383rd Auction

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.

1902, 8c on 10c Provisional, two singles, and 5c light blue 1900 Issue, correctly paying the registered double-letter rate, tied to cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (4 Apr), to Zehlendorf, Germany, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (23 Apr), docketing on reverse indicating that the letter was found unsealed upon receipt in Germany, with contents found to be $45, matching sender’s declaration on front, sealed with wax impressed with postal seal of Hamburg, some light creasing and minor soiling, a rare usage; with 1988 Nielsen certificate.

1902, 1c on 3c postal stationery card, uprated with 2c on 3c and 8c on 10c surcharged adhesives, the former with inverted frame, postmarked Frederiksted (28 Apr), registered to Zehlendorf, Germany, with c.d.s. receiver (21 May) struck on front adjacent St. Thomas transit mark, a beautiful and scarce franking with fresh, bright colors, very fine.

1902, 2c on 3c surcharge, perforated 14:13.5, inverted frame, tied to postcard of Commercial Hotel by St. Thomas c.d.s. (11 Apr),. to Manila, Philippines, reverse with New York (24 Apr) and San Francisco (29 Apr) machine transit markings, trivial corner creases of no importance given the tremendous desirability of this franking, believed to be the only such example extant, further enhanced by its exotic destination, fine and extremely rare. (Facit 24a).

1903, 1c light green (1900) and 2c carmine strip of six (1903), correctly paying the 15c registered letter rate to New York, United States, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. (31 Dec), with arrival backstamp, fine.

1905, 5bit on 4c block of eight, 5bit on 5c single, and 5bit on 8c block of four, correctly paying the foreign registered letter rate of 65b, cancelled Christiansted (16 Dec), to Copenhagen, with next-day St. Thomas transit and Copenhagen (10 Mar) c.d.s. arrival backstamp, a dramatic and rare franking.

1905, 5bit on 5c Provisional, irregular block of thirteen, correctly paying the foreign registered letter rate of 65bit, tied by Christiansted c.d.s. (16 Dec), to Copenhagen, Denmark, with St. Thomas transit (17 Dec) and Copenhagen (8 Jan) backstamps, a striking and rare franking.

1906, cover franked with 5bit light green vertical pair, 10bit brick red, 20bit green & ultramarine, and 25bit ultramarine, King Christian IX, tied by Christiansted c.d.s. (6 Dec), registered to La Sarthe, France, with St. Thomas (7 Dec) c.d.s. transit and two French c.d.s. backstamps, vertical fold at left, a pleasing four-color franking; with 1987 Nielsen certificate.

1906, 5bit light green, 10bit brick red horizontal pair, and 20bit green & ultramarine Christian IX, tied to registered cover by Christiansted c.d.s. (6 Feb), to Wiesbaden, Germany, with Le Havre transit (24 Feb) on front, St. Thomas and Wiesbaden (25 Feb) c.d.s. backstamps, fresh and attractive.

1906, 1fr green & blue Harbour Issue, pair and single, with two 25bit ultramarine Christian IX, on parcel card postmarked St. Thomas (24 Jan) to Kjorring, Denmark, correctly paying the rate for a single parcel of 2.7kg, with Hamburg (16 Feb), Kolding (17 Feb) and Kjorring (18 Feb) c.d.s. backstamps, trivial edge creases, a rare and impressive franking.

1907, postcard franked with 5bit light green Christian IX horizontal pair, “Julen 1907” tuberculosis charity fundraising seal affixed beside, postmarked with Frederiksted c.d.s. (28 Dec), next-day St. Thomas transit c.d.s. ties seal, to Copenhagen, Denmark, with trace of c.d.s. receiver at top right, a superb example of this label.

Beginning in 1904, sales began of charity labels such as the example offered here, which were sold at 2c each in aid of the construction of a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis. Construction of the first such financed sanatorium began in 1907, and was opened in 1911.

1907, cover franked with 40bit red & grey and 25bit ultramarine Christian IX, paying the second step registered letter rate, postmarked with Frederiksted c.d.s. (17 Jan), boxed “FREDERIKSTED / R” registration handstamp adjacent, with additional violet boxed St. Thomas D.W.I. registration marking at lower left, to New York City, with St. Thomas c.d.s. transit (19 Jan), New York, and New York P.O. / Madison Square Station (28 Jan) backstamps, a desirable cover, infrequently seen with two D.W.I. registration markings, fine.