Lot 1233
1853, 13¢ dark red, thick white paper (6), huge to large margins, just touching at bottom right, neatly tied by red "Honolulu, U.S. Postage Paid, Dec 28" c.d.s. (M-H 236.05) on 1855 folded letter datelined "Hilo, December 7 1855" from B. Pittman, the Hilo Postmaster to Sag Harbor, Long Island N.Y., U.S. postage prepaid at Honolulu with U.S. 1851 12¢ black (17) full margins to just touching, tied upon arrival at San Francisco with Jan. 21 c.d.s., forwarded with neatly struck "Sag Harbor N.Y. Feb 18" c.d.s. and manuscript "Forward 3" due rating; some trivial soiling, file fold at center, Very Fine.
Estimate 30,000 - 40,000
A RARE AND STRIKING MIXED COUNTRY FRANKING.
Expertization: 1987 P.F. Certificate.
Provenance: Seybold, Tows, Rust, Pietsch
This is the earliest of three letters mailed from the Hilo postmaster, B. Pitman to W.R. Post at Sag Harbor, each containing a draft of proceeds received from Captain Leak of Ship Ontario. The three letters are dated Dec. 7, Dec. 13, and Dec. 23. All three were forwarded from Hilo to Honolulu and held for the Yankee that departed on January 3, 1856 and arrived at San Francisco on January 17. It is certain that the 12¢ stamps were affixed at Honolulu because the Dec. 23 letter had the 12¢ pasted over the Hawaiian postage and lightly tied by the Honolulu c.d.s.
The correspondence was originally purchased intact by John F. Seybold. At the dispersal of his collection, each of the three covers went separate ways into the collections of Tows (Dec. 7), Knapp (Dec. 13), and West (Dec. 23).
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| Realized $72,500 |
