Portrait Inside Octagon, Calais, Vermont (unlisted in Skinner-Eno), delicately carved cameo portrait in a chamfered frame, perfect strike on 3¢ Rose (65), straight edge at left and double perfs at top, neat "Calais Vt. Apr. 18" double-circle datestamp on cover to Boston street address, stamp and cover have a few trivial toned spots, Extremely Fine strike, accompanied by a second cover from the same correspondence mailed two days later showing a fair strike of the same marking, these are reported to be the only two known examples of this remarkable fancy cancel, probably the handiwork of postmaster Ira Kent (the only other fancy credited to Calais is a simple "OK"), unlisted in Skinner-Eno or Slawson's Postal History of Vermont, acquired by Mr. Gross in the 1994 Siegel sale of the Sapperstein collection (Sale 761) and offered to the market for the first time in 25 years

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