Sale 1003 — Specialized U.S. Collections, Air Post, Foreign Stamps & Covers
Sale Date — Wednesday-Friday, 15-17 December, 2010
Category — War Department Issues (Covers: Stampless and 1c-15c Values)
Lot
Symbol
Photo/Description
Cat./Est. Value
Realized
5504
William Tecumseh Sherman. Signed "W.T. Sherman/General." on neat unaddressed cover with "War Department/Official Business" and penalty handstamps, file fold thru the penalty notice does not affect the frank which is Very Fine and choice, one of only two known unused examples, Sherman was appointed Commanding General of the United States Army by his friend Ulysses S. Grant in 1869 and served in that role until 1883, and as such was responsible for the conduct of the Indian Wars
E. 500-750
325
5505
War Department, Adjutant General's Office. Official Business. Imprint on legal-size cover to Newburgh N.Y. with penalty clause below, perfect strike of "Washington D.C. Jun. 14 1884 5 PM" duplex cancel, ms. "Wm Townsend vs. Forson & Ross" and red "Returned" at left, purple handstamp "1206", fresh and Extremely Fine penalty cover, although mail from field offices to private citizens required stamps until July 5, 1884, letters from Washington needed bear only a penalty notice
E. 300-400
150
Back to Top5506
1c, 3c War (O83, O85). Tied by bold circle of V's with "Washington D.C. Mar. 7" (1874) duplex cancel on large-size "Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Official Business" imprint cover to Congressman Alexander Stephens in Washington, cover with faults and missing backflap and one side flap, appears Fine, the earliest documented use of the 1c War stamp, Stephens served in Congress before the Civil War, was the Vice President of the C.S.A. from 1861-65 and then served in Congress again from 1873-82
E. 500-750
300
Back to Top5507
6c, 10c War (O83, O88). Both cancelled by and 10c tied by indistinct cork, "Washington D.C. Reg. Std. Jun. 14" (1877) circular datestamp on large-size registered "Adjutant General's Office, Official Business" imprint cover to Brookfield Conn., "10902" handstamp and ms. "4203" markings, ornate blue receiving datestamp on back, some minor edgewear and couple small tears at top, 10c few perf faults from placement near edge, Fine appearing and scarce use of 10c War to pay the fee for registered letter, the 6c stamp paid the double-rate postage
E. 400-500
550
Back to Top5508
2c, 7c War (O84, O87). 7c full margins, 2c defective with large piece missing, both tied by "Washington D.C. Feb. 16 5 PM" duplex cancel on large-size Adjutant General's Office imprint cover to the Presidio in San Francisco, cover tears with piece out at right, 7c stamp with perf fault at left, extremely rare 7c War Dept. stamp on cover, one of only two known, the 7c value was issued in 1873 to pay the single letter rate for Prussian Closed Mail and for mail to Denmark, the stamp was made obsolete for those purposes by the 1875 5c G.P.U. rate yet the Department continued to requisition the 7c value, no foreign usages are known, with this and lot 5514 being the only known domestic usages
E. 300-400
800
Back to Top5509
3c War (O85). Horizontal pair, s.e. at left, scuffed corner at top right, tied by purplish-black "Fort Grant * Arizona * Mar. 29, 1880" duplex datestamp and Star in Circle cancel on legal-size cover to Tucson, reduced at left, otherwise Fine, scarce usage from this territorial fort in Arizona, ex Starnes
E. 500-750
750
Back to Top5510
3c War (O85). Horizontal block of six tied by four-ring target, Jamestown R.I. circular datestamp on large-size cover addressed to Maj. General Henry Hunt at Charleston S.C., pos. 1 top left corner insect erosion, also tiny bit on pos. 2, cover reduced at right and mended corner, few other edge faults, this is the only surviving War Department cover franked with block of stamps, General Hunt had been the Chief of Artillery in the Army of the Potomac
E. 500-750
400
Back to Top5511
6c War (O86). Tied by circular cork cancel with matching "Washington D.C Oct. 24" circular datestamp on large-size War Dept. imprint cover to Menomonee Mich., ms "Returned cannot find this name", blue "Menomonee Mich. Dec. 17" circular datestamp struck on returned date, received back in Washington with partly scratched out Dec. 22, 1873 circular datestamp which also ties the stamp, reduced at top and missing top flap, appears Fine, the earliest documented use of the 6c War stamp
E. 300-400
150
Back to Top5512
6c War (O86). Horizontal pair, used with regular issue 6c Dull Pink (159), cancelled by corks, "St. Louis Mo. Oct. 6" (1875) circular datestamp on 3c War Department entire (UO34) addressed to London, England, in the hand of General William Tecumseh Sherman, "Headquarters Army of the United States, Official Business" imprint at upper left, red New York and 1875 London transits, trivial edgewearVERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING COMBINATION OF THE REGULAR POSTAGE AND WAR DEPARTMENT ISSUES ON A COVER SENT BY COMMANDING GENERAL WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN TO LONDON.
William T. Sherman, whose "March to the Sea" made him a Civil War hero in the North (and equally despised in the South), was appointed Commanding General of the U.S. Army after the war (1869-83). In November 1871 he embarked on a tour of Europe for the first time, returning to Washington D.C. in September 1872. In September 1874, at Sherman's request, the Headquarters of the U.S. Army was moved from Washington D.C. to St. Louis.
E. 2,000-3,000
2,200
Back to Top5513
12c War (O89). Horizontal pair, tied by cork circle of diamonds and "St. Louis Mo. Dec. 28" (ca. 1875) circular datestamp on 3c War Dept. entire (UO34) addressed to Rome, Italy, in the hand of General William Tecumseh Sherman, "Headquarters Army of the United States, Official Business" imprint at upper left, red New York transit, missing part of top flap and some edgewearVERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE 12-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT MULTIPLE FRANKING TO ITALY, ADDRESSED IN THE HAND OF COMMANDING GENERAL WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN.
William T. Sherman, whose "March to the Sea" made him a Civil War hero in the North (and equally despised in the South), was appointed Commanding General of the U.S. Army after the war (1869-83). In November 1871 he embarked on a tour of Europe for the first time, returning to Washington D.C. in September 1872. In September 1874, at Sherman's request, the Headquarters of the U.S. Army was moved from Washington D.C. to St. Louis.
E. 2,000-3,000
3,250
Back to Top5514
2c, 7c War (O84, O87). 7c wide margins, both stamps tied by "Washington D.C. Aug. 26 5 PM" duplex datestamp and cork cancel on large-size War Department imprint cover to Haverhill Mass., few small cover tears and piece of top flap missing, Fine appearing and extremely rare 7c War Dept. stamp on cover, one of only two known, the 7c value was issued in 1873 to pay the single letter rate for Prussian closed mail and for mail to Denmark, the stamp was made obsolete for those purposes by the 1875 5c G.P.U. rate yet the Department continued to requisition the 7c value, no foreign usages are known, with this and lot 5508 being the only known domestic usages
E. 1,000-1,500
1,700
Back to Top5515
10c War (O88). Nicely balanced margins and rich color, tied by "Washington D.C." double-oval handstamp, ms. "Register" at top and three-line "Registered/Apr. 5 1882/Washington, D.C." handstamp on large yellow cover front only to Nashville Tenn., blue "12433" handstamp and "War Department,/Office of the Chief of Engineers./Official Business" penalty label at upper right, vertical cover wrinkles do not affect the stamp, Very Fine, the 10c stamp paid the registration fee while the penalty label covered the domestic postage, ex Markovits, with 1986 P.F. certificate
E. 750-1,000
650
Back to Top5516
10c War (O88). Scissors-trimmed perfs, tied by lightly struck oval cancel on large registered front only to Hudson N.Y. with red and black imprints of "War Department, Office of the Chief of Engineers", "Printed Matter" and penalty clause, purple "Registered/Jan. 7, 1882/Washington D.C." three-line datestamp, large tear and soiled, still an unusual wrapper usage, ex Starnes, Scott Retail as full cover $2,000.00
E. 500-750
475
Back to Top5517
12c War (O89). Horizontal strip of six, multiple strikes of smudgy cork cancel, one ties the strip at bottom right, blue "San Andreas Cal. Oct. 27" circular datestamp on large-size buff cover to Angels Camp Cal., some edge tears and barely reduced at left, light staining at bottom of two stamps, otherwise Very Fine, a rare strip of six on cover
E. 750-1,000
0
Back to Top5518
12c War (O89). Centered to top right, tied by smudge cancel on "Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Official Business" imprint cover pre-addressed to the Chief Signal Officer in Washington, slightly reduced at left, minor edge wear, appears Fine
450
200
Back to Top5519
12c War (O89). Horizontal pair, tied by "Knoxville Mar. 10 5 PM '84" duplex cancel on large-size cover to Congressman Leonidas Campbell Houk in Washington, ms. "Personal" at bottom, Washington receiving datestamp, some wear and right stamp with perf faults at right, cover slightly reduced at right, Fine appearing and scarce 12c War Dept. pair on cover, Houk was a Union Army colonel and a prominent representative from Tennessee, serving from 1879-91, he accidentally drank a bottle of arsenic on May 21, 1891 and died the next day
E. 300-400
200
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