Lot
5162 
1861 (May 12) Bucks, Ohio to Rohrdorf, Overamt Horb, Württemberg, legal-size orange cover with manuscript "Bucks O, May 12" postmark and bearing 3¢ dull red, type IV (26A) block of eight, positions 1-4/11-14R10L, s.e. at left, bright color, choice centering for this difficult issue, tied by red "N. York Paid, Hamb. Pkt. 'Paid 10' May 18" credit exchange datestamp, carried by Hapag Line Hammonia from New York May 18th to Hamburg arriving Jun. 1st, Hamburg (6.2) arrival backstamp and well-struck "Part Paid" straightline, blue crayon "12" kr due rating, Stuttgart and Horb (6.4) backstamps; small cover imperfections, stamps with few slight flaws to be expected, Very Fine appearance. Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
A SCARCE AND DESIRABLE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 1857 3-CENT TYPE IV USED ON A COVER TO GERMANY.
This exceedingly rare on-cover multiple of the 3¢ type IV is especially desirable because one can clearly see the identifying characteristics of the type, the interrupted framelines between stamps.
Bucks, Ohio accepted this letter as single-rate for 24¢, paid by a rare block of eight 3¢ Type IV. The New York Exchange Office found the letter required two rates (30¢). To avoid treating it as unpaid, New York sent it as "PART PAID" with the full double rate to Hamburg (20¢) and kept the extra 4¢ prepayment.
Rounding among the various currencies was imperfect. Had this letter been fully paid, the GAPU transit share would have been 10¢. It was not, so the GAPU double rate of 12 kr (only 8¢) applied.