The William H. Gross Collection: United States Postal History continued...

3¢ Orange Brown, Type I, 3¢ Experimental Orange Brown, Type II (10, 11A var). Plate 1 Early and Late (respectively), each tied on folded cover by blue and red (respectively) "Louisville & Cincinnati Mail Line" route agent balloon-style datestamps, first is dated July 9 (1851, early use), other dated January 3 (1852)

Extremely Fine; one cover has light diagonal crease.

An incomparable pair of 3¢ 1851 Issue covers ideally suited for exhibition, with the 1851 Orange Brown and 1852 Experimental Orange Brown, postmarked with Louisville & Cincinnati Mail Line markings in different colors.

The blue is ex William Wyler. Both are ex Louis Grunin. With 1987 P.F. certificates (Experimental Orange Brown No. 11 is given the generic color "Dull Red", but the Dull Red shade was not in existence in January 1852). (Image)

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3¢ Orange Brown, Type I (10), two, gorgeous rich color, large margins (one just slightly in at left), bold black grid cancels, green "N.O.U.S. City Post, Sep. 29" (1851) framed datestamp applied by carrier department, brilliant red "New Orleans La. Sep. 30" (1851) circular datestamp on bluish folded letter to Bordeaux, France, sender's routing instruction "pour First Stimar"--likely carried on the Ocean Line Washington, departing New York on October 4, 1851, but forced to return due to mechanical troubles on the 11th, her mail bags were sent to Boston for carriage on the Cunarder Canada, departing October 15 and arriving Liverpool October 26-- red London backstamp (October 27), red Paris British Packet arrival datestamp (October 28), black "15" decimes due handstamp, receiving backstamps (October 30), a Very Fine and possibly unique use of the New Orleans carrier marking on a transatlantic letter with the 3¢ Orange Brown--the 6¢ postage on this letter was probably intended to prepay the 5¢ inland rate plus 1¢ for carrier service, out of the sender's misunderstanding of the carrier fee structure, but there was no charge in New Orleans for letters carried to the mails, ex Dr. Kapiloff, Ashendorf and "Sevenoaks" (Image)

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3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), Position 58L3, large margins to clear, tied by neat strike of "New-York Aug. 2" circular datestamp on Barnabas Bates "Cheap Inland and Ocean Postage" two-panel illustrated cover with wonderful depiction of steamship and railroad train, imprint on back from D. Felt & Hosford, Stationers, 50 Wall St., New York, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, fresh and Very Fine, a rare and desirable Bates "Cheap Inland and Ocean Postage" propaganda cover--Barnabas Bates (1785-1853) was born in England and came to the U.S. as a child, he became a Baptist preacher in Rhode Island, where he was also for some time collector of the port of Bristol under President Adams, he became a Unitarian and established in New York in 1825 a weekly paper called the Christian Inquirer, during the Jackson administration he received an appointment in the New York post office and was for some time acting postmaster, he became an advocate for cheap land and ocean postage and lived to see the 3¢ domestic rate introduced in 1851--ex Dr. Chase (Image)

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3¢ Brownish Carmine, Type II (11A), large margins to clear including part of adjoining stamp at top, tied by "STEAM 5" straightline handstamp applied at St. Louis on May 1852 blue folded letter and prices current from New Orleans to Robert A. Barnes in St. Louis, Missouri, sender's routing instructions "Via Cairo" (Cairo, Illinois), red negative double-circle "Steamer Compromise" and triple-oval "Steam Boat Southern Belle" name-of-steamboat handstamps

Extremely Fine--a remarkable cover combining two different name-of-boat markings.

The Compromise was built in 1851 and ran the New Orleans to Natchitoches route on the lower Mississippi River. The Southern Belle carried mail on the Mississippi River. Both vessels were involved in carrying this letter north from New Orleans to St. Louis. It crossed the boundary between the lower and upper Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois. Covers with two different steamboat-named markings are rare.

Ex Eugene Klein, Fisher E. Simmons, Jr., and Louis Grunin. Illustrated in Milgram, Vessel-Named Markings on United States Inland and Ocean Waterways, 1810-1890 (p. 648). With 1987 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), Positions 71-80L3, horizontal strip of ten, large margins to clear except just in on two positions, Positions 75L and 77L with vertical creases, Positions 77L and 80L with small scissors-cuts at bottom, tied by light strikes of "Washington D.C. Sept. 21, 1855" circular datestamps on buff legal-size cover to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, docketing at left, slightly reduced at right, refolded at top, some slight edgewear, still Very Fine, one of three recorded full-row strips on cover, ex West, Piller, Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11), margins clear to in, bright color, small flaw at top, tied by blue "Andover Mass. Jan. 12" (ca. 1856-57) circular datestamp on cover to Corisco, West Africa, addressed to Mrs. George McQueen, who traveled to Corisco in 1855 and married a missionary, sender's directive "Via No. 28 Centre Street, New York", neat "Boston Br. Pkt. 14 Jan." backstamp indicating this was sent from Andover to the foreign-mail office at Boston, but then redirected to the Centre Street mission address in New York City, Very Fine, an extremely rare early use to Africa, carried by hand to Corisco in West Africa, ex Piller, Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1993 P.F. certificate (Image)

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3¢ Orange Red, Type II (11A), Position 37R2, huge margins to just barely in including part of adjoining stamp at top, pen cancel and tied by bold strike of 7-ring Canadian target cancel on buff cover originating at Port Rowan, Upper Canada, and addressed to Danville, Pennsylvania, red "Port Rowan U.C. JU 8, 1855" circular datestamp, red "CANADA/PAID 10Cts" two-line handstamp and "PAID 6D" in circle handstamp indicating that Canadian postage was paid

Very Fine; stamp lifted and reaffixed in position from which it originated, cover split at sides and neatly rejoined, missing small part of bottom flap.

An incredibly rare use of the 3¢ 1851 Issue in Canada. Only seven examples of this stamp used from Canada are recorded.

The sender affixed the 3¢ stamp in Canada to prepay postage. The Canadian post office cancelled the stamp and must have received 6 pence to prepay the treaty rate, because they marked the cover fully paid.

Ex Tracy W. Simpson and Joseph Hackmey. With Dr. Chase's notes on back including "The 3¢ 51 is rarer than the 1847 issue used from Canada". With 1979 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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3¢ Dull Red, Type I (11), large margins to just in at top left including "NGRAVERS. New York. Phila. Bos" portion of imprint at right, bright color, tied by clear strike of 7-ring Canadian target cancel, "Mount Brydges U.C. Apr. ?, 1856" circular datestamp on buff cover to Detroit, Michigan, clear "6D" in circle handstamp, cover with minor edge tears, missing part of top flap, Very Fine, a beautiful and rare example of the 3¢ 1851 Issue with part imprint and used from Canada, it is believed seven are known used from Canada, in the absence of any due markings it appears the stamp was accepted as payment for the U.S. portion of the postage, though this is not as clearly evident as the previous lot which indicates that 10¢ was paid, ex Dr. Robertson and Hackmey, with 1984 P.F. certificate (Image)

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3¢ Rose Red, Type II (11A), vertical and horizontal pairs, margins to in, tied together by two strikes of "London U.C. Oc 31, 1856" circular datestamp on buff cover from Canada to oil merchant F. S. Pease in Buffalo, New York, and accepted as fully paid; the bottom right stamp was originally bisected to more properly pay the 10¢ rate, but the sender apparently had second thoughts as the right half was put back before being postmarked; stamps creased before use, minor repaired flap and edges strengthened, still Fine, a fascinating and probably unique use, examples of the 3¢ 1851 Issue from Canada are far rarer than the 1847 Issue similarly used and the example offered here with stamps paying all postage is truly amazing, ex Bilden, Dr. Robertson and Hackmey, illustrated in Boggs, The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Canada (p. 85) (Image)

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3¢ Brownish Carmine, Type II (11A), margins to touched, small scissors-cut at right, tied by bold "Charleston S.C. Paid Dec 15" (1855) circular datestamp on blue printed prices current to New Ross, Ireland, sender's ship-name directive "p Africa" but carried on the Cunard steamer America (departing Boston December 19, 1855, arriving Liverpool December 31), neat "America Liverpool DE 31, 55" circular datestamp on back, receiving backstamp (January 2), bold "2" pence handstamp for inland postage, Fine and unusual use of the 3¢ stamp on a printed circular--this was overpaid 1¢, ex Piller and Hackmey, with 2003 R.P.S. certificate (Image)

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3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), two vertical pairs arranged in block format, slightly overlapping, large margins to just in at one spot, stamp at top right with creases, light strikes of segmented cork cancel, matching "Picolata Fla. Apr. 16" (1857) circular datestamp on orange rebacked cover front only to Madrid, Spain, addressed to "Secretary of Legation of the U.S."--carried on the Cunarder Arabia, departing New York April 29, 1857, and arriving Liverpool May 10--red London datestamp (May 11), light strike of French arrival datestamp ties one pair, red "PP" in circle handstamp, bold manuscript "38" credit and "2 pesetas" (equals 8 reales) due marking, small part of one letter of "U.S." drawn in, otherwise Fine, rare use of the 1851 Issue to Spain, apparently accepted as underpaid as the rate via France was 37¢, ex Giamporcaro and Hackmey, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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