5c Red Brown (1). Large margins to clear at lower left, worn-plate impression, tied by faint pencil cancel on Vermont & Boston Telegraph Line illustrated advertising envelope to Springfield Mass., "Office at Cheney & Co's Express" corner card, some light wrinkling and toning, stamp has pre-use diagonal crease at top right

A FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE USED ON THE DISTINCTIVE VERMONT & BOSTON TELEGRAPH LINE ILLUSTRATED ENVELOPE.

This well-known telegraph company design illustrates ships, a train, post rider, postman and turtle, above which is a telegraphic lightning bolt connected to a hand and quill, the obvious implication being that the telegraph beats all other forms of communication.

The better-known example of this envelope with the 1847 Issue is the cover most recently sold in our 2022 auction of the George J. Kramer Collection of U.S. Telegraph covers, where it realized $37,500 hammer (also ex Rohloff and Dr. Kapiloff). Both covers are addressed to Miss Sophia H. Ring at Springfield, Massachusetts. The ex-Kramer cover is postmarked at Middlebury, Vermont (Dec. 18), and the 5c stamp is tied by criss-crossed blue grids. It is not known why the cover offered here was not also postmarked at Middlebury, but the use of pencil to cancel (and tie) the 5c stamp suggests it may have been carried outside the mails (by express) or by railroad.

Ex Bailar. With 2007 P.F. certificate noting the stamp originated on this cover but declining opinion with respect to the pencil cancel or whether this passed through the mails

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