Sale 280

New York City Public Auction


Other Official Covers
 
 
Lot Photo Description
Lot 1902

Agriculture Dept., 1873, 1¢ yellow (O1), tied by cork cancel on printed Dept. of Agriculture wrapper label from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, Tenn., printed clause certifying no written matter, but not franked by Chief Clerk; stamp with straight edge, small surface abrasion, and file fold through stamp, minor paper clip rust at top, Fine usage, domestic circular rate of 1¢ per 2 ounce.
Estimate 750 - 1,000

ONLY TEN 1¢ AGRICULTURE COVERS OR WRAPPERS ARE RECORDED.

Provenance: Markovits
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Lot 1903

Agriculture Dept., 1873, 2¢ yellow (O2), tied by cork cancel on Dept. of Agriculture obsolete free-frank wrapper label with portion of wrapper from Washington, D.C. to Forrestville, Md., signed by Commissioner Frederick Watts, Very Fine, double the 1¢ per 2 oz. circular .
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000

ONE OF ONLY 12 RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 2¢ AGRICULTURE ON COVER OR WRAPPER.
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Lot 1904

Agriculture Dept., 1873, 3¢ yellow (O3), cancelled by "Washington, D.C. Jul 24" duplex with cork cancel on cover to Brookville, Md., Dept. of Agriculture corner card; no backflap, edge opening repair at top, Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 1905

Executive Dept., 1873, 3¢ carmine (O12), tied by Washington, D.C. duplex with cork cancel on cover to John Eaton in Boston, Mass., blue Executive Mansion corner card, Fine and rare.
Estimate 500 - 750

John Eaton was appointed as Commissioner of Education by President Grant in 1870. Eaton's experience and political savvy are credited with salvaging the floundering Bureau of Education from congressional annihilation, and he personally oversaw the development of the Bureau's collection of statistics.

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Lot 1906

Executive Penalty Envelope, 1879 usage from W.K. Rogers, President Hayes' private secretary, to Thomas Beck, Secretary of State, Sacramento, Ca., blue "Washington, D.C. May 15" c.d.s., blue Executive Mansion corner card, black penalty frank at left, May 14, 1879 dated enclosure; Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500

FEW EXECUTIVE PENALTY ENVELOPES FROM THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD HAVE SURVIVED.
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Lot 1907
 
Interior Dept., 1873, 3¢ vermilion (O17), tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. Aug 30" (1873, 24mm c.d.s.) duplexed quartered cork on legal size cover to Eugenia, Ont., Canada, Dept. of Interior Pension Office corner card, 1873 Durham transit and Eugenia receiver; some edge wear and cover toning, corner missing on stamp. Unnoticed 3¢ short payment of the 6¢ per ½ ounce treaty rate to Canada.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1908

Interior Dept., 1873, 3¢ vermilion (O17), pair tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. May 24" (1877) cork duplex to Leipzig, Germany, illustrated corner card featuring the bust of James Simpson, English founder of the Smithsonian, German receiver on reverse; rough opening at top, otherwise Very Fine, 1¢ overpayment of the 5¢ per ½ ounce G.P.U. rate.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 1909

Interior Dept., 1873, 6¢ and 2¢ values (O18, O16), tied on local cover by indistinct Washington, D.C. duplex with quartered cork by blades, Office of Indian Affairs corner card, 1877 docketing, and black "carrier" in circle backstamp, Fine, four-times the 2¢ first class local letter rate.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 1910

Justice Dept., 1873, 3¢ purple (O27), single tied on cover by violet "Washington, D.C. Feb 10, 1878" duplexed quartered cancel on cover to Raleigh, North Carolina; stamp with a pulled perf., Very Fine and clean.
Estimate 500 - 750

Expertization: 1995 P.F. Certificate.

The type I Washington violet duplex was in use from Jan. 7, 1878 to Sept. 14, 1878.

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Lot 1911

Justice Dept., 1873, 3¢ purple (O27), tied on cover by blue "Providence, R.I. Sep 25" duplexed quartered cork to Woonsocket, R.I., Providence district attorney's office corner card, 1876 dated enclosure; some minor edge foxing, cover reduced slightly at right, stamp with some minor faults, Fine.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 1912

Navy Dept., 1873, 1¢ ultramarine (O35), three singles are tied by "Washington, D.C. Nov 6" duplex with quartered cork cancels, rest with matching cancels, on cover to Philadelphia, Pa., Philadelphia receiver on reverse, likely private use due to lack of corner card; minor cover stain, Fine, single 3¢ first class letter rate.
Estimate 750 - 1,000

THE ONLY RECORDED FRANKING OF THREE 1¢ NAVY STAMPS PAYING THE 3¢ LETTER RATE.
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Lot 1913

Navy Dept., 1873, 1¢ ultramarine (O35), tied by bold cork cancel on legal size cover to Washington, D.C., "Navy Department, Bureau of Steam Engineering" corner card; extensive professional repair, Very Fine appearance.
Estimate 500 - 750

ONE OF TWO RECORDED 1¢ NAVY CIRCULAR RATE USAGES.
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Lot 1914

Navy Dept., 1873, 3¢ ultramarine (O37), tied on cover by "Insufficiently Paid" handstamp from New Orleans, La. to Portsmouth, N.H., New Orleans Oct 9 c.d.s. on reverse, no corner card, sender was attempting an illegitimate private use of an official stamp, Fine and rare.
Estimate 750 - 1,000

ONE OF ONLY TWO COVERS WITH INSUFFICIENTLY PAID RECORDED ON OFFICIAL STAMPS.
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Lot 1915

Post Office Dept., 1873, 2¢ black (O48), pair tied on legal size yellow cover by blue-violet "New York P.O., Branch C, Sep 13, 1877, Registered" postmark to the Postmaster of New York City, money order business corner card, small portion of registration label on reverse; small cover repair at upper left and single vertical file fold at left, otherwise Very Fine, double the 2¢ first class local letter rate with free registration for official P.O. business.
Estimate 400 - 500
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Lot 1916

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), tied on cover by "Boston Mass. Jun 3" duplex with a negative "B" cancel on a small 3¢ Post Office entire (UO7) to Paris, France, registered business corner card, bright red "Boston Paid All Direct Jun 3" and light blue Brest 1879 transits, Paris Poste Restante receiver on reverse, Very Fine and immaculate, 1¢ overpayment of the 5¢ U.P.U. rate to France with free registry for official Post Office business.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000

ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED POST OFFICE COVERS TO FOREIGN DESTINATIONS.
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Lot 1917

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), tied on cover by blue bull's-eye cancel and matching "Berlin Falls, N.H. Apr 30 1880" c.d.s. used to pay postage due on cover franked with 3¢ green (184), cancelled by "Waterville, ME Apr 29" cork duplex to Berlin Falls, N.H., short paying double the 3¢ first class letter rate by 3¢ black "Due 3" handstamp; some edge wear, Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 1918

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), three pairs (one on reverse) pen cancelled, one tied, on 3¢ Post Office entire (UO7) with matching pen cancel, sent registered from Urbana to Laura, Ohio, blue "Urbana, Ohio W.A. Brand P.M. Correct Aug 7 1878" postmaster postmark, manuscript "W. A. Brand Urbana, O" and "No 45" in upper left corner; Very Fine, 7-times the 3¢ per ½ ounce first class letter rate with free registry for official Post Office business.
Estimate 500 - 750

AN OUTSTANDING POST OFFICE USAGE.

Postmaster datestamps were commonly not duplexed with a killer, requiring manuscript to cancel the postage.

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Lot 1919

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), tied on 3¢ Post Office entire (UO7) by magenta "West Point, N.Y. Jul 17 1879" duplexed target on registered cover to New York City, manuscript "Registered by A. B. Benard, PM"; Very Fine, double the 3¢ first class letter rate with free registry for official Post Office business.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 1920

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), two folded registered package receipts, both are mailed from Elyria, O. to the S. Aden Route Agent with different blue cancels, first with an intertwined "US" and second with an intertwined "POD", Very Fine and choice pair.
Estimate 200 - 300
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Lot 1921

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), pair of covers each with a single from Congressman J.W. Taylor to West Randolph Vt., first is tied by "Washington, D.C. Dec 12 1882" fishtail "5" duplex, blue House of Representatives U.S. corner card; second is tied by "Brattleboro, Vt. Nov 16 '82" duplex with "B" in barred oval, light West Randolph receiver on reverse; Very Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500

The P.O. Dept. always furnished Congressmen and Senators with official stamps for return postage on such matters as a postmaster appointments; these covers are examples of this practice.

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Lot 1922

Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black (O49), tied on return letter envelope by a "Washington, D.C. Feb 19" duplex to Camden, N.J., Camden Feb 20 receiver; accompanied by the enclosed returned letter with 3¢ Green (158) cancelled by "Camden, N.J. Dec 28" duplex to Princess Anne, M.D., "Not Found" handstamp, first cover reduced slightly at right, latter with minor toned spot at lower left, Fine and interesting pair.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1923

Post Office Dept., 1873, 6¢ black (O50), tied on cover by "New York Dec 3" (1874) negative numeral duplex on small yellow cover to St. Johns, Newfoundland, red "New York Paid All Dec 4" transit marking, Newfoundland 1874 receiver on reverse, Very Fine and exceptional usage, 6¢ per ½ ounce treaty rate to Newfoundland effective Dec. 1, 1872 to Sep. 30, 1876.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500

ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED OFFICIAL COVERS TO NEWFOUNDLAND, AND ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED POST OFFICE COVERS TO FOREIGN DESTINATIONS.
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Lot 1924

Post Office Dept., 1873, 6¢ black (O50), tied on legal size cover by "Washington, D.C. Jul 16" (1873) duplexed grid to the Holyoke, Mass. Postmaster, P.O. Dept. Return Letter Office corner card with printed rosette; rough opening at top with minor repair, Fine, double the 3¢ first class letter rate.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500

THE EARLIEST DOCUMENTED USE OF THE 6¢ POST OFFICE 1873 ISSUE.

This cover can be dated to 1873 by the small (24mm) Washington D.C. c.d.s. that was used only in 1873. The printed rosette signified a returned letter with valuable contents.

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Lot 1925

Post Office Dept., 1873, 10¢ black (O51), cancelled along with tied 3¢ Green (184), postmarked "Washington, D.C. Reg'd Oct 27 1877" on registered cover to Akron, Ohio, small portion of official registry label on reverse, Office of the Third Assistant P.M. General corner card and large magenta handstamp; Fine, 3¢ first class letter rate plus 10¢ for registration.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500

This cover contained a fulfilled order of special printings, but the purchaser had remitted only 3¢ to cover postage. So as not to lose the order, the official stamp was furnished gratis by the Post Office Department to pay the registry fee. Free post office registry did not apply when mailed to private citizens.

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Lot 1926

Post Office Dept., 1873, 10¢ black (O51), tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. Apr 26" duplexed cork cancel to Broome, N.Y., manuscript "Official Stamp orders & Quarterly Report;" stamp with faults including corner cut in from cover reduction at right, Fine, 1¢ overpayment of triple the 3¢ first class letter rate.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 1927

State Dept., 1873, 3¢ bright green (O59), tied by cork cancel on yellow consular cover to Gen. F.T. Dent at the Executive Mansion in Washington, D.C., manuscript return address "Rumsey Wing, U.S. Mr. to Ecuador" and matching "personal", blue Department of State straightline handstamp, red State seal on reverse, cover restoration at right, otherwise Very Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000

General Frederick T. Dent was President Grant's secretary until 1873, therefore dating the cover to 1873. Edward Rumsey Wing was the youngest chief of a U.S. diplomatic mission when he was appointed Minister to Ecuador in 1869 at the age of 24 years. Wing drank himself to death at his post in 1874.

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Lot 1928

State Dept., 1873, 6¢ bright green (O60), tied on legal size cover by violet "Washington, D.C. Sep 3, 1878" duplex with quartered cancel to Richard M. Bishop, Governor of Ohio, blue Executive Department of Ohio receiver on front, Dept. of State corner card; some edge wear and small tears at bottom, reduced at right, Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750

Expertization: 2001 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 1929

State Dept., 1873, 6¢ bright green (O60), tied on legal size cover by indigo "Washington, D.C. Apr 24" duplex with barred ellipse to Monroe, New York, Dept. of State corner card; some edge wear and small stain spots, Fine.
Estimate 400 - 500

Washington, D.C. used indigo cancelling ink in 1879 and 1880 with government-issued steel duplex cancellers.

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Lot 1930

State Dept., 1873, 7¢ dark green (O61), cancelled by "Washington, D.C. Jan 17" duplexed cork to Brookfield, Conn., Dept. of State corner card, manuscript "Rec'd 18 July '78"; light vertical file fold and some edge wear with small tear, cover reduced irregularly at right and stamp with corner crease at lower right, Fine, 1¢ overpayment of the double first class letter rate.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1931

Treasury Dept., 1873, 3¢ brown (O74), tied by "Philadelphia, Pa. Oct 9" duplex with cork cancels on cover along with 3¢ green (158) to Whitehall, Mich., no corner card signifying private correspondence, right edge tear, otherwise Very Fine and rare combination usage.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1932

Treasury Dept., 1873, 3¢ brown (O74), two pairs tied on cover by large circular geometric cork along with a 1¢ ultramarine (156), "Cedar Keys, Fla. Sep 23" c.d.s. registered use to Tampa, Fla.; some minor perf faults from edge placement and rough cover opening at right, Fine, 3¢ first class letter rate plus 10¢ registry fee.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500
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Lot 1933

Treasury Dept., 1873, 6¢ brown (O75), cancelled by "Washington, D.C. Jul 23" duplex with cork cancel on cover to London, England, red London 1877 exchange, blue Treasury Department imprint on backflap, small portion of flap missing, Fine and rare transatlantic usage from the Conant correspondence, 1¢ overpayment of the 5¢ U.P.U. rate.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1934

Treasury Dept., 1873, 3¢ brown (O74), lightly tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. Jan 9" duplex to Harvard, Ill., five strikes of blue "Harvard, Ill. M.O.B." postmark starting on Jan 12, 1877 to Jan 16 (on reverse), interesting enclosure relating to the preparation of weekly money order returns; reduced at left, edge toning and wear, Fine, rare cancel.
Estimate 300 - 400
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Lot 1935

Treasury Dept., 1873, 7¢ and 3¢ values (O76, O74), single of each tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. Dec 12" duplexed cork on small cover to London, England, red "London, Paid, 8 De 77" transit on front, blue "Treasury Department Washington" imprint on flap; 7¢ with a couple tiny tears, some minor edge wear, Fine, double the 5¢ U.P.U. rate to England.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500

ONE OF TWO RECORDED USAGES OF THE 7¢ TREASURY ON FOREIGN MAIL.

Expertization: 1981 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 1936

Treasury Dept., 1873, 10¢ brown (O77), tied on cover by "Washington, D.C. May 28" duplexed quartered carets to John A. Bingham, U.S. Minister, Yedo, Japan, Treasury Dept. corner card, stamp with nick at bottom, Very Fine, double the 5¢ per ½ ounce treaty rate to Japan.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000

ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED OFFICIAL COVERS TO JAPAN.
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Lot 1937

War Dept., 1873, 1¢ rose (O83), tied through perfs by cross roads cancel on a 1¢ War on manila (WO46) wrapper with matching cancel to Montreal, Canada, manuscript corner card "OCSO / OB" for the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Official Business; light stain below indicia, Very Fine, double the 1¢ third class special treaty rate to Canada.
Estimate 1,500 - 2,000

THE ONLY RECORDED WAR USAGE TO CANADA AND THE ONLY WRAPPER TO CANADA AS WELL.

Expertization: 1998 P.S.E. Certificate.
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Lot 1938

War Dept., 1873, 3¢ rose (O85), cancelled by "Blandville, Ky. May 19" (1884) blue target duplex along with a pair of 2¢ Red Brown (210) on a legal size 3¢ War entire (UO20) to Washington, D.C., 1884 receiver on reverse, preprinted return official stationery prestamped with official postage, supplemental regular postage was added by the sender; small opening tear at top affecting one stamp slightly, otherwise Very Fine and most attractive, five-times the 2¢ first class letter rate.
Estimate 1,000 - 1,500
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Lot 1939

War Dept., 1873, 3¢ rose (O85), two singles tied on cover by "Cheyenne Wyo (Territory) Dec 11" duplex to Scotia, Neb.; cover toning and edge wear, left stamp with short perf, Fine, a rare usage from Wyoming Territory.
Estimate 300 - 400

The Wyoming statehood date was July 10, 1890.

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Lot 1940

Post Office Dept., 1879, 3¢ black (O108), tied on legal size mourning cover by "Washington, D.C. Mar 26, 1883" fishtail numeral "1" duplex to the Postmaster in Concord, N.H., stamp with fault at top and slight cover reduction at right, otherwise Very Fine.
Estimate 500 - 750

The mailing originally enclosed an announcement that Postmaster General Howes had died the day before. By this time all Post Office Dept. mail out of Washington, D.C. utilized penalty envelopes, but in this case, there was no time to get special mourning penalty envelopes printed, so commercial envelopes and official stamps were used instead.

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Lot 1941

War Dept., 1879, 1¢ rose red (O114), tied on legal size cover by "Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Oct 11" duplex with split cork to Cincinnati, Ohio, Headquarters, Dept. of the Missouri corner card, slight corner wear, otherwise Very Fine, 1¢ unsealed circular rate.
Estimate 500 - 750
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Lot 1942

War Dept., 1879, 2¢ rose red (O115), tied by "New York G Jun 19 '84" duplex on 2¢ War entire on amber (UO48) to the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., official business corner card, 1884 Washington, D.C. receiver on reverse; stamp with couple pulled perfs., Very Fine, double the 2¢ first class letter rate.
Estimate 400 - 500

Provenance: Knapp

Very late usage, as both stamps and stationery were declared obsolete on July 5, 1884.

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Lot 1943

War Dept., 1879, 12¢ rose red (O119), lightly tied on cover by "Rockland, Ill. Feb 19" duplexed cork to the Governor of Kentucky in Frankfort, Ky., illustrated crossed cannons corner card of the War Ordnance Department, Rock Island Arsenal, manuscript "Feb 26, 1880" docketing at left; cover reduced at right, Fine.
Estimate 750 - 1,000
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Lot 1944

War Dept., 1875, 3¢ red on blue (UO54), postmarked by "Phila. & Cape May Agt. Feb 28" R.P.O. duplex to Washington, D.C., railway signal service return stationery, 3¢ brown (J3) postage due tied to entire by purple "Sec A, Mar 1" rectangle postmark in Washington, D.C.; cover with edge faults that include tears, Fine, sender short paid the double 3¢ first class letter rate by 3¢.
Estimate 750 - 1,000

ONE OF TWO RECORDED OFFICIAL STATIONERY USAGES WITH POSTAGE DUE STAMPS.
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