Lot
1 
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.P.O. Despatch, 1850-52, 1¢ blue on buff, unusually bold impression, even margins mostly clear of design with pencil rule line at bottom, slightly creased at bottom right, uncancelled, affixed on brown cover to local Philadelphia street address; small opening tear at left, Very Fine, ex-Hall; with 2001 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 7LB14; $3,250 as off-cover Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
ONE OF ONLY APPROXIMATELY TWELVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE U.S.P.O. DESPATCH 1¢ BLUE ON BUFF STAMP, ON OR OFF COVER.
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Realized: $3,250
Lot
2
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.P.O. Despatch, 1855, 1¢ black, rectangular margins, tied by circular grid cancel, matching partial "Philadelphia Pa. Jul" cds on small cover to Florence Heights N.J., original enclosed letter accompanies; a stamp has been removed from upper left where cds struck, Very Fine appearance, ex-Hessel, Golden; with 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 7LB16 Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
ONE OF THE WORLD'S RAREST STAMPS, WHICH WAS MADE BY APPLYING THE U.S.P.O. EAGLE HANDSTAMP TO THE MARGINS OF 1¢ 1851 SHEETS. ONLY FIVE EXAMPLES OF THE 7LB16 ARE RECORDED.
The Philadelphia carrier stamps printed on the sheet selvage of imperforate 1¢ 1851 stamps hold a unique position in United States philately. Elsewhere in the world there are very few instances in which sheet selvage was used to produce adhesive stamps -- the Emory Va. Confederate provisional another example. Two handstamps were used to create the Philadelphia carrier stamps: the Eagle oval (Scott type C31), which produced 7LB16, and the large oval (type C32), from which 7LB18 was made. Both are rare, but 7LB16 is considerably rarer.
The five recorded examples:
1) rectangular margins, on cover with 3¢ 1851 removed, ex-Hessel, the cover offered here
2) rectangular margins, used on cover with strip of three 1¢ 1851, ex-Caspary
3) diamond-shaped margins, on piece with one 1¢ 1851 intact, ex-Caspary, Boker
4) rectangular margins showing part of imprint, used on cover to San Francisco with 10¢ 1855
5) irregular but mostly rectangular margins, grid cancel.
Realized: $4,750
Lot
3 
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.P.O. Despatch, 1856, 1¢ black, carefully cut to oval shape with "(To)ppan, Carpenter, Casilea(r)" portion of imprint, used with 1¢ blue, type II (7) Plate 2, horizontal strip of three, ample margins to slightly in, small faults, carrier stamp and strip tied by two strikes of "Philadelphia Pa. Nov 7" cds on piece, Very Fine, ex-Neinken, Wagshal. Scott No. 7LB18 Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
A CHOICE IMPRINT EXAMPLE OF THE RARE PHILADELPHIA U.S.P.O. CARRIER ADHESIVE HANDSTAMPED ON THE SHEET MARGIN OF THE 1¢ 1851 ISSUE.
This piece, bearing the 7LB18 adhesive with a strip of the 1c 1851 from Plate 2, must be a November 1856 use, because Plate 2 was not available until the very end of 1855.
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Realized: $4,500
Lot
4
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.P.O. Despatch, 1856, 1¢ black, top and bottom margins scissors-cut with small trace of 1¢ 1851 side ornaments at bottom, sides torn mostly clear of handstamp, uncancelled, used on 3¢ red (U10) Nesbitt entire cancelled by "Philadelphia Pa. Feb. 21" cds to New York N(ca. 1856) circular datestamp; vertical fold thru indicia, carrier stamp small tear at top and lifted to remove surrounding gum smears (still "tied" thru cover by brownish gum), otherwise Very Fine, ex-Kuphal; with 2007 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 7LB18 Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
A RARE ON-COVER EXAMPLE OF THE PHILADELPHIA U.S.P.O. DESPATCH CARRIER STAMP IN COMBINATION WITH THE 3¢ NESBITT ENTIRE.
Realized: $2,100
Lot
5
Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.P.O. Despatch, 1856, 1¢ black, small rectangular-cut stamp showing only one-quarter of the handstamp and part of the 1¢ 1851 design at top, tied by circular grid cancel, used with 1¢ blue, type II (7) Plate 2, strip of three, pos. 48-50R2, left stamp with double transfer, large margins to slightly in, tied by "Philadelphia Pa. Mar 11" cds on buff cover to Alexandria Va.; minor edge reinforcing and back flap reattached, Very Fine and unique usage, ex-Golden; with 1981 and 2011 P.F. certificates. Scott No. 7LB18; $17,000 Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.
A REMARKABLE COVER WITH AN EXTREMELY RARE COMBINATION OF THE U.S.P.O. CARRIER 7LB18 AND THE 1¢ 1851 STAMP THAT PROVIDED THE PAPER FOR THIS CARRIER ISSUE.
It has been speculated that the Philadelphia Carrier handstamped adhesives (7LB14, 7LB16 and 7LB18) were prepared by one or more carriers and affixed to show receipt of the carrier fee when paid by coin. As such, they would not have been sold to the public and were used at a time when when other issued carrier stamps were available. This cover seems to lend support to this theory. The use of a fractional stamp would be against normal postal regulations as full prepayment of the 1¢ carrier fee. So it would seem that the carrier handling this letter received a coin and simply needed to mark this letter as fully paid, a fractional stamp was affixed since his supply may have been running low and it would still indicate prepayment.