Sale 1211 — The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 29-30 October, 2019
Category — 1847 Issue and Carrier Stamp Combinations
5¢ 1847 Issue and New York Carrier Department 1¢ on Rose, conjunctive use--the only recorded cover with a New York carrier stamp used from another post office5¢ Brown (1), large margins to just in at two places along frameline, tied by lightly inked red "Schenectady N.Y. Aug. 13" circular datestamp, two additional strikes of datestamp, one at lower left and another at upper left tying U.S. Mail, New York, N.Y., 1¢ Black on Rose (6LB9), large margins to just touching at bottom, on folded cover addressed to Rev. John F. Schermerhorn at Day Street address in New York City, receipt docketing "Rev. J. A. Yates DD, Aug 13th 1849"
Very Fine; a few pinholes at top of lettersheet not affecting stamps, carrier stamp with surface scrape at top and small crease.
This is the only recorded cover showing use of the New York Carrier Department stamp from a post office outside of New York City. An extraordinary use in combination with the 5¢ 1847 Issue.
This cover was included in the "Cleveland Album," a collection of United States covers formed during the 1890s, and it had not been previously recorded by students of carrier mails before it was sold in a 1994 Siegel sale. Reverend Schermerhorn was an active correspondent in New York City during the 1849 period, and, based on other known covers, he used local posts to carry his letters to the post office. In this instance, it is a reasonable hypothesis that the sender (a Reverend Yates, as docketed) used the carrier stamp, intending to prepay the fee for delivery from the New York post office to the Day Street address. Whether Reverend Yates removed the stamp from a cover sent to him, or Reverend Schermerhorn sent the stamp with instructions, cannot be determined.
Ex "Cleveland Album" (a cover collection formed in the 1890s, which was offered for the first time in Sale 764; this was lot 1698), Guido Craveri and Joseph Hackmey.
