Lot
3819 
United States, Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue, center inverted. Position 17, full o.g., which is relatively lightly hinged, rich colors which are bright and fresh, pencil notation on back noting position, faintest trace of diagonal crease, which is barely visible from reverse only, Fine; with 1974 and 1989 P.F. certificates. Scott No. C3a $500,000.
A Rare Example of the Famous 1918 24-Cent Inverted "Jenny" Error and a gorgeous copy of this Classic World Gem.
According to "Jenny" by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), the original sheet of 100 Inverted "Jenny" stamps was purchased for $24 by William T. Robey at the New York Avenue Branch Post Office window in Washington D.C., on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was first placed on sale at the main post office. On May 20, Robey sold his sheet for $15,000 to Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Klein had already arranged to sell the sheet to Col. Edward H. R. Green for $20,000. Colonel Green instructed Klein to divide the Inverted "Jenny" sheet into singles and blocks, and to sell all but a few key position blocks. .
Realized: $180,000
Lot
3424 
Hawaii, Wells, Fargo & Co's, Honolulu, H.I., Express Paid. Well struck red oval handstamp (Shaffer 8-20, 1RRRR) on paste-up cover to San Francisco, Cal., with matching large "A" handstamp tying 1882, 5¢ ultramarine; cover with some light age spots and missing backflap, Very Fine, a wonderful and extremely rare Wells Fargo & Co. express mail usage from Honolulu, only two strikes of this "Paid" express handstamp are recorded with a unique usage of the large "A" canceller; with 1980 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 39 Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
Realized: $5,750
Lot 3517 o
Hawaii, 1857, 5¢ manuscript surcharge on 13¢ dark red. Type II surcharge, neat San Francisco town cancel, margins large to just touching frameline at bottom right, bold rich color, F.-V.F., an attractive and sound example of this rare provisional surcharge issue; with 1977 P.F. certificate.Scott No. 7 $10,000.
Realized: $5,750
Lot
1928
Bills & Thayer/Manufacturers of Crystal Palace Mills Extra Fancy & Superfine Flour. Stunning embossed cameo corner card in brown showing design of the Crystal Palace Building on cover franked with 1851 3¢ dull red (just in at right) tied by neat blue "Troy, N.Y." cds, insignificant flap tear, Extremely Fine and choice, a lovely cover, a similar cover from the same correspondence with green cameo, sold in our Washington 2006 sale for $4,250, plus buyer's premium. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
Realized: $4,750
Lot
1452
Deming and Wall., Union and Eureka Express., Paid. Printed frank with a steamboat and sailing ship integrated into design of frank, on stampless buff envelope to Bucksport (nearby in Humboldt county), Extremely Fine, this is the only known cover from this express company and one of the most interesting, ex Edwards, Haas. Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
Realized: $4,500
Lot
1496
Leavenworth City & Pikes Peak Express Co., Jul 2. Clear cds without year date as usual for westbound deliveries, on 1853, 3¢ Nesbitt entire to Denver City, Kansas Ty., cancelled by neat blue "Farmington, Me., June 27" origin cds and manuscript "Via Leavenworth & Pikes Peak Express Co." routing endorsement at top; cover with small top right corner repair and mended backflap tear, Very Fine, the latest known usage of this short-lived express operating between Leavenworth City and Denver City, Kansas Territory in 1859, ex Barkhausen. Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
Realized: $4,250
Lot
1552
H.C. Tickner's, Yreka & Scott Bar Express. Two-line printed frank with illustrated stage coach, on 1864 3¢ pink entire to Yreka, Cal., with light "Fort Jones, Cal., Mar 16" cds (Williams SIS-1460), 1867 docketing at left, Very Fine, the only known printed frank from Tickner's Express, ex Weiss. Estimate $2,500 - 3,500.
Realized: $4,250
Lot
2068
Registered, May 31, 1894/Midwinter Fair Station, San Francisco, Cal. In red box handstamp on Midwinter Fair illustrated Office of Executive Committee 1887 2¢ green entire to Prag, Czechoslovakia, uprated with 1¢ Columbian + 10¢ small banknotes, two singles (one with small corner nick), New York exchange etiquette; trimmed into half of indicia, otherwise F.-V.F., the unique discovery of this Fair Station Registry handstamp, one of the most important exposition covers. Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
Realized: $4,250
Lot
1415
Adams & Co., San Francisco, Aug 26. Fine strike of blue cds on fresh buff envelope with printed frank "Paid, Adams & Co., Over our California and Coast Routes." to San Jose, Cal.; small cover tear at bottom, Very Fine and choice, an attractive and rare usage the Adams & Co. printed frank, ex Lichtenstein. Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
This is the first printed frank and very rare, seven are known with only three used correctly during the Adams period, the rest were used just as envelopes after the demise of Adams in early 1855, this is one of the three used during the Adams period. Later Wells Fargo adopted this style frank and used it for about 30 years.
Realized: $4,000
Lot
3559
Hawaii, 1864, 1¢ black, tête-bêche pair. Plate 8-A, types V, positions 6, o.g., full margins, small thins mostly in margins and thin in gutter at top, Very Fine appearance, a very scarce tête-bêche variety; with 2008 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 23b $6,250.
Realized: $4,000