Developed & Supported by Mark Scheuer. Based on the work of Thomas J. Alexander. Dedicated to the memory of Creighton Hart and Susan McDonald. Feedback, additions, and corrections most welcome. Please send to: mscheue1@rochester.rr.com
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| Scott Number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date | May 14, 1849 |
| From City | Auburn |
| From State | IL |
| To City | Gardiner |
| To State | ME |
| Addressee | Pliny Harris |
| Cert Author | PF |
| Cert # | 337243 |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 1 |
| Quantity 2 | 0 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
Scott #1 1847 5c Franklin Single On 1849 Auburn, Illinois Folded Letter ~ Only Recorded 1847 Issue Cover From Auburn (122)
1847 5c red brown Franklin (Scott #1) single canceled by a manuscript pen cancel on 1849 dated folded letter sent from Auburn, Illinois (Sangamon County) to Gardiner, Maine (Kennebec County). Accompanying manuscript May 14, Auburn, Illinois postmark at top left. The stamp has large to ample margins all around but also a small tear and a crease. A stain at top slightly affects the manuscript postmark, but does not take away from the incredible rarity of this 1847 Issue usage. 1999 Philatelic Foundation Certificate (PFC)
Only 103 5c 1847 Issue covers sent from Illinois are recorded. Of this group, 71 are from Chicago, leaving just thirty-two 5c 1847 Issue covers sent from all other Illinois towns. The cover offered here is the only known 1847 Issue cover/folded letter from Auburn, Illinois. No doubt in part due to the fact that Auburn, IL did not officially receive any 1847 stamps of either denomination throughout the issue's use. Adding to the scarce and unusual nature of this cover is that it underpays the ten-cent over 300-mile rate for a letter weighing 1/2-ounce or less traveling from Illinois to Maine -- a distance of over 1,300 miles!
1847 Issue covers underpaid due to distance without a "Due" marking of some kind are particularly unusual and in this case are especially rare when the distance is 1,000 miles more than the 300 mile ceiling for the 5-cent rate. This is the perfect item for the Illinois state postal history collector, 1847 Issue student or lover of great postal rates/stories exhibited through classic U.S. covers.
The letter's recipient Pliny Harris was born on February 20, 1792 in Winthrop, Maine. This is a very significant date in American postal history as on the same day as Harris's birth, the legislation passed by Congress establishing the Post Office Department, the Postal Act was signed into law by President George Washington. Harris joined the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia during the War of 1812 and died a few days short of his 68th birthday, February 11, 1860.
A Fascinating & Unique 1847 5c Single On Underpaid 1849 Folded Letter from Auburn, IL to Maine
EBAY lot (1847Stampsandcovers)
PhilaMercury Cover #16796
Alexander listed as 5/14/49
PF 337243
1 1847 5 red brown
SINGLE, PEN CANCEL, ON FL TO GARDINER ME, AUBURN, ILL MANUSCRIPT PMK AT LEFT.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
It Is A Genuine Usage, The Stamp With A Tear AndCREASE, THE COVER WITH A SMALL STAIN WHICH AFFECTS THE MANUSCRIPT POSTMARK.
1847 5c red brown Franklin (Scott #1) single canceled by a manuscript pen cancel on 1849 dated folded letter sent from Auburn, Illinois (Sangamon County) to Gardiner, Maine (Kennebec County). Accompanying manuscript May 14, Auburn, Illinois postmark at top left. The stamp has large to ample margins all around but also a small tear and a crease. A stain at top slightly affects the manuscript postmark, but does not take away from the incredible rarity of this 1847 Issue usage. 1999 Philatelic Foundation Certificate (PFC)
Only 103 5c 1847 Issue covers sent from Illinois are recorded. Of this group, 71 are from Chicago, leaving just thirty-two 5c 1847 Issue covers sent from all other Illinois towns. The cover offered here is the only known 1847 Issue cover/folded letter from Auburn, Illinois. No doubt in part due to the fact that Auburn, IL did not officially receive any 1847 stamps of either denomination throughout the issue's use. Adding to the scarce and unusual nature of this cover is that it underpays the ten-cent over 300-mile rate for a letter weighing 1/2-ounce or less traveling from Illinois to Maine -- a distance of over 1,300 miles!
1847 Issue covers underpaid due to distance without a "Due" marking of some kind are particularly unusual and in this case are especially rare when the distance is 1,000 miles more than the 300 mile ceiling for the 5-cent rate. This is the perfect item for the Illinois state postal history collector, 1847 Issue student or lover of great postal rates/stories exhibited through classic U.S. covers.
The letter's recipient Pliny Harris was born on February 20, 1792 in Winthrop, Maine. This is a very significant date in American postal history as on the same day as Harris's birth, the legislation passed by Congress establishing the Post Office Department, the Postal Act was signed into law by President George Washington. Harris joined the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia during the War of 1812 and died a few days short of his 68th birthday, February 11, 1860.
A Fascinating & Unique 1847 5c Single On Underpaid 1849 Folded Letter from Auburn, IL to Maine
EBAY lot (1847Stampsandcovers)
PhilaMercury Cover #16796
Alexander listed as 5/14/49
PF 337243
1 1847 5 red brown
SINGLE, PEN CANCEL, ON FL TO GARDINER ME, AUBURN, ILL MANUSCRIPT PMK AT LEFT.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
It Is A Genuine Usage, The Stamp With A Tear AndCREASE, THE COVER WITH A SMALL STAIN WHICH AFFECTS THE MANUSCRIPT POSTMARK.
