Sale 1115 — A European Connoisseur's Collection of U.S. Classic Issues
Sale Date — Tuesday, 15 December, 2015
Category — 1c-10c 1869 Pictorial Issue (Scott 112-116)
1c Buff (112). Block of four, original gum, extraordinarily choice centering, rich color, tiny perf tear at top right and both pairs have faint horizontal creases which do not affect the appearance, Extremely Fine appearance, blocks of the 1c 1869 Pictorial Issue are rarely encountered with such precise centering
2c Brown (113). Vertical block of twelve, original gum, beautiful dark shade on bright fresh paper, centering variesFINE-VERY FINE. A MARVELOUS FRESH ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF TWELVE OF THE 2-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
Ex Caspary. Scott value as two blocks and two pairs.
2c-30c 1869 Pictorial Issue (113-115, 117, 121). Twelve stamps including 2c on piece, 3c original gum, 6c lightly cancelled, five 12c including one on cover to London, four 30c including one with pretty rosette cancel, a few tiny corner creases or thin specks to be expected, overall Very Fine
3c-30c 1869 Pictorial Issue with Colored Cancellations (114, 116, 117, 119-121). Eleven stamps with colored cancellations including 3c (red), 10c (two--both red), 12c (blue), 15c (three--one blue, others red), 24c (red), 30c (three--one red, others blue), nice strikes and mostly well-centered stamps with one two trivial flaws, one of the 15c stamps is tied on piece by a fake New York circular datestamp (ex Klep), otherwise Very Fine group, Scott Retail for stamps and colored cancel premiums
3c Ultramarine (114). Vertical block of six, original gum, slight disturbance from hinge removal, Fine-Very Fine, left center stamp is Extremely Fine
3c Ultramarine (114). Wide margins and beautifully centered, tied by "X" Roman letter cancel, "Sacarappa Me. Apr. 14" circular datestamp on cover to Bethel Me., Extremely Fine
3c Ultramarine (114). Guide arrow at bottom right, tied by one of two strikes of Large Bee fancy cancel, second strike with duplex "Adrian Mich. May 18" circular datestamp on illustrated Dove and address ribbon cover to New York CityVERY FINE. THE ADRIAN LARGE BEE FANCY CANCELLATION IS EXTREMELY RARE AND BELIEVED TO BE UNIQUE ON THIS "BIRDS AND THE BEES" 1869 PICTORIAL COVER.
The Adrian Large Bee fancy cancellation rivals the artistic quality of Waterbury postmaster John Hill's Bee creations. Covers with this cancellation are very rare, and this is the only strike on an illustrated Dove and Ribbon envelope, which creates the first "Birds and the Bees" cover we have ever encountered.
"W.H.C." (Colson) handstamp. Noted as ex Emerson on back. Warren H. Colson mentions an Adrian Bee cover in his 1929 booklet on the Duckwall collection, so this might also be ex Duckwall. With 2015 P.F. certificate
3c Ultramarine (114). Bright color, tied by large circular segmented cork cancel, paying 3c rate between consular post offices in Japan on folded cover from Pignatel & Co. in Nagasaki to Eccard & Raud in Yokohama, no Nagasaki datestamp at this time (it was introduced in 1872), the cork cancel is unlisted for either Nagasaki or Yokohama in the Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book, sender's "Pignatel & Co. Nagasaki (Japon)" double oval handstamp and manuscript directive "Costa Rica" (Pacific Mail Steamship Co. branch-line steamship), receipt docketing "1870 Nagasaki, 26 Decbre, Pignatel & Co., R 31 do, 2 Janvier 1871"VERY FINE. THIS PRISTINE COVER IS THE ONLY RECORDED 3-CENT INTERCONSULAR RATE USE BETWEEN NAGASAKI AND YOKOHAMA WITH THE 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE. CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FINEST OF ALL 1869 ISSUE COVERS ORIGINATING IN JAPAN.
The sender, Pignatel & Co., was one of the largest of the Western trading firms, and Eccard & Raud was a major silk exporter. This cover was carried on an eastbound Pacific Mail Steamship Co. branch-line steamer that originated in Shanghai and stopped at Nagasaki on its journey to Yokohama. The table of PMSS Co. branch-line trips in the Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book is, by the authors' own admission, based on incomplete records. The eastbound trip of the Costa Rica that carried this cover is not listed, but the receipt docketing can be used to determine the trip dates. According to the docketing, the letter originated at Nagasaki on December 26, 1870, and arrived in Yokohama on December 31 (it was answered January 2, 1871). The trip from Shanghai to Yokohama was usually seven or eight days at this time, so the Costa Rica probably sailed from Shanghai on December 23 or 24, picked up the mail at Yokohama on December 26 or 27, and reached Yokohama on December 31. None of the listed trips by other steamers fit these dates.
Very few interconsular covers originating in Nagasaki are recorded, and all others with 1869 Pictorial Issue stamps were prepaid 6c for the rate from Japan to Shanghai, China. This is the only known 1869 Issue cover from Nagasaki to anywhere else in Japan, paid at the 3c interconsular rate.
Pencil note on back indicates this was sold by the Weills from the Ward stock in August 1965.
6c Ultramarine (115). Original gum, beautiful vibrant shade, choice centering and remarkably freshEXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 6-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE IN A REMARKABLE STATE OF FRESHNESS.
With 2015 P.F. certificate
6c Ultramarine (115). Block of four, original gum, marvelous brilliant color on bright fresh paper, well-centered and especially so in comparison to other known blocks of the 6c 1869 PictorialVERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING AND RARE 6-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE BLOCK WITH ORIGINAL GUM. RARELY ENCOUNTERED WITH THE FRESHNESS AND VIVID COLOR DISPLAYED BY THIS BLOCK.
Jonathan Rose estimates that there are seven to eight unused blocks of the 6c 1869 Pictorial Issue. Of these, most have perfs significantly into the design, a fact confirmed by using Power Search.
With 2015 P.F. certificate
10c Yellow (116). Block of four with right guide arrow selvage, original gum, incredibly vibrant color and impression on bright white paper, natural narrow vertical gum skip along right pairVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A SPECTACULAR AND RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF THE 10-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE. THIS RIGHT-ARROW BLOCK, WITH ITS CHOICE CENTERING AND REMARKABLE FRESHNESS, IS ONE OF THE FINEST MULTIPLES EXTANT.
Ex Caspary, where it realized $1,250 in 1956, more than double its then-current Scott Catalogue value of $600 (probably acquired by the European Connoisseur in that sale). With 2015 P.F. certificate
10c Yellow (116). Vivid color providing the backdrop to a perfect full strike of blue "10" numeral in serrated circle cancel, Very Fine, numeral cancellations are very scarce on the 10c 1869, especially a "10" on "10"
2c Brown, 3c Ultramarine, 10c Yellow (116). 10c wide margins with natural s.e. at right, tied together on piece by three strikes of French "Ancre" Diamond of Dots maritime cancellation, some light inks smears, Very Fine, a beautiful piece and very rare
10c Yellow (116). Incredibly vivid color, placed at the top center and tied by absolutely perfect strike of New York Foreign Mail "Clothespins" cancel, red "New York Aug. 29" and "New York Paid All Br. Transit Aug. 29" circular datestamps on immaculate cover to Naples, Italy, red receiving backstamp, Extremely Fine, perfection
10c Yellow (116). Well-centered, vivid color, used on bright buff cover addressed in violet ink to Meilen, Switzerland, "Fremont Ill. Feb. (6?)" circular datestamp but that post office never cancelled the stamp, the New York City foreign mail office cancelled and tied it with bold red "New York Paid All. Br. Transit Feb. 7" circular datestamp, second strike below with blue crayon "10" over "7" date, Swiss transit and receiving backstamps, Extremely Fine, a "magnificent" cover, to borrow the term used in our description in the 1961 sale of the Newbury collection, accompanied by the original Newbury sale lot sheet showing Weill as the buyer for $270
10c Yellow (116). Superbly centered, intense shade, tied by perfect strike of segmented circular cork cancel on blue folded letter to Bordeaux, France, sender's blue double-circle datestamp, red "New York Mar. 12" (1870) circular datestamp, Calais arrival datestamp and "GB/40c" Anglo-French accountancy handstamp, French "5" decimes due handstamp, Extremely Fine, prepaid for 10c direct rate to France, but sent by British Open Mail (which required only 4c), ex Caspary, the $210 realization in the 1956 Caspary sale caused Ashbrook to muse about what factors could have driven up the price to such an extraordinary level (Special Service, page 561, photo 277)