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| Scott Number | 2 |
|---|---|
| Date | December 4, 1851 |
| From City | Pan & San Fran. SS |
| From State | WW |
| To City | Tepic |
| To State | Mexico |
| Addressee | Senores Barron Forbes & Co |
| Cert Author | PF |
| Cert # | 512212 |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 0 |
| Quantity 2 | 3 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
Lot 33 10c Black (2). Pos. 77-79R, horizontal strip of three, mostly large margins, clear to touching at upper right, red grid cancels, matching "Pan. & San Fran. S.S. Dec. 4" route agent's cds on 1851 folded cover originating in Lima, Peru, and addressed to Tepic, Mexico, with clearly struck "E. & T. Serruys & Ca. Panama" double-line oval forwarder's handstamp, slight wear and ink erosion in a few letters of address, archivally silked to preclude any further erosion, the strip has been lifted and reaffixed in original position
A REMARKABLE COVER, DEMONSTRATING THE USE OF THE 1847 ISSUE ENTIRELY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES ON MAIL BETWEEN PERU AND MEXICO, CARRIED VIA THE PACIFIC MAIL STEAM SHIP COMPANY LINE
The "Pan. & San Fran. S.S." circular datestamp was used between November 1850 and June 1852 on mail handled by route agents aboard ships of the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company. While contract mail carried by PMSS Co. was received in locked bags, letters picked up en route were presumably postmarked by official route agents on board, as evidenced by approximately twenty known examples of the rare route agent markings on covers. In this case, the letter was sent from Lima, Peru, out of the mails in care of E. & T. Serruys Co., the Panama forwarding agents. It was then posted with the route agent on one of the PMSS Co. steamships on a northbound trip up the West coast of Mexico.
The letter was delivered in Tepic, prepaid in Panama at the U.S. 30c Panama (Pacific Coast) rate. A supply of 1847 stamps was sent to the Panama postal agent, A. B. Corwine, who provided for their use on mail carried across the Isthmus of Panama, or, as in this case, on letters delivered to him in Panama. It is this unique circumstance of United States postal history that made it possible for letters to carry U.S. postage and never travel within the country's borders. Ten full covers, one piece, and a strip of three 10c 1847's showing Panama usage have been recorded.
A famous cover from the J. Waldo Sampson, Charles Shierson and Creighton C. Hart collections. Illustrated and discussed in The Chronicle (May 1968). Illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 97). Signed Ashbrook
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 767 realized 21,000
Alexander listed as 12/4/51
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 1041 lot 297 realized 37,500
Robert A. Siegel sale 1228 (Gross IV) lot 516 realized 19,000 (image)
Creighton C. Hart illustrated and described this cover in his May 1968 article on 1847 stamps used from Panama (Chronicle 58, pp. 46-49): "The fourth cover has a fine strip of three but instead of being pen cancelled, it is cancelled with red grids. Instead of the rather common black 'STEAM SHIP,' it has the desirable and rare red 'PAN. & SAN FRAN. S.S.,' this being the abbreviation for "Panama and San Francisco Steam Ship." This is the only "PAN. & SAN." cover known with 1847 stamps [Note: the second example has since been recorded]. When this cover was acquired by Mr. Shierson, it had an accompanying letter showing the origin of the cover to be Lima, Peru and the text of the letter related to the shipment of silver bars. When the cover was auctioned in 1961 the letter was missing. This cover is also in your editor's collection."
A famous cover from the J. Waldo Sampson, Charles Shierson and Creighton C. Hart collections. Illustrated and discussed in Chronicle 58, illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 97) and discussed in Theron Wierenga's The Gold Rush Mail Agents in California and Their Postal Markings 1849-1852 (pp. 101-107). Signed Ashbrook.
PF 512212
2 1847 10¢ black
HORIZONTAL STRIP OF THREE, POSITIONS 77-79R, RED GRID CANCELS, MATCHING "PAN. & SAN FRAN. S.S. DEC. 4" (1851) CIRCULAR DATESTAMP ON FOLDED COVER ORIGINATING IN LIMA, PERU, AND ADDRESSED TO TEPIC, MEXICO, "E. & T. SERRUYS & CA. PANAMA" DOUBLE-LINE OVAL FORWARDER'S HANDSTAMP, NOVEMBER 1851 POST-DEMONETIZATION USE.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
IT IS A GENUINE USAGE, THE RIGHT STAMP WITH A SMALL CLOSED TEAR AT RIGHT; THE COVER WITH INTERNAL ARCHIVAL SILKING AND SMALL FAULTS
A REMARKABLE COVER, DEMONSTRATING THE USE OF THE 1847 ISSUE ENTIRELY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES ON MAIL BETWEEN PERU AND MEXICO, CARRIED VIA THE PACIFIC MAIL STEAM SHIP COMPANY LINE
The "Pan. & San Fran. S.S." circular datestamp was used between November 1850 and June 1852 on mail handled by route agents aboard ships of the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company. While contract mail carried by PMSS Co. was received in locked bags, letters picked up en route were presumably postmarked by official route agents on board, as evidenced by approximately twenty known examples of the rare route agent markings on covers. In this case, the letter was sent from Lima, Peru, out of the mails in care of E. & T. Serruys Co., the Panama forwarding agents. It was then posted with the route agent on one of the PMSS Co. steamships on a northbound trip up the West coast of Mexico.
The letter was delivered in Tepic, prepaid in Panama at the U.S. 30c Panama (Pacific Coast) rate. A supply of 1847 stamps was sent to the Panama postal agent, A. B. Corwine, who provided for their use on mail carried across the Isthmus of Panama, or, as in this case, on letters delivered to him in Panama. It is this unique circumstance of United States postal history that made it possible for letters to carry U.S. postage and never travel within the country's borders. Ten full covers, one piece, and a strip of three 10c 1847's showing Panama usage have been recorded.
A famous cover from the J. Waldo Sampson, Charles Shierson and Creighton C. Hart collections. Illustrated and discussed in The Chronicle (May 1968). Illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 97). Signed Ashbrook
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 767 realized 21,000
Alexander listed as 12/4/51
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. sale 1041 lot 297 realized 37,500
Robert A. Siegel sale 1228 (Gross IV) lot 516 realized 19,000 (image)
Creighton C. Hart illustrated and described this cover in his May 1968 article on 1847 stamps used from Panama (Chronicle 58, pp. 46-49): "The fourth cover has a fine strip of three but instead of being pen cancelled, it is cancelled with red grids. Instead of the rather common black 'STEAM SHIP,' it has the desirable and rare red 'PAN. & SAN FRAN. S.S.,' this being the abbreviation for "Panama and San Francisco Steam Ship." This is the only "PAN. & SAN." cover known with 1847 stamps [Note: the second example has since been recorded]. When this cover was acquired by Mr. Shierson, it had an accompanying letter showing the origin of the cover to be Lima, Peru and the text of the letter related to the shipment of silver bars. When the cover was auctioned in 1961 the letter was missing. This cover is also in your editor's collection."
A famous cover from the J. Waldo Sampson, Charles Shierson and Creighton C. Hart collections. Illustrated and discussed in Chronicle 58, illustrated in Letters of Gold (p. 97) and discussed in Theron Wierenga's The Gold Rush Mail Agents in California and Their Postal Markings 1849-1852 (pp. 101-107). Signed Ashbrook.
PF 512212
2 1847 10¢ black
HORIZONTAL STRIP OF THREE, POSITIONS 77-79R, RED GRID CANCELS, MATCHING "PAN. & SAN FRAN. S.S. DEC. 4" (1851) CIRCULAR DATESTAMP ON FOLDED COVER ORIGINATING IN LIMA, PERU, AND ADDRESSED TO TEPIC, MEXICO, "E. & T. SERRUYS & CA. PANAMA" DOUBLE-LINE OVAL FORWARDER'S HANDSTAMP, NOVEMBER 1851 POST-DEMONETIZATION USE.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
IT IS A GENUINE USAGE, THE RIGHT STAMP WITH A SMALL CLOSED TEAR AT RIGHT; THE COVER WITH INTERNAL ARCHIVAL SILKING AND SMALL FAULTS
