383rd Auction

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.

1907, 5fr yellow & brown Harbour, upper left corner single, tied to registered philatelic cover to Dresden, Germany,  by St. Thomas c.d.s. (16 Aug), with c.d.s. arrival backstamp, attractive.

1908, printed price list, franked with 5bit light green, tied by Frederiksted c.d.s. (10 Feb), to Germany, with St. Thomas (13 Feb) transit and Aue (8 Mar) c.d.s. arrival backstamps, a remarkably fresh entire and scarce single franking.

1908, cover franked with 5bit light green and 20bit green & ultramarine Christian IX, tied to cover to Tortola (Virgin Islands), with Road Town / Tortola V.I. c.d.s. arrival backstamp (5 Jun), the odd trivial spot of soiling, else a fine illustration of this rate to a nearby island.

1908, cover franked with 25bit ultramarine Christian IX, 10bit red Friedrich VIII, paying the correct registered domestic letter rate, tied by Frederiksted c.d.s. (2 Feb), struck with boxed rose “FREDERIKSTED” registration marking, to St. Thomas, with next-day c.d.s. arrival backstamp, some light creasing due to flimsy nature of the envelope, else a fine and desirable mixed franking.

 

1909, 10c brick red Christian IX, horizontal strip of five, tied to registered cover to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States by St. Thomas c.d.s. (23 May), with c.d.s. arrival and New York transit backstamps, light creases, yet an uncommon franking.

1909, cover franked with 1fr green & blue Harbour Issue, 10bit brick red and 15bit lilac & brown Friedrich VIII, tied to registered cover by Frederiksted c.d.s. (30 Sep), to Copenhagen, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp and New York (6 Oct) transit, reduced at either side, a scarce franking.

1909, 5bit green, 15bit violet & brown, 20bit green & blue, and 25bit blue & dark blue Christian X, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. to cover from the German Consulate to Berlin, Germany, without backstamps, a pleasing four-color franking.

1909, 1c on 3c postal stationery card, uprated with 5b, 10b, and 15b Friedrich VIII issues, tied by Frederiksted c.d.s. (22/1), registered to Copenhagen, Denmark, with New York (1/31) transit and c.d.s. receiver (10/2) on front, 1908 Charlotte Amalie label affixed at lower left, with New York registration label overtop, an impressive franking and scarce registered usage.

1909, 20bit green & blue and 30bit red-brown and bluish-black Friedrich VIII, tied to registered cover by St. Thomas c.d.s. (20 Feb), to Brooklyn, New York, with New York (27 Feb), same-day Brooklyn and Sta C Brooklyn backstamps, small adhesions to reverse, else a fine usage of the elusive 30b value.

1911, 5c green Friedrich VIII horizontal pair, tied to cover to Westend, St. Thomas by KINGSHILL c.d.s. (26 Jan), with Frederiksted c.d.s. transit backstamp, light edge toning, but a rare Danish West Indies cancellation.

1912, cover franked with 5bit green Friedrich VIII strip of six, pair, and two singles, correctly paying the 50bit registered letter rate to Quebec, Canada, adhesives cancelled with St. Thomas c.d.s. (20 Jan), boxed violet ST THOMAS registration handstamp, with Montreal transit and Quebec (31 Jan) arrival backstamps, International Exchange club label affixed to reverse, an impressive franking to an uncommon destination