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 place

VERY 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

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