The "Andromeda" Collection of U.S. Bank Note Issue Covers continued...

VERY FINE. A RARE UNITED STATES AND PERU MIXED-FRANKING COVER WITH THE "DUE 9" MARKING REFLECTING THE DEPRECIATED CURRENCY PREMIUM.

This cover was sent from Peru to the United States by British Mail via Panama, then by American Packet. The composite postage was 10c to Peru (internal), 6p to Great Britain (from Callao to Panama) and 5c to the U.S. (reduced blanket ship rate, effective July 1, 1875). In the absence of stamps, the 6p British postage was debited with the equivalent "12" cents due marking. However, since the U.S. had to settle accounts with Great Britain in specie, but collected postage due in currency, a 2c premium was charged for currency depreciation. The 14c due was added to the 5c ship rate, for a total of 19c due, against which the 10c stamp was credited, leaving a balance of 9c due.

With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS REMARKABLE COVER IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THIS COMBINATION OF UNITED STATES AND PERU STAMPS, AND IT IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE BRITISH POST OFFICE "48" CENTS DEBIT HANDSTAMP. SPECTACULAR IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.

The sender of this cover, Charles S. Rand, served in Peru as a director of the Public Works and Development Company formed in March 1874. Rand was the author of The Railroads of Peru, published in 1873 and still in print today (an original edition accompanies the cover offered in this lot). The cover is addressed in Rand's hand to Lucius L. Hubbard, a prominent geologist, mineralogist and bibliophile living in Boston at the time.

This cover was sent from Peru to the United States by British Mail via Panama, then by American Packet. The composite postage for a quadruple-rate letter would be 40 centavos to Peru (4 x 10c internal rate), 24 pence to Great Britain (4 x 6p rate from Callao to Panama) and 20 cents to the U.S. (4 x 5c reduced blanket ship rate, effective July 1, 1875). In the absence of stamps, the 24p British postage was debited with the equivalent "48" cents due marking. Since the U.S. had to settle accounts with Great Britain in specie, but collected postage due in currency, a premium was normally charged for currency depreciation (2c more than the 12c to G.B.). If the usual depreciated currency premium had been applied to this cover, the G.B.-U.S. postage would have been 4 x 14c = 56c (G.B.) plus 4 x 5c = 20c (U.S.), for a total of 76c, minus the 45c prepayment, leaving a balance of 31c due. However, the "73 [-] 45/28" calculation on the back and the "Due 28" on the front show that the postal clerk calculated postage in a different way. He must have added 48c (as stated) and 25c (5 x 5c ship rate) for a total of 73c, without a premium for currency depreciation. The clerk then subtracted the 45c prepayment in U.S. stamps and arrived at 28c due.

Mixed frankings with a Peru 10c stamp and U.S. 10c or 5c stamp are rare enough, but the use of 15c and 30c high value Bank Note stamps from Peru, in combination with a multiple of the Peru 10c Llama Issue, is almost certainly uniquely represented by this cover. Specialists in British Post Offices Abroad will also recognize and appreciate the great rarity of the "48" due marking, reported to be the only known example of this quadruple-rate handstamp, which was applied in transit at Panama.

Ex Risvold. With 2010 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE FEW KNOWN COVERS WITH A TRUE TRIPLE-COUNTRY MIXED FRANKING INVOLVING UNITED STATES STAMPS.

This cover was sent from Peru to the United States by British Mail via Callao and Panama, then by American Packet. The composite postage was 10c to Peru (internal), 6p to Great Britain (from Callao to Panama) and 5c to the U.S. (reduced blanket ship rate, effective July 1, 1875). Although U.S.-G.B. mixed-franking covers from Peru are seen from the Bank Note Issue period, very few covers exist with all three postage components prepaid in stamps. The circle of wedges cancel is one of the last of the non-standard types to be used by the New York foreign-mail office (the steel duplex devices came into use in 1877).

Ex Knapp and Risvold. With 2010 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE MIXED-FRANKING COVER FROM CHILE TO ENGLAND VIA PANAMA AND NEW YORK. THE TWO 5-CENT TAYLOR STAMPS PAID THE BLANKET SHIP-LETTER RATE INTO THE UNITED STATES AND THE GPU/UPU RATE FROM THE UNITED STATES TO ENGLAND. MIXED-FRANKING COVERS FROM SOUTH AMERICA ARE RARELY SEEN ADDRESSED BEYOND THE UNITED STATES BORDERS.

This cover was sent from Chile to the United States by British Mail via Panama, then by American Packet to New York. From New York it was carried on one of the regular transatlantic steamship sailings to England. The composite postage was 6p to Great Britain (from Valparaiso to Panama), 5c to the U.S. (reduced blanket ship rate, effective July 1, 1875), and 5c from the U.S. to England (standard GPU/UPU rate).

Signed Diena. With 2010 P.F. certificate (Image)

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