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

1¢ Buff (112), tied by target cancel with "Schenectady N.Y. Feb. 4" (1870) double-circle datestamp on locally addressed printed Internal Revenue tax notice, fresh and Very Fine, an attractive use in beautiful condition (Image)

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2¢ Brown, Half Used as 1¢ (113c), left half used with whole 2¢, both tied by target cancels--the bisect particularly well-tied, "Grangeville Pa. Sep. 22" double-circle datestamp on small cover to Centralia, Pennsylvania, a few utterly inconsequential small toning spots mentioned for accuracy, slightly reduced at left, fresh and Very Fine, a beautiful example of this scarce use to pay the 3¢ rate, ex Gibson and Ishikawa, with 1954 and 1993 P.F. certificates (Image)

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2¢ Brown (113), horizontal pair, used with pair and single 10¢ Green, E. Grill (89), tied by cork cancels, backstamped at Bath, Maine (April 27), right 10¢ tied by red "New York 12 May 5" (1870) 12¢ credit datestamp on cover to Callao, Peru, Callao receiving backstamp, right 10¢ with couple short perfs and small pre-use paper fold, still fresh and Very Fine, stamped for the 34¢ rate via American and British Packets, but the rate had been reduced to 22¢ in March 1870 (12¢ credit confirms 22¢ rate) (Image)

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2¢ Brown (113), horizontal pair and single, each with horizontally split grills, on cover originating in Nagasaki, Japan, and addressed in French to Shanghai, China, stamps tied on arrival by quartered cork cancels of Shanghai, docketed with Nagasaki May 12, 1870, origin from Pignatel & Co. (one of the largest of the Western trading firms at the time), sender's manuscript steamer directive "Per Costa Rica"

Fine overall condition; one stamp in pair creased before use, minor separations and wear along folds, two tape stains at sides have been expertly removed, small ink notation at bottom left also expertly removed.

Very few interconsular covers originating in Nagasaki are recorded, and all but one bearing 1869 Pictorial Issue stamps were prepaid 6¢ for the rate from Japan to Shanghai, China. This cover is the earliest recorded example of the reduced 6¢ interconsular rate and one of only two known covers with this rate paid by the 2¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue. It is a wonderful artifact of U.S. postal services between Japan and China.

During this period, consular mails were carried by Pacific Mail Steam Ship Co. branch-line steamers from Shanghai, China, to Yokohama, Japan, with intermediate stops at Nagasaki and Hiogo, Japan (and the reverse). The entire trip took approximately eight days. This cover was carried on a westbound PMSS branch-line steamer that originated in Yokohama and stopped at Nagasaki on its journey to Shanghai. The table of PMSS Co. branch-line trips in the Frajola-Perlman-Scamp book is, by the authors' own admission, based on incomplete records. A sailing of the Costa Rica (or any other branch-line ship) corresponding to the May 12, 1870 Nagasaki docketing is not listed. The likely reason for the stamps being cancelled in Shanghai instead of Nagasaki is the cover was posted too late to be included in the bagged mail from Nagasaki, or was posted directly to the ship purser.

Illustrated in Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869 (p. 34) and Frajola-Perlman-Scamp, U.S. Post Offices in China and Japan (p. 188). Ex Ryohei Ishikawa, Jonathan W. Rose and Edgar Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection). (Image)

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3¢ Ultramarine (114), horizontal pair, trimmed perfs at left, used with horizontal pair of Canada 1870 3¢ Red, Ottawa Printing, Perf 12 (37), stamps have faults, both pairs tied by circle of wedges cancels and red exchange office circular datestamp ("Apr." clear, but New York or Boston city name is too faint to determine) on small narrow cover to London, England, red "London Paid" receiving datestamp with 1870 year date, opened on three sides, Fine appearance, this is the only recorded cover with the 1869 Pictorial Issue used in conjunction with Canadian stamps--the first 3¢ Small Queen stamps were issued in January 1870 from the Ottawa printing, this April 1870 cover bears a pair from the early printing, there are no Canadian postal markings; therefore, it appears that this cover was first prepaid with Canadian stamps for the 6¢ rate to England, then the U.S. stamps were applied for the corresponding rate to England from a U.S. origin point, the cover was probably carried outside the mails to Boston or New York and mailed from there, ex Stark (Ashbrook files), Ishikawa and Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection), illustrated in Ashbrook Special Service, #7, p. 41, photo 29 (Image)

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3¢ Ultramarine (114), used with 10¢ Green, F. Grill (96), matching circular cork cancels, "Charleston S.C. Sep. 23" (1869) circular datestamp on yellow cover to Liverpool, England, and forwarded with Great Britain 1869 6p Lilac (51) to Dresden, Germany, red "Paid Liverpool U.S. Packet 6 Oct 69 2B" transit datestamp, 6p tied by Liverpool duplex datestamp and "466" oval (October 6), "Brown, Shipley & Co. Liverpool" double-line oval forwarder's handstamp, London (October 7) backstamp, U.S. stamps tied by blue "Aus England Per Aachen Franco 7/10" (October 7) double-circle transit datestamp, German transit and receiving backstamps, stamps with some slight perf toning, 10¢ with a couple tiny margin flaws, still Very Fine, a beautiful and rare mixed-issue/mixed-country franking cover, from our 1996 Rarities sale, with 1986 P.F. certificate (Image)

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10¢ Yellow (116), vivid color, used with 5¢ Brown, F. Grill (95) and 2¢ Brown, Bank Note (146), rich colors, each stamp cancelled by small circle of V's, "San Francisco Cal. Jun. 11" (1872) circular datestamp on buff cover to Paris, France, red "New York Paid 12 Jun. 19" 12¢ credit datestamp, red "London Paid" transit datestamp (July 1) and "PD" in oval, Calais arrival datestamp (July 2) also ties 5¢ stamp, Paris receiving backstamp

Very Fine--a colorful and remarkable franking combining the 1868 Grilled, 1869 Pictorial and 1870 Bank Note Issues.

The 17¢ postage on this cover overpays by 1¢ the 16¢ British packet rate for a letter weighing between one-third and one-half ounce (or 10-15 grams). The presence of the word "grille" next to the 5¢ stamp--an obvious philatelic reference in the same ink and hand of the address--leads us to speculate that the sender was an early timbrophile. Recognition of shades and grill varieties was already established at this time, and the use of three different issues may have been deliberate, although each of these stamps was still in general use at the time this was mailed. Whatever motivated this spectacular three-issue franking, it is one of the more beautiful 1869 covers to France.

Ex Emmerson C. Krug, Jonathan W. Rose and Edgar Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection). Illustrated in Laurence, United States Ten-Cent 1869 Covers: A Postal Historical Survey (p. 145). (Image)

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12¢ Green (117), rich color, trace of guide arrow at top left, used with 30¢ Orange, F. Grill (100), bright shade, tied by circle of wedges cancels on blue folded letter from Charles F. Wyman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Manila, Philippines, red "Boston Mass. Aug. 13" (1869) circular datestamp, Robt. B. Storer blue oval forwarder handstamp, sender's directive "Via Marseilles", red crayon "32" credit, red "London Paid" datestamp (August 26) also ties stamps, red "1d" British Colonial credit handstamp, "Hong-Kong Marine Sorter, Singapore to Hong Kong, OC 1/7 69" backstamp, Hong Kong and Manila datestamps also on back, "2" handstamped due marking applied at Manila

Extremely Fine; 12¢ slight bend from file fold, 30¢ single short perf at right.

An attractive combination of the 12¢ 1869 Pictorial issue and 30¢ 1868 F Grill, and extremely rare to the Philippines. This is one of only two recorded 1869 covers to the Philippines with the rare Hong Kong-Singapore Marine Sorter handstamp. One of the most spectacular and colorful 1869 uses extant.

The Peirce correspondence to Manila reached the philatelic community in the early 1980s. Prior to the revelation of this correspondence, Philippines was unknown as a destination with the 1869 Issue. With the dispersal of the so-called "Manila Find" by H. R. Harmer in 1994, the full scope of the Peirce correspondence became known. This cover from the Peirce correspondence is one of three examples of the 42¢ rate prepaid with an 1869 stamp in the franking. This is also one of only two covers in the correspondence with the Hong Kong-Singapore Marine Sorter backstamp (the other ex Coulter).

Ex Edgar Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection). With 2000 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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12¢ Green (117), horizontal strip of three, rich color, brownish gum around perf tips, cancelled by quartered cork, "Phillipsburgh Pa. Jun. 18" (1870) circular datestamp on cover to J. F. Bingham aboard the U.S. Flagship Delaware in care of American Consul at Singapore, sender's directive "Via Marseilles", red "New York Paid All Br. Transit Jun. 21" backstamp, matching "32" credit handstamp, red "London Paid" transit datestamp and "1d" British Colonial credit handstamp, Singapore receiving backstamp, neat August 8 receipt docketing

Very Fine and extremely rare 1869 Pictorial Issue franking for the short-lived 36¢ British Mail rate to Singapore via Marseilles.

The 36¢ rate to Singapore by British Mail via Marseilles was in effect only from January through November 1870. This cover and a similar cover from the Bingham correspondence (ex Ishikawa) are the only examples we have encountered (neither listed in the 1869 PRA census).

Ex Edgar Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection). (Image)

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15¢ Brown & Blue, Type I (118), rich colors, attractive margins and centering, tied by "Washington D.C. Oct. 20" (1869) circular datestamp and by red "New York Paid All Br. Transit Oct. 21" circular datestamp on cover to Padua, Italy, clear strike of "U.S.N. Observatory, Washington Oct. 20, 1869" double-oval datestamp, receiving backstamps, opened a bit roughly at top, Very Fine, the United States Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States, with a current primary mission to produce positioning, navigation and timing for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense, the use of this oval datestamp on an 1869 Pictorial Issue cover is most unusual (Image)

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15¢ Brown & Blue, Type II (119), deep rich colors and proof-like impression, well-centered, used with 2¢ Brown (113) and 3¢ Ultramarine (114), cancelled by matching circular cork cancels, "Phillipsburg (N.J.?) Apr. 20" (1870) duplex datestamp on buff cover to Burgdorf, Switzerland, "New York Br. Transit Apr. 21" circular datestamp, "INSUFFICIENTLY PAID" straightline handstamp, blue crayon "2" indicates double rate, matching "50" next to stamps indicates 50 centimes (10¢) deficiency, "VIA OSTENDE" straightline handstamp, red "70" centimes crayon due, Basel and Burgdorf backstamps, Extremely Fine and colorful, from April 1868 through April 30, 1870, the rate to Switzerland via British Closed Mail was 15¢; effective May 1, 1870, eleven days after this was mailed, the rate was lowered to 10¢; there was also a 20¢ rate via NGU Closed Mail which ended two years earlier in April 1868; the sender affixed 20¢ postage on this cover, either for the old NGU rate or for a double-rate letter at the soon-to-be-implemented 10¢ British Closed Mail rate, the deficiency as a double 15¢ rate letter was detected at the New York exchange office and the blue "50" marking next to the 2¢ stamp indicates the 50 centimes underpayment (U.S. 10¢), a 20 centimes penalty was added to the deficiency and rated 70 centimes due in Switzerland, ex Kuphal ("European's Large Gold" collection) (Image)

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