Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

To see new sales and other StampAuctionNetwork news in your Facebook newsfeed then Like us on Facebook!

StampAuctionNetwork Extended Features

The New Amsterdam Collection of City Despatch Post continued...

1847-52 Cole's Post Office City Despatch continued...

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

290

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides (40L5). Position 42, large even margins, slightly toned from gum, red "Paid" cancel, matching strike and "Cole's City Despatch P.O. Jul. 22" double-circle datestamp on blue printed folded cover to local street address (a circular dated Jun. 12, 1848, from a liquor dealer describing "persecution" by the inspector's office, is no longer with the cover)

VERY FINE. A CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH 2-CENT "CC" STAMP ON COVER WITH THE RED COLE DOUBLE-CIRCLE DATESTAMP AND "PAID" CANCEL.

Ex Chapman, Caspary, Middendorf and Kuphal. With 1991 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $1,900.00
Will close during Public Auction

291

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides (40L5). Position 10, full to large margins, cancelled by red "Paid" straightline (not tied), red "New-York 5 cts. 2 Aug." (1848) integral-rate circular datestamp on folded cover (without side flaps) to Yonkers N.Y., sometime after the Waterhouse sale the stamp was lifted to trim margins slightly (not noted on certificate)

VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH 2-CENT "CC" ON GRAYISH USED TO PREPAY DELIVERY TO THE POST OFFICE.

Ex Waterhouse. With 1995 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $2,800.00
Will close during Public Auction

292

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides (40L5). Position 30, large margins all around, tied by black "P.O. City Despatch Aug. 26 -- O'Clock" circular datestamp, second strike and "Paid" handstamp at left on 1848 folded letter to Chelsea Mass., blue manuscript stroke thru "Paid" applied by post office, red "New-York 5 cts. 27 Aug." integral-rate circular datestamp, letter describes in detail the writer's journey from New England to New York City, description of Croton water works completed in 1848, etc., presumably the writer was lodging at a hotel that provided City Despatch Post service

EXTREMELY FINE STAMP AND ONE OF THE FINEST KNOWN COVERS BEARING THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH "CC" ISSUE.

This superb cover is not only one of the finest examples of the 2c "CC" on cover, it also illustrates an interesting aspect of New York City local post mail brought to the post office. The presence of a private post's "Paid" marking on a letter carried to the post office for delivery through the regular mails, which did not have U.S. postage prepaid, must have caused trouble for the post office. One can imagine the New York postmaster receiving complaints from postmasters in receiving offices that the recipients objected to paying postage on a letter marked "Paid". This cover has the "Paid" crossed out in blue pen (blue ink was used at the New York post office). Subsequent covers delivered to the post office by the Post Office City Despatch do not have "Paid" markings (it was used exclusively on city-delivery letters starting in September 1848). We suspect that around this time all local posts in New York City were instructed not to mark post office letters "Paid" unless government postage had been prepaid.

Illustrated in Perry's 100 Years Ago (p. 52). Ex Mason, Duckworth, Boker and Kapiloff (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 4,000-5,000

SOLD for $6,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

293

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 4, unused (no gum), small "C" initial between "Two" and "Cents", three huge margins showing surrounding dividing lines, slightly in at right, Fine, only two of the approximately fifteen recorded examples of the 2c with Manuscript "C" Control Mark are unused -- these are almost certainly truly unused, since the Grayish stamps were uniformly cancelled (usually with the "Paid" in black or red) (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 400-500

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

294

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 11, large "C" initial at center, large margins, lightly cancelled by "Paid" straightline, small corner crease at top left, Extremely Fine appearance, an extremely rare stamp, approximately fifteen examples of the Manuscript "C" Control Mark are known to us on or off cover (large or small initial), ex Hall, with 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

1,000.00

SOLD for $1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

295

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 21, small "C" initial between "Two" and "Cents", large margins to slightly in at lower left, just tied by "Paid" straightline, red "Coles City Despatch P.O. Mar. 27" (1848) double-circle datestamp and second strike of "Paid" on folded cover to City Hall, slight wear at bottom

VERY FINE. ONE OF NINE RECORDED COVERS WITH THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH 2-CENT "CC" STAMP BEARING THE "C" CONTROL MARK. THIS IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED USE OF THE COLE DOUBLE-CIRCLE DATESTAMP.

The Manuscript "C" Control Mark was applied exclusively to the 2c "CC" stamps on Grayish paper. The initial comes in two styles: a small simple "C" between the words "Two" and "Cent", and a large cursive "C" at the center of the stamp. We record approximately 15 examples with the Manuscript "C", including two from positions showing the Hand-Etched "C" at Left and one from Position 36, the "Inverted C" at Right plate variety (on cover). The basic 40L5c stamps with the Manuscript "C" Control Mark include eight on covers. This is the only 40L5c cover to a local address, and it is also the earliest example of a Cole's stamp to prepay service to the post office.

Signed Perry. Ex Golden. With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

296

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 31, small "C" initial between "Two" and "Cents", huge even margins, black "Paid" straightline cancel (not tied), used on small embossed Valentine cover to Syosset, Long Island, N.Y., red "New-York 5 cts. 13 Feb." (1848) integral-rate circular datestamp and "Paid" arc, red crayon "5" at upper left indicating prepayment of postage, long tear in cover at left not immediately noticeable

EXTREMELY FINE GEM STAMP ON A BEAUTIFUL VALENTINE COVER. ONE OF NINE RECORDED COVERS WITH THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH 2-CENT "CC" STAMP BEARING THE "C" CONTROL MARK. THE STAMP ITSELF IS ONE OF THE FINEST KNOWN.

The Manuscript "C" Control Mark was applied exclusively to the 2c "CC" stamps on Grayish paper. The initial comes in two styles: a small simple "C" between the words "Two" and "Cent", and a large cursive "C" at the center of the stamp. We record approximately 15 examples with the Manuscript "C", including two from positions showing the Hand-Etched "C" at Left and one from Position 36, the "Inverted C" at Right plate variety. The basic 40L5c stamps with the Manuscript "C" Control Mark include eight on covers.

Ex Golden. Signed Sloane. With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $2,300.00
Will close during Public Auction

297

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 28, small "C" initial between "Two" and "Cents", large margins all around, black "Paid" straightline cancel (not tied), used on Feb. 28, 1848 folded letter to Philadelphia, red "New-York 5 cts. Feb. 29" Leap Year integral-rate circular datestamp, file fold at center, stamp lifted and reaffixed

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF NINE RECORDED COVERS WITH THE POST OFFICE CITY DESPATCH 2-CENT "CC" STAMP BEARING THE "C" CONTROL MARK. THE STAMP ITSELF IS ONE OF THE FINEST KNOWN.

The Manuscript "C" Control Mark was applied exclusively to the 2c "CC" stamps on Grayish paper. The initial comes in two styles: a small simple "C" between the words "Two" and "Cent", and a large cursive "C" at the center of the stamp. We record approximately 15 examples with the Manuscript "C", including two from positions showing the Hand-Etched "C" at Left and one from Position 36, the "Inverted C" at Right plate variety. The basic 40L5c stamps with the Manuscript "C" Control Mark include eight on covers.

Ex Mason and Schwartz (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 2,000-3,000

SOLD for $2,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

298

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, "CC" at Sides, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5c). Position 24, small "C" initial between "Two" and "Cents", large margins all around, "Paid" straightline cancel (not tied), faint red "City Despatch Post P.O. Mar. 23 -- O'Clock" circular datestamp at left, red "New-York 5 cts. 23 Mar." integral-rate circular datestamp on 1848 folded letter to Baltimore, someone cut out right corner of letter with stamp, which has been rejoined with paper tape (from the same correspondence as lot 265), minor stains and edge wear, stamp has couple tiny creases and margin tears, Extremely Fine appearance, only nine covers are recorded with the Manuscript "C" Control Mark (eight are the basic 40L5c), ex Worthington and Hall, with 2001 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail $1,900.00 for 40L5c used off cover (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 500-750

SOLD for $850.00
Will close during Public Auction

299

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, Hand-Etched Sideways "C" at Left, Manuscript "C" Control Mark (40L5d). Position 2 with lefthand "C" etched into plate by hand (so-called "Sideways C" variety), large "C" initial at center, large margins, bold "Paid" straightline cancel, tiny pinhole at bottom right

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE "SIDEWAYS "C" VARIETY WITH THE MANUSCRIPT 'C" CONTROL MARK.

Seven subjects on the plate of 42 show the hand-etched "C" variety (Positions 1, 2, 3, 7, 13, 19, 25), which resulted from a crude attempt to inscribe the letter "C" rather than use a letter punch. These are listed in the Scott Catalogue as "C at left sideways." As a plate variety, it can be found on the four types of paper used for Cole's "CC" issue (Green, Grayish, Vermilion and Yellowish Buff). However, only the Grayish paper stamps are found with the manuscript "C" control initial (two types: large at center and small at bottom). This example shows a combination of the "Sideways C" plate variety and "C" control mark. Only two such stamps are known, both off cover. There are two additional examples of the "Sideways C" variety on Grayish paper without the control mark, both on cover.

Ex German Sale, Caspary and Golden. With 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail $1,900.00 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 1,500-2,000

SOLD for $4,000.00
Will close during Public Auction

300

(Cole's) Post Office City Despatch, New York N.Y., 2c Black on Grayish, Hand-Etched Sideways "C" at Left (40L5b). Position 13 with lefthand "C" etched into plate by hand (so-called "Sideways C" variety), huge even margins showing dividing lines all around, slightly doubled impression, cancelled by 4-bar grid (impression ties thru paper), red "New-York 5cts. 23 Nov." integral-rate circular datestamp on Nov. 22, 1848 folded letter to New Haven Conn., from the Pierpont Mallory & Co. correspondence

EXTREMELY FINE GEM STAMP AND BEAUTIFUL COVER. THE FINER OF TWO RECORDED COVERS WITH THE HAND-ETCHED "SIDEWAYS C" PLATE VARIETY ON GRAYISH PAPER.

This stamp comes from Position 2, one of seven subjects on the plate that have the "Sideways C" variety, which occurred when a failed attempt was made to hand-etch the letter "C" into the plate (Positions 1, 2, 3, 7, 13, 19 and 25 show this distinctive variety). This plate variety can be found on all four different papers, but we record only four examples on Grayish, including two off cover (each with Manuscript "C" Control Mark) and two on covers.

Ex Mason and Schwartz. Listed but unpriced in Scott. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

E. 3,000-4,000

SOLD for $3,750.00
Will close during Public Auction