Lot Details

LO1, 1851 (1c) Dull blue on Rose, single with red star cancel on 1852 folded letter to West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1851 3c Orange brown (10A) tied by blue "Philadelphia Pa. Jul 8" datestamp, light vertical creases, the 3c stamp lifted and hinged back, very fine, just 18 covers with this stamp are recorded in Dr. Vernon Morris's February 2011 census (Chronicle 229) which does not include this cover, of those 18 only two also bear United States postage stamps, an extraordinary rarity which has apparently been unreported in the philatelic literature, 2022 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott does not list or price this combination) The Franklin Carrier stamp is extremely rare on cover, with or without an additional adhesive stamp. Although the exact number is somewhat debated, the census by Dr. Vernon R. Morris, Jr. (Chronicle 229) lists 18 covers that he believes to be genuine. Although this cover is not among those he listed, another cover from the same correspondence is included (census #10). This cover has not been seen since a 1966 R.A. Siegel sale. The cover offered here bears a 1925 label on the reverse from Elliot Perry, which shows that it has been known to philatelists for at least almost a century, but our research has failed to locate any record of it at auction in the interim.