| 1630 |
 |
 2c Black (73). Horizontal strip of five, tied
by four strikes of five-spoke Chop” cancel on blue folded letter datelined ”Yokohama 27th Novb. 1868” from the trade and insurance firm of Gutschow & Co. to the banking firm of Brown Brothers in Philadelphia, strip additionally tied by clear
strike of magenta China and Japan Steam Service” oval handstamp and San Francisco Cal. Dec. 23” (1868) receiving datestamp, strip covers sender's route directive ”Via San Francisco”, blue Philada. P.O. Received Jan. 7 4 AM” (1869)
circular datestamp struck twice on back, receipt docketing with origin date corrected from 1869” to 1868” (shortly after New Year's Day), nearly invisible vertical file fold thru second stamp from leftVERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED COVERS FROM
THE FAR EAST WITH FIVE 2-CENT BLACK JACK STAMPS PAYING THE 10-CENT RATE -- THESE TWO ARE THE ONLY RECORDED BLACK JACK COVERS WITH THE CHINA AND JAPAN STEAM SERVICE” OVAL HANDSTAMP. ONLY A FEW COVERS ARE KNOWN FROM JAPAN WITH ANY FORM OF BLACK JACK
FRANKING. A TRULY SPECTACULAR ARTIFACT OF FAR EAST POSTAL HISTORY INVOLVING THE UNITED STATES MAILS. The China and Japan Steam Service” oval was introduced in 1867 at the San Francisco post office to indicate that a letter originated outside the
United States and was subject to the contract steamship rate. The first mail to receive the new marking arrived in San Francisco on November 19 aboard the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company's Great Republic, which sailed from Yokohama on October
25, 1867 -- covers from this trip with the oval have San Francisco datestamps dated November 19 (delivered locally) or November 20 (the date they were sent overland). The device was used at the San Francisco post office, not overseas or on board the
ships, and all recorded strikes are in a shade of red or magenta. It seems that, beginning at a certain point in the life of this marking, it was only used on letter-rate mail addressed to destinations beyond San Francisco that did not have any other
indicator of the origin. The cover offered here meets all of the conditions apparently required for San Francisco to apply the "China and Japan Steam Service" oval. This November 27, 1868, letter from the Yokohama trade and insurance firm of
Gutschow & Co. to the Philadelphia banking firm of Brown Brothers was carried on the PMSS Great Republic, which departed Yokohama on November 29 and arrived in San Francisco on December 22. The San Francisco post office applied its December 23
circular datestamp (the date the mail was sent overland), and, upon arrival in Philadelphia the receiving office applied its January 7 (1869) Received” backstamp. A review of past auctions and The Philatelic Foundation records located only a few
2c Black Jack covers originating in Japan. Two have the Hiogo, Japan” double-circle handstamp, and on each the 2c stamp is used with two 10c stamps for the combined 10c steamship rate and 12c treaty rate to England. Three others are printed matter
rates with one or two 2c Black Jack stamps (one is offered in this sale). In addition to the cover offered here, we located only one other from Japan or China with five Black Jack stamps paying the 10c rate -- it was sent from Japan on April 25,
1868, and received in San Francisco on May 10 (ex Dr. Rorke). In fact, these two covers from Japan are the only examples of the Black Jack used by itself to pay the 10c rate on a cover from China or Japan, and they are the only two Black Jack covers
with the China and Japan Steam Service” oval. The cover offered here has a much clearer strike (the other is very blurry). Ex Allen (illustrated in the Lane book on page 64) and Kohlhepp. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
E. $ 40,000-50,000
SOLD for $42,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 1631 |
|
 2c Black (73). Tied by slightly blurry but
mostly complete strike of ”Forwarded by U.S. Consul, Kanagawa, Japan” double-oval and stars handstamp applied at U.S. consulate office in Yokohama on blue printed notice addressed to Macondray & Co. in San Francisco, blue framed ”BERNARD,
ECCARD & RAUD,/YOKOHAMA (Japon.)” sender's handstamp, notices jointly published by Randon & Cie. and Bernard, Eccard & Raud, datelined (in print) ”YOKOHAMA le 27 JUIN, 1867”, announcing the dissolution of Randon's business and his return to France,
and that Bernard, Eccard & Raud would take over Randon's accounts (silk trading business), manuscript notation ”Bernard Eccard & Raud, Yokohama July 27, 1867” (presumably a docketing error -- July instead of June)VERY FINE.THE ONLY
RECORDED 2-CENT BLACK JACK COVER WITH THE UNITED STATES CONSULATE OFFICE IN YOKOHAMA OVAL HANDSTAMP. ONLY EIGHT COVERS ARE RECORDED WITH THIS MARKING USED TO CANCEL STAMPS – THIS IS THE ONLY ONE PAYING THE PRINTED MATTER RATE. AN IMPORTANT AND
INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE POSTAL HISTORY RARITY. The "Forwarded by U.S. Consul, Kanagawa, Japan" double-oval and stars handstamp was used on mail from Yokohama, Japan, in two distinct periods, for different purposes and by two different consuls.
The earlier usage was in 1866 as a forwarder's marking on mail forwarded through the U.S. consulate in Yokohama (using the Kanagawa designation). The marking was used again in August-December 1867 as a cancelling device on U.S.-stamped mail sent
through the consulate postal agency. Colonel George S. Fisher was the U.S. consul in Yokohama when the oval handstamp was first used. Fisher's term began on December 13, 1861, and ended on December 31, 1866, with his replacement by General Julius
Stahel. Stahel was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to the United States and became a Union general in the Civil War. After the war, Stahel was appointed U.S. consul in Yokohama, and he later served as consul in Osaka and Hiogo. He remained in Japan
until 1884, when he was made consul in Shanghai, China. There are four recorded covers with the oval handstamp used as a forwarding marking, originating in Yokohama in January and June 1866, during Fisher's term as consul. Following these 1866
covers, no other examples of the oval handstamp are recorded until August 1867, during Stahel's term. The handstamp device evidently survived the great fire in Kanagawa on November 26, 1866, which destroyed the U.S. consulate building, furnishings
and all of Fisher's personal effects. On January 1, 1867, the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company's steamer Colorado left San Francisco on the westbound inaugural trip under the new U.S. contract for mail between the U.S. and Japan (and
China). The Colorado arrived in Yokohama on January 22, 1867, and continued on to Hong Kong, arriving on January 30. The Colorado returned from Yokohama on February 28, 1867, and arrived in San Francisco with the first eastbound
contract mail on March 20. The second round trip of the contract-mail period was also made by the Colorado, leaving San Francisco on April 3, 1867, and arriving in Yokohama on April 29 and Hong Kong on May 6; the steamer left Yokohama on the
return trip on May 26, and arrived in San Francisco on June 13. The January-June 1867 contract-mail round trips occurred before the U.S. consulate postal agency in Yokohama was officially established. The few recorded covers from these two trips do
not have the Kanagawa oval. On July 27, 1867, Stahel received his instructions to act as a consular mail agent. The first PMSS eastbound departure from Yokohama after the postal agency was created was the August 24 sailing of the
Colorado, which arrived in San Francisco on September 14. Four covers are recorded from this trip, all with U.S. stamps cancelled by the Kanagawa oval. Unlike the earlier covers, this marking's function on the August 1867 and later covers was
to cancel the stamps, not to identify the forwarding agent. Two of the August 24 covers have single 10c 1861 stamps and are addressed to Macondray & Co. in San Francisco. The third has three 10c 1861 stamps and is addressed to Vincenzo Daina in
Milan, Italy. The fourth August 24 cover is the folded printed notice offered here, with a single 2c Black Jack paying the printed matter rate, also addressed to Macondray & Co. in San Francisco. A total of eight covers are recorded with the
Kanagawa oval used as a cancelling device -- all carried on trips from Yokohama in 1867. Following the four noted above (from the August 24 trip), there is one 10c 1861 cover carried on the October 25 trip (PMSS Great Republic) and two covers
carried on the December 6 trip (PMSS China), each with two 5c 1863 stamps (there is an additional 5c 1863 cover in a Japanese museum). The only recorded cover with a 2c Black Jack stamp -- and also the only printed matter rate -- is the cover
offered here. It is a joint printed notice in French from Randon & Co. and Bernard, Eccard & Raud, silk merchants in Yokohama. Raud and Randon had been partners in Yokohama, but the partnership was dissolved in August 1867, and Randon left Yokohama
in 1868. The joint notices announce these changes. The blue framed handstamp on the address panel was applied by Bernard, Eccard & Raud. The Kanagawa oval was applied at the U.S. consulate post office to cancel the 2c Black Jack. The notice was
carried on the first PMSS eastbound departure from Yokohama after the postal agency was created. The PMSS Colorado left Yokohama on August 24, 1867, and arrived in San Francisco on September 14. Because this notice was printed matter, the San
Francisco receiving office did not apply any other markings. It was picked up by Macondray & Co. from the post office. Ex Allen (illustrated in the Lane book on page 64) and Kohlhepp. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
E. $ 30,000-40,000
SOLD for $26,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
