1c Blue, Ty. IV, Printed "paid" Precancel (9 var). Large margins to clear, printed "paid" pre-cancel in lower-case type, deep rich color

EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE SOUND FOUR-MARGIN EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT 1851 ISSUE WITH THE "PAID" PRECANCEL.

Little is known about the lower-case "paid" and upper-case "PAID" precancels on the 1c 1851 Issue. The Ashbrook book illustrates several varieties of actual and supposed precancels. Ashbrook surmises that "the markings... were printed from newspaper type. In all probability the overprinting was done in a newspaper printing plant, and the stamps were used on wrappers enclosing newspapers or more than probable, on the newspapers themselves." Ashbrook's theory was borne out by the discovery of a wrapper containing The American Eagle of Cleveland, dated Feb. 2, 1857 (last sold in our sale of the Eubanks collection, Sale 1242, lot 62).

With 2017 P.F. certificate

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