12c Black (17). Horizontal pair, three clear to large margins, slightly in at left, used with 3c Dull Red, Type II (11A), one 12c with manuscript cancels, manuscript "1857" yeardate cancel on 3c, pair tied by bold orange-red "Antwerp O. Jun. 29" (1857) balloon-style circular datestamp, magenta manuscript "Paid 27" rate on bright buff cover addressed in European style handwriting to Thurgau, Switzerland, red "N. York U.S. Pkt. Paid Jul. 11" circular datestamp--carried on the Vanderbilt Line North Star, departing New York July 11, 1857, arriving Bremen July 25--blue "AMERICA/UBER BREMEN/FRANCO" handstamp, red crayon "f5" (paid 5 silbergroschen) crossed out and re-rated "2" silbergroschen for postage beyond GAPU, backstamped Frankfurt (July 27), Bern (July 29) and Sierre (July 30), Very Fine, extremely rare 1851 Issue franking for 27c rate to Switzerland by Bremen-Hamburg Direct Mail--covers showing this particular rate that were actually carried on the Bremen-Hamburg route are rare with any issue, but since the rate was introduced in 1857, the use of imperforate stamps occurred in a narrow period, and we have never seen another example--signed Ashbrook, ex Giamporcaro ("Tito"), Hackmey and Gross, with 1999 P.F. certificate

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