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| Scott Number | 09X1 |
|---|---|
| Date | April 18, 1847 |
| From City | New York |
| From State | NY |
| To City | New Brunswick |
| To State | NJ |
| Addressee | Master Anthony Dey |
| Cert Author | PF |
| Cert # | 494031 |
| Fake | |
| No. of Stamps | 1 |
| Plate Position | 26 |
| Initials | ACM |
| Others |
Notes
New York N.Y., 5c Black on Gray, "ACM" Initials (9X3). Huge sheet margin at left, other sides large to full, tied by neat strike of "New York 5 cts. Apr. 18" integral-rate circular datestamp with matching "Paid" arc handstamp on 1847 folded cover to New Brunswick N.J.
EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL SHEET-MARGIN EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT NEW YORK POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GRAY PAPER USED ON COVER.
While both the Blue and Gray Wove paper stamps are rare, Gray paper stamps on cover are slightly more elusive than Blue paper. Both papers are believed to have been used for part of the last shipment of stamps to the New York Post Office in early 1847, shortly before the first U.S. Government issued stamps were released in July.
With 1989 P.F. certificate
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Inc. sale 999 lot 583 realized 6500
Robert A. Siegel sale 1289 lot 521 realized 4000
Chronicle 122
In Chronicle 112 (November 1981) I discussed the various types of paper on which the New York postmaster's provisional stamps were printed. Figure A of that article shows a beautiful 9X I cover to New Brunswick, N.J, on which the stamp is tied by a socked on the nose town cancel. Stanley B. Ashbrook examined this cover in 1953 and determined the stamp to be an extremely fresh copy printed on the normal bluish paper and not on the rare blue paper. I wrote in 1981 that I had examined the cover in a dealer's stock several years earlier and, while time did not permit an extensive examination, my preliminary opinion was that the stamp was printed on the true blue paper rather than the more common bluish paper. This cover, illustrated in Figure 4, has been offered at auction twice by the Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., in the past few years, most recently as lot 9 in the 623rd sale Sept. 21-22, 1983. Since I do not own a blue paper variety (9X1a) on cover I requested this lot for inspection , and removed all my blue paper stamps from the safe deposit box to bring home to compare with lot 9. The results were most surprising. I had been mistaken when I examined the cover in 1974; the stamp in question was exactly as Ashbrook had described it 30 years earlier, an extremely fresh stamp on the normal bluish paper.
I was intrigued by the socked on the nose town postmark, as I had never before seen this used on domestic mail (the foreign mail postmark used to Europe often is struck directly on the stamp). Parts of the town postmark were very distinct and other parts not readable. Try as I might I could not make out the month and date. I then decided to place the cover under the ultra-violet light in a last effort to read the date. I could not at first believe what I saw. The fluorescence of the CDS under ultra-violet light was in three distinct colors. The townmark had been painted in, apparently in three stages over a red grid cancel. I immediately contacted the Siege l firm which in turn announced at the sale that lot 9 would only be sold provided the buyer would agree to send it to the Philatelic Foundation for certification. The expert committee of the Philatelic Foundation determined the stamp did not originate on the cover to New Brunswick, N.J., and the cancellation was counterfeit. This fake cover is by no means a recent production. It was at one time in the Frank R. Sweet collection. Sweet died almost a half century ago and it is my belief this cover was in a collection he bought some 10-15 years before his death. If this is correct, this fake cover is at least 60 years old.
Ashbrook Special Services cover 100
Again referring to Photograph No. 100, after a very careful examination it was my opinion that Lot 4 in the Kelleher sale of June 5, 1953 was not a 5~ New York on the' blue paper, not 9XlA, but rather an extremely fine fresh shoat margin copy of the 9Xl on bluish paper. Plate position 26, variety,
"Line Thru Head.
PF 494031
9X3 1847 5¢ black on gray wove
LEFT MARGIN SINGLE, RED NEW YORK TOWN CANCEL, ON FOLDED ADDRESS SHEET TO NEW JERSEY, RED "PAID" HDSTP ALONGSIDE
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
IT IS A GENUINE USAGE
Also PF 215324
LEFT SHEET MARGIN SINGLE ON FOLDED LETTER SHEET TO NEW JERSEY, RED NEW YORK TOWN CANCEL, S/L PAID ALONGSIDE.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
It Is A Genuine SCOTT 9X1 ON A GRAYISH PAPER GENUINELY USED ON COVER.
PF 125707 not genuine
EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL SHEET-MARGIN EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT NEW YORK POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GRAY PAPER USED ON COVER.
While both the Blue and Gray Wove paper stamps are rare, Gray paper stamps on cover are slightly more elusive than Blue paper. Both papers are believed to have been used for part of the last shipment of stamps to the New York Post Office in early 1847, shortly before the first U.S. Government issued stamps were released in July.
With 1989 P.F. certificate
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Inc. sale 999 lot 583 realized 6500
Robert A. Siegel sale 1289 lot 521 realized 4000
Chronicle 122
In Chronicle 112 (November 1981) I discussed the various types of paper on which the New York postmaster's provisional stamps were printed. Figure A of that article shows a beautiful 9X I cover to New Brunswick, N.J, on which the stamp is tied by a socked on the nose town cancel. Stanley B. Ashbrook examined this cover in 1953 and determined the stamp to be an extremely fresh copy printed on the normal bluish paper and not on the rare blue paper. I wrote in 1981 that I had examined the cover in a dealer's stock several years earlier and, while time did not permit an extensive examination, my preliminary opinion was that the stamp was printed on the true blue paper rather than the more common bluish paper. This cover, illustrated in Figure 4, has been offered at auction twice by the Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., in the past few years, most recently as lot 9 in the 623rd sale Sept. 21-22, 1983. Since I do not own a blue paper variety (9X1a) on cover I requested this lot for inspection , and removed all my blue paper stamps from the safe deposit box to bring home to compare with lot 9. The results were most surprising. I had been mistaken when I examined the cover in 1974; the stamp in question was exactly as Ashbrook had described it 30 years earlier, an extremely fresh stamp on the normal bluish paper.
I was intrigued by the socked on the nose town postmark, as I had never before seen this used on domestic mail (the foreign mail postmark used to Europe often is struck directly on the stamp). Parts of the town postmark were very distinct and other parts not readable. Try as I might I could not make out the month and date. I then decided to place the cover under the ultra-violet light in a last effort to read the date. I could not at first believe what I saw. The fluorescence of the CDS under ultra-violet light was in three distinct colors. The townmark had been painted in, apparently in three stages over a red grid cancel. I immediately contacted the Siege l firm which in turn announced at the sale that lot 9 would only be sold provided the buyer would agree to send it to the Philatelic Foundation for certification. The expert committee of the Philatelic Foundation determined the stamp did not originate on the cover to New Brunswick, N.J., and the cancellation was counterfeit. This fake cover is by no means a recent production. It was at one time in the Frank R. Sweet collection. Sweet died almost a half century ago and it is my belief this cover was in a collection he bought some 10-15 years before his death. If this is correct, this fake cover is at least 60 years old.
Ashbrook Special Services cover 100
Again referring to Photograph No. 100, after a very careful examination it was my opinion that Lot 4 in the Kelleher sale of June 5, 1953 was not a 5~ New York on the' blue paper, not 9XlA, but rather an extremely fine fresh shoat margin copy of the 9Xl on bluish paper. Plate position 26, variety,
"Line Thru Head.
PF 494031
9X3 1847 5¢ black on gray wove
LEFT MARGIN SINGLE, RED NEW YORK TOWN CANCEL, ON FOLDED ADDRESS SHEET TO NEW JERSEY, RED "PAID" HDSTP ALONGSIDE
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
IT IS A GENUINE USAGE
Also PF 215324
LEFT SHEET MARGIN SINGLE ON FOLDED LETTER SHEET TO NEW JERSEY, RED NEW YORK TOWN CANCEL, S/L PAID ALONGSIDE.
AND WE ARE OF THE OPINION THAT
It Is A Genuine SCOTT 9X1 ON A GRAYISH PAPER GENUINELY USED ON COVER.
PF 125707 not genuine
