12¢ Black, Diagonal Half Used as 6¢ (17a), upper left diagonal half, large top margin, slightly in at left, tied all around by single mostly complete strike of "San Francisco Cal. 1 Sep." (1853) circular datestamp on brown cover to Dennis, Massachusetts--carried on the PMSS Oregon, departing September 1, 1853, and arriving Panama September 17, then on the USMSC Crescent City from Aspinwall on September 24, arriving New York October 4--Fine, according to research by James Allen, the 1st Assistant Postmaster General's first official notice to postmasters that bisected stamps were invalid was published on September 12, 1853 (Chronicle 239), the mail from California postmarked at San Francisco September 1 reached New York after the order was published, but some bisect covers with San Francisco September 1 datestamps show acceptance of the bisects while others (notably mail carried via Nicaragua) have due markings applied in New York--this cover was accepted as prepaid--ex Hessel, with 2005 P.F. certificate

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