12¢ Black (17), horizontal pair, three clear to large margins, slightly in at left, used with 3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), one 12¢ with manuscript cancels, manuscript "1857" yeardate cancel on 3¢, pair tied by bold orange-red "Antwerp O. Jun. 29" (1857) balloon-style circular datestamp, magenta manuscript "Paid 27" rate on bright buff cover addressed in European style handwriting to Thurgau, Switzerland, red "N. York U.S. Pkt. Paid Jul. 11" circular datestamp--carried on the Vanderbilt Line North Star, departing New York July 11, 1857, arriving Bremen July 25--blue "AMERICA/UBER BREMEN/FRANCO" handstamp, red crayon "f5" (paid 5 silbergroschen) crossed out and re-rated "2" silbergroschen for postage beyond GAPU, backstamped Frankfurt (July 27), Bern (July 29) and Sierre (July 30), Very Fine, extremely rare 1851 Issue franking for 27¢ rate to Switzerland by Bremen-Hamburg Direct Mail--covers showing this particular rate that were actually carried on the Bremen-Hamburg route are rare with any issue, but since the rate was introduced in 1857, the use of imperforate stamps occurred in a narrow period, and we have never seen another example--signed Ashbrook, ex Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate

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