Shreves Philatelic Galleries, Inc. Sale

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Cayman Islands continued...

1908 "1D" ON 4p PROVISIONAL

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

2241

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, fresh mint single with strong well impressed surcharge, well centered, bright colors, o.g., h.r., very fine; ex-Meredith (Scott $300.00). (Image)

£225

SOLD for $280.00
Will close during Public Auction

2242

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, handsome left gutter margin block of four, well centered, fresh colors, o.g., barely hinged in the top pair, bottom pair n.h., very fine and not common in blocks; 1963 BPA certificate; ex-Byl (Scott $1,200.00+ for hinged). (Image)

for hinged £900+

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

2243

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, a rare postally used example of this surcharge,unusually well centered single tied to small piece of registered cover by "George Town/Grand Cayman/OC 6 08" c.d.s., Type 4 postal cancel, very fine; the shortages of low values that plagued the postal system were as much a problem for taxing authorities since they both used the same stamps, this provisional surcharge was done specifically for revenue purposes, yet a few examples were placed on covers of a philatelic nature attempting the postal usage of this provisional and were properly cancelled at Georgetown, though not recognized as the next cover indicates, such pieces as this with a proper postal cancel in the correct time period are exceptionally rare; unpriced in either Stanley Gibbons or Scott; 1982 BPA certificate; ex-Byl (Image)

Est. 750-1,000

SOLD for $1,050.00
Will close during Public Auction

2244

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, a single example of this revenue provisional tied to registered cover to Germany, which also bears an unoverprinted 4p Black and red on yellow and a vertical pair of the 1/4p Brown, all tied by "George Town/Grand Cayman/NO 16 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk., Kingston registry transit on the front and London transit on the reverse, backstamped Wilmersdorf, trace of water stain to top of cover, very fine; this provisional surcharge was produced specifically for revenue purposes, yet a few examples were placed on philatelic covers, such as this, in an attempt to use them postally, in this case the surcharge was intended to go with the other 4p to make the 2p registry fee and 2 1/2 p foreign letter rate, being 1/2p overpaid, however after the crossed blue registry tie marks were placed on the cover the 1/4p pair was added to make the correct rate, apparently not recognizing the provisional as having paid any postage, though not invalidating it; an enormous cover rarity as this cover, once part of the Byl collection, and one other cover of the same correspondence and treated in the same way from the Marston collection, are the only two reported genuine covers bearing the "1D" Fiscal surcharge; 1990 BPA certificate; ex-Byl, Cooley. (Image)

Est. 4,000-5,000

SOLD for $3,750.00
Will close during Public Auction

2245

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, inverted surcharge, an attractively centered mint example of this very rare error, o.g., h.r., very fine; only about twenty inverted errors are believed to exist; 1985 BPA certificate; ex-Prappas (Scott $1,750.00). (Image)

£1,700

SOLD for $2,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

2246

1908 "1D" Fiscal surcharge on 4p Black and red on yellow, inverted surcharge in pair with normal, an extremely rare horizontal se-tenant pair of this surcharge error with the normal surcharged value, the error being the left stamp, attractive bright colors, well centered, o.g., very lightly hinged, very fine; it is believed that approximately twenty inverted errors are known to exist, however those in pairs with the normal are a fraction of that number with no more than two or three known, if that many; catalog values are for singles of the normal and the variety, but this sum does not at all reflect the rarity of this pair; signed A. D(iena), A. Brun; ex-Green (Scott $2,050.00+). (Image)

£1,925+

SOLD for $5,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

1908 MANUSCRIPT PROVISIONALS

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

2247

S.G. #MP1a

S.G. #MP1a, "(Postage Paid/G.A.P.) 1/2" 1908 manuscript provisional in red ink on cover to Cayman Brac, with clear "George Town/Grand Cayman/MY 23 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk., vertical fold and back flap missing; still a very fine example of this rare provisional; because of the "scandal" that occurred over provisionally surcharging stamps to meet the shortages of low value stamps surcharging was forbidden, as a consequence the only way that mail could be posted for domestic and Empire letter rates when there were no 1/2p or 1p stamps was to accept the payment in cash and endorse the cover that it was paid, originally "Postage Paid" and the initials of the postmistress were all that was used, however in the last two weeks of May an additional rate of "1/2" or "1" was added in the same manuscript to indicate the amount paid since payment was being excepted for both values, all of these first provisionals in May are rare, but the ones with value notation are particularly so, the cover offered here is one of only two such domestic covers recorded with the additional "1/2" notation; an important provisional rarity that rounds out the picture of the provisional measures used in the Cayman Islands; ex-Byl, Green. (Image)

£5,500

SOLD for $10,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

2248

S.G. #MP1a

S.G. #MP1a, "(Postage Paid/G.A.P.) 1" 1908 manuscript provisional in red ink on cover to England for payment of the 1p Empire letter rate, with clear "George Town/Grand Cayman/MY 23 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk., Kingston transit on the reverse and backstamped Cheltenham, remarkably fresh and intact cover for this rare provisional, very fine; the use of this provisional measure could certainly be used for domestic mail, U.P.U. regulations probably prohibited it for foreign mail, but within the British Empire it was accepted, Stanley Gibbons does not distinguish between the covers with different added value notations but both are incredibly rare, like the "1/2" provisional we are aware of only one other cover with the additional "1" notation, which was offered in the 1995 Robert J. Cooley Sale of Shreves Philatelic Galleries, that cover paid the same rate to Jamaica and this rate was not known to Stanley Gibbons at that time, the cover offered here is the finer of the two and a wonderful companion to the "1/2" provisional of the same date in the previous lot; 1969 BPA certificate; ex-Green. (Image)

£5,500

SOLD for $6,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

2249

S.G. #MP2

S.G. #MP2, "Pd 1/4d/W.G. McC" 1908 manuscript provisional in red ink on exceptionally clean locally run unsealed cover, with clear "George Town/Grand Cayman/OC 16 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk. applied directly over the endorsement as was the practice of William Graham McCausland, who was now postmaster, very fine and choice; in October of 1908 manuscript provisionals were also resorted to when a shortage of 1/4p stamps was experienced, a nice example of this printed matter rate provisional; 1982 RPS certificate. (Image)

£250

SOLD for $300.00
Will close during Public Auction

2250

S.G. #MP2

S.G. #MP2, "Pd 1/4d/W.G. McC" 1908 manuscript provisional in red ink on similar unsealed cover of the same date as the previous lot, "George Town/Grand Cayman/OC 16 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk. applied over the endorsement, very fine printed matter cover; ex-Green. (Image)

£250

SOLD for $200.00
Will close during Public Auction

2251

S.G. #MP2 var.

S.G. #MP2 var., "Pd 1/4d W.G. McC" 1908 manuscript provisional in brown ink, an interesting and rare variety of this manuscript endorsement, the entire inscription being in a straight line rather than having the initials below the value, on unsealed local printed matter rate cover with "George Town/Grand Cayman/OC 6 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk. applied below , exceptionally clean, choice very fine; this variety fits in the general description of S.G. #MP2 with the endorsement clearly in the hand of postmaster William Graham McCausland, yet it is in an entirely different format and ink, all of the very few known of this type are dated on October 6th; ex-Byl, Green. (Image)

Est. 750-1,000

SOLD for $900.00
Will close during Public Auction

2252

S.G. #MP5

S.G. #MP5, "Paid 1/4/G.A.P./asst" 1908 manuscript provisional in red ink on locally run unsealed printed matter rate cover, with an exceptionally full and clear strike of a "George Town/Grand Cayman/OC 15 08" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk., vertical fold to cover but in all other respects very fine; the controversy over the surcharged provisionals in British stamp circles led to an official inquiry that resulted not only in the prohibition of provisional overprints necessitating the use of manuscript endorsements, but it also led to the replacement of long time postmistress Gwendolyn Parsons by William Graham McCausland, this occurred between the time when she was endorsing letters in May due to the lack of 1/2p and 1p stamps and October when there was a shortage of 1/4p stamps, virtually all the October paid markings were done by McCausland, however Parsons was allowed to stay on in the post office as an assistant and this very rare marking bears testimony to that turn of events; one of only three recorded covers and a key rarity to complete an exhibition of the Cayman Islands provisionals; ex-Byl, Green. (Image)

£6,500

SOLD for $14,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

1908 FARTHING ISSUE

Lot

Symbol

CatNo.

Lot Description

CV or Estimate

2253

S.G. #38S var.

S.G. #38S var., 1908 1/4p Brown with "Specimen" overprint and "Ultramar" handstamp, this is Type IV of the lithographic transfer, it is believed that less than eighteen examples of the U.P.U. specimen were overprinted "Ultramar'"by the Portuguese authorities for distribution to the Portuguese Colonies, without gum as usual, light but discernible handstamp, very fine (Scott #31S var.). (Image)

Est. 150-200

SOLD for $575.00
Will close during Public Auction

2254

S.G. #38S var.

S.G. #38S var., 1908 1/4p Brown with "Specimen" overprint, broken frame in bottom left triangle, the constant transfer variety showing a rather substantial break next to the bottom left rosette, this is on Type I of the lithographic transfer of this value, fresh and well centered with sharp impression showing the variety well, o.g., lightly hinged, very fine; an extraordinarily rare variety when it occurs on specimens since this plate flaw only appears once in a complete double pane of 120 stamps, which means that only three or four examples of this variety were originally overprinted and this may be the only known example that still exist today (Scott #31S var.). (Image)

Est. 750-1,000

SOLD for $425.00
Will close during Public Auction

2255

S.G. #38S var.

S.G. #38S var., 1908 1/4p Brown with "Specimen" overprint, broken "M" variety, a constant variety showing a substantial break in the left leg of the "M" in "Specimen", position 7/5 of both panes, this is on Type I of the lithographic transfer of this value, well centered with sharp impression, o.g., lightly hinged, very fine; an exceptionally rare variety considering that only 452 specimens of this value were sent to the U.P.U. members, which means that only seven or eight examples of this variety were overprinted and undoubtedly less than that are available to collectors today (Scott #31S var.). (Image)

Est. 500-750

SOLD for $900.00
Will close during Public Auction

2256

S.G. #38 var.

S.G. #38 var., 1908 1/4p Brown, imperforate between stamp and right sheet margin, a right-sheet margin horizontal pair, lithographic transfer Types III-IV, attractive deep color, very well centered, o.g., few hinge reinforced separated perfs. and a diagonal gum bend in the selvage of little importance, very fine; there are very few imperforate varieties of Cayman Islands, only one sheet of the One Farthing failed to be perforated between the stamps and the right sheet margin of the right pane, this is one of only ten examples possible showing this variety ex-Edmondson, Prappas (Image)

Est. 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,800.00
Will close during Public Auction

2257

S.G. #38 var.

S.G. #38 var., 1908 1/4p Brown, imperforate between stamp and right sheet margin, a right sheet-margin single, lithographic transfer Type IV, position R 8/6 showing the transfer variety dot under "S" in "Postage", rich deep color and fresh, being exceptionally well centered and attractive, o.g., extremely fine; with only one sheet of the One Farthing being imperforate between the stamps and the right sheet margin of the right pane, only ten such varieties are possible, but this is the only example available showing this plate variety as well; a highly important rarity of this popular One Farthing Issue; ex-Green (Scott #31 var.). (Image)

Est. 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $3,250.00
Will close during Public Auction

2258

S.G. #38

S.G. #38, 1908 1/4p Brown, tied to picture post card of sailboats at anchor off Grand Cayman, an unusually rare single franking on locally run card, tied by "George Town/Grand Cayman/MR 4 09" c.d.s., Type 4 pmk., stamp is well centered and fresh, very fine; this low value stamp was intended for local printed matter rate or it could be used for a local post card, all single frankings are exceptionally rare with only a few recorded, this is one of only four cards known paying this local post card rate and all but one of these are philatelic; ex-Freeland (Scott #31). (Image)

Est. 750-1,000

SOLD for $500.00
Will close during Public Auction

2259

S.G. #38

S.G. #38, 1908 1/4p Brown, horizontal pair tied to cover to Georgetown by "East End Post Office/Cayman Islands/SP 10 13" double circle c.d.s., Type 2 pmk., two strikes of Boddentown c.d.s. on September 11th and 12th and Georgetown receiving c.d.s. on the 13th, all markings are on the front, backflap missing, very fine; this pays the proper 1/2p domestic letter rate being the earliest documented date of the Type 2 East End cancel (Scott #22). (Image)

Est. 400-500

SOLD for $325.00
Will close during Public Auction

2260

S.G. #38

S.G. #38, 1908 1/4p Brown, horizontal strip of six and a similar strip of four, all tied to cover to Melrose, Mass. by "Georgetown/Grand Cayman/JU 6 10" c.d.s., Type 5 pmk., Nueva Gerona, Cuba transit on front and back, stamps are fresh and well centered, a couple of cover stains slightly affecting the left stamp in the strip of four, very fine; this franking properly pays the 2 1/2p foreign letter rate and is quite scarce solely franked with the One Farthing issue (Scott #31). (Image)

Est. 200-300

SOLD for $280.00
Will close during Public Auction