United States and Confederate States Postal History continued...

VERY FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE COVER FRANKED WITH THE CLIPPERTON ISLAND PRIVATE FRANKING STAMP.

Clipperton Island lies 670 miles southwest of Mexico in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It was an important source of guano fertilizer and home to 150-200 miners at the time the Clipperton Island stamp was issued for use on mail carried from the island to San Francisco. This cover to Germany entered the mails at San Francisco and is additionally franked with the proper 5c U.S. postage for the U.P.U. rate. Very few other Clipperton Island covers are known. (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH THE FRAZER & CO. 2-CENT BLACK EAGLE ON PINK PAPER. PROBABLY NO MORE THAN TEN EXAMPLES OF THIS RARITY EXIST ON OR OFF COVER.

Hiram Frazer Sr. was appointed to the Cincinnati carrier department on October 17, 1837, and served continuously until October 23, 1845. After resigning, Frazer and his son, Hiram Jr., established a publication depot and the City Despatch Post. Elliott Perry attributed the "& Co." to a partnership with Joseph Haskell (Feb. 15, 1959, letter to Eugene Costales). The "& Co." that appears on the Eagle issue was deleted by hand, and the title of the post appears as "Frazer's City Express Post" on the subsequent Horse & Rider issue. In 1846 Hiram Jr. joined the army during the Mexican War, but was killed in 1847. On February 3, 1848, Hiram Sr. was reappointed a U.S. letter carrier, serving until June 5, 1849. He subsequently operated a penny post until 1853, when he entered the insurance business. Although Frazer's name is listed for a third appointment in August 1849, there is no evidence he actually served. The chronology of Frazer's involvement with the City Despatch Post and his second appointment as a letter carrier is significant, because any Frazer cover dated within the period of his carrier status -- Feb. 3, 1848, to Jun. 5, 1849 -- is a government-carrier usage, not a local-post usage. (Reference: Robert B. Meyersburg, "Frazer & Company City Despatch/Express Post", Penny Post, Aug. 1992, and "Some New Semi-Official Carrier Stamps", Chronicle, Aug. 1987).

There are very few covers with the Frazer & Co. Eagle stamps genuinely used. The Meyersburg article cited above provides a count based on his census: Green Paper (6, another has been discovered subsequently), Pink Paper (1, this is a second example), Yellow Paper (3, we record 4 total genuine uses) and Grayish Paper (4). His one Pink cover is described as an "unpaid to the mails" usage, which indicates that the cover offered here is a second example. We have been unable to locate any other examples of the 69L2 on Pink paper.

From the Sallie Wilson correspondence (see lot 884 in this sale for an example on Green paper). Ex Schenck, Hall and D.K. collection. With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONLY SEVEN COVERS BEARING THE FRAZER & COMPANY EAGLE STAMP ON GREEN ARE REPORTED. THIS EXAMPLE WAS HANDLED DURING FRAZER'S EMPLOYMENT AS A GOVERNMENT LETTER CARRIER.

The chronology of Frazer's involvement with the City Despatch Post and his second appointment as a letter carrier is significant, because any Frazer cover dated within the period of his carrier status -- Feb. 3, 1848, to Jun. 5, 1849 -- is a government-carrier usage, not a local-post usage. Prior to this cover we recorded only two other examples of the Frazer Eagle stamp used on cover during his time as a government letter carrier, both on Yellow paper (69L4). We record an additional three covers with the Horse & Rider stamp (69L6 and 69L8) during this period.

Robert B. Meyersburg reported six covers with Frazer & Co.'s Green stamp (Penny Post, Aug. 1992), including three local usages and three covers delivered to the post office (postage unpaid). A seventh cover was recently located and added to the count (Siegel Sale 908, lot 4875). The addressee of this letter, Nicholas Longworth, was the great-grandfather of Nicholas Longworth, the future House Speaker and son-in-law to Theodore Roosevelt. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONLY SEVEN COVERS BEARING THE FRAZER & COMPANY EAGLE STAMP ON GREEN ARE REPORTED -- THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE.

Robert B. Meyersburg reported six covers with Frazer & Co.'s Green stamp (Penny Post, Aug. 1992), including three local usages and three covers delivered to the post office (postage unpaid). A seventh cover was recently located and added to the count (Siegel Sale 908, lot 4875). The only 69L3 stamp tied to the cover by a handstamp realized $10,000 hammer in our Golden sale.

Ex Schenck, Hall, D.K. Collection and Geisler. With 2001 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL VALENTINE COVER AND ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE FRAZER & CO. YELLOW STAMP.

Hiram Frazer Sr. was appointed to the Cincinnati carrier department on October 17, 1837, and served continuously until October 23, 1845. After resigning, Frazer and his son, Hiram Jr., established a publication depot and the City Despatch Post. Elliott Perry attributed the "& Co." to a partnership with Joseph Haskell (Feb. 15, 1959, letter to Eugene Costales). The "& Co." that appears on the Eagle issue was deleted by hand, and the title of the post appears as "Frazer's City Express Post" on the subsequent Horse & Rider issue. In 1846 Hiram Jr. joined the army during the Mexican War, but was killed in 1847. On February 3, 1848, Hiram Sr. was reappointed a U.S. letter carrier, serving until June 5, 1849. He subsequently operated a penny post until 1853, when he entered the insurance business. Although Frazer's name is listed for a third appointment in August 1849, there is no evidence he actually served. The chronology of Frazer's involvement with the City Despatch Post and his second appointment as a letter carrier is significant, because any Frazer cover dated within the period of his carrier status -- Feb. 3, 1848, to Jun. 5, 1849 -- is a government-carrier usage, not a local-post usage. (Reference: Robert B. Meyersburg, "Frazer & Company City Despatch/Express Post", Penny Post, Aug. 1992, and "Some New Semi-Official Carrier Stamps", Chronicle, Aug. 1987).

Robert B. Meyersburg reported three Yellow 69L4 covers in his article on Frazer & Co. in The Penny Post (August 1992), including two to the-mails and one local usage. Our records (including the Levi records and Schwartz files) contain just six examples on or off cover, as follows:

1) Nov. 3, 1848 cover with 10c 1847, to NYC, ex Meyersburg (Siegel Sale 791, lot 152)

2) Undated Valentine cover to George Burgess, the cover offered here

3) Uncancelled on Dec. 30, 1848 cover to NYC, ex Golden (Siegel Sale 817, lot 1074)

4) Pen cancel and red Cincinnati cds, ex Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot 637)

5) Pen cancelled, affixed to cover, did not originate, ex Caspary

6) Original gum, ex Caspary.

Covers listed as 1 and 3 correspond to Meyersburg to-the-mails uses, and this Valentine is probably the local use he reported.

Ex Chapman, Middendorf and Kuphal (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY TIED EXAMPLE OF THE FRAZER & CO. 2-CENT ON GRAYISH PAPER AMONG THE FOUR REPORTED COVERS.

Robert B. Meyersburg reported four covers with the Grayish 69L5, including two incoming covers that were readdressed and forwarded, one local use and one unpaid to-the-mails (presumably the cover offered here). We have a similar accounting of covers, and, among them only this cover has the stamp tied by a marking.

Ex Chapman and Kuphal. Signed Sloane. Scott Retail as tied by handstamp (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE FRAZER & CO. EAGLE STAMP WITH "& CO." DELETED IN MANUSCRIPT.

Only three examples of the "& Co." deleted variety are recorded: 1) No. 69L3 Green used on a June 18, 1845 folded letter to Lexington Ky., ex Caspary and Boker; 2) No. 69L5 off cover, ex Hall, the example offered here; and 3) No. 69L5 on piece, offered in this sale as lot 888.

Ex Hall. This variety is footnoted in Scott. (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE FRAZER & CO. EAGLE STAMP WITH "& CO." DELETED IN MANUSCRIPT.

Only three examples of the "& Co." deleted variety are recorded: 1) No. 69L3 Green used on a June 18, 1845 folded letter to Lexington Ky., ex Caspary and Boker; 2) No. 69L5 off cover, ex Hall, offered in this sale as lot 887; and 3) No. 69L5 on piece, the stamp offered here. Prior to the discovery of this stamp, only two were known with "& Co." deleted.

With clear 2004 A.P.S. certificate. This variety is footnoted in Scott. (Image)

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