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| Scott Number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 24, 1848 |
| From City | Boston |
| From State | MA |
| To City | Taunton |
| To State | MA |
| Addressee | Benj. F. Presbury |
| Cert Author | Ashbrook |
| Cert # | |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 1 |
| Quantity 2 | 0 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
Lot 84 5c Dark Brown (1 var). Large even margins, tied by red grid and also by matching "Boston 5cts. 24 Apr." integral-rate circular datestamp on blue 1848 folded letter to Taunton Mass., with blue "Pitman's Phonography" label affixed at left, Extremely Fine example of this scarce shade, ex Klein, with note on back from Stanley Ashbrook "1848 use Dark Brown, Ridgeway's Chestnut Brown" E. 1,000-1,500
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale 939 realized 3750 (image)
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 950 Lot 2098 realized 2700
PhilaMercury cover #16326
Alexander listed as 4/24/48
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 615 lot 300 realized 1800
Christie’s sale 6776 Mar 16, 1989 (Klein5) lot 1005 realized 1540
H R Harmer sale 612 (Moody) lot 77 realized 75
Letter To Benjamin Franklin Presbury (1810-1869), editor, author, and abolitionist from Taunton, Massachusetts. Presbury served for many years as the editor of the Taunton Daily Gazette. He contributed a piece titled "Myrtle Flowers" to The Atlantic Monthly in 1858 and wrote multiple papers for the publication. He is also remembered for his 1859 abolitionist novel, The Mustee; or, Love and Liberty, which addressed themes of race, mixed heritage, and the injustices of slavery.
The label, Pitman's Phonography, refers to Sir Isaac Pitman, an English educator who promoted the use of phonography, or "sound writing", created in 1837 and originally called Stenographic Sound-Hand.
Boston was the center of reform in the 1840s and 1850s to promote the use of phonetic writing. Scribes, reformers, and advocates of Pitman's shorthand system would affix these brightly colored, diamond-shaped Cinderella stamps to the outside of their letters. The interior letters (C. W.,?) could denote the specific Boston printer or distributor who manufactured the adhesive labels for local shorthand writers. Google AI suggests Charles Walker, a well-known publisher and advocate of the system or it may be an emblem meaning "Corresponding Writer", which was a formalized rank/certification within the Phonetic Society of Great Britain and North America.
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale 939 realized 3750 (image)
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 950 Lot 2098 realized 2700
PhilaMercury cover #16326
Alexander listed as 4/24/48
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 615 lot 300 realized 1800
Christie’s sale 6776 Mar 16, 1989 (Klein5) lot 1005 realized 1540
H R Harmer sale 612 (Moody) lot 77 realized 75
Letter To Benjamin Franklin Presbury (1810-1869), editor, author, and abolitionist from Taunton, Massachusetts. Presbury served for many years as the editor of the Taunton Daily Gazette. He contributed a piece titled "Myrtle Flowers" to The Atlantic Monthly in 1858 and wrote multiple papers for the publication. He is also remembered for his 1859 abolitionist novel, The Mustee; or, Love and Liberty, which addressed themes of race, mixed heritage, and the injustices of slavery.
The label, Pitman's Phonography, refers to Sir Isaac Pitman, an English educator who promoted the use of phonography, or "sound writing", created in 1837 and originally called Stenographic Sound-Hand.
Boston was the center of reform in the 1840s and 1850s to promote the use of phonetic writing. Scribes, reformers, and advocates of Pitman's shorthand system would affix these brightly colored, diamond-shaped Cinderella stamps to the outside of their letters. The interior letters (C. W.,?) could denote the specific Boston printer or distributor who manufactured the adhesive labels for local shorthand writers. Google AI suggests Charles Walker, a well-known publisher and advocate of the system or it may be an emblem meaning "Corresponding Writer", which was a formalized rank/certification within the Phonetic Society of Great Britain and North America.
