Lot 2048 1860, 90¢ blue (39), fresh example, used in combination with 30¢ orange (38) and 12¢ black (36b) on 1861 cover to Mackellop, Stewart, & Co. in Calcutta, India, all with matching bright red grid New York foreign mail cancels, red "New York AM. Pkt. Jan 26" origin datestamp, red "London FE 8 '61" transit backstamp, manuscript "2/11" (two shillings, eleven pence) due rating and partial strike of "Calcutta Steam Letter Mar 16" boxed backstamp with "1/8/9" due rating (one rupee, eight annas, nine pies) as restatement of due rate, endorsed by sender "P Overland Mail / via Marseilles", red-orange "E. Paterstedt & Co. New York" merchant handstamp on reverse, no flap, Very Fine and choice. Estimate 300,000 - 400,000 WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE TWO FINEST 90¢ 1860 COVERS. THE FIRST TIME THIS CELEBRATED COVER IS BEING OFFERED AT PUBLIC AUCTION. Expertization: 1998 P.F. Certificate. Provenance: Armitage, Lapham The Armitage cover was franked with $1.32 in postage that correctly prepaid the British Mail rate to India via Southampton for letters between 1 oz. and 1¼ oz. However, the sender endorsed it to go via Marseilles, which required $1.62 in postage for prepayment of a letter between 1 oz. and 1¼ oz. As a result of the underpayment, all but the transatlantic postage would have been ignored and it was treated as paid only to England. The British rate to India was 3 shillings, 8 pence, less a 4 pence reduction for quadruple rate colonial servicing, leaving 2/11 total due. The Indian post office collected the equivalent amount being one rupee, eight annas, and nine pies from the recipient. This cover entered the mails in New York City leaving on the Inman line's Edinburgh and arriving at Liverpool on February 7th and at London the following day. The letter then transitted France in a British closed mail bag leaving Marseilles February 13th on the Feetis, arriving into Alexandria on February 19th. The P & O steamer Nemesis left Suez on the February 21st, reaching Galle, Ceylon on March 9th with final arrival into Calcutta, India on March 16th, 1861. The cover was first sold privately in 1920 by Sefi, Pemberton, & Co. to George Armitage. In 1930, The Armitage collection was purchased by famed English dealer, Frank Godden and placed intact to Henry Lapham. The dispersal of the Lapham collection was quietly handled by John Boker who asked Boston dealer W.C. Colson to handle the Armitage cover. In the 1950's Stanley Ashbrook challenged the authenticity of the cover based on an inadequate understanding of the rates involved. Since that time additional information has become available that confirms the rate analysis given above. There are five recorded 90¢ 1860 usages abroad: 1. Sep 11, 1860, single franking paying double the 45¢ rate to Augustine, Heard, & Co. in Shanghai, China, stamp with sealed tears; ex-Gibson, Hindes, Kapiloff. 2. Nov 3, 1860, single with 5¢ and 10¢ paying five-times the 21¢ rate to a commercial firm in Barcelona, Spain; ex-Caspary, Rust, Kapiloff. 3. Nov 9, 1860, single with 3¢ 5¢ 10¢ and 30¢ pair paying the $1.68 rate to Augustine, Heard, & Co. in Shanghai, China, 90¢ reperfed on all sides; ex-Needham, Paliafito, Ishikawa, Myers. 4. Jan 26, 1861, single with 12¢ and 30¢ shortpaying the four-times $1.62 rate via Marseilles to Mackellop, Stewart, & Co. in Calcutta, India; ex-Armitage, Lapham, Dick. (the cover offered here) 5. Jul 16, 1861, single with 1¢ pair, 3¢ 10¢ and 30¢ paying four-times the 33¢ rate to Edwin Howland in Cape of Good Hope, filing crease through 90¢; ex-Jacobs, Emerson, Newbury, Ishikawa.

Realized $330,000

Lot 2025 E 1847, 5¢ & 10¢ Models (1-E1, 2-E1), the original frame design mockups in black. The frames are on thin card, hand-drawn in pencil and black ink with a light black India wash. The vignettes are original Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson currency engravings that have been removed and mounted on thin card to showcase the essays. Very Fine and choice. Estimate 100,000 - 150,000 THE MAGNIFICIENT SET OF THE FIRST ESSAYS FOR OUR VERY FIRST POSTAGE STAMPS THESE NOW WELL DOCUMENTED ESSAYS ARE INDISPENSIBLE IN TELLING THE FIRST PART OF THE 1847 ISSUE. Provenance: Major (head of engraving and purported modeler of these essays), Brazer, Dick, Pope, Bierman The original submittal letter by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, dated March 20, 1847 [which is not present but is reproduced here through the courtesy of the National Postal Museum] reads in part, "We beg to submit for your approval, the enclosed designs, which we have prepared for the new stamps for the Post Office Department. In accordance with your suggestion, we have substituted the head of Franklin for that of Genl. Jackson, which Mr. Rawdon was requested to use by the Post Master General…These designs, being mere sketches in India ink and pencil, do not of course appear as perfect as they will when engraved." These essays are discussed in a lengthy article published in the 1997 Congress Book, entitled "Updating the U.S. 1847’s on the 150th anniversary: Beginning, Production, Ending," by the highly respected postal historian, George W. Brett. These essays were on display in the Court of Honor at Pacific '97.

Realized $192,500

Lot 2073 1869 (1880 Re-issue), 1¢ brown orange (133a), reconstruction of a full sheet of 150 comprising a top pane of 70 and bottom pane of 80 with imprint and plate "No. 33", without gum as issued, both panes are fresh and bright, the top pane is Fine to Very Fine, the bottom is Fine with a few slightly compressed rows of perfs and some small faults including a light crease through the 8th vertical row. Scott $57,760 + (individual components) A UNIQUE SET OF PANES AND THE ULTIMATE EXHIBITION ITEM FOR THE 1869 SPECIALIST. For the 1875 reissue of the 1869 series, the National Bank Note Company made a new plate for the 1¢ value, number 33. The plate consisted of 150 subjects made from the old die, 10 stamps across by 15 down. The National plate was used by the American Bank Note Company to print the 1880 reissue on soft porous paper without grill. There were two varieties: the 1¢ buff with gum and the 1¢ brown orange without gum.

Unsold

Lot 2072 o 1869, 30¢ ultramarine & carmine, flags inverted (121b), well centered with extra "tall" margins (probably from the top or bottom row of the sheet), bright color, neat circle of wedges cancel and partial red transit marking. Fresh and choice Very Fine. Scott $67,500 ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE 37 USED EXAMPLES RECORDED, ONLY A HANDFUL OF WHICH ARE SOUND AND WELL CENTERED. Expertization: 1978 P.F. Certificate. Provenance: Faiman The 30¢ 1869 with inverted flags is the rarest of all regularly issued United States inverts.

Realized $71,500

Lot 2118 1979, $1 Lamp, brown (candle flame) inverted (1610c), a choice mint block of four. Perfectly centered. Original gum, never hinged. Superb. Only 95 issued. Scott $80,000+ ONLY A HANDFUL OF BLOCKS REMAIN INTACT.

Unsold

Lot 2028 1851, 1¢ blue, type I (5), position 7R1E, ample to large margins all around except barely in at lower right, tied by "Pittsburgh, Pa. Aug 13" c.d.s. on printed 1852 circular to Harrisonville, Ohio, trivial tiny pre-use margin tear, totally invisible to the naked eye and not mentioned in accompanying P.F Certificate, fresh and Extremely Fine. Scott $55,000 ONE OF THE FINEST MARGINED OF ALL 7R1ES AND ONE OF THE TWO FINEST OF THE SEVEN RECORDED COVERS WITH SINGLE USAGES. Expertization: plated and signed by P. Ward, clear 1995 P.F. Certificate. The overall size of the original 1¢ design was slightly too large to fit 200 subjects onto one plate. Therefore, each position had to have some amount of the design erased (these erasures accounted for the majority of the types). One position, however, was not subjected to any erasure whatsoever, that being the 7th stamp in the top row of the right pane of plate 1 in its early state—7R1E. Of the 1,000 positions on the five plates utilized for the production of the 1¢ imperforate, this is the only position that shows the complete design. Hence its great rarity—only 90 examples are recorded in the Wagshall census, this being item 5-COV-071—and given that there is not one sound four margin single, this example is one of the finest of all the imperforate type Is.

Realized $49,500

Lot 2182 Hawaii, 1851-52, 5¢ blue "Missionary" (2), wide margins, fresh and bright. Small faults and neatly restored lower right corner and bit of upper right. Fresh Very Fine appearance. Scott $45,000 ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE AND DESIRABLE OF THE TWELVE RECORDED UNUSED EXAMPLES, ELEVEN OF WHICH ARE DEFECTIVE AND/OR REPAIRED WITH THE ONLY SOUND ONE HAVING NO MARGINS. Expertization: 1944 A.P.S., 2004 P.F. Certificates.

Unsold

Lot 2190 China, 1897, 2¢ small surcharge on 3¢ red Customs, inverted surcharge (79a + vars.), block of four. Additionally, the top left stamp has an inverted "s" in "cents" [15] and the lower left stamp has the comma for stop variety [5], deep rich color and well centered, Very Fine and fresh with large part original streaky gum which has resulted in slight color suffusion on reverse. [Chan 84, 84m, 84o]. Estimate 50,000 - 60,000 A WONDERFUL SHOWPIECE OF THE HIGHEST ECHELON. According to our records, there are only three blocks of four with the surcharge inverted containing this remarkable combination of varieties: a) Sir Percival David and "Sun" collections, Robson Lowe, July 22, 1970, lot 213; Matthew Bennett, June 23, 2002, lot 1510 (in the latter auction the block realized $55,000). b) Richard M. Canman collection, Stanley Gibbons, October 19-20, 1972, lot 622. c) The above block.

Realized $48,015

Lot 2191 China, 1897, $5 large surcharge on 3¢ red Customs (85), vertical pair, surcharge misplaced vertically and therefore partly appearing in the bottom margin, representing the $10 remitted in stamps to be redeemed, uncancelled as dictated by postal regulations, on 1898 (Aug. 4), Remittance Certificate number 306 from Foochow to Amoy bearing ICP 20c maroon (representing the commission charged), tied by "Foochow" dollar chop, slight age spotting "ties" the $5 pair to the certificate, Very Fine [Chan 91]. Estimate 50,000 - 60,000 SURVIVING POSTAL DOCUMENTS FROM THIS PERIOD ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE. Provenance: Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman With the inauguration of the Imperial Post and the concurrent changeover to the silver dollar system, stamps with new face values were needed without delay. Furthermore, the introduction of the money remittance system on 1 January, 1898 (Chicago Flight. Postal Circular No. 3 and accompanying Postal Notification No. 26 of 17 November 1897) whereby money orders redeemable at the post office of the sender's choice, to a maximum value of 10 dollars, could be used as a vehicle of securely (through anonymity and even the ordinary post) transferring money without any formality. Consequently, 3 cents revenue stamps were surcharged 5 dollars, which was the highest denomination produced. Approximately 5,000 such stamps were printed, the surcharges having been adapted from the large $1 surcharge plate with the original positions randomly rearranged. Since the strict policy was to destroy both the remittance certificate and stamps on redemption, only a limited amount of the 5 dollars value has survived. Many unused 5 dollars Red Revenues have been taken off certificates, and because of the $10 sending limit and format of the certificates, vertical units of two are the most logical multiples to be found. The only multiples recorded to date are two strips of four (one with inverted surcharge), approximately 20 or less pairs, and a plated block of four comprised or formed of two vertical pairs. According to our records, approximately fifteen Remittance Certificates bearing the Red Revenue $5 on 3c have survived. Four of these have the $5 on 3c surcharge inverted variety affixed. Interestingly, consecutively numbered Certificates "305" and "306", both similarly franked and mailed on the same day, were originally auctioned by Christie's Robson Lowe in Zurich in 1990 (June 14, lot 1179) and 1991 (May 28, lot 514), having remained in the possession of the descendants of the person to whom they were commissioned in 1898.

Realized $48,015

Lot 2150 Envelope, 1920, 2¢ surcharge, type 4 on 2¢ carmine, die 7 on oriental buff error (U466C), mint entire, size 21, future U.P.S.S. #2943A, bright fresh paper, Very Fine, the unique recently discovered entire error which is now listed (but unpriced) in Scott. Estimate 60,000 - 80,000 Expertization: 2003 P.F. Certificate plus accompanied by a copy of Letter of Authentication by Jerry Summers (Ed. of upcoming U.P.S.S. catalogue). Provenance: Barkhausen

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