Sale 1188 — United States Stamp Treasures: The William H. Gross Collection
Sale Date — Wednesday, 3 October, 2018
Category — 1869 Pictorial Issue, including the Unique Block of the 24c Invert
This colorful 1869 Pictorial Issue cover is one of only three known to Japan with the 30¢ Eagle-and-Shield bicolored stamp--in this case an error in the New York foreign-mail office resulted in a longer trip, despite extra postage paid for the faster route via Marseilles, FranceDESCRIPTION
30¢ Ultramarine & Carmine (121), perfectly centered, wide margins, rich colors and proof-like impression, used with 12¢ Green (117), tied by segmented cork cancels on folded letter datelined “New York 3rd Decem 1869” from Weston & Wolf with duplicate of November 24 letter, addressed to Charles Thorel & Company in Yokohama, Japan, blurry red New York December 4 datestamp on back, sender’s ship and route directive “p City of Brussels & via Marseilles”--carried on the Inman Line’s City of Brussels, which broke the speed record on this trip, leaving New York on December 4, 1869, and arriving with its mail at Liverpool on December 13--the New York foreign-mail office incorrectly applied a “26” cents credit instead of 32¢ for faster service via Marseilles (which was paid for with 42¢ postage), red “London Paid” transit datestamp (December 13) and black two-line handstamp “INSUFFY.STAMPED/VIA MARSEILLES”, applied in London because of the incorrect credit (despite correct prepayment), red “1d” handstamp for British Colonial rate--carried on Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. steamers from Southampton to Alexandria (Egypt), then overland to Suez, and from there to Hong Kong via Galle (Ceylon), “Hong Kong C FE 12 70” transit datestamp on back (61 days, indicating a longer trip), the last leg from Hong Kong to Shanghai was made on another P&O steamer, blue “Yokohama A FE 22 70” receiving datestamp on back
PROVENANCE
* Henry C. Gibson, Sr., Philip H. Ward, Jr., sale, 6/14-15/1944, lot 493
* Ryohei Ishikawa, Sotheby Parke Bernet sale, 7/7/1981, Sale 58, lot 120
* Jonathan W. Rose, Siegel Auction Galleries, 9/27/1997, Sale 794, lot 632, to William H. Gross
CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES
* Scott R. Trepel, “More High-Denomination 1869 Covers from the Thorel and Gomez Correspondences,” Chronicle 246, May 2017, fig. 3
CONDITION NOTES
* Extremely Fine
* Gibson sale backstamp
VIEW PDF OF HISTORY AND COMMENTARY at https://siegelauctions.com/2018/1188/90.pdf
