Lot
385 
Salvador, MISSENT TO U.S. SEA P.O. No 17. Straight line handstamp on 1914 registered cover from San Salvador, Salvador to Hanover, Pennsylvania franked with 1911 3c + 50c Officials tied by grid cancel, numerous markings including black Salvadorian Legation handstamp, partial magenta double line cds of origin, violet "R San Salvador" registry markings, black and red customs label affixed over the top, backstamps include "U.S. German Sea P.O. 1914" duplex cancel, dark violet "U.S. Sea Post. Feb 12 1914 Reg." cds, partial black "Transatlantic Post Office Fe 21" cds, adhesives with light crease, Very Fine. Scott No. O306+O311 Estimate $200 - 300.
Evidently, this was missorted and wound up in the seapost registry mail bags for a German steamer, possibly the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, know to have been in service 1906, 1907, and 1913. U.S. Postal Clerks were employed in the direction Germany, which explains the U.S. Seapost Missent marking. This was off loaded in Southampton, where the Transatlantic Post Office marking was applied for return to the U.S. Roger Hosking illustrates 4 different U.S. Seapost Missent markings in his 1979 book The Transatlantic Post Office, this marking is atypical of those. The three seapost markings used on this cover range from very uncommon to rare, and taken together explain the misrouting of this cover.
Realized: $140