Auction Detail

"Eagle, Flag & Capitol Building" Magnus patriotic cover, franked with 3c rose and 12c black, tied to cover by black circle of wedges cork cancels, postmarked "Boston / Mar / 16 / Paid / 12" in red, to Doctor Angell in Paris, France, indistinct red entry mark and Paris (29 Mar) c.d.s. on front, there affixed with 40c orange, tied by "8" Paris star cancel (Rue d'Antin), and forwarded to Madrid, Spain, via forwarding agents John Munroe & Co., their oval cachet on front, partial Paris and Irun transit backstamps, Madrid c.d.s. receiver (31 Mar), faults to reverse from prior mounting, 12c trimmed well into design, yet a rare forwarded patriotic cover from the Angell correspondence; Herman Toaspern backstamp, with 2023 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

"Grace of Maine", Secretary's Office, full-front patriotic cover, franked with 2c Black Jack, tied by segmented cork cancel and "Augusta ME / Jun / 18" c.d.s., paying the circular rate, to Bowdoinham, Maine, from the Davis Printing Co. series printed for Maine's official offices, trivial wrinkles, an exceptionally attractive Black Jack cover; with 2023 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

"Head-Quarters, Baxter's Fire Zouaves", Seventy-Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, patriotic cover depicting Colonel Baxter, Upham imprint on reverse, franked with 3c rose and tied by oval Adamstown datestamp (December 31, 1861), to Philadelphia, mount adhesions to reverse and piece torn from back flap, some light edge staining, a scarce patriotic. (Weiss PM-36a, Walcott L-452U).

"Lincoln & Davis in 5 Rounds, 2nd Round" from the Champion Prize Envelope series, ornate full-back patriotic cover depicting a fight between Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, surrounded by soldiers and political leaders, with the Capitol building in the background, Tingley imprint at bottom, reverse franked with 3c rose, tied by black grid cancel and postmarked with "Princeton NJ / Oct / 14" c.d.s., to Oxford, New York, the odd unobtrusive tone spot, reverse with some small adhesion marks from prior mounting, not detracting from the exceptional appeal of this rare Union patriotic. (Weiss AL-193, Walcott L-164).  Only one complete set of used covers of this series has been recorded, with even individual used examples rarely offered.  An important Lincoln cover.

"Major General Wool & Eagle", Hunckel & Son patriotic cover, depicting the Major General framed by battle scenes and flags, from the Dr. Angell correspondence to Vienna, Austria, franked with 1861 1c, 2c, and 12c, tied by black circle of wedges, the 2c tied by neatly-struck red "N. York 12 Brem. Pkt. Paid" c.d.s. (5 Nov), blue "America / Uber Bremen / Franco" three-line transit and Vienna c.d.s. arrival backstamp (8 Dec), some light edge wear at top, the 12c with a few short perfs, and the Black Jack having been lifted and replaced, not detracting from the tremendous visual appeal of this rare patriotic cover; with 2020 Philatelic Foundation certificate.  (Weiss PM-270, Walcott unlisted). John Ellis Wool (1784-1869) was a New York lawyer and bookseller. Upon the outbreak of the War of 1812, he enlisted and served with distinction, as he did later in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). In the Civil War he commanded the Department of the East, and, as commander of the Department of Virginia, secured control for the Union of Fort Monroe. The Fort remained in Union hands for the remainder of the war, and served as a major supply point for the Peninsular Campaign of 1862. Wool was promoted to Major General for his role in leading the recapture of the Gosport Shipyard at Norfolk, Virginia, retiring in 1863, after more than fifty years of service.