Lot 132
1858 (Mar. 25) Philadelphia Pa. to New York N.Y., envelope bearing 5¢ red brown (12), vertical pair and two singles, in deep intense shade, all with full to large margins except one single just touched at top, used with 1857 1¢ blue type V (24) and 3¢ dull red type II (26), all cancelled by grids, matching "Philadelphia Pa. Mar. 25" c.d.s.; sealed cover tear through 1¢ cover aged and minor edge restoration, the 5¢ with small marginal faults, Very Fine appearance.
Estimate 15,000 - 20,000
WITH ITS COMBINATION OF AN EXTRAORDINARY OCTUPLE RATE, A SMALL ENVELOPE, AND AN ATTRACTIVELY PLACED THREE-COLOR FRANKING, THIS COVER IS UNDOUBTEDLY A KEY HIGHLIGHT OF THE DOMESTIC MAIL SECTION OF THIS COLLECTION.
Expertization: Signed Ashbrook, 1993 P.F. Certificate.
Provenance: Hill, Rohloff, Ishikawa
In order for a small envelope to have an octuple rate, the contents must have been small, by heavy. Ashbrook and others have suggested daguerreotypes and quoted the following section 88 of the "Regulations". Here it is stated "daguerreotypes when sent in the mail should be rated and charged with letter postage by weight". Daguerreotypes were far too fragile, and were actually out of style by this time, to send by ordinary mails, a better explanation would be a later from of photography- namely, the tintype. We would imagine the same regulations would be applicable to the tintype.
Illustrated in Stanley Ashbrook, "Special Service" Issue 73, 1957, p. 592, photograph no. 292
Illustrated in Frajola and Mayer, p. 37, fig. 4-9.
|
| |
| Realized $13,000 |
