10¢ Yellow (116), vivid color, used with 5¢ Brown, F. Grill (95) and 2¢ Brown, Bank Note (146), rich colors, each stamp cancelled by small circle of V's, "San Francisco Cal. Jun. 11" (1872) circular datestamp on buff cover to Paris, France, red "New York Paid 12 Jun. 19" 12¢ credit datestamp, red "London Paid" transit datestamp (July 1) and "PD" in oval, Calais arrival datestamp (July 2) also ties 5¢ stamp, Paris receiving backstamp

Very Fine--a colorful and remarkable franking combining the 1868 Grilled, 1869 Pictorial and 1870 Bank Note Issues.

The 17¢ postage on this cover overpays by 1¢ the 16¢ British packet rate for a letter weighing between one-third and one-half ounce (or 10-15 grams). The presence of the word "grille" next to the 5¢ stamp--an obvious philatelic reference in the same ink and hand of the address--leads us to speculate that the sender was an early timbrophile. Recognition of shades and grill varieties was already established at this time, and the use of three different issues may have been deliberate, although each of these stamps was still in general use at the time this was mailed. Whatever motivated this spectacular three-issue franking, it is one of the more beautiful 1869 covers to France.

Ex Emmerson C. Krug, Jonathan W. Rose and Edgar Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection). Illustrated in Laurence, United States Ten-Cent 1869 Covers: A Postal Historical Survey (p. 145).

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