positions in the left and right vertical columns, especially Position 1, which shows a severe dent at upper left.

Unused blocks of Hale's stamps are extremely rare. We record four, all offered in this sale of Dr. Puliafito's collection: 1) 75L1, block of 12 with original gum, ms. "AB" initials (Amos Bates, New Bedford agent), offered in lot 75; 2) 75L5, the unique complete sheet, Third State, ex Lilly, Hall, Gordon N. John, offered here; 3) 75L5, block of fifteen with original gum, Second State Positions 1-3/6-9/11-14/16-19, ex Hall, offered in lot 110; and 4) 75L5, unused block of nine, Third State Positions 1-3/6-8/11-13, ex Schwartz, offered in lot 111.

In a letter from James W. Hale, dated Dec. 12, 1887, he stated (in part): "I gave all the unused sheets of stamps to my children for playthings and presumed they were destroyed. But within a few days my youngest son informed me that he believed he had a few 'stowed away somewhere' and would try to hunt them up." (Gutman Hale book, page 33). This sheet may originate from the Hale family.

Ex Lilly, Hall and Gordon N. John. With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE ONLY RECORDED BLOCK FROM THE SECOND STATE OF THE PLATE -- AFTER THE "13 COURT ST." ADDRESS WAS REMOVED BUT PRIOR TO THE STEREOTYPE PLATE BECOMING DEFECTIVE -- AND THE SECOND LARGEST MULTIPLE OF ANY HALE STAMP.

After the first few months of operation, Hale relocated from 13 Court Street to 23 State Street. Both addresses appear in advertisements running from March 11 to May 29, 1844. This fact, together with other evidence, indicates that both offices operated for a period of time, and 13 Court Street was closed sometime in May 1844. The stereotype plate used to print stamps was modified by deleting the old address, leaving the second line at center blank (75L5, address omitted). The earliest use of a 75L5 stamp with the 13 Court Street address deleted from the plate is May 20, 1844. After the initial printing from the plate in its Second State (address removed), the edges of the designs at left (Positions 1/6/11/16) and right (Positions 5/10/15/20) were damaged to varying degrees. The defective plate is considered the Third State. The sheet offered in lot 109 shows the bruised-plate impressions and dent in Position 1 very clearly. This block has none of the bruising or Position 1 defect, and, therefore, it must be an early printing from the modified plate -- or Second State -- and as such is extremely rare.

Unused blocks of Hale's stamps are extremely rare. We record four, all offered in this sale of Dr. Puliafito's collection: 1) 75L1, block of 12 with original gum, ms. "AB" initials (Amos Bates, New Bedford agent), offered in lot 75; 2) 75L5, the unique complete sheet, Third State, ex Lilly, Hall, Gordon N. John, offered in lot 109; 3) 75L5, block of fifteen with original gum, Second State Positions 1-3/6-9/11-14/16-19, ex Hall, offered here; and 4) 75L5, unused block of nine, Third State Positions 1-3/6-8/11-13, ex Schwartz, offered in lot 111.

In a letter from James W. Hale, dated Dec. 12, 1887, he stated (in part): "I gave all the unused sheets of stamps to my children for playthings and presumed they were destroyed. But within a few days my youngest son informed me that he believed he had a few 'stowed away somewhere' and would try to hunt them up." (Gutman Hale book, page 33).

Illustrated in Gutman Hale book (page 43). Ex Hall. With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED BLOCKS OF THE HALE & COMPANY STAMPS, OF WHICH THIS AND THE COMPLETE SHEET COME FROM THE THIRD STATE OF THE PLATE. AN IMPRESSIVE AND HIGHLY EXHIBITABLE MULTIPLE.

There are three distinct states of the stereotype plate used to print Hale's stamps. In the First State, the "13 Court St." address is included in the design (Scott 75L1 in Blue and 75L2 in Red). The address line was removed from each position on the plate after Hale opened its Boston office at 23 State Street and left 13 Court Street, which gives us the Second State of the plate (Scott 75L5 in Blue only). The earliest recorded date of use of a stamp from the modified plate is May 20, 1844. The Third State of the plate resulted from damage to positions in the left and right vertical columns, especially Position 1, which shows a severe dent at upper left.

Unused blocks of Hale's stamps are extremely rare. We record four, all offered in this sale of Dr. Puliafito's collection: 1) 75L1, block of 12 with original gum, ms. "AB" initials (Amos Bates, New Bedford agent), offered in lot 75; 2) 75L5, the unique complete sheet, Third State, ex Lilly, Hall, Gordon N. John, offered in lot 109; 3) 75L5, block of fifteen with original gum, Second State Positions 1-3/6-9/11-14/16-19, ex Hall, offered in lot 110; and 4) 75L5, unused block of nine, Third State Positions 1-3/6-8/11-13, ex Schwartz, offered here.

Ex Schwartz (Image)

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