Sale 1211 — The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 29-30 October, 2019
Category — 1856 5¢ Red Brown
A unique 1851-56 Issue franking for American Packet service to France and the earliest transatlantic use of the 5¢ 1856 Imperforate stamp5¢ Red Brown (12), full margins to clear at bottom, bright color, used with two 3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11) and 10¢ Green, Type III (15), one 3¢ with large margins to slightly in, other cut in, 10¢ large margins to in at bottom, tied by red segmented grid cancels, matching "New Bedford Mass. Paid Mar. 27" (1856) circular datestamp on cover to Paris, France, addressed to George Hussey Jr., red "New-York Am. Pkt. Mar. 29" circular datestamp--carried on the Collins Line Ericsson, departing New York on March 29, 1856, and arriving at Liverpool on April 12--"Etats-Unis Paq. Am. Calais 14 Avril 56" arrival datestamp (American Packet service via England), "8" decimes due handstamp for French inland postage, Paris receiving backstamp (April 15)
Very Fine and colorful; most of backflap removed and two small tears at top.
This cover is the earliest documented use of the 5¢ 1856 on transatlantic mail--the earliest of all dates is the March 24 cover to Nova Scotia offered in lot 217. It is also an extremely rare example of the 5¢ 1856 Imperforate used to make up the American Packet rate to France. Only five fully prepaid 5¢ 1856 covers to France by American Packet are recorded, three of which are offered in this sale (lots 224-226).
There were two American Packet services to France available: Collins Line via England--21¢ per half-ounce rate with 8 decimes per 7.5 grams due for British transit and French inland postage; and Havre Line direct to France--20¢ per half-ounce rate with 6 decimes per 7.5 grams due for French inland postage.
Only two of the five recorded 5¢ 1856 Issue fully prepaid American Packet covers were carried by the Collins Line via England. They are both correctly prepaid 21¢--one is this three-color franking, and the other has a strip of 5¢ and 1¢ single (ex Hargest and Beane; illustrated in Hargest book, p. 53). The other three covers were carried by the Havre Line direct to France.
Ex Daniel F. Kelleher sale, 11/21/1921, ex Paul C. Rohloff, D. Scott Gallagher, "Sevenoaks", Frederick R. Mayer and Joseph Hackmey. Ashbrook index card notes at The Philatelic Foundation identify the sender of this cover as Dr. L. F. Potter. Illustrated in Frajola-Mayer, The United States Five Cent Stamp of 1856 (p. 55). With 1977 and 1998 P.F. certificates.
