Lot
478 
Great Britain, 1841, 2d blue, "white lines", irregular block of nine and horizontal pair, lettered QA QF/RD RD, RB/RC (QF shifted transfer, QB state 2 with mark in NE corner), mostly full to large margins, tied by clear "690" numeral on gray folded letter to Bellary, India, endorsed "Via Marseilles", reverse with Bramfield, Saxmundham (12.22) and red London (12.23) transits, Madras (2.17) and Bellary framed arrival, Very Fine and choice; with 2011 Eichele certificate. SG No. 14. Scott No. 4 Estimate $20,000 - 30,000.
AN OUTSTANDING PREPAID LETTER FROM GREAT BRITAIN TO INDIA AT THE 1S10D PACKET RATE.
Prepaid at the 1s10d rate for a packet letter to India via Marseilles effective Jun. 1st 1846.
Lot
2
(George Washington) Last Letter Dictated by George Washington in the Hand of His Secretary, Tobias Lear, Autograph Letter, one page with George Washington's watermark, unsigned to John Halsey datelined "Mount Vernon, Decr. 13th: 1799" ordering Madeira win for Washington one day before his death, in the letter Lear tells Halsey, a New York merchant, that a Mr. J.M. Pintard had offered to sell George Washington "one or two pipes" of Madeira wine "at three dollars per gallon." The wine was in the custody of Halsey in New York and Lear had written Pintard to take him up on the offer. But, worrying that Pintard may have already left the country, he asks the merchant "to send to the General one pipe of the wine mentioned, upon the terms expressed…", in an unintentionally poignant postscript he adds: "You will be pleased to address your answer to His Excellancy General Washington.", the next day however Washington was dead, Very Fine. Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
It was a stunningly fast moving tragedy. Washington seemed in good health on the morning of 13 December - certainly the fact that his secretary could make such casual plans about wine shows there was no dire sense of urgency, no deathbed vigil-taking place in the Washington household. The General made a horseback inspection of his plantation in wet and wintry weather and returned complaining of a cough and hoarseness. Thinking he was suffering from nothing worse than the cold Martha Washington had recently experienced, he took to his bed, but woke up at 2am with fever and severe shortness of breath. Martha called for Tobias Lear, who summoned Washington's physician, Dr. James Craik and the plantation overseer, George Rawlins, an "expert" in bleeding. Lear would be a witness and chronicler of the tragedy that unfolded over the next 20 hours, as Craik and a sequence of other physicians administered a disastrous and painful regimens of bleeding and blisters. They extracted an astonishing 80 ounces of blood - 40% of his body's supply - in a 12-hour period. At about 10pm, with Lear and Martha at his side, George Washington died. Undoubtedly, this letter was the last dictated by Washington prior to his death.
Realized: $13,000
Lot 455 o
Canada, 1851, Queen Victoria, 12d black, laid paper, neat target cancel, ample to clear margins, rich bold color, expertly repaired and mounted (rebacked), Fine appearance; with 1983 Friedl certificate. SG No. 4 £100,000 ($123,000).Scott No. 3 $135,000.
A FINE AND ATTRACTIVE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 12D QUEEN VICTORIA ISSUE - A CLASSIC CANADIAN RARITY.
On May 14, 1851, a package containing 51,000 twelve pence stamps was sent by the printers Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson of New York to Postmaster General James Morris in Toronto. From this first and only consignment of twelve pence stamps, only 1,510 stamps where issued to 14 different post offices between June 14th of 1851 and December 4th of 1854. With the Ingersoll Post Office return sixty examples, only a mere 1,450 examples where ever sold through the post office, with the remaining backstock eventually destroyed. This issue is considered among the rarest of the British Commonwealth issues.
Realized: $16,000
Lot
402
Confederacy, New Orleans, La., 1861, 2¢ red, radiant color with four margins, large except clear at right, tied by "New Orleans La. 7 Feb" cds on 1862 blue folded printed circular to members of the Southwestern Bible Society, addressed to Saml. Hollensworth at Blossom Hill, La., couple unnoticeable stamp flaws, Very Fine and attractive; with 2005 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 62X2.
AN OUTSTANDING CIRCULAR-RATE USE OF THE RARE NEW ORLEANS 2¢ RED PROVISIONAL ISSUE.
The New Orleans postmaster, J. L. Riddell, prepared provisional stamps in June 1861 and advertised them for sale on June 12th. The 2¢ red stamps were printed without the marginal inscription "Usable exclusively in the New Orleans Post Office". The 5¢ and subsequent 2¢ blue printings all have the imprint. It is the accepted theory that the 2¢ red stamps were printed first, before Riddell added the imprint, and were withheld from use until January 1862 when the supply of 2¢ blue stamps was exhausted.
Lot
197 
1861, 1¢ blue, bottom imprint and plate no. 9 block of 12, each stamp dot in "U" variety, well centered with deep rich color, fresh and intact, o.g., never hinged, Very Fine, ex-Lilly; with 2014 P.S.E. certificate. Scott No. 63 Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1861 ISSUE.
THIS IS LIKELY THE ONLY 1¢ 1861 ISSUE MINT NEVER-HINGED FULL IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER MULTIPLE OUT OF THE 9 RECORDED.
Don Evans in his book "The United States 1c Franklin, 1861-67", records only eight full plate number and imprint multiples from Plates 9, 10 and 27. The Frelinghuysen sale had a block of 35 with full bottom imprint and plate no. 10 selvage not listed by Evans. For plate 9, there are only two recorded plate blocks of twelve, both are likely taken from one of the Chapin-listed larger multiples including the block offered here that comes from the ex-Lilly sheet of 98.
Realized: $9,000
Lot
465
Canada, 1959, 5¢ St. Lawrence Seaway, center inverted, vertical pair, o.g., never hinged, bright and fresh with strong bold colors, Very Fine. Scott No. 387a $19,000.
AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE MULTIPLE OF THE 1959 5¢ ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY ISSUE WITH CENTER INVERTED.
The known 5¢ St. Lawrence Seaway inverts are believed to come from two sheets of 200. Of these, over 100 where found in postal stock and return to Ottawa for destructions. The remaining examples were released to the public leaving a small number of used examples (with 16 on cover usages known) and about 200 mint examples. Very few multiples are still existence.
Lot
183
1858, 5¢ brick red, type I, full o.g., rich vibrant color, natural vertical pre-printing paper fold and some minor perforation flaws, Fine; with 2016 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 27 $80,000.
AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE MINT EXAMPLE OF THE 1858, 5¢ TYPE I IN THE BRICK RED SHADE WITH FULL ORIGINAL GUM - ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL MINT CLASSIC ISSUES WITH FULL ORIGINAL GUM.
Although chronicled as the first of the 1858-61 5¢ Issues, the 5¢ brick red was not actually used for months after the red brown and Indian red type I shades, making it the third issue in the series. A search of the Philatelic Foundation Certificate Search revealed approximately 20 mint examples bearing original gum including the Worthington block of four which is though to be unique. Of these examples, about half bear some type of fault and all have perforations impinging on the design on one or two sides.
Realized: $9,000
Lot
323
1917, 50¢ light violet, o.g., never hinged, large evenly balanced margins and perfect centering, bright vibrant color, Superb, this being one of three examples to receive this grade with none higher; with 2013 P.S.A.G. and 2015 P.S.E. Graded certificates (both Superb 98, SMQ $17,500). Scott No. 477 $2,000.
WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST NEVER HINGED EXAMPLES OF THE 1917 50¢ FRANKLIN ISSUE WITH THE HIGHEST AWARDED GRADE BY THE P.S.E.
Realized: $9,000
Lot
255 /
1871, 7¢ vermilion, H. grill, horizontal block of six with left selvage, beautifully centered with deep vibrant color, positions 3, 5 & 6 without grill points, o.g., positions 1, 4 & 5 never hinged, rest lightly hinged, Very Fine and rare block; with 2009 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 138 $15,750 as hinged singles.
THE LARGEST RECORDED MINT MULTIPLE OF THE 7¢ GRILLED 1870 BANK NOTE ISSUE.
This is one of two recorded blocks of six, the other ex-Lilly, Klein may have been broken for singles. We have cataloged this block as three #138 singles and three #149 singles, without never hinged premium.
Realized: $14,500
Lot
128
1890, 90¢ orange, in combination with 1895, 3¢ purple + 1897, 1¢ deep green (268+279) on registered cover to St. John's, Newfoundland, all tied by "Hoboken, N.J., Dec 2, 1902" cds's, purple "Registered, Hoboken, N.J., Dec 2, 1902" straight line date stamp and N.Y. registry etiquette applied over 1¢ & 3¢ stamps, reverse with N.Y. and Boston transit and receiving date stamps and die cut patriotic label over flap, Very Fine and choice, unpriced in Scott for on cover; with 1993 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 229 Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.
AN EXTREMELY RARE USAGE OF THE 1890 90¢ SMALL BANKNOTE ISSUE USED ON A NORMAL SIZE COVER.
Realized: $7,250