Sale 1201 — The Dr. William H. Johnson Collection of the U.S. 1890 Small Bank Note Issue
Sale Date — Tuesday, 21 May, 2019
Category — Foreign Mail: Europe
Lot
Symbol
Photo/Description
Cat./Est. Value
Realized
2147
10c Green (226). Used with 2c Carmine (220), 3c Purple (221) and 4c Dark Brown (222) on 1c Columbian entire to Paris, France, stamps tied by red "New York 3-17-94" Supplementary Mail Type G oval datestamps, Very Fine, a beautiful and rare use, ex Lane and Ward
E. 300-400
1,300
2148
10c Green (226). Used with 5c Indigo (216) on 5c Blue entire to Paris, France, upholstery goods return address, stamps tied by "N.Y. Supplementary Jun. 11 90 Paid" Type F duplex datestamps, Calais and receiving datestamps, Very Fine Supplementary Mail cover and early ue of 10c 1890
E. 300-400
550
Back to Top2149
5c Chocolate (223). Horizontal pair, rich color, tied by bold "Syracuse N.Y. Jul. 21, 1891" duplex datestamp on P. T. Barnum circus illustrated advertising cover depicting Barnum and J. A. Bailey, "Equal Owners", to Paris, France, New York and Paris datestamps, right stamp affected from opening at side, otherwise Very Fine, a scarce advertising cover
E. 400-500
650
Back to Top2150
15c Indigo (227). Deep rich color, tied by Philadelphia registry oval on beautiful blue Keystone Paper Co. corner card cover to Annonay, France, purple "Philadelphia, Pa. Dec. 30, 1892 Registered" boxed datestamp and New York Dec. 31 registry datestamp on back, receiving backstamp, Very Fine, this passed through New York on the last day of the 10c registry fee
E. 200-300
250
Back to Top2151
30c Black (228). Used with 2c Carmine (220) and 8c Lilac (225), tied by light strikes of "New York Sep. 15 12PM 94" duplex datestamps on legal-size cover with Warnier & David printed address to Paris, France, fresh and Fine, attractive three-color franking
E. 300-400
300
Back to Top2152
30c Black (228). Used with three pairs of 5c Chocolate (223) and 15c Indigo (227), tied by "New York Oct. 19 8PM 94" duplex datestamps on legal-size cover with Warnier & David printed address to Paris, France, blue receiving datestamp, slight edgewear, Very Fine, an impressive franking
E. 300-400
325
Back to Top2153
2c Carmine (220). Two, one straight edge at left, other straight edge at top with part arrow, used with 1c Dull Blue (219), tied by "New York Oct. 17 8:30PM 92" duplex datestamps on 1c Grant Postal Card to Darmstadt, Germany, manuscript directive "By Balloon Green 2" at top and with "BALLOON 'GREEN 2'" two-line handstamp, contents in German reads "And Columbus came here and the little Indian girls shouted 'We are discovered'. Nevertheless, I am sending you the best greetings from a ride in a Hot Air Balloon.", slight edgewear, Very Fine and unusual early balloon-related use
E. 300-400
300
Back to Top2154
90c Orange (229). Used with 15c Indigo (227), tied by New York registry ovals, "New York N.Y. Reg'y. Div. 8-13 1892" double-oval datestamp on approximately half of an oversize cover to Germany, some slight edgewear, Fine and scarce, our census of 90c 1890 uses includes 7 envelopes, 5 wrappers, 4 tags and 2 qualifying pieces, for a total of 18 items -- this is one of the two substantial size pieces with a postmark date and large part of address
E. 750-1,000
0
Back to Top2155
90c Orange (229). Used with 30c Black (228), tied by New York registry ovals on large piece of blue linen-lined cover to Berlin, Germany, Feb. 17, 1892 double-oval datestamp, part of address crossed out, Fine, accompanied by another piece from the same correspondence with pair of 30c Black (228) and 10c Green (226) similarly tied, our census of 90c 1890 uses includes 7 envelopes, 5 wrappers, 4 tags and 2 qualifying pieces, for a total of 18 items -- this is not counted but very nearly qualifies
E. 500-750
250
Back to Top2156
30c Black (228). Used with 15c Indigo (227), tied together by New York registry oval, purple "Registered Dec. 30, 1891 Branch P.O. Station P New York P.O." boxed datestamp on large-size registered cover to Dresden-Striessen, Germany, receiving backstamp, Very Fine and attractive registered cover to Europe
E. 300-400
425
Back to Top2157
30c Black (228). Tied by "New York Jul. 11 6PM 90" duplex datestamp on cover with printed address to Berlin, Germany, receiving backstamp, some edgewear, Fine, scarce use of the 30c on a small cover
E. 300-400
250
Back to Top2158
10c Green (226). Used with 30c Orange Brown (217), tied by New York registry ovals, "New York Reg'y. Div. 2-21 1891" double-oval datestamp on registered cover to Wurzburg, Germany, New York registry label at center, receiving backstamp, fresh and Very Fine, scarce use of the 30c on a medium-size cover and especially desirable with two different issues
E. 300-400
300
Back to Top2159
6c Brown Red (224). Horizontal pair, used with 1c Dull Blue (219), tied by Cincinnati registry ovals on 2c Grant Letter Sheet to Hannover, Germany, purple "Registered Sep. 2, 1892 Cincinnati, O." three-line datestamp, handstamp at left for Wm. Witt, Barber Shop and with larger backstamp for Witt the stamp dealer, trivial edgewear from opening, Very Fine and colorful franking paying the 5c UPU rate plus 10c registry fee
View PDF of Highlights of this lot
E. 200-300
400
Back to Top2160
10c Green (226). Horizontal pair, used with horizontal pair of 3c Purple (221) and 4c Dark Brown (222), tied by registry ovals, purple "Registered May 8, 1891, Baltimore, MD" three-line datestamp on 10c entire to Vienna, Austria, New York registry label, New York and receiving backstamps, minor edgewear and light soiling, Very Fine use paying 6 times the 5c UPU rate plus 10c registry fee
E. 300-400
400
Back to Top2161
30c Black (228). Used with horizontal pair and single 5c Chocolate (223), the pair s.e. at left, tied by large "CHICAGO" registry ovals on cover to Prague, Austria, purple "Registered, Jul. 24, 1890, Chicago Ill." three-line datestamp, New York registry label, receiving backstamp, horizontal file fold well away from stamp, Very Fine, a colorful and rare 30c 1890 use
E. 400-500
500
Back to Top2162
30c Black (228). Horizontal strip of three, straight edge at left, used with horizontal pair of 10c Green (226), tied by "New York Oct. 9 8:30PM 94" duplex cancels on large part of blue linen-lined cover with printed address to Vienna, Austria, vertical file fold well away from stamps, some edgewear, Fine and impressive 30c 1890 multiple franking
E. 300-400
375
Back to Top2163
30c Black (228). Tied by registry oval, "New York N.Y., Reg'y. Div 4-8 1891" double-oval datestamp on registered cover to Modena, Italy, stamp also tied by rectangular Italian registry handstamp, cover and stamp with some soiling, still Very Fine and scarce use of the 30c 1890
E. 300-400
475
Back to Top2164
30c Black (228). Used with two 5c Chocolate (223), tied by registry ovals, "New York, N.Y. Reg'y. Div. 2-14 1891" double-oval datestamp on registered cover with printed address to Zurich, Switzerland, red London transit, receiving backstamp, minor edgewear, Very Fine and attractive 30c 1890 use
E. 400-500
600
Back to Top2165
30c Black (228). Tied by registry oval, purple "Registered, Boston Mass., Oct. 13, 1901 No." boxed datestamp with manuscript registry number, on cover to The Hague, Holland, New York registry label, back of cover with green, blue and brown Pan-American Exposition labels, transit and receiving backstamps, slight edgewear, short perf at top left prior to use, Fine, scarce use of the 30c on cover
E. 400-500
400
Back to Top2166
6c Brown Red (224). Used with 3c Purple (221) and 4c Dark Brown (222), tied by corks on 2c entire to Brussels, Belgium, purple "San Francisco Registered Dec. 10, 1890" circular datestamp, New York registry label, New York and receiving backstamps, Very Fine and colorful
E. 200-300
350
Back to Top2167
90c Orange (229). Radiant color, used with horizontal pairs of 10c Green (226) and 30c Black (228) and single of 8c Lilac (225), tied by San Francisco registry ovals, purple "Reg. Division, San Francisco Cal., Jun. 18, 1894" oval datestamp on package wrapper with colorful illustration label of the "Building of Romania, Servia and Montenegro" from the New California Midwinter International Exposition, to King Alexander I, King of Serbia at Belgrade, Serbia and forwarded within Serbia to Nis, "New York N.Y. Reg'y. Div. 6-24 1894" double-oval datestamp, folds and creases do not affect any stampsVERY FINE. A PHENOMENAL ITEM, BEARING THE 90-CENT, 30-CENT, 10-CENT AND 8-CENT 1890 ISSUE, WITH A COLORFUL ILLUSTRATION OF THE CALIFORNIA WORLD'S FAIR BUILDING, SENT TO THE NEWLY CROWNED KING ALEXANDER I OF SERBIA. THIS IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT 90-CENT 1890 ISSUE ITEM IN EXISTENCE.
The California Midwinter International Exposition was a world's fair, held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. 120 structures were built, and the fair welcomed over 2 million visitors. The layout of Golden Gate Park was changed forever by the fair -- the Fine Arts Building constructed for the fair is now the DeYoung Museum, and the Japanese Tea Garden, constructed for the fair, continues to be an attraction today.
The recipient of this item, King Alexander I of Serbia, was just shy of 18 years old when this cover was sent. According to Wikipedia, his father, King Milan, abdicated the throne in 1889. His wife was installed as regent until Alexander's 18th birthday, but Alexander decided he could not wait and in 1893 he dismissed the government and declared himself king, a move generally met with approval. In May 1894, a month before this was sent, he abolished his father's liberal constitution and restored a more conservative one from 1869. In 1900 he married his mother's former lady-in-waiting, a widowed woman 12 years his senior. His parents disapproved and were banished from the kingdom. It was doubtful whether she would provide an heir to the throne, and, when his new queen's brother was declared presumptive heir, it proved to be an excellent opportunity to strike. A group of army officers, including one in the pay of the Russians and a member of the secret society which would later assassinate Archduke Ferdinand, overtook the castle on June 11, 1903, and hunted down the hiding king and queen, who were then shot, disemboweled and thrown from a window into a pile of garden manure.
The $1.78 postage on this cover pays 34 times 5c UPU rate plus 8c registration fee for a 17-ounce package. This cover was reported in a Chronicle article by Dr. Richard Searing (No. 107, Aug. 1980, pp.194-197). He notes this surfaced in 1975 in an auction of primarily Slavic and Eastern European material.
E. 15,000-20,000
21,000
Back to Top2168
4c Dark Brown (222). Pair, tied by Philadelphia ovals on registered cover to Husi, Romania, purple "Philadelphia, Pa. Registered Jan. 10, 1893" and other transit backstamps, Husi postal label affixed and tied by blue datestamp at top right corner where a third stamp was removed, some wear, Fine, the 4c pair pays 8c registry fee effective Jan. 1893, but no 8c stamps were issued until March, so this is a "provisional" means of paying fee in the interim, unusual usage
E. 200-300
130
Back to Top2169
10c Green (226). Rich color, used with 5c Chocolate (223), tied by purple "Registered Oct. 8, 1892, Brunswick, Ga." three-line datestamp with eight bars on cover with printed address to Umea, Sweden, New York registry label, New York and receiving backstamps, fresh and Very Fine, a beautiful cover
E. 200-300
250
Back to Top2170
15c Indigo (227). Rich color, used with 3c Purple (221), tied by purple "Registered Aug. 30, 1892, 22nd Street Station, Chicago, Ill." four-line datestamp on 2c entire to Ingatorp, Sweden, photographer's return address handstamp, Very Fine double-rate use, scarce with the stamps tied by the registry datestamp
E. 200-300
450
Back to Top2171
1890 Issue Covers to Europe. 87, wonderful range of destinations including England, Germany, Austria, Romania, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Latvia, Russia, Finland, Hungary, few Sea Post covers, wide range of frankings including 30c on post card to France, 30c on large piece to France, 30c strip of three used with ten 2c to Germany (faulty), 2c and 1c on 2c entire to Greenland where forwarded to Denmark and finally returned to sender in S. Dakota; 1c and 2c on 2c entire from Douglas, Alaska to Germany; 5c on 5c Columbian entire to Germany sent Supplementary Mail and with red oval datestamps, 1c Postal Card used with 1c from France to Iowa marked Paid All in N.Y.; 1c Postal Card used with 1c to Romania, several other better, some faults, overall a Fine-Very Fine and fascinating group
E. 2,000-3,000
2,000
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