2018 Rarities of the World continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A GORGEOUS SOUND EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE MOST COLORFUL STAMPS IN UNITED STATES PHILATELY, GRADED XF 90 BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION.

Both the Small and Large "Persian Rug" stamps were printed in sheets of one. Because of their size, the large number of perforations on each stamp, and the fact that they were used on documents which were frequently folded across the stamps, sound examples of the multicolored "Persian Rug" issues are extremely rare.

Only 446 of the small "Persian Rug" were issued. Ex Inman. With 1992 and 2016 P.F. certificates (XF 90) (Image)

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VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT PROPRIETARY INVERT ON VIOLET PAPER. ONLY 24 EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED, MOST OF WHICH ARE FAULTY.

In his privately published census, Larry Lyons records 23 examples of this invert error, most of which have thins or creases, or are off center. We offered one additional copy in our 2006 Tolman sale, bringing the total to 24. Of these, sixteen have faults, leaving only eight sound or potentially sound copies. Almost all of the potentially sound copies have centering similar to the example offered here.

With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (F 70; unpriced in SMQ) (Image)

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FINE. A RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE $30.00 1940 SILVER TAX ISSUE. ONLY 13 ARE RECORDED AND VERY FEW ARE IN SOUND CONDITION.

Eric Jackson records only 13 copies, at least half of which have faults.

With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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FINE. THE $60.00 BROWN 1940 SERIES SILVER TAX IS ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL SILVER TAX STAMPS. ONLY NINE EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED, ALL OF WHICH ARE USED.

This denomination is particularly desirable because it depicts Abraham Lincoln. Six of the nine recorded copies are sound.

With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A DESIRABLE SET OF MINT NEVER-HINGED BLOCKS OF FOUR OF THE FIRST NINE HUNTING PERMIT ISSUES.

After RW9 the catalogue value drops significantly, so these are the most desirable years to obtain. Scott Retail as singles (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED USE OF A WELLS, FARGO & CO. 1861 $1.00 TRANSCONTINENTAL PONY EXPRESS STAMP ON A VIRGINIA CITY PONY EXPRESS COVER. A FASCINATING POSTAL HISTORY RARITY.

Following the termination of the transcontinental Pony Express in October 1861, Wells, Fargo & Co., in August 1862, established a supplemental service to their normal express business between San Francisco and Virginia City, Nevada Territory (in the Washoe mining area). The Virginia City Pony Express used horses to carry mail from Virginia City to Placerville, where it was put on a train to Sacramento and then on a steamboat to San Francisco. The service significantly cut the time for carriage of letters by this route. Wells, Fargo & Co. issued adhesive stamps for the service, which at first cost 10c per letter and then 25c beginning in February 1863 (Scott Nos. 143L7-143L9). The stamps were of the same Horse & Rider design as the dollar-value stamps used for the earlier transcontinental Pony Express service.

When the cover offered here was sent, the single rate via Virginia City Pony Express was 25c. Gold Hill was on the Virginia City route and that office's datestamp was used to cancel the $1.00 stamp. The most logical explanation is that this 3c entire was pasted to a larger plain envelope with heavy contents. The blurred Gold Hill oval datestamp is consistent with being struck on something softer than a single letter. The larger cover would have had the address and an additional 9c in U.S. postage for the quadruple rate. In order to pay the quadruple Virginia City Pony Express rate, the sender (or agent at Gold Hill) affixed a leftover 1861 $1.00 Pony Express stamp, rather than four Virginia City 25c stamps. In theory, remainders in the hands of Wells, Fargo & Co. agents could have been used for multiple rates on the Virginia City route. Theory has become reality with the emergence of this Virginia City cover. It is the only known cover franked with the 1861 $1.00 Pony Express stamp paying the 1862-65 Virginia City express rate. It is also the only cover recorded with a dollar-value Pony Express stamp that was not used on the transcontinental Pony Express route. We are grateful to Richard Frajola for his assistance in interpreting this cover.

With 2018 P.F. certificate (Image)

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