Moody's Penny Dispatch, Chicago, Illinois, (1¢) Black on Red Glazed, "Henny" instead of "Penny" Error (110L1b), Type III with "Henny" spelling error, Position 8 according to our plating analysis, large margins to barely in at bottom, tied by blue "Moody's Despatch 6PM, Sep. 18, 1856" circular datestamp, used with 3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), margins to slightly in, tied by "Chicago Ill. Sep. 18, 1856" circular datestamp on bright yellow cover to Voluntown, Connecticut, with machinist's blue corner card in shield-shaped frame, with original letter enclosure

Extremely Fine stamp and cover.

Ex Paul C. Rohloff, Edgar Kuphal and Joseph Hackmey. With 2006 P.F. certificate.

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Two Greatest Moody's Local Post Covers

The two covers offered here are each unique examples of the rare Moody's Penny Dispatch stamp of Chicago. One is the only recorded combination with 1¢ 1851 stamps, and the other is the discovery copy of the "Henny Dispatch" error, which went unrecognized for decades until 1994--it remains the only known example of this typographic error.

What little is known about Moody's Penny Dispatch comes from original research by Dr. Clarence Hennan and Henry E. Abt, with additional information provided by Elliott Perry. Abt's series on Chicago locals was published in The American Philatelist (June 1957-January 1958), and the discovery of the "Henny Dispatch" error with a plating analysis was published by Scott R. Trepel in Chronicle 164 (November 1994). City directories point to Robert J. Moody as the proprietor. Gager's directory for 1856-57 lists Moody at 30 Dearborn, at the corner of Lake Street. Dated examples establish a brief period of operation from September through December 1856 and possibly into January 1857.

Our records contain seven covers with the Moody's Penny Dispatch stamp, including five with the local stamp tied by a postmark. One of the five tied examples is the unique 1¢ 1851 combination cover offered in lot 368, and another is the cover with the unique "Henny" error offered in lot 369. These two are unquestionably the most outstanding Moody's Penny Dispatch covers, and they rank close to the top of the list of important Carrier and Local Post covers in general.

The 1¢ 1851 cover has been well-known since the 1957 sale of the Alfred H. Caspary collection by H. R. Harmer (lot 903). It was acquired in the Caspary sale by John R. Boker, Jr., and was among the covers sold privately when his collection of Postmasters' Provisionals, Carriers and Locals was dispersed in the 1970s. It was later acquired by Herb Ashendorf, whose collection formed the basis of Siegel Sale 773 (3/26/1996). The "Henny Dispatch" error was offered as a normal stamp on cover in the 1966 Rarities of the World sale (Sale 296, lot 157) and sold to Paul C. Rohloff. When the Rohloff collection was sold by Richard C. Frajola in 1994 (Sale 56), this cover was lot 339 and once again described as the normal stamp. Only upon close examination of the stamp was the "Henny" typographic error recognized and documented for the first time.

The two covers appeared together on the front cover of the Ashendorf sale (Sale 773) and were acquired as a pair by Edgar Kuphal for his international Large Gold collection of Carriers and Locals. At the 2006 Siegel sale of the Kuphal collection (Sale 925), the pair sold as separate lots to Joseph Hackmey. The Hackmey collection was sold privately to William H. Gross in 2010.

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