Sale 976 — United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Friday, 29 September-2 October, 2009
Category — The Martin Richardson Gold Medal Collection of U.S. Post Office Seals (Typeset Seals on Cover)
Black on White, Typeset Seal, Rouletted 16.5 (LOX8f). Setting 4, used in combination with 1888 Government Typograph Seal (Setting 6, OX7), which has the scarce Type F plate flaw, 2c 1895 Issue and "Don Juan Ind. Mar. 31 1900" circular datestamp on cover to Providence R.I., "Ranger Ind. Mar. 31" circular datestamp on front, Providence machine receiving postmark, few typical flaws as usualVERY FINE APPEARANCE AND PROBABLY UNIQUE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED COVER COMBINING THE TYPESET AND GOVERNMENT SEALS. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RARITIES EXTANT IN OFFICIAL SEAL COLLECTING.
According to Helbock (Vol. 4), the Don Juan post office was in operation from 1858-1906. The Ranger post office was in operation from 1866-1952. Both were small, fourth-class post offices. The typeset seal was applied by one of the two. Like other fourth-class post offices they did not have access to the government seals and had to purchase typeset seals from private vendors. Upon arrival at the first-class Providence post office on April 2, which did have access to the Government Printing Office produced seals, the 1888 seal was affixed.
In addition to being the only known cover with both types of seals, this is also the only known on-cover example of the scarce Type F plate flaw of the 1888 Issue.
Illustrated in Kotanchik (p. 204). Listed (as used with OX5 in error) but unpriced in Scott
