Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

United States Stamps and Postal History continued...

**Locals (Hinckley's thru Wyman)**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description	Est/Cat	Realized
402		Overton & Co., (5c) Black on Greenish (113L1). Large to huge margins, ms. "X" cancel (not tied), perfectly clear "Forwarded by Overton & Co. 29-1/2 State Street, Boston" oval handstamp on Sep. 27, 1844 folded letter to New Bedford Mass., small ms. "8" at right (6c postage plus 2c local delivery), tiny ink erosion spot in address EXTREMELY FINE STAMP ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER. THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST OF APPROXIMATELY 20-25 KNOWN OVERTON STAMPED COVERS. Overton & Co. was a letter-and-package express and foreign-mail forwarding agency founded by Richard Carleton Overton prior to July 3, 1844 (the date of the earliest advertisement). Overton & Co. issued stamps for use on inter-city letters, there are 21 recorded stamped covers from July 29, 1844 (the docketing date of this cover), through June 30, 1845, the day before the independent mail carriers were forced out of business by the July 1845 postal laws. No Overton cover is recorded after June 30th. On July 22, 1844, Overton announced expanded service. Signed Sloane ("original and in my opinion used on this cover") (Image)	E. 2,000-3,000	2,100.00
403		Prince's Letter Dispatch, Portland Me., (unstated value) Black (122L1). Ample to large margins, tied by one of two strikes of "Boston & Portland/Express./11 State Street, Boston/34 Exchange Street/Portland" framed ribbon-marker handstamp on cover to Boston, sender's notation "Order" EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL INDEPENDENT MAIL USAGES FROM THE ONLY STEAMBOAT CARRIER TO ISSUE STAMPS. Prince's Letter Dispatch was established by J. H. Prince of Portland Me. and carried mail by steamboat to Boston, which is probably why it continued to function without government interference as late as 1869. The pictorial stamps used by Prince were engraved and printed by Lowell & Brett of Boston (Lowell's imprint appears below the steamboat vignette). Although an abundant supply of unused stamps reached philatelic hands, genuinely used stamps are extremely rare, and only four or five complete covers are known. This is the only example known to us with the stamp tied by this type of framed handstamp. Scott value for a tied example with Scott No. 65 (Image)	8,000.00	4,750.00
404		W. Wyman, Boston Mass., 5c Black (149L1). Large margins all around, cancelled by ms. "X" cancel on folded letter datelined "Boston Dec. 28, 1844" to New York City, vertical file folds far from stamp, fresh and Extremely Fine, only sixteen covers are recorded, ex Foote, with 1974 P.F. certificate (Image)	E. 2,000-3,000	1,600.00

Locals (Hinckley's thru Wyman)

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

Est/Cat

Realized

402

Overton & Co., (5c) Black on Greenish (113L1). Large to huge margins, ms. "X" cancel (not tied), perfectly clear "Forwarded by Overton & Co. 29-1/2 State Street, Boston" oval handstamp on Sep. 27, 1844 folded letter to New Bedford Mass., small ms. "8" at right (6c postage plus 2c local delivery), tiny ink erosion spot in address

EXTREMELY FINE STAMP ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER. THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST OF APPROXIMATELY 20-25 KNOWN OVERTON STAMPED COVERS.

Overton & Co. was a letter-and-package express and foreign-mail forwarding agency founded by Richard Carleton Overton prior to July 3, 1844 (the date of the earliest advertisement). Overton & Co. issued stamps for use on inter-city letters, there are 21 recorded stamped covers from July 29, 1844 (the docketing date of this cover), through June 30, 1845, the day before the independent mail carriers were forced out of business by the July 1845 postal laws. No Overton cover is recorded after June 30th. On July 22, 1844, Overton announced expanded service.

Signed Sloane ("original and in my opinion used on this cover") (Image)

E. 2,000-3,000

2,100.00

403

Prince's Letter Dispatch, Portland Me., (unstated value) Black (122L1). Ample to large margins, tied by one of two strikes of "Boston & Portland/Express./11 State Street, Boston/34 Exchange Street/Portland" framed ribbon-marker handstamp on cover to Boston, sender's notation "Order"

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL INDEPENDENT MAIL USAGES FROM THE ONLY STEAMBOAT CARRIER TO ISSUE STAMPS.

Prince's Letter Dispatch was established by J. H. Prince of Portland Me. and carried mail by steamboat to Boston, which is probably why it continued to function without government interference as late as 1869. The pictorial stamps used by Prince were engraved and printed by Lowell & Brett of Boston (Lowell's imprint appears below the steamboat vignette). Although an abundant supply of unused stamps reached philatelic hands, genuinely used stamps are extremely rare, and only four or five complete covers are known. This is the only example known to us with the stamp tied by this type of framed handstamp.

Scott value for a tied example with Scott No. 65 (Image)

8,000.00

4,750.00

404

W. Wyman, Boston Mass., 5c Black (149L1). Large margins all around, cancelled by ms. "X" cancel on folded letter datelined "Boston Dec. 28, 1844" to New York City, vertical file folds far from stamp, fresh and Extremely Fine, only sixteen covers are recorded, ex Foote, with 1974 P.F. certificate (Image)

E. 2,000-3,000

1,600.00