Postmasters’ Provisionals 1 – 5

View of Alexandria

1 6 1X1, Alexandria, VA, 5c Black on buff, Type I stamp with 40 stars, cut to shape as always with margin slightly in at left, on front address panel only addressed to Columbia, PA, black “Alexandria D.C. Jul. 10” datestamp with matching boxed “5” and “Paid” handstamps, trivial crease at right, stamp lifted and repositioned, Very Fine, the discovery copy of the Alexandria provisional and therefore one of the most historically significant United States covers, in addition to being a showpiece in every regard (Scott $500,000 on cover) Provenance: John Kerr Tiffany Dudley L. Pickman (Private Treaty) Warren H. Colson (“W.H.C.” backstamp) Emory Coolidge (Private Treaty) Weill Brothers (Christie’s Robson Lowe, 1989) $ 100,000

Street Scene in Baltimore

2 6 3X1, Baltimore, MD, 5c Black, framelines or parts on all four sides (complete at bottom and right), cancelled by neat blue “Paid” with additional strike at left, blue “Baltimore Md. Oct 17” (1846) datestamp, stamp tied by manuscript “Due 5” to folded letter to Frederick, Maryland, Very Fine stamp and cover, Hayes census #10, 1976 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott $15,000) Provenance: Colonel Edward H. R. Green (Harmer, Rooke & Co., 1943) $ 4,000

View of New Haven

3 6 8XU3, New Haven, CT, 5c Dull blue on buff, Blue signature, entire addressed to Hanover, NH, with red “New Haven Ct. Apr 6” datestamp (1846 use), handstamp characteristically faded but signature still bold, cover with overall toning, Fine, an enormous rarity as this is the only 8XU3 entire recorded (a cut square is also known, and one of only six New Haven provisional entires in any combination of inks/papers, just five of which are available to collectors (Scott $75,000); not in USPCS census Provenance: Count Philipp von Ferrary (Gilbert Sale 3, 1922) Arthur Hind (Charles J. Phillips Sale 1, 1933) Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 967, 1955) Bernard D. Peyton (Isleham Collection, R.A. Siegel Sale 662, 1986) $ 7,500

4 5 9X1, New York, NY, 5c Black, Signed “ACM”, tied to small piece by blue “NY” route agent marking (certificate calls it a Cuban marking), large margins all around, tiny surface scratch in the hair at right, Very Fine and attractive, photocopy of 1978 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott $475) $ 75

5 6 9X1d, New York, NY, 5c Black, Signed “RHM”, position 9, margins full to huge, tied by two red “Paid” in arc cancels on folded letter dated August 9, 1845 from New Hamburgh, NY, additional red “Paid” and manuscript “5” rate at top right, addressed to “Wm. Bird, Care of Walter Lowne, Esq., corner of Centre & Reade Sts., New York”, from the James Lenox correspondence, Extremely Fine, a stunning combination of a fresh and large-margined stamp with rare initials attractively tied to an immaculate cover, arguably the finest “RHM” cover known, illustrated in Philip T. Wall’s article in the August 1978 Chronicle (Vol. 30, No.3), detailing the Lenox corespondence (Scott $5,500) Provenance: John R. Boker, Jr. (Private transaction) Louis Grunin (Private transaction) $ 1,000