Sale 989 — 2010 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Saturday, 19 June, 2010
Category — Postmasters Provisionals
Baltimore Md., 5c Black on Bluish (3X3). Large margins showing all of three framelines, cancelled by manuscript "X"'s and tied by blue "Paid" handstamp, matching "Baltimore Md. May 1" circular datestamps on 1846 folded letter to Winchester Va., faint vertical file fold well clear of stampVERY FINE. AN ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT BALTIMORE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON BLUISH PAPER. A GREAT RARITY IN SUCH PRISTINE CONDITION.
Unlisted in the Hayes census, which does list one used to the same recipient on April 22. Last offered to the market in our 1984 Rarities sale.
Baltimore Md., 5c Black on Bluish (3X3). Position 6, traces of framelines show around evenly cut margins, tied on small piece by blue "Paid" and without usual pen cancel, small surface scrape noted on accompanying certificate but we have difficulty finding it even under high magnificationVERY FINE. A HANDSOME EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT BLACK ON BLUISH BALTIMORE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.
Roumet backstamp. With 1999 P.F. certificate
Baltimore Md., 5c Blue & Black entire (3XU1 var). Clear strike of signature in black and with blue "Paid" and and two strikes of "5" in oval markings, with blue "Baltimore Md. Jan. 3" circular datestamp on grayish cover to Washington D.C., two blue manuscript marks at top centerVERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT BLUE BALTIMORE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GRAYISH ENTIRE WITH THE SIGNATURE IN BLACK.
Some students believe that the presence of the two "5" handstamps indicate that this was a double-rate usage, a theory potentially strengthened by the two blue manuscript marks.
No. 11 in the Hayes Census. Ex Ferrary, Hind, "Texas", Weill, Hill and Berlin. With 2008 P.F. certificate. The black signatures were the first ones used and are rare. The Scott Catalogue does not differentiate between the different signatures, but does note that black signatures sell for more. Scott Retail as with normal signature.
Brattleboro Vt., 5c Black on Buff (5X1). Position 2, clear margins to just in, cancelled by red "Paid" straightline, second strike at right and matching "Brattleboro Vt. Apr. 5" circular datestamp on 1847 folded letter to Wareham Mass., stamp barely affected by vertical file foldVERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN ATTRACTIVE COVER BEARING THE RARE 5-CENT BRATTLEBORO POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL STAMP.
Only 20 stamps on 19 covers are recorded by Philip T. Wall in his unpublished census.
Ex Hessel and Wall. With 1997 P.F. certificate
Millbury Mass., 5c Black on Bluish (7X1). Clear margins to barely in, crisp impression, tied by "Millbury Ms. Feb. 6" circular datestamp on piece, lightly creasedVERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE MILLBURY MASSACHUSETTS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. ONLY EIGHTEEN EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING NINE USED ON PIECE OR OFF COVER.
The 5c stamp issued by Millbury postmaster Asa Holman is one of two United States provisionals with a portrait (George Washington in both cases). It is also unusual in that the designation "Post Office" appears without any town name, a characteristic in common with the Baltimore and Boscawen provisionals.
This piece is illustrated and discussed in Philip T. Wall's article on the Millbury provisional (Chronicle 120 and 121), in which he records seventeen examples (an eighteenth stamp on cover has since been recorded). Of the three stamps known on pieces, two are tied by the town marking.
With 1976 P.F. certificate. Last offered to the market in our 1984 Rarities sale. This is the first we have offered since 2001.
St. Louis Mo., 5c Black on Greenish (11X1). Vertical pair, Types I and II, Positions 1/3, uncancelled, large margins all around, bright shade, both stamps thinned, top stamp sealed tear at right, bottom stamp nick at left just into framelineVERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE UNCANCELLED PAIR OF THE 5-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER. ONLY FOUR UNCANCELLED MULTIPLES ARE RECORDED.
Ex Faiman. Scott Retail for two unused singles.
St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (11X2). Type I, Position 2, large to huge margins all around, crisp impression, neat penstroke cancel, light vertical scoring line in right margin ending in small closed tear, small scissors-cut at bottom in margin onlyEXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE-MARGINED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER.
Ex Hoffman. With 1991 and 2008 P.F. certificates
St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (11X2). Type III, Position 6, large margins to clear, cancelled by penstrokes and tied by light strike of red "St. Louis Mo. Jan. 15" circular datestamp with matching "Paid" straightline handstamp on 1846 folded cover to Charnley & Whelen in Philadelphia, light horizontal file fold well clear of stampVERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ISSUE ON COVER.
Ex Mayer. With 2002 and 2008 P.F. certificates
St. Louis, Mo., 10c Black, 20c Black on Gray Lilac (11X5, 11X6). 10c Type I, Position 2, 20c Type I, Position 1, huge margins to just touched, both stamps without the usual manuscript cancel, 20c uncancelled except for tiny bit of red ink in right margin, 10c well-tied by red "St. Louis Mo. Jun. 12" circular datestamp with matching "Paid" straightline handstamp on blue 1846 folded letter to Charnley & Whelen in Philadelphia, light horizontal file fold well away from stampsVERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE COMBINATION FRANKING OF THE 10-CENT AND 20-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ISSUE ON GRAY LILAC PAPER. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY THREE COMBINATION COVERS WITH THE 10-CENT AND 20-CENT STAMPS ON GRAY LILAC PAPER.
Of the three known 20c/10c combination covers, one is similarly cancelled with both stamps tied (ex Faiman) and the other is a se-tenant pair cancelled by penstroke (also ex Faiman). In all likelihood, all St. Louis "Bears" in unused condition are actually uncancelled stamps removed from covers. Therefore, in our opinion, the 20c stamp on this cover qualifies as an "unused" stamp with a Scott value of $100,000.00 (the Scott footnote describes the other uncancelled copy, ex Faiman, as "unique').
Ex Weill Brothers, Hill, Berlin. With 1989 and 2008 P.F. certificates
St. Louis Mo., 20c Black on Gray Lilac (11X6). Type I, Position 1, large margins to clear, cancelled by pen on blue 1846 folded cover to Louisville Ky., red "St. Louis Mo. Jul. 25" circular datestamp and matching "Paid" straightline handstamp, vertical file folds incl. one "tying" stamp, the stamp has been lifted, pressed and put back in placeVERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 20-CENT ON GRAY LILAC ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON COVER FROM THE TYLER & RUTHERFORD CORRESPONDENCE.
This cover comes from the famous "Louisville Find" in 1895, a huge group of covers addressed to Tyler & Rutherford, which was salvaged by a janitor who was burning papers. This group contained 75 of the 5c, 46 of the 10c and 16 of the 20c, including se-tenant multiples that revealed the plate layout and proved the authenticity of the 20c stamps, which had been in question since 1869. All of the stamps in the Louisville find were found on covers addressed to Tyler & Rutherford, a banking firm in Louisville, but many of the stamps were later removed. Additional material from the Tyler & Rutherford correspondence surfaced around 1902 and was acquired by C. H. Mekeel.
Ex Faiman and Berlin. With 1988 and 2008 P.F. certificates