Lot 2288 ()
Samoa, 1886, 1sh Rose Carmine, Perf 12½, Bisected Diagonally. Lower left half tied by neat blue "Apia, Samoa, Apr 18, 96" cds on registered merchant parcel front to Chemsford, England, manuscript "Per R.M.S. Mariposa" endorsement and mostly complete purple "London, 24 My, 95" registry date stamp; minor perf toning, otherwise Very Fine, this being the first and only Provisional 1sh bisect usage recorded on April 18, 1895 in the first mail sent after the fire of April 1 which destroyed the Apia Post Office and is likely to be the only commercial usage of the Provisional 1sh bisect known (Odenweller 496).SG No. 25a Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Realized: $2,100