Roche's City Dispatch,
Wilmington Del., (2c) Black on Green Glazed (129L1). Rectangular
margins, large on two sides, clear at top, slightly in at left, corner
margin crease, uncancelled, affixed to Dec. 4, 1849 folded letter to
Alexander Purvis on South Street in Philadelphia, faint strike of
greenish-blue "Wilmington Del. Dec. 5" circular datestamp and matching "5"
unpaid rate handstamp, small faults, Very Fine stamp that we believe
originated on this cover (used in proper time period), ex Worthington,
Caspary and Lilly, with 2001 P.F. certificate stating genuine stamp but
declining opinion on whether it originated on this folded letter (Image)
Roche's City Dispatch,
Wilmington Del., (2c) Black on Green Glazed (129L1). Faint ms. "X"
cancel, cut to shape with frameline clear all around, slight creasing and
loss of green surface coloring, otherwise Very Fine, a rarity -- only
thirteen stamps recorded -- signed Sloane
(Image)
St. Louis City Delivery Co.,
St. Louis Mo., (1c) Red, Perf 12 (131L1). Tied by grid and "St. Louis
City Delivery, 506 Olive St. Jan. 1, 1883" sawtooth double-circle datestamp
on cover to local street addressEXTREMELY FINE. THE ST. LOUIS CITY DELIVERY STAMP IS EXTREMELY RARE ON COVER.
This post operated illegally for a prief period of time. As evidence of the rarity of this cover, an example was absent from the Middendorf, Golden and Hall collections. A cover in our 2000 Rarities sale (ex Schwartz) realized $2,500 hammer. (Image)
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Green, Imperforate (132L1). Three ample
margins, cut in at bottom, used with 3c Dull Red (26), both stamps tied
by blue "Louisville Ky. Jun. 29, 1859" circular datestamp on yellow
cover to St. Louis Mo., "Advertised Jul. 1" circular datestamp applied at
St. Louis, stains at bottom, backflap partly removed and bottom edge nicked
from openingFINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF A SQUIER & CO. STAMP USED FROM ANOTHER CITY TO PREPAY DELIVERY TO THE ADDRESSEE IN ST. LOUIS.
A large portion of surviving Squier & Co. covers are addressed to Mrs. M. T. Lucas in Louisville. This is a cover from Louisville to St. Louis that was presumably written by Mrs. Lucas to S. F. Lucas. A similar cover in the Hall collection realized $3,750 hammer (Siegel Sale 830, lot 757).
Ex Brown and Knapp (Image)
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Green, Imperforate (132L1). Cut in,
cancelled by "D" in octagonal frame, used with 3c Dull Red (26) tied
by bold "Saint Louis Mo. Jan. 16, 1860" circular datestamp on cover to
Philadelphia, waterstain around Squier stamp, cover slightly reduced and
folded vertically at center, still Fine, the imperforate stamp used during
Squier & Co.'s ownership is very rare on cover, this is the only recorded
example of the "D" cancel, ex C. Corwith Wagner
(Image) 
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Green, Imperforate (132L1). Ample margins
except nicked at top right corner, ms. cancel and not tied, used with 3c
Dull Red (26) tied by "Saint Louis Mo. Dec. 31, 1859" circular datestamp on
buff cover to Galena Ill. cover slightly reduced and rounded at bottom
right, otherwise Fine, the imperforate stamp used during Squier & Co.'s
ownership is very rare on cover -- four reported in notes contained in
Schwartz files, but we estimate 8-10 covers extant
(Image) 
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Green, Imperforate (132L1). Large margins
to cut in at bottom, ms. cancel and not tied, used on 3c Red Nesbitt entire
to Iowa City Ia., "Saint Louis Mo. Aug. 24, 1859" circular datestamp, Fine,
the imperforate stamp used during Squier & Co.'s ownership is very rare on
cover -- four reported in notes contained in Schwartz files, but we
estimate 8-10 covers extant (Image) 
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Green, Imperforate (132L1). Two large
margins, other sides slightly in, ms. cancel and not tied, used on cover to
Gay & Co. with local street address in pencil (partly erased), creased at
bottom, stamp has small tear at right, still Fine, the imperforate stamp
used during Squier & Co.'s ownership is very rare on cover (four reported
in notes contained in Schwartz files, but we estimate 8-10 covers extant),
this cover comes from the well-established Gay & Co. correspondence (Image) 
Squier & Co. City Letter
Dispatch, St. Louis Mo., 1c Rose Brown, Rouletted (132L2). Roulettes on
all four sides and remarkably choice centering, tied by "Jordan's Penny
Post, Saint Louis, Sep. 24" circular datestamp, used with 3c Dull Red (26),
slightly oxidized, tied by bold "Saint Louis Mo. Sep, 25, 1860" circular
datestamp on blue-lined folded letter addressed in blue to Tell City
Ind.EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS BY FAR THE FINEST OF THE THREE RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RARE SQUIER'S ROSE BROWN ROULETTED STAMP. IT IS THE ONLY ROSE BROWN COVER WITH ADDITIONAL UNITED STATES POSTAGE.
Squier & Co. first advertised its local post in the July 6, 1859, edition of the St. Louis Missouri Republican. The ads ran consistently through March 10, 1860, but soon after ownership was turned over to Jordan & Co. Penny Post Package Express. The Squier stamps continued to be accepted by Jordan's Penny Post, which applied its own circular datestamp to mail. The operation appears to have ended in the fall of 1860. (Source: "The History of Saint Louis Local Posts -- Squier-Jordan Penny Post, Part 1" by S. M. Arnold, American Philatelist, July 1956).
Our records contain three examples of the Rose Brown 132L2 stamp on cover: 1) Jul. 14 (1860) datestamp ties 132L2 on railroad corner card cover to Gay & Co., 115 South 4th St., ex Boker, 2) Aug. 4 (1860) datestamp, not tied, ms. "X" on 132L2, on cover to N. S. Gay, 103 N. 4th St., ex Caspary, and 3) Sep. 24 (1860) datestamp ties 132L2, used with 3c 1857 tied St. Louis Sep. 25, 1860, on folded letter to Louis Frey, Tell City Ind., ex C. Corwith Wagner, the cover offered here. There is also a May 9, 1860, cover with the 132L3 tied in combination with a 3c 1857. It is significant that the Middendorf, Golden and Hall collections all lacked a 132L2 or 132L3 cover.
Ex C. Corwith Wagner (Image)