Sale 1211 — The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 29-30 October, 2019
Category — 1847 Issue—Waterway Markings
The only recorded 10¢ 1847 bisect with the Lake Champlain Steamboat route agent's circular datestamp10¢ Black, Diagonal Half Used as 5¢ (2a), bottom right diagonal half, large margins other two sides, tied by large manuscript "X" cancel with blue "Lake Champlain S.B. Nov. 2" (ca. 1849) route agent's circular datestamp (Ryterband Type 2A, used by route agent Turner at this time), matching "PAID" and "5" handstamps on undated folded cover to New York City
Very Fine; some slight negligible toning.
This is an extremely rare use of a 10¢ 1847 bisect with a route agent's marking, and it is the only recorded example with the Lake Champlain Steamboat datestamp. The USPCS census lists only two 1847 covers with the Lake Champlain Steamboat circular datestamp--the other bearing a full 10¢ stamp, datelined Montreal in June 1850 (Sale 1041, lot 235). Among all route agent handstamped 1847 covers, the census lists only a handful of others with a 10¢ bisect, including railroad uses.
Pencil note indicating this was bought from Warren H. Colson in April 1926. Ex Dr. Ralph Poriss, Marc Haas, Guido Craveri, Joseph Hackmey, and from our 1992 Rarities of the World sale. Illustrated in The United States 1847 Issue: A Cover Census (p. 808). With 1971 P.F. Certificate.
