THE MARTIN RICHARDSON AWARD-WINNING COLLECTION OF BLOOD’S LOCAL POST OF PHILADELPHIA

VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY FIVE RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE PHILADELPHIA DESPATCH POST CIRCULAR BLACK STAMP.

The Philadelphia Despatch Post is documented in an advertisement in the Philadelphia Public Ledger (Dec. 8, 1842) and in an expanded version with some differences (see Sale 825, p. 293, or go to www.siegelauctions.com/enc/carriers/robertson.jpg for an image of the revised ad). In the later ad, the stamps are priced at 3c individually, 31c per dozen and $2 per hundred. Valuable-letter registration for 6¼c and a 6c rate on letters beyond two miles are quoted (no examples of either special service are known). The firm's address is 93 Chesnut Street, not 83 South Second Street as in the earlier advertisement.

The five recorded examples of the Black circular stamps 15L2, which was actually the first issued, are as follows in chronological order: 1) 1842 folded letter (docketed "1842" on back, must be December) to Treasurer American Sunday School Union, ex Caspary (lot 561), Hollowbush, Schwartz, Gordon N. John (Siegel Sale 868, lot 2046, realized $29,000 hammer), 2) Jan. 13, 1843 folded letter to Rev. George Boyd, stamp cancelled by red "T"-shaped handstamp, red "Paid" and "Phila. Despatch Post 10 A.M." timestamp (on flap), ex Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot realized 428, $10,500 hammer), 3) Mar. 20 (1843) folded letter to N. R. Potts, stamp cancelled by dots in small circle, red "Phila. Despatch Post 3 P.M." timestamp (ms. "20" below time) and "Paid", ex Hall (Siegel Sale 830, lot 427, realized $22,000 hammer), 4) Apr. 20, 1843 folded letter to Shrack & Co., stamp cancelled by small red outline "3", no timestamp or postmark, ex Gibson, Middendorf, the cover offered here, Siegel Sale 878, lot 559, realized $13,000 hammer, and 5) May 19, 1843 folded letter to Booth, stamp cancelled by large red "3", red "Phila. Despatch Post 10 A.M." timestamp, discovery example (1889), ex Caspary, Boker.

Ex Gibson and Middendorf. This is the stamp illustrated in the Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue. With 1997 P.F. certificate. (Image)

VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED ROBERTSON & CO. STRIDING MESSENGER COVERS WITH THE STAMP TIED BY THE PHILADELPHIA POST OFFICE DATESTAMP. A MARVELOUS USAGE OF THE WORLD'S FIRST PICTORIAL STAMP.

The first Striding Messenger issue (15L3) is very scarce on cover and rare on covers carried to the post office for mailing to another town or city. Only a few tied examples are known, and, of these, only two have the stamp tied by the post office datestamp. Both are to-the-mails usages and were postmarked at the Philadelphia post office with the datestamp serendipitously tying the stamp. One is ex Caspary and Middendorf. The other is the cover offered here.

Ex West and Gibson. (Image)