383. Auktion

1930, 3c black Coat of Arms, horizontal plate proof pair for the 1930 Hagermann reprint, on ungummed, unwatermarked paper, four balanced margins, manuscript “Thiele’s” in ink on reverse, with plate positions “27” and “28” in small pencil notations, a scarce proof taken prior to the creation of the official reprints for the 1930 publication “Stamps of the Danish West Indies” by G.A. Hagermann.

1872, 4c blue, imperforate vertically, horizontal pair, original gum with hinge remnants, nicely-centered and with pleasing pastel-like shade, fine-very fine; with 1977 Helge Witt certificate.

1902, 2c on 3c light blue and carmine, upper right corner block of twenty five, lower right stamp showing the normal frameline, the balance inverted, hinged in corners and reinforcing perf separation in places, leaving ten examples never hinged, normal frameline example hinged, bright and fresh color, several positions showing small varieties, a fine and scarce large multiple, ideal for plating study.

c. 1904, King Christian IX, 5c essay for unissued design, in black on thick carton paper, four large even margins, scarce and very fine.

c. 1904, King Christian IX, 5c essay for unissued design, in black on thick carton paper, approx. 110mm x 114mm, trace of fingerprint clear of design, scarce and unusual.

c. 1904, 5c King Christian IX, eight essays for unissued design, two impressions struck on cream-colored, gummed wove paper, hinged, with range of colors including light blue, two shades of violet/lilac, orange, black, red, brown, and olive-grey, hinged, the occasional corner crease, tone spot at top of darker violet example, else fine and most unusual group, believed to have been prepared by Alfred Jacobsen.

1905, 5bit light green to 5fr yellow & brown, perforated 12 or 12-3/4, watermark new crown, unused, several with part original gum, overprinted SPECIMEN in black by the receiving postal administration, various flaws, including small thins, 2fr with upper corner tear, many with heavily toned gum, a scarce set; with 1977 British Philatelic Association certificate.

1905, 5bit on 4c brown & blue to 4bit on 8c brown, part original gum, overprinted SPECIMEN in black by the receiving postal administration, the 5bit on 4c value with feathered perfs at left, all with heavily toned gum, yet a scarce set of very good appearance; with 1977 British Philatelic Association certificate.

1915/6, 5bit light green to 50bit yellow & brown, most with part or large part original gum, overprinted SPECIMEN diagonally in black by the receiving postal administration, various small faults, 10bit with rounded corner, 20bit with thin, 40 bit horizontal crease and crayon mark, yet a scarce set; with 1977 British Philatelic Association certificate.

1877, folded letter franked with 1c lilac-purple & green, 4c ultramarine & brown, and 7c yellow & lilac, cancelled with black target cancels, postmarked St. Thomas (17 Sep), to St. Johns (San Juan), Puerto Rico, neatly-struck oval datestamp of St. Thomas forwarding agents J.F.D. Jurgens & Co, indistinct c.d.s. backstamp, light horizontal fold, a scarce and pleasing three-colour franking; with 1988 Nielsen certificate.

1877, folded letter franked with 5c light green & grey and 7c lilac & yellow horizontal pairs, paying the 24c UPU double rate, each cancelled by black target, postmarked with Christiansted c.d.s. (2 Sep), to Copenhagen, Denmark, red London Paid transit in red struck on front (13 Oct), St. Thomas transit and Copenhagen receiver on reverse, vertical fold crossing one 5c adhesive, discolored portion on reverse, a visually appealing and rare franking; with 2001 Moller certificate.

1878, 3c light blue & carmine, tied to folded cover by crisp St. Thomas c.d.s. (23 Nov), further free strike beside, adjacent “Frederiksted / 24/ 11 78 / L K” manuscript cancellation, to St. Croix, “Christiansted” written in blue above, light horizontal fold clear of markings, the odd toning spot and small wormhole at upper right, else a fine and rare cover, believed the only known example of the Frederiksted emergency manuscript marking; with 2000 Moller certificate.

Note: During a riot in October, 1878, a fire broke out at the Frederiksted post office, resulting in the loss of the handstamp. As a result, the manuscript “Frederiksted” notation was used, and the cover cancelled in transit at the St. Thomas post office.

Provenance: Collection “Hogensborg”, Heinrich Kohler, 25 September, 2019, lot 6055.

1879, folded cover, franked with 7c lilac & yellow horizontal pair, tied by bold St. Thomas c.d.s. (17 Feb), to Rio Hacha, New Grenada [Colombia], “4” in red and “10” in blue manuscript accountancy marks on front, some light separation along folds, else a fine cover to an unusual destination; with 1996 Nielsen and Moller certificates.

1879, 5c green & gray, horizontal pair, tied to folded letter by St. Thomas c.d.s. (6 Jun), to Grimstad, Norway, some light wrinkles and filing folds, but an uncommon example of this rate, having been apparently accepted without postage due, despite the rate having been raised to 12c three months prior in March, 1879.

1879, 12c lilac & green, tied to folded letter from G. Guttormsen, Ship Broker, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (16 Mar), to Grimstad, Norway, red London Paid transit c.d.s. on front (29 March), a difficult single franking, fresh and very fine.

1880, 1c green & lilac-purple, horizontal pair, tied to cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (21 Mar), paying the printed circular rate to West Arichat, Cape Breton (Nova Scotia), Canada, with split-ring arrival backstamp, a fine and visually-pleasing example of this difficult rate, to an uncommon destination.

1880, 7c red-lilac & orange, 10c on 50c Provisional, tied to registered cover by Frederiksted c.d.s. (11 Nov), from St. Croix to Copenhagen, Denmark, with Registered/London hooded c.d.s. (28 Nov) transit on front, c.d.s. arrival backstamp (30 Nov), fine.

1880, 5c green & grey, tied to folded cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (15 Jan), to San Juan, Puerto Rico, endorsed “pr. Arno” in manuscript and struck with oval datestamp of forwarding agents J.F.D. Jurgens & Co, some ink erosion, vertical filing fold crossing adhesive, an uncommon single franking, which paid the rate for mail within 300 miles of the Danish West Indies.

1881, 3c postal stationery card, uprated with two 1c green & purple, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (25 Nov), to Funchal, Madeira, endorsed “pr. R.M. Str. via Barbados” in manuscript, backstamped with London transit (13 Dec) and oval Funchal receiver, Captain Becker / Superintendent / St. Thomas / Hamburg American Packet Company sender’s handstamp on front, the occasional tone spot of little importance, a most visually-appealing card to a rare destination.

1885, 2c postal stationery cover, uprated with 3c blue-grey & red, 5c green & grey, an 10c on 50c surcharge, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (30 Nov), registered to Stettin, Germany, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (20.12), return address of a sailor on board the “S.M.S. Stosch, Charlotte Amalia (St. Thomas)”, quite fresh and scarce.

The S.M.S. Stosch was a Bismarck-class Corvette built for the Imperial German Navy in 1870s. Throughout the early 1880s, she was the flagship of the East Asia Squadron, later serving as a training ship for naval cadets, during which time she regularly cruised to the West Indies.

1887, 1c on 7c strip of four, strip of three, pair, and single, cancelled by St. Thomas c.d.s. (23 Nov), to Port of Spain, Trinidad, with c.d.s. receiver centrally-struck on front (Dec 2), some light water stains, mostly confined to reverse, an impressive franking in payment of the 10c rate, rare.

In April, 1887, a large purchase by a commercial firm led to a shortage of 1c stamps. To address the lack of 1c adhesives, the decision was taken to overprint the 7c values, which were in plentiful supply, given their usage was limited to the 14c rate to non-UPU members, or to pay registration fees. This cover is a particularly charming usage of these overprints, with only one other similar franking recorded, ex “Hogensborg” Collection, also to the same addressee in Trinidad.

1888, 3c embossed postal stationery cover, uprated with 4c brown & blue and 10c ultramarine and dark brown, each tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (2 Jan), registered to Frankfurt, Germany, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (23 Jan), a fine and scarce usage.

1889, 2c postal stationery cover, uprated with three 1c light green & brown red, single 3c blue-grey & red, 4c brown & blue, 5c green & grey, and 10c blue & dark brown, tied by mostly indistinct St. Thomas c.d.s. (1 Aug), registered to Guayaquil, Ecuador, endorsed “via Panama”, a colourful franking and rare destination. 

1890, 5c green & grey, horizontal pair, tied to cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (12 Mar), endorsed “pr. Allianca, via New York”, to Toronto, Canada, with carrier mark struck on front, New York / Paid All transit (Mar 21) and Toronto split-ring (Mar 22) backstamps, light crease at top, else fresh and fine, an uncommon destination.

1891, 1c green and lilac-purple, horizontal pair, tied to wrapper by neatly-struck St. Thomas c.d.s. (27 Mar), endorsed “pr. S.S. Alliance”, to New Jersey, United States, a pleasing example of the uncommon printed circular rate, fine.

1895, 1c green and lilac-purple, strip of six and single, 3c blue & rose carmine, inverted frame, and 7c lilac & yellow, tied to Sun Life Assurance Co. cover by Frederiksted c.d.s. (9 Nov), registered to Montreal, Canada, with St. Thomas (12 Nov), New York (2 Dec) and Montreal (4 Dec) backstamps, the occasional light crease, a scarce usage, paying the single letter rate plus registration fee, attractive.

1895, 2c postal stationery card, uprated with 1c green & lilac purple, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (31 Jan), to Corbach, Germany, with c.d.s. receiver on front, transit mark “Aus Westindien / P. Hamburg Dampfer / Uber Coeln” c.d.s. (21 Feb), adhesive with some discoloration, light edge wear, a scarce ship marking.

1896, 3c postal stationery cover, uprated with 4c brown & blue, 10 CENTS on 50c surcharge, tied to registered cover to New York, United States by neatly-struck St. Thomas c.d.s. (22 Jan), endorsed to be sent via Cuba, with violet arrival backstamp, hinge remnants on reverse from prior mounting, fine; with 1988 Moeller certificate.

1897, 1c light green & lilac rose pair, 5c green & grey, and 10c light blue & brown, all with inverted frame, tied to registered cover to Boston, Massachusetts, by St. Thomas c.d.s. (17 Apr), with New York (27 Apr) transit backstamp, slightly reduced at right well clear of adhesive, else very fine, a lovely three-colour franking, particularly desirable with the scarce 10c inverted frame.

1897, 5c yellow-green & grey, inverted frame, horizontal strip of four, tied to cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (15 Aug), endorsed “per Pretoria” in manuscript, to New York, United States, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp, violet oval sender’s cachet of Captain F. Becker, Superintendent of the Hamburg-America Packet Company, some faults to reverse from prior mounting, else a fine example of this double rate.

1899, 3c light blue & carmine, inverted frame, with 12c lilac & green pair, tied to registered cover to Camden, New Jersey, by St. Thomas c.d.s. (21 Jun), with New York transit backstamp, small faults to back, but a very fine appearing entire, correctly paying the double letter rate and registration fee; with 1988 Moller certificate.

1899, 1c green and lilac-rose, horizontal pair, and 5c green & grey, strip of three, frameline inverted, all tied to registered cover to Camden, New Jersey by St. Thomas c.d.s. (17 May), with New York transit backstamp, a lovely franking and remarkably fresh cover; with 1995 Moller certificate.

1899, 3c light blue & carmine, frame inverted, 4c brown & blue, 5c green and grey pair, frame inverted, tied to registered cover to New York by indistinct St. Thomas c.d.s., received in Brooklyn and redirected, affixed with 2c Washington and cancelled with Brooklyn oval, backstamped FOR NEW TRIAL, oval Brooklyn, New York / Reg’y Div., New York NY Reg’y Div (23 Apr), next-day Brooklyn N.Y. Reg. Bus. c.d.s., striking and most unusual.

1900, 2c postal stationery cover, uprated with 3c light blue & carmine, frame inverted, and 5c light blue, all tied to cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (31 Dec), to Dunedin, New Zealand, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (20 Feb), a scarce destination.

1902, 4c brown & blue horizontal pair, 5c light blue, 8c on 10c surcharge, all tied by Christiansted c.d.s. (8 Aug), registered to Rogers, Arkansas, with Frederiksted (9 Aug) and New York (19 Aug) transit backstamps light wrinkles, an uncommon double-rate registered cover.

1903, 4c brown & blue, horizontal pair, tied to Fecthenburg & Co cover to Hamburg, Germany by clean strike of St. Thomas c.d.s. (27 Feb), endorsed “per German Mail”, with Hamburg c.d.s. arrival backstamp (21 Mar), file hole punch at upper left, trace of discoloration at left margin and adhesions on reverse from prior mounting, a pleasing and scarce franking.