5¢ Blue, Imperforate (315), horizontal pair, huge margins all around including right sheet margin, tied by "Boston Mass." oval cancels on 2¢ Carmine on Oriental Buff entire with typewritten address to New York City, purple "Boston Mass. Registered Apr. 10, 1909" double-circle datestamp struck on experimental registry label (Form 1549-A), red New York receiving datestamps on back (April 11), immaculate condition

Extremely Fine. This is the finest example of the 1908 5¢ Imperforate, Scott 315, on cover and one of the great rarities of early 20th century United States philately.

According to Johl, only 29 sheets of 400 of the 5¢ were issued imperforate. Most were sent to Indianapolis, and the majority was used by manufacturers of private coils. Only three are recorded on cover, and of these only two are used in the correct time period:

1 Vertical pair, December 20, 1908, from Indianapolis with 2¢ vertical coil, Scott 321, 10¢ registry fee plus 2¢ postage; the pair was separated from the cover some time after 1954 and has recently been reunited; the 5¢ pair has few tiny surface scrapes on the top stamp and the 2¢ has a tear and a crease

2 Horizontal pair, April 10, 1909, registered cover from Boston to New York, 10¢ registry fee plus 2¢ postage, ex Wagner and Ainsworth, the cover offered here

3 Horizontal pair, April 20, 1917 (out of period use), with two pairs of 2¢ Hudson-Fulton, 5¢ pair partly lifted and one thinned with diagonal crease, yeardate of backstamp altered

Ex A. Wagner and William Ainsworth. Scott Catalogue value on cover $70,000.00.

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