Sale 1188 — United States Stamp Treasures: The William H. Gross Collection
Sale Date — Wednesday, 3 October, 2018
Category — Saint Louis, MO Postmaster's Provisionals
The only recorded cover with this combination of the 5¢ and 20¢ St. Louis “Bears” postmaster’s provisional stamps and the most outstanding of the three covers known with the extremely rare 5¢ on Gray Lilac paper--truly one of the greatest Postmasters’ Provisional coversDESCRIPTION
5¢ Black on Gray Lilac, 20¢ Black on Gray Lilac (11X4, 11X6), two 5¢ stamps, both Position 5--the only 5¢ denomination on the plate used to print stamps on Gray Lilac paper--ample margins except at bottom of one and left of the other, used with 20¢ Position 3, three large margins, slightly into frameline at left, intense impressions on fresh paper, probably an early printing from the altered plate (earliest documented use is dated February 27, 1846), without manuscript cancel, tied solely by a single bold strike of the vivid red “St. Louis Mo. Apr. 10” (1846) circular datestamp, matching “PAID” handstamp and manuscript “30” triple 10¢ rate on fresh blue folded letter datelined “Banking House of Wm. Nisbet & Co., St. Louis 9th April 1846” to Charnley & Whelen in Philadelphia
PROVENANCE
* Charnley & Whelen correspondence, H. R. Harmer sale, 12/13/1948, lot 37
* Siegel Auction Galleries, 1966 Rarities of the World, 2/24/1966, Sale 296, lot 20
* Benjamin D. Phillips (collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)
* Edward Grombacher (bought and sold privately through Weills)
* Weill Brothers’ Stock, Christie’s Robson Lowe sale, 10/12/1989, lot 654, to Middendorf
* Hon. J. William Middendorf II, Christie’s Robson Lowe sale, 9/25/1991, lot 65
* Dr. Charles E. Test, “Concord” Collection, 1994 Rarities of the World, Siegel Auction Galleries, 5/19/1994, Sale 759, lot 19, to William H. Gross
CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES
* USPCS census no. 21174
* https://www.uspcs.org/resource-center/censuses/postmasters-provisionals-cover-census/
* L. N. Williams, Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps, Vol. I, p. 316
CERTIFICATION
* The Philatelic Foundation (1989)
CONDITION NOTES
* Very Fine and pristine cover with light horizontal file fold; middle stamp (5¢) has a negligible small corner crease ending in a tiny tear
* “WEILL” backstamp
VIEW PDF OF HISTORY AND COMMENTARY at https://siegelauctions.com/2018/1188/12.pdf
