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
A colorful and extremely rare combination of the 10¢ 1869 Pictorial and 3¢ 1868 Grilled stamps on a cover from the American Postal Agency in Shanghai, China, which crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and the continental United States, to reach its destination in IrelandDESCRIPTION
10¢ Yellow (116), perfectly centered, bright shade and vivid color, used with pair of 3¢ Red, F. Grill (94), well-centered, few nibbed perfs, tied by three bold strikes of circle of wedges cancel and U.S. Postal Agency in Shanghai “P.O.D. U.S. Con. Genl. Shanghai Sep. 12” (1871) circular datestamp on cover to Dublin, Ireland, magenta “San Francisco Cal. Oct. 17 Paid” transit datestamp, Dublin receiving backstamp (November 7, 1871)--carried on the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. branch line steamer New York, departing Shanghai on September 12, 1871, and arriving in Yokohama days later; from Yokohama it was carried on the PMSS America, departing September 23, and arriving in San Francisco on October 15; the cover was then sent overland by railroad and reached New York for a steamer to England (ship information cannot be reliably determined)
PROVENANCE
* Edgar Kuphal (“A European’s Large Gold Collection of The 1869 Pictorial Issue”), Siegel Auction Galleries, 12/13/1999, Sale 819, lot 2272, to William H. Gross
CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES
* Michael Laurence, United States Ten-Cent 1869 Covers: A Postal Historical Survey, fig. 22-10, p. 283
CONDITION NOTES
* Extremely Fine
VIEW PDF OF HISTORY AND COMMENTARY at https://siegelauctions.com/2018/1188/91.pdf
