The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History continued...

12¢ Black (17), used with two 1¢ Blue, Type IV (9) and horizontal pair of 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11), all with ample margins to slightly in, matching grid cancels, tied by red "New-York Am. Packet Oct. 15" (1853) circular datestamp on bluish gray cover to Lyon, France, sender's ship-name directive "Pr Str. Baltic"--carried on the Collins Line Baltic, departing New York on October 15, 1853, and arriving at Liverpool on October 26--red British arrival datestamp on back (October 27), red "Etats-Unis Paq. Am. A. Paris 28 Oct 53" arrival datestamp (American Packet service via England), "16" decimes due handstamp for double-rate French inland postage (7.5-15 grams), Paris and Lyon receiving backstamps (October 28 and 29)

Very Fine--covers with 1¢, 3¢ and 12¢ "complete set" 1851 Issue frankings are rare, and the few known postmarked before the 10¢ denomination was issued in April 1855 are extremely rare and desirable.

There were two American Packet services to France available: Collins Line via England--21¢ per half-ounce rate with 8 decimes per 7.5 grams due for British transit and French inland postage; and Havre Line direct to France--20¢ per half-ounce rate with 6 decimes per 7.5 grams due for French inland postage. This was stamped with 20¢ postage for direct service, but marked for the Collins Line Baltic, which carried mail to England rather than direct to France. The 1¢ underpayment was tolerated, and it was accepted as a fully prepaid letter. In France it was weighed at over 7.5 grams and charged double-rate postage (16 decimes).

Ex Jack Dick, J. David Baker, Stanley M. Piller, Tito Giamporcaro and Joseph Hackmey. Illustrated in Bakers' U.S. Classics (p. 216). (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), vertical strip of three, mostly full to large margins including parts of adjoining stamps at right, touched at lower left, used with horizontal pair of 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11), huge top margin with adjoining stamps, other sides touched to slightly in, tied by grid cancels and partly readable red New Orleans circular datestamp, red "New-York Am. Packet Nov. 28" (1855) circular datestamp on folded cover to Paris, France, sender's directive "p. United States Mail Steamer"--carried on the Collins Line Pacific, departing New York November 28, 1855, and arriving Liverpool December 9--red Liverpool backstamp (December 10), Calais arrival datestamp (December 10), "16" decimes due handstamp, vertical file fold through 3¢, lightly cleaned, otherwise Very Fine, double 21¢ rate American Packet covers via England are very rare, and this franking with the strip of 12¢ 1851 stamps is extraordinary, ex Gibson and Hackmey (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal pair, huge margins showing parts of six adjoining stamps, left stamp small corner crease, used with horizontal pair of 1¢ Blue, Type IV (9), large margins to slightly in, tied by "San Francisco Cal. 16 Jan." (1855) circular datestamps on blue folded letter in French to Montpellier, France--carried from San Francisco to Panama on PMSS Sonora, departing Jan. 16, arriving Jan. 29; from Panama to New York on USMSC North Star, departing Jan. 31, arriving Feb. 8; Havre Line Union, departing New York Feb. 10, arriving Le Havre Feb. 27--red "New-York Am. Packet Feb. 10" circular datestamp, red "Outre-Mer Le Havre 27 Fevr 55" arrival datestamp, Paris and Montpellier backstamps (February 28 and March 1), prepaid 26¢ for the 21¢ American Packet rate to France via England plus 5¢ West Coast surcharge, but at New York it was placed on a Havre Line steamer direct to France (20¢ rate), without any French markings indicating the usual 6 decimes due on American Packet mail direct to France, Very Fine, a remarkable and very rare 1851 Issue transatlantic cover from California, Calves handstamp at bottom right, ex Haas, Dr. Kapiloff, Giamporcaro and Hackmey (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), fifteen stamps including a horizontal strip of five, tied by seven strikes of blue "Cincinnati O. Dec. 16" (1855) circular datestamp on grayish front only to Carlsruhe, Germany (with complete address and all significant markings)--carried on the Collins Line Baltic, departing New York December 27, 1855, arriving Liverpool January 8, 1856--prepaid $1.80 for six-times 30¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate to Germany, red "N. York Am. Pkt. 7 Paid Dec. 27" credit datestamp with 7¢ credit crossed out and revised credit of "42" in magenta manuscript at center, red "FRANCO" straightline handstamp, numerous creases, stamps with small faults (to be expected in a franking of this magnitude), Fine appearance, truly spectacular, ex Seybold (backstamp), Rust (1987 Rarities of the World sale), Dr. Kapiloff, Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1992 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal pair and three singles paying double 30¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate, large margins to slightly in, one stamp in vertical pair has pre-use crease, one single lifted and reaffixed, tied by red grid cancels, matching "PAID" straightline handstamp and "N. York Br. Pkt. 14 Paid May 27" (1857) 14¢ double-rate credit datestamp on cover to Wulfenbuttel, Brunswick, Germany--carried on the Cunarder Asia, departing New York May 27, 1857, arriving Liverpool June 8--red "AACHEN 9/6 FRANCO" (June 9) framed datestamp, blue Wulfenbuttel receiving backstamp (June 10), Very Fine cover, rare 12¢ 1851 franking, ex Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1991 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal pair, used with 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11) horizontal pair, both have large margins to slightly in, tied by two perfect strikes of "Hannibal Mo. Jun. 17, 1857" circular datestamp on grayish folded letter to Neustadt, Weimar, Germany, sender's notation "Postage paid pr. prussian closed mail", bold red "N. York Br. Pkt. 7 Paid Jun. 24" 7¢ credit datestamp--carried on the Cunarder Canada, departing New York June 24, 1857, arriving Liverpool July 7--red "AACHEN 8/7 FRANCO" (July 8) framed datestamp, Apolda and Neustadt backstamps (July 9), Very Fine, unusually choice quality, ex Piller, Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1991 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal pair, three clear to large margins, slightly in at left, used with 3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), one 12¢ with manuscript cancels, manuscript "1857" yeardate cancel on 3¢, pair tied by bold orange-red "Antwerp O. Jun. 29" (1857) balloon-style circular datestamp, magenta manuscript "Paid 27" rate on bright buff cover addressed in European style handwriting to Thurgau, Switzerland, red "N. York U.S. Pkt. Paid Jul. 11" circular datestamp--carried on the Vanderbilt Line North Star, departing New York July 11, 1857, arriving Bremen July 25--blue "AMERICA/UBER BREMEN/FRANCO" handstamp, red crayon "f5" (paid 5 silbergroschen) crossed out and re-rated "2" silbergroschen for postage beyond GAPU, backstamped Frankfurt (July 27), Bern (July 29) and Sierre (July 30), Very Fine, extremely rare 1851 Issue franking for 27¢ rate to Switzerland by Bremen-Hamburg Direct Mail--covers showing this particular rate that were actually carried on the Bremen-Hamburg route are rare with any issue, but since the rate was introduced in 1857, the use of imperforate stamps occurred in a narrow period, and we have never seen another example--signed Ashbrook, ex Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal strip of three, large margins to mostly clear, slightly in at top left, used with 1¢ Blue, Type IV (9), three mostly large margins but cut in at bottom, ink spot, tied by "Davenport Ioa. Apr. 16" (1855) circular datestamps on brown cover to Kiel, Holstein, then under Danish crown rule--carried on the Cunarder America, departing Boston on April 25, 1855, and arriving at Liverpool May 8--red "N. York Br. Pkt. 7 Paid Apr. 24" 7¢ credit datestamp applied incorrectly, thus treated as paid only to German border with red framed "Franco Preuss:/resp. Vereinsl:AusgGr" handstamp (paid only to limits of German-Austrian Postal Union), red "FRANCO" straightline handstamp, Prussian blue manuscript notation at lower left, red crayon "9" skillings due from recipient, red Aachen backstamp (May 10), "St.P.A. 11 Mai 55" oval and Hamburg double-circle datestamps (May 11) on back, "KDOPA HAMBURG 11/5" (May 11) Royal Danish Postal Agency in Hamburg double-circle backstamp, cover opened on two sides, some wear and small faults, still Fine and an enormously rare 1851 Issue cover, the 37¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate to Denmark applied to mail to Holstein until July 1855, ex "Sevenoaks," Giamporcaro and Hackmey, illustrated in Starnes article on the "Paid to Border" handstamp in Chronicle 136, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), horizontal strip of three, huge margins to barely in, used with horizontal pair of 3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), clear magians to in at top, tied by grid cancels on March 1854 blue tissue-paper folded letter to Athens, Greece, to Reverend John. H Hill, sender's route directive "Prussian Closed Mail" and correctly prepaid 42¢--carried on the Collins Line Baltic, departing New York on March 4, 1854, and arriving at Liverpool March 19--the lefthand stamp in strip was originally folded over edge and 3¢ pair is tied on back by red "New-York Am. Packet Mar. 4" circular datestamp, magenta manuscript "19" credit, red Aachen backstamp (March 21) and matching "FRANCO" straightline handstamp on front, Prussian blue manuscript "5-1/4" silbergroschen at lower left indicating postage paid beyond GAPU border, Trieste transit backstamp (March 25) and red crayon rate notations, receipt docketing, thin lettersheet reinforced in places and treated to improve appearance (not noted on certificate), still Very Fine, there are only three or four known 1851 Issue covers to Greece, all from the Reverend Hill correspondence, ex "Sevenoaks," Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with clear 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), block of four, large margins including parts of adjoining stamps at bottom, slightly in at upper right and top, tied by "Chicago Ills. May 13" (1856) circular datestamp on buff cover to midshipman R. W. M. Graham aboard the U.S. Ship Constellation at Spezzia, Sardinia, sender's route directive "by Mail Steamer to Liverpool, England", prepaid 48¢ which might have been intended (erroneously) to pay the double 24¢ treaty rate to England or to overpay (by 6¢) the double 21¢ French Mail rate to Italy, but in the actual event overpaid (by 10¢) the double 19¢ rate to Italy by Prussian Closed Mail--carried on the Ocean Line Hermann, departing New York on May 17, 1856, and arriving Southampton May 31 and Bremen June 2--red "New-York Am. Pkt. May 17" backstamp, magenta manuscript "15" credit marking, red "AACHEN 3/6 FRANCO" (June 3) framed datestamp, German transit backstamp (June 5), Genoa backstamp (June 8), matching "VIA DI SVIZZERA", "P.D." and "FRANCA" handstamps on front

Very Fine; cover with few minor edge tears at top from opening, neatly sealed and not affecting block.

Midshipman R. W. Meade Graham, the addressee, was born in Washington D.C, on July 14, 1837. He passed away in November 1856 after succumbing to typhoid fever while serving on the U.S.S. Constellation, only a few months after receiving this letter.

Collectors are acutely aware of the rarity of blocks and large multiples of the imperforate stamps issued from 1847 through 1857, when perforated issues replaced them. The rarity increases significantly for blocks used on cover. We are currently aware of six blocks of the 12¢ 1851 Imperforate on cover. The largest multiple on cover is a vertical block of six (with a strip of three) on a cover to Norway in the Charles A. Hirzel collection at the Swiss Museum of Communications in Berne, Switzerland (see Chronicle 244). There is also a strip of six on cover in the James Allen collection. The cover offered here is the only example of a block used to Sardinia.

Ex Joseph Hackmey. With 2005 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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12¢ Black (17), L-shaped strip of three, large margins including parts of adjoining stamps at top to slightly in at right, used with 10¢ Green, Type II (14), large top and bottom margins, close to touching at sides, tied by "Woodstock Vt. May 31" (1857) circular datestamp on light buff cover to Bergen, Norway, prepaid 46¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate to Norway--carried on the Collins Line Columbia, departing New York on June 6, 1857, and arriving at Liverpool June 17--red "New-York Am. Packet Jun. 6" circular datestamp on back, magenta manuscript "23" credit, red "AACHEN 19/6 FRANCO" (June 19) framed datestamp, magenta manuscript "f6" indicating 6 silbergroschen paid beyond German-Austrian Postal Union border, "St.P.A. 23 Jun 57" oval and "KDOPA HAMBURG 23/6" (June 23) Royal Danish Postal Agency in Hamburg double-circle backstamps, blue "Bergen 3/7 1857" (July 7) receiving datestamp

Very Fine; small mended corner in envelope at bottom right (truly immaterial).

The rarity of covers to Norway with any of the imperforate issues is reflected in the fact that Power Search located only two others--a 10¢ 1847 cover with a repaired stamp, ex Hart (Sale 745, lot 335) and a cover with a repaired block of the 12¢ 1851 in the "Sevenoaks" sale (Sale 799, lot 163). There is also a cover to Norway with a 12¢ 1851 vertical block of six and strip of three in the Charles A. Hirzel collection at the Swiss Museum of Communications in Berne, Switzerland (see Chronicle 244), but of course that cover is unavailable to collectors. To the best of our knowledge, none of the major census works (1847 Issue, 5¢ 1856, etc.) contain any other covers to Norway.

Ex Louis Grunin, Ryohei Ishikawa and Joseph Hackmey. (Image)

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