US Stamps Values Scott Cat. # 11X2: 10c 1845 St Louis Postmasters Provisional. Page 2

o St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ black on greenish (11X2), type I, position 2, three large margins, red St. Louis c.d.s., affixed to small piece to hide flaws with top margin added and frame line and “tying” cancellation drawn in, Very Fine appearance. Scott value $8,000 Expertization: 2005 PSE Certificate. Provenance: Faiman.

Matthew Bennett International, Feb 2012, Sale 340, Lot 14

() St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ black on greenish (11X2), type III, position 6, mostly clear margins, unused without gum, small piece added at bottom (and toned) with 3/8-inch sealed tear at lower right, otherwise Fine. Scott $50,000 AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE STAMP UNUSED, BEING ONE OF ONLY TWO CERTIFIED BY THE PF IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, AND NEITHER IS SOUND. Expertization: 2008 PF Certificate.

Matthew Bennett International, Feb 2012, Sale 340, Lot 12

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (Scott 11X2). Type II, Position 4, large margins to full, manuscript cancels and trace of red cancel at lower right, minor paper erosion at right edge from manuscript ink VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS “BEARS” POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER. An attractive example of the distinctive and rare St. Louis “Bears” provisional.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jun 2011, Sale 1010, Lot 7

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (Scott 11X2). Type III, Position 6, large margins to full, neat ms. cancel and also part of red circular datestamp at right VERY FINE. AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER. With 1985 P.F. certificate

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Oct 2010, Sale 997, Lot 5059

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (Scott 11X2). Types II/III, Positions 4/6, vertical pair, large margins at top and left, ample to clear on other sides, sharp impression, each stamp with neat manuscript cancel, tied by red “St. Louis Mo. Jul. 6” (1846) circular datestamp on piece from which it has been lifted, back of pair shows offset impression including 20c Position 3 (numeral “20” very clear), light crease in top stamp noted on the certificate, slight thin spots not noted FINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS PAIR OF 10-CENT ST. LOUIS “BEARS” WITH OFFSET OF THE 20-CENT ON BACK REPRESENTS THE ONLY CONFIRMED EXAMPLES OF THE 10-CENT ON GREENISH PAPER FROM THE ALTERED PLATE. The presence of a 20c impression on a 10c stamp on Greenish paper is significant, even as offset, for the reasons we shall explain. The original plate comprised three 5c stamps (left vertical row) and three 10c stamps (right vertical row), and the printing from the plate in this state was made exclusively on Greenish paper. Shortly after, two of the 5c subjects (Positions 1 and 3) were altered by burnishing out the “5” numeral on each and engraving a “20” in its place. Impressions from the altered plate containing two 20c subjects was made almost exclusively on Gray Lilac paper, but the existence of five 20c stamps on Greenish paper is evidence that at least some impressions from the altered plate were made on this paper color. It is assumed that a small supply of Greenish paper was mixed in with the Gray Lilac sheets when the second printing was made. 10c Greenish paper stamps cannot be assigned to the original or altered state of the plate, because the 10c subjects remained the same. However, there are two conditions that permit identification. The most obvious condition is when the 10c is part of a 20c multiple or has some part of an adjoining 20c (on Greenish paper). However, no 10c/20c se-tenant pairs are known on Greenish paper (the two known examples are on Gray Lilac). The second condition is more subtle and is demonstrated by the pair offered here: the back of the pair has offset of the 20c value, which is visual and undeniable proof that the pair was printed from the altered plate. It could only occur if the original sheet had been turned 180 degrees before being placed on the sheet beneath, which left the offset impression of the opposing vertical row. Signed Colson. Ex Weill Brothers sale. With 1990 P.F. certificate stating “both stamps showing a light partial offset of the 20c on back”

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Sep 2010, Sale 993, Lot 9

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (11X2). Type II, Position 4, full to large margins, strong impression in dark shade on fresh bright paper, tied by two neat penstrokes on light blue folded letter to Charnley & Whelen in Philadelphia, datelined “Banking House of W. Nisbet & Co., Saint Louis, Nov. 12, 1845”, clear strike of red “St. Louis Mo. Nov. 13” (1845) circular datestamp and matching “Paid” handstamp, manuscript “10” rate, stamp has short pre-use wrinkle at left (not noted on accompanying certificate and mentioned here only as a formality) EXTREMELY FINE. THIS NOVEMBER 13, 1845, POSTMARK DATE REPRESENTS THE EARLIEST DOCUMENTED USE OF ANY ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL STAMP, IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE POSTMASTER’S ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE NEW ISSUE. THE COVER OFFERED HERE IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE NOVEMBER 13 DATE, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ST. LOUIS “BEARS” DISCOVERY PUSHING THIS DATE ANY EARLIER IS EXTREMELY REMOTE. The St. Louis “Bears” were issued by Postmaster John M. Wimer from November 1845 until the first United States General Issue became available in July 1847. The stamps were issued in three denominations — 5c and 10c at first and a 20c denomination later — and were sold at a premium over face value to pay the cost of printing. The first announcement of the new stamps was made in the Wednesday, November 5, 1845, weekly edition of the Missouri Republican: “LETTER STAMPS. Mr. Wimer, the postmaster, has prepared a set of letter stamps, or rather marks, to be put upon letters, indicating that the postage has been paid. In this he has copied after the plan adopted by the postmaster of New York and other cities. These stamps are engraved to represent the Missouri Coat of Arms, and are five and ten cents. They are so prepared that they may be stuck upon a letter like a wafer and will prove a great convenience to merchants and all those having many letters to send post paid, as it saves all trouble of paying at the post-office. They will be sold as they are sold in the East, viz.: Sixteen five-cent stamps and eight ten-cent stamps for a dollar. We would recommend merchants and others to give them a trial.” One week later, in the Missouri Republican of Wednesday, November 12, 1845, a second announcement appeared: “POST-OFFICE STAMPS. Mr. Wimer, the postmaster, requests us to say that he will furnish nine ten-cent stamps and eighteen five-cent stamps for one dollar, the difference being required to pay for the printing of the stamps.” It seems likely that the second, more abbreviated announcement was published to amend the number of stamps sold for a dollar from “sixteen” to “eighteen” for the 5c and “eight” to “nine” for the 10c, which corresponds to 90 cents in stamps for one dollar in money. The earlier 80 cents for a dollar exchange rate might have been too high for the public to bear. The ambiguous wording of the announcements does not tell us if the stamps were available when the first announcement was made (November 5) or at the time of the second announcement (November 12). However, the earliest documented use of any St. Louis “Bears” stamp is the cover offered here, postmarked November 13 (1845) on a letter dated November 12. Five large groups of St. Louis “Bears” have been discovered during the past 165 years. In 1869 J. W. Scott acquired a correspondence bearing 50 of the 5c, 100 of the 10c and three 20c stamps, probably all of which have been removed from their original covers. In 1880 the Riggs correspondence produced 20 examples of the 5c and 10c. In 1889 the J. & J. Stuart correspondence provided 25 examples of the 5c and 10c, most on Pelure paper. The huge “Louisville” find in 1895, salvaged by a janitor who was burning papers, yielded 75 of the 5c, 46 of the 10c and 16 of the 20c, including se-tenant multiples that revealed the plate layout and proved the authenticity of the 20c stamps, which had been in question since 1869. All of the stamps in the Louisville find were found on covers addressed to Tyler & Rutherford, a banking firm in Louisville, but many of the stamps were later removed. Additional material from the Tyler & Rutherford correspondence surfaced around 1902 and was acquired by C. H. Mekeel. In 1912 the first portion of the Charnley & Whelen correspondence reached philatelists, which provided another six of the 5c, 61 of the 10c and 16 of the 20c. Additional Charnley & Whelen covers were sold over the next three decades. The cover offered here comes from the December 1948 H. R. Harmer sale of the Charnley & Whelen correspondence. Illustrated and described in Opinions IV, “An Important Change in Philatelic Foundation Policy: Certification of Earliest Known Date of Use”, Jerome S. Wagshal (pages 42-60). Ex “Charnley & Whelen Find” (H. R. Harmer sale, Dec. 13, 1948, lot 12) and John D. Pope III (John A. Fox sale, Dec. 1, 1984, lot 52). With 1985 P.F. certificate stating “It is genuine. The earliest recorded usage of any St. Louis Bear stamp known to us as of this date.”

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Sep 2010, Sale 993, Lot 6

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (11X2). Type III, Position 6, large even margins, sharp impression on bright greenish paper, cancelled solely by red “Paid” handstamp, barest trace of wrinkles “flashing” when fluid dries (a natural characteristic of many if not most “Bears”) EXTREMELY FINE. A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER, CANCELLED SOLELY BY THE RED ‘PAID” HANDSTAMP AND WITHOUT ANY PEN CANCELLATION. With 1979 P.F. certificate misidentifying stamp as No. 11X5 on Gray Lilac paper, which it clearly is not. Scott Retail $8,000.00 for normally pen-cancelled stamp off cover — Scott pricing note states: “Values for used off-cover stamps are for pen-cancelled copies. Handstamp cancelled copies sell for much more.”

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Sep 2010, Sale 993, Lot 8

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (Scott 11X2). Type I, Position 2, large to huge margins all around, crisp impression, neat penstroke cancel, light vertical scoring line in right margin ending in small closed tear, small scissors-cut at bottom in margin only EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE-MARGINED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER. Ex Hoffman. With 1991 and 2008 P.F. certificates

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jun 2010, Sale 989, Lot 36

St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (Scott 11X2). Type I, Position 2, large margins all around, intense early shade and impression showing every detail with perfect clarity, fresh and bright paper, tied by “St. Louis Mo. Dec. 17” circular datestamp on 1845 folded letter to Charnley & Whelen in Philadelphia, matching “Paid” handstamp, ms. “10” rate EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB STAMP ON A COLORFUL FRESH COVER. RARELY SEEN TIED SOLELY BY THE RED CIRCULAR DATESTAMP AND WITHOUT A PEN CANCEL. ONE OF THE CHOICEST ST. LOUIS “BEAR” PROVISIONAL COVERS FROM THE FAMOUS CHARNLEY & WHELEN CORRESPONDENCE. Ex Hall.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jun 2009, Sale 973, Lot 11

St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ black on greenish (Scott 11X2), vertical pair, types I-II, positions 2/4, absolutely huge sheet margins at top and right, large at left and bottom, tied by bold single vertical pen stroke and bits of red postmark ink on 1845 folded letter from the Charnley and Whelan correspondence to Philadelphia Pa., red “St. Louis Mo. Nov 16” c.d.s. and matching “Paid” handstamp with manuscript “20” double weight rating; couple of tears in margin only of pair, running to frameline, minor erosion from bold pen stroke (not mentioned on Certificate), none of which detracts, still an Extremely Fine and magnificent pair. Estimate 30,000 – 40,000 A STUNNING USAGE BEARING THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE OF A ST. LOUIS BEAR MULTIPLE WITH A CORNER SHEET MARGIN ON A FULL COVER. A HIGHLY IMPORTANT ST. LOUIS 10¢ BEAR USAGE. Expertization: 1988 P.F. Certificate. Provenance: Sweet, Consul Klep, Faiman. This folded letter is the second earliest recorded date of usage for any St. Louis Bear provisional (along with two other Nov. 16 covers). The earliest recorded date is Nov. 12, 1845 from the Charnley & Whelan correspondence. Census No. 3 from the Bennett listing of St. Louis Bears used on cover in the Faiman catalog.

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2007, Sale 324, Lot 1019

St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ black on greenish (11X2), type III, position 6, full to large margins, exceptionally fresh with rich color on crisp paper, cancelled by two pen strokes and tied by red “St. Louis Mo. Jan 12” c.d.s. on circa 1846 folded cover from the Charnley and Whelan correspondence to Philadelphia Pa., matching “Paid” handstamp with manuscript “10” single rating for over 300 miles, Extremely Fine. Scott price $12,500 AN IMMACULATE USAGE WITH A CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 10¢ GREENISH. Expertization: 2002 P.F. Certificate. Provenance: Mayer. Census No. 45 from the Bennett listing of St. Louis Bears used on cover in the Faiman catalog.

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2007, Sale 324, Lot 1018

() St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ black on greenish (11X2), type III, position 6, large even margins all around, unused, strong color and impression, fresh and Extremely Fine. Scott $10,000 A STUNNING UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 10¢ ON GREENISH— THE FINEST OF THE SIX RECORDED. Expertization: 1969 and 2000 P.F. Certificates, “W.H.C.” (Colson) backstamp. According to Mr. Trenchard, after reviewing his records, this is the finest recorded unused example of any of the St. Louis 10¢ Bears. The Faiman sale contained one unused example of the 10¢ black on greenish small margins and faults that realized $29,700. The example offered here is far superior to the Faiman example.

Matthew Bennett International, Dec 2007, Sale 324, Lot 1016