United States Rarities continued...

VERY FINE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE ST. LOUIS 2-CENT BLUE CARRIER (8LB3), OF WHICH ONLY FIVE EXAMPLES ARE KNOWN IN TOTAL. A REMARKABLE STAMP, WHICH WAS MODELED UPON THE ONE-CENT 1851-57 FRANKLIN STAMP AND THE 1852 3-CENT SILVER COIN.

Elliott Perry theorized that the design of this stamp was a cross between the 1851 1c stamp (ornamental border) and the 1852 3c silver coin known as a "fish-scale", which had the shield in six-point star design (see Pat Paragraphs, reprint, pp. 263-264). The concept was "something between" 1c and 3c.

Although previous reports date the stamp and covers to 1857, this has an enclosure that appears to have originated with the cover and is clearly dated 1853. Our records contain just five examples of 8LB3: 1) "1 ct" cancel, off cover, ex Golden, Siegel Sale 817, lot 425, 2) tied by "1 ct" in frame on cover to Edwin Harrison, ex Middendorf, 3) used on large Valentine cover to Mrs. Scoot, dated Feb. 13, 1857, ms. "X" cancel (not tied) and "Paid" straightline, ex Bulger, Siegel Sale 846, lot 2403, 4) tied by "1 ct" in frame on cover to Miss St. Denis, Siegel Sale 846, lot 2404, and 5) cut to oval shape, tied by "Paid" in arc on large Valentine cover to Mrs. Scoot, the cover offered here.

Ex Bulger. Accompanied by 1857 3c "trime" silver coin. Scott Retail for a fully-margined stamp tied by handstamp is $55,000.00 (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TEESE & CO. COVERS KNOWN. ONLY SIX RECORDED WITH THE STAMP TIED BY A CANCELLATION.

Steven M. Roth records twelve covers, including six tied examples, in his Oct. 1993 Penny Post article. We have located an additional cover to Baltimore with the 137L1 and 3c 1851 tied by a Philadelphia Jul. 21 datestamp. However, Roth's list includes a Fox-fake tied cover (ex Malcolm, Siegel Sale 417, lot 1903), which must be removed from the record, leaving six genuinely tied covers.

Ex Schwartz. With 1982 and 2006 P.F. certificates (Image)

A 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 England 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)