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| Lot | Sym. | Lot Description | Est/Cat | Realized |
| 277° |  |
 Gahagan & Howe City Express, San Francisco, (5c) Blue, Tete-Beche (70L2a). Four tete-beche pairs contained in large unused block of sixteen, small part of bottom right corner detached and rejoined with
hinge, creases affecting almost all stamps, faint toning and bleached spots at bottom, nonetheless an exceedingly rare multiple and possibly as fine as it exists (Image Magnifier) |
E. 2,500-3,500 | 3,750.00 |
| 278° |  |
 Grafflin's Baltimore Despatch, 1c Black (73L1). Full margins, sealed tear at bottom, tied by ms. stroke, used with 3c Dull Red (26), tied by blue "Baltimore Md. Jan. 17" cds on small cover to Bremo Bluff Va., Very Fine
appearance (Image Magnifier) |
4,000.00 | 0.00 |
| 279° | |
Kellogg's Penny Post & City Despatch, Cleveland O., (1c) Vermilion (92L1). Large margins, brilliant color, used with 3c Dull Red (11), margins all around, both stamps tied by clearly-struck circular grid and "Cleveland O. Sep. 27" cds
on c. 1853 cover to Canton O. with blue embossed Waverly House hotel corner card EXTREMELY FINE AND A NEW DISCOVERY IN THE FIELD OF LOCAL POSTS. THE FINEST AND ONLY TIED EXAMPLE OF THE THREE RECORDED KELLOGG'S PENNY POST COVERS. This rare local post stamp was issued in 1853 by the short-lived Kellogg's Penny Post & City Despatch. Very few examples are known, including two or three on piece and two other covers. One cover has a stamp cancelled by pencil - it is ex Caspary, Schenck, Skove (see lot 1370 in our Sale 764, where it realized $16,500 hammer). Another cover has a strip of three, uncancelled, with two of the stamps torn off. All three Kellogg's covers originated at hotels - New England Hotel (corner card), Waverly House (corner card) and Johnson House (charge endorsement). These same hotels are listed as letter-box locations in the 1854 advertisement for Bishop's City Post, the carrier service in Cleveland that began in December 1853, probably close to the time Kellogg's operation was disbanded. Recently found in a correspondence and offered to the auction market for the first time. With 1997 P.F. certificate |
E. 25,000-35,000 | 37,500.00 |
| 280° | |
Letters Express (Henry Wells), 5c Black on Pink (96L1). Three large margins, touched at left, ms. "X' cancel, used on green folded letter from Rochester N.Y., Aug. 7, 1844, addressed in blue to New York City street address, delivered by Boyd's with red "Boyd's City/Express Post/Aug. 13 3 O'C" framed handstamp, Very Fine and scarce conjunctive usage - Wells and Boyd had an arrangement for delivery of out-of-town mail | E. 1,000-1,500 | 1,900.00 |
| 281° | |
 Letters Express (Henry Wells), 10c Black, Half Used as 5c (96L3). Lower horizontal half, well-tied by ms. "X", red "Paid" straightline hs on greenish folded letter from Buffalo, Jul. 16, 1844, to Detroit Mich.,
sender's routing via "Wells & Co. Express", slightly toned and worn at bottom, still Very Fine, an extremely rare bisected usage of the Letter Express stamp, signed Robson Lowe (Image Magnifier) |
E. 4,000-5,000 | 0.00 |
| 282° | |
Public Letter Office, San Francisco, 15c Blue on 2c Black entire (125LU3 on U54). Local street address, reduced into printed frank, otherwise Fine, extremely rare used example of this San Francisco local | E. 2,000-3,000 | 5,000.00 |
| 283° | |
 Swarts' City Dispatch Post, New York N.Y., 1c Black (136L17). Full to large margins tied by star cancel, red "New York 5 cts May 23" cds on front only, to Belvidere N.J.ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF SWARTS' BLACK "FOR THE MAILS" STAMP. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL LOCAL POST STAMPS. Not to be confused with the more common red and blue "For the Mails" stamps issued by Swarts' City Dispatch Post, the Black Swarts is one of the greatest rarities of local posts. Only one other example is recorded - a stamp tied on folded letter with a large tear across the address panel, which was sold in the Caspary auction, but has not been seen since. The Scott listing for 136L17 is "on cover" only, presumably based on the Caspary copy. With 1997 P.F. certificate (Image Magnifier) |
E. 20,000-30,000 | 32,500.00 |
| 284° | |
 Wells, Fargo & Co., Pony Express, $1.00 Blue, Garter (143L6). Huge margins all around, tied by "Pony Express, The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company, St. Joseph, Mo., Aug. 29" large oval
within circle datestamp, used with 10c Green, Ty. V (35), tied by "New-York Aug. 24, 1861" cds and grid on 10c Green Nesbitt entire with red printed frank and "Agent of Pony Express, St. Joseph, Mo." routing, addressed to Alex Forbes at San
Francisco, opening faults along the top edge have been skillfully restored, including a small sealed tear in 10c, but the $1.00 stamp is sound and unaffected, at one time part of the address was crossed out, but has been expertly restoredFINE APPEARANCE. THE EARLIEST OF THE FOUR RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE PONY EXPRESS GARTER STAMP AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE USED WITH THE 1857 ISSUE. There are four recorded covers with the $1.00 Garter stamp, listed here by St. Joseph date (all sent from East to West in 1861): 1) August 29th (ex H. J. Crocker), 2) October 24th (ex Caspary, Haas, Kapiloff - the finest known), 3) October 27th (ex Wm. H. Crocker, Knapp, Moody), and 4) Undated (c. October 16th) with strip of four $1.00 and four 10c 1861 for two-ounce quadruple rate (Kramer collection - the only recorded multiple). The Nathan book lists an October 31st "last kick of the Pony" cover with an untied Garter stamp, but this cover cannot be verified - the U.S. postage is only 10c for the single rate, making the presence of the $1.00 Garter suspect. The $1.00 Garter was required on letters weighing over the half-ounce limit for a single rate. It is found only on mail originating in the East and is presumed not to have been distributed to the California offices before termination of the Pony Express service. Because the 1857 Issue was superceded by the 1861 Issue in late August and September, the combination of the Garter stamp and 1857 Issue was possible for a brief time only. Therefore, considering the Garter stamp's limited function, brief period of use, and the exceedingly narrow opportunity for combined use with the 1857 issue, this franking is quite remarkable and necessarily rare. Illustrated in Nathan's The Pony Express, p. 51. Ex Henry J. Crocker. (Image Magnifier) |
E. 150,000-200,000 | 150,000.00 |
| 285° | |
 "Per Pony Express Paid $2.00". Manuscript frank applied by rider en route from California to St. Joseph, perfectly struck vivid green "St. Joseph Mo. May 24" (1861) cds on 3c Red entire (U10) addressed to
"Hon. John Letcher, Governor of Virginia, Richmond", large purple oval "Record Division/War Department/Rebel Archives" backstampEXTREMELY FINE AND IMMACULATE CONDITION. A UNIQUE AND HISTORICAL COVER, CARRIED BY PONY EXPRESS AND ADDRESSED TO THE NEWLY-FORMED CONFEDERATE STATE OF VIRGINIA. This cover was picked up en route on the pony express trip that began in San Francisco on May 11, 1861, and arrived in St. Joseph on May 24th (another cover from this trip is recorded in Nathan's The Pony Express, p. 55). The manuscript "Per Pony Express" frank is characteristic of way covers, and "Paid $2.00" is the rate that superceded the higher $2.50 rate on April 15, 1861. On May 7, 1861, Virginia was admitted into the Confederate States, having seceded on April 17th. The Ordinance of Secession was formally ratified on May 23rd, the day before this cover entered the Federal mails at St. Joseph. Illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 257). Ex Haas. With 1974 P.F. certificate (Image Magnifier) |
E. 50,000-75,000 | 55,000.00 |
| 286° | |
 Pony Express, The Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company, Mar. 14, St. Joseph, Mo. Large bold oval within circle green datestamp on 10c Green Nesbitt entire to San Francisco,
sender's routing "Per Pony Express", no government markings, expertly restored piece at upper left, Very Fine appearance, a wonderful strike of this rare Pony Express handstamp, east-to-west usage (Image Magnifier) |
E. 3,000-4,000 | 4,500.00 |
| 287° |
 Wells, Fargo & Co., Pony Express, $1.00 Red (143L3). Right sheet margin and large margins all around, rich color, beautifully struck blue "Pony Express Sacramento Jul. 11" oval ds with "Pony Express" almost
complete, part of black St. Joseph transit cds at lower right, Extremely Fine Gem, a wonderful example of this historic stamp - very rare in this choice condition (Image Magnifier) |
E. 1,000-1,500 | 1,900.00 |