DESCRIPTION

12¢ Black (17), Positions 71/81-82/91-92R1, block of five from the lower left corner of the right pane of Plate 1 with large part of interpane margin at left, large to ample margins all around, intense shade and proof-like impression on bright white paper, lightly cancelled by grids and tied by “Wheeling Va. Feb. 4” (1857) circular datestamp on buff cover to Württemberg, Germany, addressed to the district court in Horb am Neckar, double 30¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate with sender’s route directive “Per Prussian Closed Mail”, red “N. York 14 Am. Pkt. Paid Feb. 7” 14¢ credit datestamp--carried on the Havre Line’s Arago from New York on February 7, arriving in Southampton on February 20--entered Prussian mail system at Aachen with red “AACHEN 21/2 FRANCO” (Feburary 21) framed transit datestamp, back of cover with Stuttgart (February 23) and Horb (February 24) transit and receiving datestamps, additional part strike of German transit backstamp (February 23)

PROVENANCE

No record of this cover has been located prior to 1983, when it was acquired from a European source by Duane B. Garrett and certified by The Philatelic Foundation

* Christie’s Robson Lowe sale, 10/30/1986, lot 329, to Zoellner

* Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 92, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

* ANPHILEX 1996 Invited Exhibits (Zoellner)

CERTIFICATION

*The Philatelic Foundation (1983)

CONDITION NOTES

* Extremely Fine block and flawless cover; small scissors-cut between two stamps

* Small red “ALCURI” backstamps (Paul J. Alcuri, Great Britain)

VIEW PDF OF HISTORY AND COMMENTARY at https://siegelauctions.com/2018/1188/42.pdf

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