Sale 1003 — Specialized U.S. Collections, Air Post, Foreign Stamps & Covers
Sale Date — Wednesday-Friday, 15-17 December, 2010
Category — War Department Issues (Covers: 24c to 90c Values)
15c War (O90). Clear margins, cancelled by Washington D.C. duplex (not tied) on "War Department, Adjutant General's Office" legal-size imprint cover to Baltimore, receiving backstamp, few minor edge tears, Fine appearing and scarce on-cover example
15c War (O90). Two singles and pair, tied by by segmented cork cancel on "War Department, Official Business" package front to New York, label affixed to package and signed by the War Dept. chief clerk H.T. Crosby certifying that the package contained no written matter, vertical file fold ending in tear, stamps with minor perf flawsA FINE AND IMPRESSIVE MULTIPLE USE OF THE 15c WAR DEPARTMENT STAMP. FEWER THAN FIVE COVERS ARE KNOWN.
Since there was no written matter in the package, the 60c in postage paid the 6-times 10c rate for a printed bound volume.
Ex Ackerman, Hughes, Waud and Markovits
30c War (O92). Centered to left, used with 6c War Dept. (O86) and tied by quartered cork cancel, "Washington D.C. Feb. 14" (1876) circular datestamp on large-size "Office of the Chief Signal Officer. Official Business." imprint cover addressed to "Benj. Smith Lyman Esq., Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer to the Kaitakushi, care of R. Yamauchi, Esq., Kaitakushi, Shiba, Yedo, Japan, red crayon "3" for triple 12c treaty rate, red "Yokohama Paid All Mar. 29" double-circle datestamp, erased pencil receipt docketing at upper left, some cover edge flaws affect 6cFINE APPEARANCE. THE MOST OUTSTANDING OF THE FOUR RECORDED 30-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT COVERS AND WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OFFICIAL ISSUE COVERS EXTANT.
The census by Alan C. Campbell ("High Value Official Stamps on Cover", Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists four 30c War Dept. covers, including three with singles and the 6c War. Mr. Campbell refers to the pair of War Department covers to Japan offered in this sale as "rivals" to the Commodore Caldwell 24c and 30c Navy Department covers that were sold by our firm in the Starnes auction ($26,000 and $37,500 hammer, respectively). The article contains a description of the covers from the late Dr. Lobdell, which we quote below:
"Both covers were sent by the War Department's Chief Signal Officer to 'Benjamin Smith Lyman, Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer to the Kaitakushi.' Lyman was a Harvard graduate who later studied at the Ecole de Mines in Paris and set himself up as a consulting geologist. Between 1873 and 1879 he was chief geologist to the Japanese government, principally working for the Kaitakushi, which was an agency with the responsibility for the colonization and development of the natural resources of the northern island of Hokkaido. (Hokkaido was Japan's version of our frontier in '70s, so that while we were sending homesteaders into our West and killing off the Indians, they were populating Hokkaido with ethnic Japanese and doing a number on the native hairy Ainu.) The pair of 24c War stamps pays four times the treaty rate of 12c per half ounce for mail from the United States to Japan. (Although the General Postal Union rate of 5c per half ounce for international mail was already in force for many countries, Japan did not sign the GPU until the following year.) The letter was mailed in Washington, D.C. on May 9 and reached Yokohama on June 29, 1876, where a red 'Yokohama Paid All' was applied by the US postal station there. It then took nine more days to travel less than twenty-five miles to Mr. Lyman at his lodgings in Yedo (the old name for Tokyo). How did it get from the US to Japan? There were two possible routes: (I) via New York to London, where it would have been put on a British ship round.the Cape of Good Hope to the Orient, or (2) via the recently-completed transcontinental railroad to San Francisco, where it would have been put on an American ship to Yokohama. Since the envelope lacks New York and London transit markings, I favor the Trans-Pacific route. Both covers were at one time in the collection of Congressman Ackerman, the leading collector of United States official covers in the early part of this century."
Ex Ackerman, Hughes and Duckworth (acquired by Dr. Lobdell in the 1963 sale of the Duckworth collection)
24c War (O91). Horizontal pair, tied by bold strikes of quartered cork cancels, Washington D.C. May 9 (1876) circular datestamp on large-size Office of the Chief Signal Officer. Official Business. imprint cover addressed to Prof. Benj. Smith Lyman, Chief Geologist and Mining Engineer, Joumin, Daimon, Shiba, Yedo, Japan, red crayon 4 for quadruple 12c treaty rate (the treaty rate was reduced to 5c in April 1876), red Yokohama Paid All Jun. 29 double-circle datestamp, Japanese datestamp and writing on back, pencil 1876 receipt docketing at upper left, opened for display, some slight wear and faults, small piece out at upper left, right 24c stamp small perf flaws.#FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED FULL COVER BEARING THE 24-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT ISSUE (THE OTHER TWO USES ARE PACKAGE LABELS). THIS SPECTACULAR COVER, ADDRESSED TO BENJAMIN SMITH LYMAN IN JAPAN, IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL OFFICIAL COVERS.
This cover was prepaid for the quadruple 12c treaty rate, which had been superseded by a 5c treaty rate one month earlier. It was carried to Yokohama by the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. and then to Tokyo. A Japanese official translated the address into Japanese on back for the benefit of the local postman and then applied his seal.
The census by Alan C. Campbell (High Value Official Stamps on Cover, Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists three 24c War Department covers, including two used with the 90c on package labels and this full cover to Japan. This cover is No. 38 in the census.
Ex Ackerman, Knapp, Hughes and Duckworth (acquired by Dr. Lobdell in the 1963 sale of the Duckworth collection)
30c War (O92). Two horizontal pairs, a few minor perf flaws along top, tied between perfs by circle of wedges cancel on cover-size package label with Jefferson Depot of the Quartermasters Department, Jeffersonville, Ind., Official Business imprint, addressed in violet and red Spencerian script to John W. Kline, care of John Wanamaker, in Philadelphia Pa.ONLY FOUR 30-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT COVERS ARE RECORDED, AND THIS IS THE ONLY MULTIPLE FRANKING AMONG THEM. AN OUTSTANDING OFFICIAL HIGH-VALUE COVER.
John W. Kline was a well-known collector of coins, medals and numismatic literature. John Wanamaker, in whose care this package to Kline was directed, is known as the Father of the modern department store and commercial advertising (he was appointed Postmaster General in 1889).
The census by Alan C. Campbell (High Value Official Stamps on Cover, Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists four 30c War Dept. covers, including three with singles and the 6c War. This is the only 30c War multiple known on cover. The $1.20 postage may have paid the 10c per bound volume rate for 12 bound volumes, or possibly the 40x domestic 3c rate for 20 ounces.
Ex Hughes and Starnes
90c War (O93). Cancelled by circle of wedges and tied by partly readable "Omaha Neb. Oct. 2" (1883) circular datestamp on large-size "Medical Department of the Army, Official Business" imprint cover addressed to the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army in Washington D.C., blue crayon docketing indicates 1883 usage as does receiving backstamp, vertical file fold well away from stamp, some edge tears and flaws, missing part of top flapFINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED FULL COVER BEARING THE 90-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT ISSUE. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LOBDELL COLLECTION AND THE FIELD OF OFFICIAL ISSUES.
The census by Alan C. Campbell ("High Value Official Stamps on Cover", Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists three 90c War Dept. covers. This is the only recorded full cover. The other two are package labels, including the example in the following lot, and another similar example.
Ex Steinmetz, Hughes and Duckworth (acquired by Dr. Lobdell in the 1963 sale of the Duckworth collection)
90c War (O93). Used with horizontal strip of three and single of 24c War Dept. (O91), cancelled by quartered corks, "Mobile Ala. Oct. 1?" circular datestamp on printed label which was affixed to a large package wrapper, printed address to Chief of Engineers of the U.S. Army in Washington D.C., stamps affected by horizontal fold where wrapper and label meet, few other flaws to 24c stampsFINE APPEARANCE. A RARE PARCEL LABEL BEARING THE 90-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT ISSUE, USED WITH FOUR COPIES OF THE 24-CENT WAR DEPARTMENT. A SPECTACULAR FRANKING.
The census by Alan C. Campbell ("High Value Official Stamps on Cover", Chronicle No. 188, Nov. 2000, pp. 287-299) lists three 90c War Dept. covers. The only recorded full cover is offered in lot 5525. The other two are package labels, including the example offered here and another similar label.
Ex Knapp, Waud and Martovits