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)
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This cover was prepaid for the quadruple 12c treaty rate, which had been superseded by a 5c treaty rate one month earlier.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)
