5¢ Dark Brown (1a), block of five, the fifth adjoining stamp was partly cut away (a complete similarly pen-cancelled stamp affixed underneath for cosmetic purposes), enormous left sheet margin and top margin showing parts of adjoining stamps, slightly in at right and bottom, dark rich color, tied by manuscript "X" cancels and affixed to flap of folded letter to Warrington, England, from the Stubbs correspondence, blue "Philada. Pa. Feb. 19" (1849) circular datestamp struck on front and back, matching "PAID" in oval handstamp, sender's ship-name endorsement "per Steam Ship Hermann", "America/Liverpool/MR 6 1849" arrival backstamp and red "1/-" shilling handstamp, blue Warrington receiving datestamps front and back (March 7)

A Fine cover and truly remarkable franking used to pay the 24¢ rate on a letter carried on the first transatlantic sailing to arrive in England under the new postal treaty between the United States and Great Britain. This is one of only three 5¢ 1847 blocks known on cover (one is a front only), and it is the only one of the three carried in the transatlantic mails.

The full history of the Retaliatory Rate period is told in our sale catalogue for the famous 1847 Rush cover, available at https://siegelauctions.com/2006/912/912.pdf, and is summarized in the previous lot. The treaty between the United States and Great Britain, ending the Retaliatory Rate period, was signed on December 15, 1848. It was ratified in January 1849, and the treaty terms commenced on February 15, 1849, four days before this cover was mailed. The treaty stipulated a reciprocal 24¢ (or one shilling) rate and specified that packet postage would be retained by or credited to the packet's country of origin. This cover was directed by the sender for carriage on the Ocean Line Hermann, which departed New York on February 20, 1848. However, it was actually carried on the next day's sailing of the Cunarder Niagara from Boston, which arrived at Liverpool on March 6 (matching the Liverpool backstamp)--the first transatlantic steamer to arrive with mail that could be prepaid under the new treaty. The "1/-" shilling handstamp struck on arrival at Liverpool is enigmatic, as the sea postage was completely prepaid, according to the treaty terms. The use of red ink is extremely unusual, and might explain the anomalous rating.

Blocks of the 1847 Issue are exceedingly rare on cover. This transatlantic use of a block was originally discovered in the Peter Stubbs correspondence and is the only such example recorded. The other two recorded blocks are a block of four on a domestic cover from Fredonia to Albany, New York (offered in lot 34) and a block of four on a rebacked cover front from New York to Montreal, Canada.

Ex Stephen D. Bechtel, Sr., Guido Craveri, and from our 1993 Rarities of the World sale.

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