5c Blue, Imperforate (315). Vertical pair with genuine postal cancel during proper period of use, large to huge margins all around, cancelled by "Indianapolis Ind. Dec. 20 11:30AM 1908" duplex datestamp and oval grid, top stamp has tiny nearly unnoticeable break in the paper from "I" of "Indianapolis" in datestamp

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS RARE USED PAIR OF THE 1908 5-CENT IMPERFORATE WAS REMOVED FROM THE FAMOUS COVER ADDRESSED TO ARTHUR M. TRAVERS AT THE THIRD ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE. THE COVER WAS ALSO STAMPED WITH THE 1908 2-CENT SHIELD VERTICAL COIL, SCOTT 321.

The complete intact cover from which this pair was removed is illustrated in Martin A. Armstrong's United Stated Coil Issues 1906-38 (page 26). The cover was mailed by Special Delivery on December 20, 1908, from an Indianapolis attorney named William Pirtle Herod to Arthur M. Travers in Washington D.C., who was promoted around this time to Acting Third Assistant Postmaster General after serving as Chief Clerk to A. L. Lawshe. In 1911 Travers earned philatelic notoriety when he was arrested in connection with the Steinmetz-Travers Bluish Paper scandal. His interest in stamps is reflected in a note on the cover from which this 5c 1908 Imperforate pair was removed, which reads: "Note the 2 imperforate 5c stamps. Only 13000 of such were issued and less than 10000 were used for postage purposes. A.M.T. Dec 21, 1908."

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