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 spectacular cover with the 5¢ 1856 and 1855 10¢ Type II strip of three correctly paying the 35¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate to Denmark5¢ Red Brown (12), large to huge margins, rich color, used with horizontal strip of three 10¢ Green, Type II (14), Positions 58-60R1, three large margins, just touched at right, strip cancelled by three strikes of circle of wedges cancel, 5¢ tied by "Orient N.Y. 1858 Apr. 20" double-line circular datestamp (Collins marking) on cover to Copenhagen, Denmark, sender's directive "via Prusn. Closed Mail"--carried on the Cunarder America, departing Boston on April 21, 1858, and arriving at Liverpool on May 4--red "New-York Am. Pkt. Apr. 24" circular datestamp on back, Boston office applied the red "12" credit handstamp for Prussian Closed Mail, red "AACHEN 8/5 FRANCO" (May 8) framed datestamp, "KDOPA HAMBURG 9/5" (May 9) Royal Danish Postal Agency in Hamburg double-circle datestamp on back
Fine appearance; repaired cover tears at bottom, left 10¢ has tiny pre-use tear and crease in top margin, but the appearance is attractive, especially with the unusual Collins-type datestamp and fancy cancels.
Our records contain listings for seven covers with the 35¢ Prussian Closed Mail rate paid by a 5¢ used with three 10¢ 1855 Imperforate stamps. This is the only one of the seven to Denmark. The only other 5¢ 1856 cover to Denmark went by French mail and apparently has a missing stamp (ex Baker and Piller).
Ex Alfred H. Caspary, Philip G. Rust (1987 Rarities of the World sale), Frederick R. Mayer and Joseph Hackmey. Illustrated in Frajola-Mayer, The United States Five Cent Stamp of 1856 (p. 147). With 2005 P.F. certificate.
