Lot 457
12 c. black, diagonal bisect, cut into outer frameline at top , clear margin at left, tied by datestamp "SANÂ FRANCISCOÂ CAL. 16 JUN" (1853) on envelope to Kentucky, endorsed "per Steamship 'Northerner' 18 June" ; the envelope repaired in the margins; a rare and attractive cover. Note: A shortage of 3 c. stamps in San Francisco led to the use of bisected 12c. stamps to pay the 6 c. letter rate from May until September 1853, when the bisects were prohibited in the East.
