Lot 88
Canada, 1855, 6d slate gray plus ½d rose strip of four and pair (5, 8), 6d four margins including a 5mm sheet margin at the right (under the ½d pair), ½d strip has four, mostly large margins, the pair is just cut in a the top but has a partial sheet margin at the bottom, all tied by seven strikes 4-ring "18" on blue folded cover from Kingston to New York, postmarked brown Kingston broken circle, Nov 23, 1857, and straight line "REGISTERED", magenta manuscript registration number "30 11973", the only U.S. marking, indicates arrival on the 30th; pressed vertical file fold through the ½d pair and the left stamp of the strip is damaged where it originally extended beyond the edge of the cover, a subsequent owner has refolded the sheet and pressed the resultant crease, a fact made more obvious by the broken "KIN(GSTO)N" postmark, otherwise a Very Fine and spectacular cover, one of ten covers known prepaying with stamps the 9d registry rate to the U.S. and unique in this format.
Estimate 15,000 - 20,000
Many postal patrons were not aware that the cost of registering mail depended upon the destination. The sender of this letter apparently assumed that the registration fee to New York was the same as the domestic fee of 1d and applied a pair of his discounted ½d stamps to pay it (the ½d stamps could be purchased at a 5% discount in quantities of 20 or more). When informed by the clerk that the proper fee was 3d he added four more of the ½d stamps to the left of the 6d.
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| Realized $25,000 |
