Executive Secretary and Librarian: Andrea Matura collectorsclub@collectorsclub.org
Authors’ guidelines for the CCP are available from the editor.
January-February 2025
Volume 104, Number 1
The Collectors Club Philatelist
Essential Elements: Apropos Approvals
Richard A. Coffey
The 2026 Champion of Champions Competition at Boston 2026 World Expo
Pomeroy’s Letter Express Colors Part 2: The Order of the Printings
David R. Wilcox, Ph.D.
The Hospital Ship Madras Robert Gray
Express Mail From Louisiana to the U.S. State Department Thomas Lera
Departments
President’s Message.
Editor’s Notepad
2025 Collectors Club Programs.
The Collectors Club Philatelist (ISSN 0010-0838) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November by The Collectors Club, 58 W 40th St. Mezzanine, NEW YORK NY 10018. A subscription to The Collectors Club Philatelist is included with dues paid by members of The Collectors Club. Subscription price for nonmembers in the United States is $70. Prices for foreign addresses and/or other classes of mail are higher depending on actual cost; consult publisher. Subscriptions for outside the United States should be paid in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Back issues $9, including postage. For a complete list, write the publisher. Claims for undelivered issues will be honored only within six months of the date of publication. Beyond that, replacements will be provided at the single copy price. Periodicals class postage paid at New York, New York 10001 and additional offices. Office of Publication: The Collectors Club, 58 W 40th St. Second Floor, NEW YORK NY 10018 Copyright 2025 by The Collectors Club. All rights reserved. We do not give implied or other consent for copying for more than personal use. Indexed in PhiLindx by E.E. Fricks and included in the article index of the American Philatelic Research Library and the Global Philatelic Library. The opinions and statements contained in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Collectors Club, its officers or staff
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THE COLLECTORS CLUB
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Officers
President Lawrence Haber
Vice President Robert Gray
Secretary Matthew Healey
Treasurer Roger S. Brody, RDP
Chief Technology Officer Joan Harmer
Governors
Class of 2025
Robert Gray
Lawrence Haber
Matthew Healey
Daniel J. Ryterband
Wade E. Saadi, RDP
Class of 2026
Roger S. Brody, RDP
Vincent Cosenza
Joan Harmer
Kathryn Johnson Behruz Nassre
Class of 2027
Mark E. Banchik
Alan R. Barasch
Stephen Reinhard
Robert G. Rose
The Collectors Club Philatelist is an international specialty journal serving the needs of hundreds of collectors worldwide. It serves as the journal of record for the Collectors Club as well as publishing stimulating and helpful articles for collectors of many levels and specialties. The Collectors Club Philatelist strives to publish accurate philatelic information and serves as a forum for communication among members of the Collectors Club.
- February 2025
President’s Message
Lawrence Haber
Welcome to the last year in the first quarter of the 21st century. Astounding, isn’t it? I am quite sure that I am not alone among this group who once felt that 1984, or for that matter 2001, was a far-off science-fiction date that lived only in the imagination and was unimaginably far off into the distant future. But here we are. It’s something to be excited about, and we should all be excited about the year ahead for us and our Club.
Elsewhere in this issue, you should be able to review our program of presentations for calendar year 2025. We are very proud of the work of our programming committee: Kathy Johnson, Kimberlee Fuller, Chip Gliedman, Steve Reinhard and Wade Saadi, chaired by Behruz Nassre, and the result of their work. Perhaps hidden, but maybe not, there is a change in the design of the annual program. Nonatypically, the set of programs we assemble strives for great presenters covering interesting topics, but the topics do not necessarily bear any relation to each other and might appear to be a random assemblage. This is not a criticism but a reflection that we are a generalized society, we are not, as a group, a specialized society. Our members – you – collect just about everything in the book, or in the back thereof. Consequently, we have always striven to provide a broad set of programs that will appeal to the broad interests of our members. But this year we are trying something different.
Among the “random” assemblage, you will note an over-arching theme. We are very much aware that the year is 2025. We are, therefore, at the beginning of the semi-quincentennial or the quarter-millennium of the United States (that’s 250 years). The committee felt that it would be appropriate to have a number of programs during the course of the year that recognize the anniversary approaching, especially as we anticipate the upcoming international show in Boston in May 2026. I would remind all of us that Boston is less than a year and a half away. We hope that we do our part to help get people in the mood. And we especially want you to enjoy the programs we’ve put together for 2025.
There is one other major change in our programs for 2025 that I would like to point out. Most, but not all, of our programs will be hybrid programs. They will be delivered live from the Club and simultaneously “broadcast” out to you via Zoom. We are delighted that so many of our presenters have agreed to come to the Club and take advantage of our fabulous capabilities. As promised, we remain thoroughly committed to the Zoom platform, but we are also thoroughly committed to personal interactions among our members in real time, in real space, at the same time. There is a substitute for the personal via virtual media, but the personal is truly special—hint, hint. Visit us.
The library has largely gone back onto the shelves – not an easy task. It is now possible to casually walk from section to section, well lit and easy to access. Not a day goes by without a visitor marveling at the library and its depth and breadth.
Editor’s Notepad
Wayne L. Youngblood
Elsewhere in this issue (pages 58-61) you’ll fi nd reviews of two new volumes covering di ff erent facets of fakes and forgeries. New reference material on fakes and forgeries is always highly welcomed literature on my bookshelf. While it is true that I happen to collect fakes and forgeries, I strongly feel solidly researched reference should be a “must-have” for any collector who is truly serious about his or her chosen specialties. My justi fi cation for this should be self apparent. If you are spending signi fi cant resources on scarce stamps or postal history, you are automatically a target for those who value money over ethics.
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There’s no question that many fakes and forgeries of the world are quite easily spotted, such as the rather crude engraved forgery shown in Figure 1, but there are items that cause even the most seasoned expertizers to scratch their heads – either in the
basic detection process or attempting to figure out how it was done.
The stamp shown in Figure 2 is a bit more devious in nature. The basic stamp, Scott 95a (black and pale orange vermilion) is scarce in any condition. Thus a genuine postally used example would be worth several thousand dollars. This example appears to have been postmarked May 14, 193?, in St. Georges and, to the average eye, nothing would necessarily appear amiss.
However, according to a 2009 certificate issued by The Royal Philatelic Society, while the basic stamp (and scarce shade) is genuine, a fiscal cancel has been removed and a completely fake postal cancellation has been added. Having the certificate to identify the stamp as one with a forged cancel is certainly important, but a dedicated collector owning a copy of The King George V HighValue Stamps of Bermuda 1917-1938, by Myles Glazer, would likey have been able to root it out.
When approaching scarce or costly material, it is always a good idea to have a fair amount of skepticism. Having a good idea of what sort of monkeyshines have been used in the past, as well as how certain forgeries are created, can go miles towards ensuring that you are not a potential victim.
Figure 1. An engraved forgery of Canada Scott 10, attributed to Erasmo Oneglia. Despite the fact it would not fool a serious collector, this forgery is scarce and sold at auction for $100, plus commission.
Of course, in my case, I simply find the study of fakes, forgeries and counterfeits fascinating – not only from a standpoint of the illusions created by those who are scruples-challenged, but by the advances of technology over the past 150 years that have allowed them to ply their trade more convincingly.
2. This high-value stamp from Bermuda has had a fiscal cancellation removed and a forged postal cancel added.
Regardless, solid reference material of fakes, forgeries and counterfeits is invaluable, and always worth checking out.
Figure
Collectors Club Programs 2025
* All Programs will be available via Zoom; programs that will only be available online are noted as: (Zoom only)
Jan. 8 Annual Meeting
Jan. 15 Early American Postal Treasures from the Collection of the National Postal Museum, Daniel Piazza
Jan. 29 Retrospective, Scott English (Zoom only)
Feb. 12 Boston 2026 Update, Yamil Kouri (Zoom only)
Feb. 19 Pan American Airways in the Atlantic, Africa on to China, Gordon Eubanks (Zoom only)
March 5 Topic to be determined, Scott Trepel
March 12 Beyond the Catalog: Expanding your Collection in New Directions, Jeff Hayward
March 19 North Atlantic Non Contract Steamship Sailings: 1738-1875, John Barwis, Richard Winter (Zoom only)
April 9 Danish Royal Family Sex Scandal (1768-1772), Henrik and Iva Mourtisen
April 23 Stamp Act of 1765-Instructions for the Distributors, Roger Brody
May 7 Lion and the Serpent – Royal, Provincial, United Colonies, and United States Posts 1775-76, Bernard Biales
May 21 Some Gems of Holy Land Philately, Ed Kroft (Zoom only)
June 4 Dahomey: Man Climbing Oil Palm - The Workhorse of Dahomey Definitives, Jere Dutt
June 18 Scandinavian Collectors Club – Danish West Indies Postal History Matthew Kewriga
Sept. 3
Sept. 17
Postal History of the United Colonies, Vernon Morris (Zoom only)
Postal Reform, James Grimwood-Taylor
Oct. 9 Korean War POW Mail, John Hotchner
Oct. 22
The Lithographed Washington-Franklin Heads, Andrew Kelley
Nov. 5 Single-Frame Competition
Nov. 12 We were British Once, Tim O’Connor
Nov. 19
The U.S. 10¢ 1869 Issue – A 50-Year Study of Postal Uses (tentative), Michael Laurence
Dec. 3 Hong Kong, China overprints, Ian Gibson-Smith
Dec. 10 Governors Open House,
Dec. 17 Trinidad Britannia issues, Nigel Mohammed (Zoom only)
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Letters to the Editor
Response to “The Stamp Room”
I became exceedingly delighted reading Richard Coffey’s, “The Stamp Room” in the last issue of CCP’s Essential Elements (page 332).
These “rooms” are really magical. To me, for sure. As the majority of philatelists, I also started with my small, pretty worthless, collection of world stamps more than half a century ago, but to my eyes and heart, this was my most-valued possession. As years passed by, I became obsessed with World No. 1s and, after more than 30 years of study, an expert on the Large Hermes Heads of Greece –undeniably the most difficult stamp to classify in world philately.
All these years, my stamp room, located in the best area of the house, overlooking the Mediterranean garden of plants and trees, has also evolved; the library has grown, my philatelic notes from auction catalogs, reference books and stamp collections are all around. The walls are occupied with philatelic awards and expert diplomas. They are all a part of me now, along with my stamp room. This is where I find peace and energy to “keep on going,” especially when things get tough.
Although by profession I am a CFO, I have never “polluted” my sanctuary with work material. Oh no, this would be an insult. But this is where I have also completed my PhD thesis on ancient Egyptian and Greek art. It was the study of classical philately in this room that made this endeavor possible. And yes, classical music plays there continuously. I believe music is the highest form of all art disciplines. So it has to be there.
This is my stamp room, shown above, my priceless part of my small universe.
Thank you for the hospitality,
— Kyriakos Papathanassiou
Essential Elements
Apropos Approvals
Richard Coffey
Living with dreams on the edge of anticipation is the wonderland of an eightyear-old boy. Lolling in the vicinity of a lone rural mailbox planted firmly in the rye on a rise of a graveled country road, the boy becomes a keen observer of the postman’s punctuality; he has become an adherent of celerity, haste post haste, for this is the day that the H.E. Harris approvals are expected to arrive.
Adults have yet to learn how to explain delay to an eight-year-old; there are no parental wisdoms that can appease the appall of an empty mailbox. As that former petulant child, now turned peevish old man, I still bask in absolute joy and surprise of discovering philatelic offerings in the day’s mail.
What is it about approvals that marshal such emotion – that tease the Phil out of philately and turn elders into giddy 8-year-olds for a moment in the past?
Perhaps it’s the child’s quest for friendship reborn in the lonely hearts of the aged in search of fellowship. In a sense, I suppose, approvals were an invitation to join the family of inquisitive hobbyists who scour world history for postal artifacts.
Approvals were a starting gate for a novice collector’s journey to completion, one stamp at a time.
For an eight-year-old, an approval offering was often swallowed whole in one youthful gulp, a $2 investment in a juvenile project of dubious destiny. But— which of us knew where we were going or what we were going to do if we got there? Which of us worried about it? Approvals were enough, a treasure chest in the living room, a goldmine of adventure and mystery available by mail for an introductory fee of one quarter taped to a bit of board.
And what glorious stamps they were in the child’s sentient mind. Imaginations soared above the pages of approvals. Stamps were silent in their pictorial serenity of past sovereignties at home and abroad. Stamps revealing mountainous landscapes and weary-looking kings, fishermen and builders and the Olympic rings all excited questions: Who is this kid with a spiked apple and a bow? Why does La Semeuse, the French lady sow? And why do I look again … and again (and again when I am alone) at the ivory face of Victoria soon to sit the English throne –and why does she remind me of Macy who sat in the third row behind me ... and smelled of Dial soap.
Stamps on approval, a tire-kicker’s dream, doorways to adventures.
Even now, as an avalanche of glassines slide across the clear wooden surface of my desk, I remember my affection for African approvals of ’55; especially the solitary East African lion and King George V – and the Dhow on Lake Victoria that inspired my geography project that year and earned an A.
The pathways along philatelic threads take us back, back deep into the foundation of the world we live in today. Historical threads on approval led us always to the grand opera itself: humankind.
CORINPHILA – YOUR CO WILL BE IN THE BEST CO
OUTSTANDING RESULTS! THE CORINPHILA NOVEMBER
THE CONTINUING HEALTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL PHILATELIC
* CHF 51‘660.-
* USD 58,370.-
Provenance: Collection Fabergé (1940)
Collection E. Tolkowsky
Corinphila sale 173 (2004)
* CHF 18‘450.-
* USD 20,850.-
* CHF 17‘835.-
* USD 20,150.-
* CHF 73‘800.-
* USD 83,400.-
Provenance: M. Kurt Maier (1913)
H.P. Manus (1933)
Richard Roberts
R.N. Yardley (1944)
Noël Calnan
Robson Lowe auction (1964)
H.A.V. Bulleid (1989)
* CHF 67‘650.-
* USD 76,445.-
Reference: Mentioned in Sassone – Francobolli 2020
CORINPHILA AUCTIONS – A TRADITION OF SUCCESS
As the oldest stamp auction house in Switzerland, situated in the international financial centre of Zürich, we at Corinphila Auctions really know the market.
The most specialised philatelic knowledge, fastidious presentation and an international customer base with strong purchasing power guarantee the highest prices.
Single-Owner Sales, and Catalogues, are our speciality!
* CHF 31‘980.* USD 36,100.-
Provenance:
Julius Steindler (1972)
Robson Lowe (London, 1973)
Robson Lowe (Basel, 1974)
Hapsburg Feldman (Zurich, 1988)
Robson Lowe (Zurich, 1990)
Cherrystone (New York, 1992)
Filasta (Verona, 1992)
Provenance:
Derichs auction (1967)
Stanley Gibbons (London, 1968)
Lauson H. Stone (1992) Ingvar Petterson (2007)
* CHF 17‘220.* USD 19,450.-
* CHF 15‘990.-
* USD 18,060.-
* CHF 17‘220.* USD 19,450.-
Provenance: J.B. Seymour (1951)
Maurice Burrus (1963) “DAISY” collection (1996)
M.A. Sayeed (2002)
Alan Holyoake (2012/2013)
The First Single-Frame Competition
Held in Our New Club
On Nov. 6, we gathered at our Club on 40th Street for the first single-frame competition in our new premises. This was the first single-frame competition held at “home” since 2019. The most recent competition was “away” at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., last year.
The Club has 18 permanent frames that wrap around the outer perimeter of the presentation room. On the 6th, they were all filled. On frequent occasions, we have mentioned how outstanding the new frames are, how easy they are to use and how they enhance the material being shown. Understanding that many Club members have not had an opportunity to see them in the flesh (yet), we thought that a more detailed description might be appropriate.
The frames are permanent fixtures in the room on three of the four walls. The only wall without a frame is the front, where you’ll find the large monitor. The background of the frames is black, rather than the traditional white. At first, the use of black seemed to be a bit unsettling, but the choice of black allows each page, once mounted, to really “pop.” This is further enhanced by a thin band of LED lights that illuminate each frame. Light is never an issue, and the color temperature of these lights approximates daylight. There is no glare, either.
When mounting an exhibition page, we typically use plastic clips or folds of heavy paper to support each mounted page. In the case of our frames, an open steel channel is used. Since the back of the frame is raked, there is no problem with pages being held firm and in place. Lastly, the front of the frames is glass, without an opaque border (which means that everything is visible and that no area is blocked). The glass slides away on a track; therefore, lifting or swinging the front of the frames is unnecessary to get to the pages. And, of course, each frame is individually lockable.
And, yes, our frames accept any size page that would work elsewhere, whether in the United States or overseas.
In brief, our frames are the easiest to use, mount and dismount, and show your material at its very best.
Now, on to the results, and congratulations to the winners.
Grand:
Steamboat Mail and the U.S. 1847 Issue (facing page)
Daniel Ryterband
Reserve Grand:
United States Demonetization and Transition to the 1861 Design Stamps (below)
Daniel Knowles, MD
United States Demonetization andTransition tothe1861DesignStamps
Purpose: To explain demonetization of the 1857 issue stampsand transition to the 1861design stamps, relatively chronologically,by showing the earliest recorded uses of the 1861 1and 3cent stamps,mixed uses of 1857 and 1861stampsand examples of post office handling of demonetized stamps.
Background: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,and South Carolinaseceded from the Union and subsequently created the Confederate States of America (CSA) February 4,1861. The Federal government continued to operate the postal services in the CSAuntil hostilitiesled the Union to terminate those services effective May 31,1861. The CSAinitiated its own independent postal systemJune 1,1861.Approximately $200,000 worth of USA stampsand postal stationerystill resided in Southern post officesat that time. So, the Federal government demonetizedall 1851-1860 stamps and all but twostamped envelopes and issuednew stamps andstamped envelopes to prevent the CSAfrom using USApostage to financially aid the rebellion.Post offices in the loyal states employeda variety of approaches and manuscript and handstamp markings to deal with attempted usesof demonetized postage and the uneven national distribution of the1861 design stamps.
Organization:
Page1: First Day of Issue 1861 3 Cent Stamp 6-12: Demonetized 3and 1Cent Stamps Rejected
4: 1861 3 Cent Stamp on Across-the-Lines Mail 15: Demonetized 1857 3 Cent Stamp Accepted
5: Earliest Recorded Use 18611 Cent Stamp 16: Late Acceptance Demonetized 1857 Stamps
Red borders: Significant cover. Blueborders: Newly recorded item. Cert: PFCertificate.
Rarity: The earliest known usesof the 1861 design stamps, mixed uses of 1857 and 1861 stamps,andthe uses of demonetized 1857stamps exhibited here are either the only, or among only a very few,recorded examples.
First Day of Issue for all 1861 Design Stamp Denominations
One of 2 recorded examples of the 1861 3 cent stampused on the first day of issue, August 17,1861, atBaltimore, MD.
Awards of Merit (4):
The Collection of Postage Due Fees in Ireland from 1914 to 1925
Robert Benninghoff
Leominster, Mass. Provisional Postage Due and Instructional Labels
Chip Gliedman
Siege of Paris Balloon Post 1870-1871: A History of Firsts
Robert Myers
La surcharge SPM gothique de 1885
Jean-Jacques Tillard
We have taken the liberty of reproducing thumbnails for the grand and reserve grand winners’ title pages.
We would also be remiss if we overlooked thanking our team of judges: Chief Judge Larry Lyons, Stephen Reinhard and Akthem Al-Manaseer. They did a marvelous job, and we commend their dedication and commitment.
It was a wonderful evening, after which a group traipsed across the park for dinner at the Byrant Park Grill.
We hope to see you at next year’s event on Nov. 5, 2025.
All Collectors Club presentations are currently held online, via ZOOM, beginning at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern). Although there is no cost, pre-registration is necessary.
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B O STO N 2O26 WORLD EXPO The 2026 Champion of Champions Competition at B oston 2026 World Expo
(Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, May 23-30, 2026)
Winners of the multi-frame Grand Award at any of the more than two dozen annual World Series of Philately shows in the United States and Canadian National shows meet each year at the American Philatelic Society’s (APS) Great American Stamp Show (GASS) in August to compete for the title of the best exhibit of the year. This is known as the Champion of Champion competition (CoC) and is a very prestigious award.
The annual GASS will take a bye in 2026 because the much-larger decennial world philatelic exhibition in the United States, Boston 2026 World Expo (Boston 2026), will be held just a few months earlier. The 2026 CoC competition will instead take place during Boston 2026 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on May 23-30, 2026. The CoC competition will consist of a separate parallel exhibition taking place simultaneously with Boston 2026, an approximately 4,000-frame world philatelic exhibition with the recognition of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
All exhibits normally eligible for the 2026 CoC competition will be invited, but due to the date of Boston 2026, the “exhibiting year” will be abbreviated. Multiframe Grand Award winners at World Series of Philately and Canadian National shows taking place between July 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026, will be eligible. All CoC eligible exhibits are strongly encouraged to be entered in the 2026 CoC competition. No byes will be given (except for previously established precedents) if an eligible exhibitor elects not to enter the 2026 CoC competition.
All 2026 CoC exhibits may also be simultaneously entered in the FIP exhibition and participate in both competitions. However, all exhibits in the FIP competition must conform to the FIP general and individual exhibition regulations, GREX and IREX respectively, particularly for the number of frames allocated.
The APS will contact eligible participants to invite them to exhibit in the 2026 CoC, as it customarily does for other CoC cycles.
Applications for any exhibitor wishing to participate in the FIP exhibition must be made through the website, www.Boston2026.org , beginning in January 2025, and no later than Sept. 30, 2025, whether they also enter the CoC competition or not.
To be listed on the Boston 2026 exhibit catalog, the final list of CoC participants must be received by April 10, 2026.
The cost of CoC frames, to be announced, will be similar to those at the annual
GASS, which is substantially lower than for the FIP competition. If an exhibitor elects to enter both the CoC and FIP competition, she or he must pay both frame fees, since the exhibit will be judged by two panels of judges. This will require an additional frame fee of $125 per frame.
The APS will prepare an introductory frame or frames with a list of previous CoC winners and a list of 2026 participants as it typically does for each annual GASS.
The APS will provide all medals and awards normally presented to CoC participants. The 2026 CoC winner will be announced at the APS awards ceremony on Tuesday evening, May 26, 2026. A venue for this event will be announced later.
The APS will determine the number of CoC judges, select them and provide their compensation.
2026 CoC exhibits may be carried by one of the U.S. or Canadian national commissioners, which may incur a handling fee, or carried personally by the exhibitor to be handed over to a special Bin Room commissioner in charge of handling exhibits not carried by national commissioners. The latter option might also require a handling fee (to be determined).
These exhibits will be briefly stored in a secure area in the Bin Room until they are mounted in the frames, and again at the end of the show when they are dismounted, until they are returned to the appropriate commissioner. CoC exhibitors should not expect to mount or dismount their own exhibits.
Up to date information about the show and all its exhibitions can be found on our website, www.Boston2026.org
— Yamil H. Kouri, Jr., President Yamil.Kouri@Boston2026.org
Pomeroy’s Letter Express Colors Part 2: The Order of the Printings
David R. Wilcox, Ph.D.
What Colors did Pomeroy Print?
Pomeroy stamps are found in an assortment of colors and shades. Collectors have, in the past, depended on written descriptions. The following guide should be useful in making subtle decisions about stamps in a collection, relative to other known colors and shades. What follows is not just a simple listing, but rather, an interactive guide.
The article will end by showing the order of printing of the major colors. This order will be determined by analyzing for the presence or absence of distinctive plate flaws that appeared over time.
Figures 1 through 6 summarize what is known of the variation in Pomeroy colors. The color names were used by earlier researchers, such as Perry and Sloane, and the examples scanned were selected from my collection. All scans were made using an Epson V600 or V850 Pro at 2,400dpi (or sometimes 4,800dpi, as needed). Previously, Pomeroy color studies relied on scattered reports and sometimes just written descriptions of the colors. The figures now give us a clearer and more consistent record of the colors for further research.
Since the examples were in hand, they were often scanned together in a single scan, so comparisons between the individual stamps in each scan can be made. For added help in making comparisons, examples of various stamps from the 1938 U.S. Presidential series are included, so you can compare examples of Presidential series stamps you may have with the scans on the page.
Ultimately, therefore, the scans are as accurate as can be hoped, given the variation all images must go through from scanning, assembling the image plate and then printing. At the very least, the individual color shades are relative to the stamps in their same scan.
Figure 1 shows three full or half sheets of black with different shades (black, intense black and gray black). These are probably not the original black Pomeroys (117L4). In fact, when the printing order of the colors is analyzed, an even earlier black printing is suggested. Unfortunately, only single stamps could be found today of that earliest printing.
This rarer printing seemed to have fewer flaws than sheets shown in Figure 1, and this is the reason for concluding it was an earlier printing. These may have been the stamps ready for use near opening day (but that is speculation that might be resolved by a more detailed study of the surviving covers compared in hand under high magnification).
Figure 1. Three full or half sheets of black with different shades: black, intense black and gray black.
Figure 2. Shades of red for both bond and fibrous papers.
Figure 2 shows the shades of red for both bond and fibrous papers. There are several red shades for both types of paper. The printings appear to be quite variable. If the fibrous paper was the main paper of the color trial, Figure 2 not only shows different shades of red evaluated in the trial, but there was variation in the earlier bond paper printings as well.
Pomeroy’s printer apparently had trouble maintaining a constant shade, particularly in the reds. It is not easy today, unfortunately, to confirm this suspicion, since genuinely used reds on cover are scarce and comparisons are difficult. This is especially true, since the reds show more of the effects of aging seen on stamps on covers from this era.
Figure 3 shows the blue shades on both bond and fibrous paper. Like with the red shades, there are distinct shades of the blue stamps. The Prussian blue was apparently only produced during the large fibrous-paper color trials.
Figure 3. Shades of blue on both bond and fibrous paper.
4. Two listed shades for 117L1 on wove paper: greenish yellow and dull yellow.
Figure 4 shows the two shades of Pomeroy’s workhorse issue, the black-onyellow on wove paper. Catalogs list these two shades, but there are likely additional shades looking at the cover images in the survey. The problem is that there are only six known unused examples that are rejoined from two strips of three. They are, therefore, all from the same sheet. The several 117L1 on cover show the effects of aging and fading in some cases, so a careful shade study beyond the two listed shades might be difficult.
Figure 5 shows the four catalog listings of black-on-yellow on thick wove paper that were never issued. No. 117L2B is found with two shades of buff tinting on the back. No. 117L2C has two paper color shades, both colored through: yellow and orange yellow.
The description of 117L2A seems to imply the buff tint on the back of 1172B is a characteristic. However, as seen in Figure 6, there is variation in 117L2B’s back tint. The Scott catalog suggests 117L2A may be a proof, but it may also just be a color changeling or, perhaps, a color-missing printing. No matter which, it is rare (only two examples reported).
Figure
Figure 5. The four catalog listings of black-on-yellow on thick wove paper. No. 117L2B is found with two shades of buff tinting on the back.
Figure 6 shows two examples of Pomeroy’s black-on-yellow on thick wove paper from the same plate position (pL16). The 117L2B is surface colored and the 117L2C is colored through. Only the 117L2B shows the scratches on the chest plate flaw. This means 117L2C (colored through) was printed before 117L2B.
Using Plate Flaws as a Discovery Tool
The remainder of this article will show how plate flaws can be used to reveal the sequence of printing of the Pomeroy stamps. The flaws are an indicator of the timing of a given printing, relative to other printings that used the plate in a different “State of the Plate” (with different flaws). Some printings have distinct shades, but for others, more than one shade is known for a given printing using the same “State of the Plate” pattern of flaws.
It should be remembered, however, all printings occurred over a relatively brief period. At first, it is surprising the number of flaws that accumulated during the printings. This may suggest that the printing period was short but was rather intense. Hundreds, if not thousands, of stamps were printed from the only plate. So, Pomeroy’s one plate was handled a lot. Fortunately, today we can analyze the many flaws on different samples of each color and determine which colors were printed before or after other colors.
Pomeroy’s Letter Express was a major player in the independent mail era of 1844 until June 1845. There are 12 distinguishable stamp varieties for this company listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United Sates Stamps & Covers. Some were issued, some not, and some reportedly may have been issued but could be questioned. Fortunately, for this study the sequence of the Pomeroy printings can be determined from the appearance of plate flaws, and this does not depend on whether the stamp variety was issued.
There is just one basic rule used here for ordering the printings: If a printing shows a repeating flaw, but other printings do not show the same flaw, then the stamps showing the flaw were printed after the stamps that do not show the same flaw in the same position on the plate. Fortunately, this rule worked well in ordering Pomeroy’s many stamp printings, because he used only one printing plate throughout,
Figure 6. Two examples of Pomeroy’s black-on-yellow on thick wove paper from the same plate position.
and he never attempted to burnish away the plate flaws that are used as diagnostic tools in this study.
The plate flaw rule may not apply for other company issues, but it works wonderfully on the Pomeroy’ Letter Express printings. Other stamp-issuing entities sometimes solved printing problems by changing to a new plate or repairing the damage that occurred. Due to circumstances, Pomeroy apparently did not have that luxury. Pomeroy probably was under pressure to get his post up and running by opening day. There are no written records of his printings to support that conclusion, but we can make inferences from his actions.
The plating scheme can be applied to all Pomeroy issues (except 117L2). This is proof Pomeroy had only one plate and close examination using high-resolution scans shows he apparently never tried to repair his plate if the flaw was near the design. There is no indication of burnishing of marks close or in the design. With only one plate, risking damage to it was apparently avoided.
This was a lucky break for postal historians. The “order of printings” mystery has remained unsolved for 180 years until now, and would have continued unsolved, if Pomeroy had tried to alter his plate for repairs or changed to a second plate. He probably did not make any changes because of his ambitious schedule, which involved a new and somewhat involved plan with distinctly colored adhesives.
We still do not understand the details of Pomeroy’s plan yet, but we know it was unique among the other independent mails and seldom found for many local and carrier posts that followed. We can only speculate why he never altered his initial plate (except to add the “1” values), but we can see what finally happened, and we can use the plate flaw information to determine the printing order.
How the Pomeroy Printings Were Ordered
Figures 7a and 7b show the eight plate flaws used for ordering the Pomeroy printings. The pL1 dash in the left oval is probably human caused, but it was also inspected. So, each color was searched for nine distinct marks.
Figure 7a. Identifying plate flaws.
Figures 8 through 12 show the results of using the major plate marks to order the Pomeroy color printings. Of the nine plate marks inspected in this study, position pL1 has two marks and four other positions have just one mark. Marks are shared between more than one plate position for the pR15-pR16 plate scratch (which probably extends to pR14) and the internal margin flaw between pL14 and pL18 (between the bottom two rows of the left pane). The pL5 and pL6 shoulder slashes sometimes look the same, but can also vary over time in intensity during the printings.
Most of the small margin marks in the final frame seem to be true flaws and could be used in the future in a more refined analysis. The difficulty in using them is they are small and may seem to be absent in some printings due to poor printing, rather than not being on the plate itself. If used in the future, several sheets need to be inspected and analyzed under high magnification and “in hand.”
The final picture is revealing, but it must be treated as a work in progress. New discoveries may change the order slightly, and some details may never be clear, since some information may have been lost (i.e., a critical stamp from a sought-after plate position for a given color did not survive).
Sometimes full sheets were available, so locating a plate mark’s position was expedited. Also, the full mint sheet meant the mark could be examined for the slightest signs of the mark, since the plate position was pre-determined by where the stamp was located on the full sheet. In addition, there are no cancellations to
Figure 7b. Identifying plate flaws.
mask critical plate characteristics on sheet stamps. In other cases, unfortunately, where a full sheet was unknown or unavailable, the positions had to be plated individually, despite possible interference from a cancel or damage to the stamp being examined. Only then was the stamp examined for a plate flaw.
Each flaw is usually found on only one of the 40 positions (sometimes across two positions), and that is what makes it diagnostic. Unfortunately, some of the issued stamps are uncommon from the start, so finding every piece for the bigger puzzle can be a challenge. In some cases, we may never find an answer if a stamp did not survive the 180-year journey. On the plus side, new discoveries may further clarify the proposed order. This represents hours of study on a complex jigsaw puzzle where sometimes we are missing the key pieces.
Order of the Pomeroy Printings
Preliminary results show the black on white 117L4 (Figure 8a and 8b) was printed in at least four printings with shade variation. The very first printing is sparsely represented, but could still be identified, because it had the fewest flaws.
Figure 8a. First printing on bond, with the pR6 lacking the breast dot flaw, but other flaw positions have not been identified.
Collectors Club Philatelist
Volume 104, Number 1
Figure 8b. Printings 2-4.
9a. There are three defined printings of the blue (117L3, 117L3R, 117L7). However, there are eight shades, any one of which might be a separate printing. These are the first two printings.
Figure
Figure 9b. The third printing in blue (on fibrous paper).
10a. There were at least four
printings, based on paper and color, but actually 12 different shades. This is the first printing.
Collectors Club Philatelist
Volume 104, Number 1
Figure
“reddish”
Figure 10b. These are the second, the third and (the fourth?) “reddish” printings.
Figure 11.: There were two 117L6 lake printings. The first was one of the very earliest and the second was one of the last. This is the first.
11b. There were two 117L6 lake printings. The first was one of the very earliest and the second was one of the last. This is the second.
Figure
The blue 117L3 (Figure 9) and the red 117L5 (Figure 10) seem to have at least three printings each. For the reddish colors, a fourth printing for the browns could be considered; however, the reds and browns on fibrous paper are remarkably similar. Separating the brown from the red on fibrous may not be entirely accurate. At the very least the two colors were likely printed very close in time.
In this study, only the plate flaws were used to make distinctions. It is not known if every shade variant was a different printing. It is also not known whether a specified color printing can change shades during any single print run. Obviously, if that is possible, the picture becomes even more complex.
For all the Pomeroy early printings seen on cover, there are a limited number of examples to examine. For example, there are not enough known lake examples of 117L6 that have survived to allow as thorough a study as might be desired, but one interesting fact was revealed. The lake issue 117L6 (Figure 11) seems to have had at least two printings, and one may have been earlier, perhaps even earlier than the black.
The second printing of the lake color was sometime later, but still while Pomeroy was servicing client mail. Today, only a single mint block of the lake color has survived. All other examples are canceled. There are no lake-colored printings on fibrous paper, so this color was apparently not revisited during the color trials.
Curiously, the 117L6 lake was primarily used on mail from New York City, and it seems to have been discontinued soonest. The lake issue earliest-known use is a couple of weeks after the opening (EKU July 18, 1844). This is late for a Pomeroy, and lake stops appearing sooner than other issues (LKU Aug. 2, 1844).
The last of the surviving lake 117L6 covers are dated about a month before other single-colored issues. No. 117L6 lasted, based on the dated covers, for as little as five weeks. It is not known why its use was stopped, but the order of its printings is also not typical, with the first being potentially so early.
This is a complex story to unravel. However, we must remember that being an early printing does not mean it was used early. In fact, if most printings of the initially released issues were printed before opening day, it could have been possible, due to distribution, that later printings might have sometimes ended up being used on Pomeroy’s mail before the earlier printings, once the stamps were placed on sale. Sometimes, perhaps, the last to be printed ended at the bottom of the pile once distributed, or vice versa.
Unless Pomeroy carefully identified his stamps by the printing run (unlikely), mixing stamps from different runs would seem highly likely, especially since the stamps were sent out to several different Pomeroy offices across the entire upstate New York area. Once the distribution was completed, use of a given printing might vary from office to office.
Of course, it is conceivable a late Pomeroy printing could mean there was a need where the earlier stamp supplies were used up. However, without proof that this happened to Pomeroy for any of his diverse stamp issues, there is no way to tie the order of printings to their actual final use on covers to prove such a point. For now, without any shipping records, the printing and usage of stamps of Pomeroy’s Letter Express should be considered completely unrelated.
There may, however, be an exception. The 117L1 with the scratch at pR15/ pR16 was apparently the last time the plate was used, and this specific printing may have been needed to replace supplies in the field. The argument for this is presented at the end of this article.
Major plate flaws suggest seven “states of the plate.” If minor plate flaws, often seen as small marks in the margins, were also used, more “states” might be discovered. The minor flaws might be useful in breaking down the order of printings in the large, shade-color study. This is an area that could be pursued. As mentioned previously, the smaller flaws are unfortunately harder to see consistently and are only easy to study where full sheets have survived. High magnification of several sheets in hand and in different shades might be necessary.
We do not know to what extent a printing run stayed in one shade or changed shades as the printing that day continued. We can ask, “were the lighter shades part of the printer’s intended study or were colors sometimes weaker nearer the end of the run?” Pomeroy’s printing records would have given that information, but those records were not passed along for us to study.
With all the shades known, the printings could have been as many as 40 (although that seems excessive). The complexity does support, however, that Pomeroy’s color trials were extensive and probably involved many print runs. The large color trial may have continued for many days. If Pomeroy and his printer were on a tight schedule, the activity during all the printings may have been quite hectic.
Context of the Pomeroy Printings
Figure 12 attempts to give some context to the printings. Seven different “state of the plate” levels can be identified based on using the major plate marks described earlier. Seven is a minimum number of printings and is not a surprise, with so many colors.
We can further identify printings by the paper upon which they were printed. But we need to be careful we are not deceiving ourselves. With so many printings to complete, more than one run might have been attempted on the same day. Cleaning the printing apparatus, and then changing the ink color seems a reasonable dividing point between runs. Changing the paper would have been a much simpler process, and different paper types might have been evaluated on the same day. Defining “print runs” seems naive, so perhaps “printing categories” is the better term.
Unfortunately, the printer left us no records. However, as an academic exercise we can categorize the results by combining what we now know about the printings based on the plate marks, as seen in Figure 12, with the different paper types.
Issued: Wove-pL1, “dash in oval” for black-on- yellow (shades) – “1” and frame added 117L1.
Issued: Bond, black (no breast dot) and lake (no margin flaw).
Issued: Bond, pL14/18 margin flaw and breast dot for gray black, blue (shades), and red (shades).
Issued: Bond, pL5/6 shoulder slash for black, blue (shades) and lake.
Unissued, but few: Thick wove colored-through, pL5/6 shoulder slash for black-on-yellow.
Unissued, but few: Ribbed, pR3 E-R flaw for yellow-on-white.
Unissued, but few: Fibrous, pR3 E-R flaw for orange.
Unissued, but many: Fibrous, pR3 E-R flaw and pL16 chest scratches for intense black, blue (shades), red (shades) and brown (shades).
Unissued, but many: Thick wove, surface-colored, pR3 E-R flaw and pL16 chest scratches for black-on-yellow.
Issued: Wove, pR15-pR16 scratch for black-on-yellow.
This does not give us the exact time of printing. It only suggests the variety of the printings. For the timing, we can look to a few events known around Pomeroy’s startup of his express.
Timing of the Pomeroy Printings
First, Pomeroy seems to have left Livingston and prepared for the opening of his express service in spring of 1844. Also, Wells left with him to set up his “Letter Express.” Pomeroy announced and proceeded to opening day at the very end of June (26th). From the “value missing” analysis, it seems reasonable to surmise both Pomeroy and Wells were on a tight schedule.
Second, almost all of Pomeroy’s regular issues are known used near the opening day (the 117L6 lake a few weeks later). That puts the categories of Nos. 1-5 (in the previously mentioned list of 11) in June before or near the opening day. Based on the plate flaws found, Nos. 1-5 appear to have been printed in the order given.
Figure 12. Order of the Printings: Plate flaws suggest 7- 8 printings, but color shades and yellow suggest more. If shades were separate printings, the total could be as high as 40 printings (although this seems excessive).
Third, it seems unlikely Pomeroy would have printed stamps in massive quantities for his future (and perhaps for future cities) after his closing announcement in August. If Pomeroy were on a tight timeline, categories 1-5 would have taken priority over later printings. Stamps were needed for opening day, but categories 6-10 could wait.
In addition, for Pomeroy to formulate the best plans for his future, he would need time to understand how his operation was working before planning new colors and how many stamps to prepare. This suggests the most reasonable time for categories 6-10 was after categories1-5 and after opening day. It may have been during July 1844. This may require the discovery of more examples of the “scratched” stamps to prove the point, but July is a good guess now.
Fourth, category No. 11, with the 117L1 pR15-16 scratch, occurred sometime before the dates on the covers where this scratch flaw is found. The two covers involving 96L4 can be debated, but the Aug. 7, 1844, Townsend cover’s date seems solid. This early August date is near the time Pomeroy announced in the newspaper he planned to close his business. If we can trust the Battelle and Renwick cover, the earliest scratched 117L1 is July 19, 1844, but this may not be a genuine cover. Somewhere in July, however, remains a good estimate for Pomeroy to begin his plans for expansion.
Based on the analysis of all the plate flaws, it can be argued the 117L1 “scratch” printing was Pomeroy’s last printing. None of the unissued colors, which seem to be part of a major color trial in search of a new issue perhaps for a new city, show the scratch flaw.
Therefore, if we accept that Pomeroy needed some time to see if he should carry out the color trials for a new issue (into July), the “scratch” printing would likely have occurred in July shortly after the color trials. It most likely was before early August, when Pomeroy decided to close, because Pomeroy would not have run the color trials for a new issue if he had already decided to close the company.
This is speculation, but it is possible the 117L1 “scratch” printing was needed because Pomeroy was running low on his workhorse black-on-yellow issue. The rapid and significant explosion of surviving covers throughout July would support this hypothesis.
Since the 117L1 black-on-yellow was the issue most likely to be in demand and used everywhere, a shortage of 117L1 stock even in just one region might have prompted a new printing of that issue. This would be the only suggestion found so far of a Pomeroy printing dictated by low stamp stocks while Pomeroy was actively carrying mail.
It is amazing how much printing went on over just a few weeks that summer. This may reflect Pomeroy’s ambitious personality, but also his awareness of the
competition, the opportunity he had with his location, and the added pressure of the U.S. Government’s attacks on his company.
Was Pomeroy’s Color System Working?
Having a novel system is noteworthy, but was Pomeroy’s innovative system working? Pomeroy is our judge of that, and his actions suggest he was happy how his idea had performed so far. Today, there are abundant examples of 117L4 (black) and 117L5 (red), both on thin bond paper. Their catalog value is just $5. These seem likely to have been remainders, since Pomeroy probably would not have printed a new supply of these two colors on thin bond to replace his stocks, since few were used. Very few of these stamps are found on surviving covers when surveyed.
However, Pomeroy also appears to have decided all his single-color stamp issues would be best if he switched over to fibrous paper. So, despite this abundant backup supply on thin bond of these two colors, it appears Pomeroy chose to print a massive number of the same colors on fibrous paper.
Apparently, he believed so much in the new paper, and his continued use of these colors in his system, that he invested company profits in a new supply for the future on fibrous paper. He might have continued to use the surplus thin bond reds and blacks, but he also was investing company profits in the future using his novel system and printing even more of these colors on the new type of paper (fibrous). This suggests his system (whatever it was) was working well in Pomeroy’s mind during July 1844.
Pomeroy and His Future
The extensive printings suggest Pomeroy was searching for something new. He was looking for a replacement or improvement for his existing stamps, or maybe even for use in new cities. Having a large color trial at such an early stage in the company’s history may suggest Pomeroy was looking to his future even as the company was just at its beginnings. Only a couple of weeks into one of the greatest ventures of Pomeroy’s career, he had his printer preparing for new issues using new paper types. He was either refining and fine-tuning his system or planning for expansion or both. It also suggests a very decisive businessperson with a keen eye to the future.
In just two months, Pomeroy’s mail-carrying service had begun to grow and to rival even the giant independent mail company, Hale & Co. The two companies primarily serviced separate areas (Upstate New York and New England), but the surveyed franked covers are comparable for June 1844 (although stampless covers have never been surveyed). Pomeroy had every reason to be proud and be very hopeful for the success of his fledgling company spinoff from his package business.
There was apparently a massive printing of the black-on-yellow stamps, using thick wove paper. The existing single-color issues (except lake) are found on fibrous paper. There are no blues or reds on the thick wove paper. Also, we find
no black-on-yellow stamps printed on fibrous paper (not even one or two). This suggests the black-on-yellow was not even included in the fibrous paper trial.
All these stamps were ultimately unissued, but the survivors of categories 6-8 are fewer than Nos. 9 and 10 (there are only three all-yellow known). There are so many of the last two categories (9 and 10) that they cost little to buy today. Perhaps categories 6-8 were pre-trials (fewer in number) for categories 9 and 10 (abundant and ready for issue).
What was the future for Pomeroy’s stamp issues? The shades of brown and red orange, all on the same fibrous paper, strongly support a trial color study. This seems especially true now that we know all printings occurred while the post was active and were not reprints. But why not print everything on the same type of paper? Not even a few of the blue, black or red stamps are known on thick wove, and not even a few of the black-on-yellow exist on fibrous.
There are several questions remaining for future researchers to tackle. Earlier, I proposed that Pomeroy printed massive numbers of black-on-yellow stamps using thick wove paper because it printed best with the yellow background color. It also appears that a yellow, colored-through wove paper was eliminated (117L2C), but the surface-colored paper may have worked better (117L2B). The chest plate flaw argues 117L2c was printed before 117L2B. Proving that a stamp with a colored background prints best on one type of paper and better than on another type of paper might be a worthy research challenge.
Who was Pomeroy?
I also feel that Pomeroy may have been preparing new issues in copious quantities as he prepared for a massive expansion into the next year. He envisioned his company becoming one of – if not the most – prominent independent mail service. His surviving covers supported that conclusion.1 His location in Upstate New York and collaboration with Wells, Buffalo, gave him the opportunity he needed.
Hale and Co. was by far the larger company with a proven track record. Toward the end, Hale was slowly moving into ALM territory. 2 However, Pomeroy had the location and business association with Wells, which gave him an advantage. He needed to move quickly. This may explain why just a couple of weeks after his opening, Pomeroy was already well along into his next move, which might have included signi fi cant expansion, including a new-color stamp issue.
Pomeroy, in conjunction with Wells, had by far the best possible position for taking over the expansive Western frontier. His potential empire would have stretched from the financial hub of the nation in New York City through Buffalo and beyond into the West. Pomeroy’s tremendous success in July 1844 meant he could offer cheaper mail rates to both new settlers and commerce in general
in the nation’s westward expansion. Pomeroy’s only problem was that the U.S. government could see his vision also. For them, he was a serious threat.
Pomeroy was apparently an innovative, astute and possibly visionary businessman, but his visons were never allowed fruition. The government limited Pomeroy’s use of his company’s life thread: the railroads. People were jailed and fines were levied. All the independent mail companies were intimidated, but Pomeroy’s Express was a clear government focus.
Pomeroy was shut down by the U.S. government after only about two months of amazing success in a rapidly growing region of the country, Upstate New York. With the completion of the Erie Canal, Upstate New York was the gateway to an even larger expanse in the West. Combined with (Wells’) Letter Express, the future for Pomeroy was very promising.
It is no wonder the U.S. government shut Pomeroy’s company down first. Hale and his network were certainly the largest of the independent mail companies, and Hale could expand into the Midwest through Philadelphia. But there, Hale had the American Letter Mail Co. as a competitor.
Pomeroy, with Wells’ help, literally had no competition to expand westward. Pomeroy’s Letter Express may have been the government’s greatest threat for the future and Pomeroy, the business person, was possibly its greatest fear.
Conclusion
Using the presence or absence of major plate flaws, an ordering of the Pomeroy printings is proposed. There may have been at least seven levels of the “states of the plate.” However, with all the shade variations, more printings may have occurred (11 is a reasonable estimate when paper types are considered).
Pomeroy’s Express was one of the shorter-lived of the major independent mails, but was extremely successful. The government stopped a thriving company with expansive plans. Pomeroy apparently used good business practices under stressful times and must have been a consummate businessperson, but his ideas (some new and innovative) ran into his government’s concerns about its own survival.
Pomeroy’s dreams were squelched by his own government going against its own ideals of free commerce and the private enterprises of its people. However, the entrepreneurial spirit of these business leaders of the independent mails prompted postal rate changes that ultimately strengthened the nation.
Footnotes
1. Wilcox, David R., “The Independent Mails Cover Survey: Part 1; Survey Analysis” Collectors Club Philatelist, 2024, 103:3 pp. 148-173.
2. Wilcox, David R., “The Independent Mails Cover Survey: Part 2; History of Those Services” Collectors Club Philatelist 2024, 103:4 210-221.
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The Hospital Ship Madras
Robert Gray
Hospital ships provided essential medical service and meant survival to thousands of wounded during World War I. British war records show 65,126 Indian Army wounded across all fronts.1 Many British India Steam Navigation Co. ships were requestioned for the war effort, but none were as famous as the ship to be called the H.S. Madras.
The BISN ship Tanda had just arrived in India on Oct. 10, 1914, returning from its maiden voyage to Japan. It was assigned to the Madras War Fund on Oct. 14. The ship initially was reconfigured to be a hospital ship with 300 navy swinging cots and 80 beds with mattresses. It was intended to be only for Indian Army troops. The ship’s hull was repainted white, yellow on the funnel and upper works, and a scarlet band along one side broken by a large “Geneva Cross” lit up at night. The carpentry was done by the Madras Railway Works and other locals did the plumbing and electric. Unlike other hospital ships, it was affiliated with the Madras Medical College and the student doctors continued to learn while at sea.
Lt. Col. Gerald Godfray Giffard was the officer-in-charge of the ship, designated H.S. Madras (Hospital Ship). It had operating rooms, extra lighting and all the other needs required of a then-modern hospital ship. The conversion moved quickly and the Madras left for East Africa, returning with its first wounded in January 1915.2 In the fall of 1915, the Madras served in the Persian Gulf and was the first hospital ship to reach Basra. It continued to serve in Mesopotamia, supported by river-based hospital ships such as the H.S. Sikkim, which carried the wounded from the firing line to the port of Basra.
Operating a hospital for Indian wounded onboard a ship required many social adjustments. The ship used ethnic European nurses and simplified diets that ignored many of the customs of Hindu castes, as the ship served food for wounded Hindus, Moslems and Christians. The wounded accepted the situation and the practical constraints of a hospital ship.
By November 1917, the H.H. Madras had made 50 round-trip voyages carrying 20,791 patients – nearly one in three of the Indian Army wounded. The citizens of Madras Province continued to support its hospital ship through the sale of postcards, letter seals and the Park Fair and Exposition, all of which have left a philatelic record.
1. Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During the Great War, The War Office, 1920, London.
2. The Indian Medical Gazette, pp. 32-33, January 1915. “The Hospital Ship Madras,” https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/acd7/0638243dd00d9e94778b320a6b3855d2e308.pdf
The postcards, illustrated as Figures 1 and 2, were sold for one anna (worth two U.S. cents).
The letter seals sold for ½ anna each from a four-stamp eight-sheet booklet. Each booklet sold for Rs 1. Rs 21,000 was raised converting to 672,000 seals.
Club Philatelist
104, Number 1
Figure 1. One-anna postcard, “sold for the benefit of the Hospital Ship.” Postcard by Higginbothams, Ltd., Madras.
Figure 2. Hospital ship Madras. Photography by Lady Pentland, wife of the Lord Pentland, governor of Madras Province.
The seal is illustrated in Figure 3. The seals were designed by W.S. Hadaway, superintendent of the Madras School of Arts and transformed into a die by Babooswami, at the Hyderabad Mint. It shows the hospital ship with the words “Madras War Fund,” a lifebuoy in each upper corner and the Red Cross in each lower corner. The seals were printed gratis by the Hyderabad Mint, through the efforts of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Another fundraiser with a philatelic connection was the Park Fair and Exhibition.3 The visitors to the exhibition generated Rs 117, 351 yielding a profit of Rs. 69,763. The exhibit opened Dec. 27, 1915, and continued for two weeks into January 1916. The fairgrounds were owned by South Indian Athletic Association which proposed a People’s Park Fair as a fund raiser for the H.M. Madras, among others. The Maharajas of Cochin and Travancore sent very popular exhibits, and the Consul General of Pondicherry (French India) donated 5,000 French francs as a gesture of goodwill.
The Park Fair post office used an elaborate cancellation, shown on a cover to Pondicherry in Figure 4. The cancellation reads along its periphery: “POST/ PARKFAIR/OFFICE/MADRAS,” with the calendar date above the H.M. Madras image and the time stamp below it. Each corner has a decoration with the letter “V,” presumably for victory.
3. Madras War Fund from August 1914 to December 1918, https://www.tamildigitallibrary.in/ admin/assets/book/TVA_BOK_0060722/ACL-CPL_00179_Madras_war_fund.pdf
www.collectorsclub.org January - February 2025
Figure 3. Enlarged image of ½-anna Madras War Fund letter seal. Actual size of the seal is 48mm by 25mm. Printed at the Hyderabad Mint.
4. Park Fair, Madras Post Office canceled Jan. 11, 1916. Verso delivery cancellation is illegible. Cancellation is 33mm by 33mm (image enlarged).
The postal story would not be complete without a cover sent from the H.S. Madras. An example is shown in Figure 5. “On Field Service” is handstamped on a BISN company envelope addressed to Surrey England. “Received from H.M. Ship No charge to be raised” is British for postage free. The verso bears a “CENSORED BY / Lt. Col. Lindsay (in manuscript) Lieut.-Col., I.M.S.(Indian Medical Service) O.C. (Officer Commanding) Troops, Hospital Ship, ‘Madras,’”
Figure
Figure 5. Front and verso of a cover censored and sent from the H.S. Madras. London received date is obscured except for “SEP 2.” Cover was endorsed by an unidentified major.
This remarkable story of charity transcended all levels of South India society, saving perhaps thousands of lives. The H.S. Madras was returned to the BINS company in 1920 and it reverted to its original name, S.S. Tanda. It remained in service, but not as a hospital ship, until sunk on July 15, 1944, by a German UBoat off the coast of India.
Express Mail From Louisiana to the U.S. State Department
Thomas Lera
Abstract
Express Mail was a service of the U.S. Post Office Department that contracted with various individuals to carry fast mail by horseback. The idea was, for a service charge of triple postage, to deliver light letters much faster than the regular mails, which mostly used stages and wagons. James Milgram discussed the Express Mail requirements in his book The Express Mail of 1837-1838 1
This article discusses the U.S. State Department Express Mail found in the National Archive’s collections.
Introduction
On July 27, 1789, the First United States Congress created a field organization of customs collection districts under the direction of the appointed collector of customs. Thirty-two days later, on Sept. 2, 1789, the Department of the Treasury was established, and the regulation and control of the collection districts and their collectors was placed under the direct management of the Secretary of the Treasury.
Figure 1. James Breedlove (left) and John Forsyth (right).
Circa 1818, James Waller Breedlove (Figure 1, left) 2 moved to New Orleans, where he served as Mexican Vice-Consul from 1829-31. Later, from July 1, 1834, through June 30, 1839, he served as Collector for the Port of New Orleans, with a staff of more than 40 employees, including surveyors, inspectors, appraisers and clerks. 3
John Forsyth: 13th Secretary of State
When he became secretary of state, John Forsyth (Figure 1, right) brought with him some prior experience. As U.S. Minister to Spain (1819-23), he assisted in securing the ratification of the 1819 Adams-Onís Treaty, which ceded Spain’s claim to East and West Florida. He was a U.S. representative from Georgia (1823-27), governor of Georgia (1827-29), and U.S. senator from Georgia (1829-34). 4 On June 27, 1834, Forsyth became secretary of state in President Andrew Jackson’s cabinet and continued in office under President Martin Van Buren until March 3, 1841.5
Forsyth’s impressive responsibilities were:
• Serving as the president’s principal adviser on U.S. foreign policy.
• Conducting negotiations, interpretations and terminations of treaties and agreements relating to U.S. foreign affairs.
• Advising the president on the appointment of U.S. ambassadors, ministers, consuls and other diplomatic representatives.
• Ensuring the protection of the U.S. Government to American citizens, property and interests in foreign countries.
• Promoting beneficial economic intercourse between the United States and other countries.6
State Department Express Mail From New Orleans
John Forsyth, as Secretary of State, received six express mail covers from James W. Breedlove, New Orleans Collector (of Customs), with inquiries from the Mexican Ministry, British Government and President of Central America.
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“Collector’s Office New Orleans Oct. 19, 1837
“Sir,
“I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, today by Express Mail, your letter of the 10th instant in which you request information respecting the movements of the Mexican Minister Don F. P. Martinez, and the probable time he may reach Washington City.
“I have held a conversation with the Mexican Vice-Consul Mr. Pratz, who informs me that he has received letters from Mr. Marinez, dated at Philadelphia, in which he stated that he would be in Washington City by the 12th to the 15th of the present month.
“I have the honor to be Most Respectfully, Your Obedient Servant, “Jas. W. Breedlove, Coll.”
Figure 2. New Orleans, Oct. 20, [1837].
Figure 3. New Orleans, Jan. 28, [1837].
“Collector’s Office New Orleans Jany. 27, 1837
“Sir, “By the Express Mail of today, I am in receipt of your letter of the 17th Instant, covering a package addressed to the Honorable Powhatan Ellis, Charge d’affaires to Mexico with instructions to forward the same by Doctor Baldwin, or other safe opportunity. Mr. Ellis having left Mexico in December last, destined for the City of Washington, where he must be before this time. I shall retain the package in my office, until further instructions from you are received.
“I have the honor to be Most Respectfully, Your Obedient Servant,
“Jas. W. Breedlove, Coll.”
Powhatan Ellis was appointed Charge d’Affaires to Mexico for the United States Department of State by President Jackson, and served from January 1836 to December 1836 when he closed the embassy. He was later appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Mexico for the United States Department of State by President Martin Van Buren and served in that position from February 1839 to April 1842. 7
On Aug. 12, 1838, Breedlove mailed Forsyth the following letter regarding the renewal of the Central American Treaty and a proposal for a canal from Lake Nicaragua to connect the Atlantic and Pacific. The letter reads:
“Collectors Office New Orleans August 11th 1838
“Sir: A gentleman of high standing and in the confidence of the President of Central America, arrived here a few days since from San Salvador and Guatemala, and called in me for the purpose of showing me several letters which he had received from the Minister of Foreign Relations for that Government, previous to his departure from the country and asking me to communicate their contents to you.
“In these letters the President, through his Minister, expresses a strong desire to renew their Treaty with the United States and in doing so he states that his Government would grant many commercial advantages to this county provided arrangements could be made with this Government by which the projected canal from Lake Nicaragua connecting the waters of the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean could be completed.
“The President pleads the great poverty as preventing their sending out to this country a Diplomatic Agent for the purpose of opening negotiations for a Treaty, and he asks the question whether it was probable that the United states would authorize someone of their Commercial Agents now in Central America or its neighbor have to meet with them at San Salvador their present seat of Government.
“These letters further state, that the Diplomatic Agents of the British Government, have or will recognize a Tribe of Indians called the Coast
January - February 2025
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Mosquitos inhabiting a large tract of country as an Independent Nation, and are now actually treating with them for the right of sovereignty over the soil which they occupy and which forms a part of the Republic of Central America and for the avowed purpose of obtaining the shadow of a right to take and carry away the valuable products of the country which abounds in mahogany and valuable dye woods….
“…this matter to be communicated to the Government at Washington and to ask the probability of a favorable disposition on the part of the President of the United States to appoint an agent to treat with them, in case a direct application should be made by that Government. Your reply to these matters is respectfully asked at your earliest convenience.
James W. Breedlove. Collector”
One of Breedlove’s duties was to prepare a manifest of slaves transported in coastwise trade to or from New Orleans. Each manifest included the name of the vessel, its ports of departure and arrival, dates of certification by the collector of customs (or surveyor), the captain or master’s name and a description of each slave on the vessel, including name, race/color, age, sex, height and name of owner or shipper.
In an April 15 letter to Forsyth, Breedlove discussed the loss of slaves on the Bahama Banks on the Brig Comet and Encomium when they were seized and liberated by British authorities. He was requesting any papers proving their ownership.
In 1838, Breedlove advised his superior that slave smuggling was being conducted at “the mouth of Sabine river,” and “foreign vessels go into that river from the British and Spanish West Indies, with slaves, and land them in the United States.” The letter added he kept the Woodbury Revenue Cutter,“pretty constantly in that neighborhood, but the slave ships found it easy to escape her vigilance ... even in daylight.” 8
Figure 4. New Orleans, April 15, [1837].
Louisiana Express Mail letter received by the State Department
The letter shown in Figure 5 was sent to Rice Garland, congressman from Louisianan J. Cable. It reads:
“Natchitoches 1st Dec. 1838
“You will no doubt be surprised to learn that General Thomas J. Rusk of the Texian Army has been invading out Territory and is now
Figure 5. Natchitoches, Dec. 9, [1838].
in the Parish of Caddo, fifteen miles from Shreve Port with one hundred and sixty Texians under his command to chastise the Caddo Indians, in which he is in search for, so said the Express sent from Shreve Port to Col. James B. Many at Fort Jesup. The Express arrived the night before last at the Fort and on receipt Col. Many gave orders for every effective man in the Fort to be in ready to march forthwith.
“At two o’clock yesterday evening he marched off with a command of about one hundred and sixty-five men and one piece of artillery to arrest General Rusk and his ban of Texians and bring them to justice. The old colonel went off. How this affair will end; I am unable to say. I think the Texians will leave this Territory before Col. Many gets to them. It has produced great excitement here.
“Yours in haste, J. Cable”
Gen. Sam Houston, as president of the Republic of Texas, called on Col. James B. Many at Fort Jesup in August 1838, for troops to help deal with a rebellion of Mexicans and Indians around Nacogdoches.9
On Dec. 28, Rice Garland presented to the House of Representatives and President Martin van Buren the information contained in Cable’s letter. Since Texas
had not yet been admitted as a state, he recommended that the boundary line where the 32nd degree of North Latitude passes the Sabine to Red River ought to be respected and better defined.
Summary of Louisiana Express Mail to the State Department
Secretary of State John Forsyth reported the total amount postage paid for express mail from February 1837 to February 1838 was $362.46, of which $304.11 was for letters and dispatches relating to Foreign Affairs, and $58.37 for Domestic Affairs.10
Following are the eight Louisiana Express Mail letters sent to the State Department in the National Archives discussing foreign affairs
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the National Archives and its archivists who located and scanned Figures 2-5, and Sandra Fitzgerald for her perspectives and comments.
Endnotes
1. Milgram, James W., The Express Mail Of 1836-1839, Collectors Club of Chicago, Chicago, 1977.
2. Figure 1, James Breedlove, accessed Dec. 19, 2023 https://tnportraits.org/portrait/breedlove-james/; John Forsyth, accessed Jan. 6, 2024 https://uspresidentialhistory.com/john-forsyth-2.
3. 25th Congress, 2nd Session, [Rep. No. 472] House of Representatives, “Compensation And Duties Of Custom-House Officers,” Jan. 25, 1838, pp, 16-17, 78-81.
4. Luckett, Robert. “John Forsyth.” New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Sept. 15, 2014, accessed Dec. 20, 2023, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/johnforsyth-1780-1841
5. Biographies of the Secretaries of State: John Forsyth (1780-1841), accessed Dec. 12, 2023, https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/forsyth-john.
6. Department of State - Duties of the Secretary of State, accessed on Dec. 12, 2023, https://www.state.gov/duties-of-the-secretary-of-state.
10. United States Congressional Serial Set, 325 Document 93, Report from John Forsyth.
104, Number 1 Collectors Club Philatelist
Book Reviews
Thomas Mathà, A World of Philatelic Fakes and Forgeries, softcover, celebrating the Platinum 70th Anniversary of the International Association of Experts in Philately (AIEP), 136 pages, in English, replete with color and black and white illustrations. € 60,00 + 5,00 for registered airmail shipping. Orders: via email to segreteria@cifo.eu or board@posthornmagazine.com.
During the last 70 years the International Association of Experts in Philately (AIEP) has played a pivotal role in keeping philately on the right track. Obviously, we can easily believe that it was not an easy task; nevertheless, this was one of the many tasks the AIEP performed diligently, professionally and reliably, as well as – most importantly –tactfully when and where required.
The volume begins with a foreword by FIP President Prakob Chirakiti with words of well deserved praise: “Throughout the past seven decades, A.I.E.P. has navigated the evolving landscape of philately with unwavering dedication. Our experts, hailing from diverse corners of the world, have contributed invaluable knowledge and insight, ensuring the preservation of philatelic integrity and the promotion of scholarly excellence.”
In his prologue, the book’s author informs the readers that: “The former AIEP president Emil Rellstab said in 1998 that ‘the situation in philatelic expertising has changed fundamentally over the years.’ In fact, he expected a formulation of parameters to be implemented by the experts regarding the quality and description of items submitted for expertization; he also sought consensus as far as the liability of the experts was concerned. Today, when we celebrate the 70th anniversary of our Association this is still true. We all know today that due to many circumstances, the philatelic world has changed even more fundamentally than Rellstab could have imagined. The reality of 2024 is: a smaller but acquisitive and knowledgeable number of collectors, more focus on specialization, and – despite a globalized world through worldwide web and artificial intelligence – a greater demand for more information. By a stroke of luck, we have succeeded in publishing a unique documentation through this exceptional worldwide collection of forgeries, which was primarily assembled by our former president Enzo Diena, undoubtedly one of the most significant philatelists of all time. Special thanks go to the collector Arnold Gasser for generously making his collection available for this book.”
At this point the author introduces a very useful and relevant glossary giving crucial information about forgeries, counterfeits, fakes, bogus issues, visual examination, paper and ink analysis, perforations measurement, watermark
detection, expert opinions, market disruptions, collector education, legal and ethical issues. Thomas Mathà sums it all up when he states that: “Philatelic fakes and forgeries are an inevitable part of the stamp-collecting world. While they pose challenges, they also add a layer of intrigue and learning to the hobby. Collectors who educate themselves and seek expert advice can navigate the complex world of philatelic forgeries with confidence.”
The latter statement is true if the reader has an adequate library of books and magazines (yes, magazines) focusing on fakes, forgeries, imitations and other philatelic manipulations, including stamp repairs, chemical alteration of colors, thinning of the paper, cleverly applied heavy pressure to minimize the presence of a crease and additions of margins to create a “deluxe” example too good to be true. Bogus postmarks and perforations add more spice to the philatelic menu, all of which goes to prove that a real stamp expert should be your best friend. Even coffee and tea are diabolically used by forgers to alter the color of the paper and ink and the appearance of covers manufactured yesterday.
At this point we visit the Enzo Diena “Rome” Philatelic Collection of Fakes and Forgeries, consisting mainly of Italian States forgeries, which will no longer baffle collectors and self-appointed connoisseurs. With a good digital reader you can increase the images to a most revealing 500%.
The second section of the “Rome” collection shows forged overprints of the 1922 Congresso Filatelico of Trieste, “Venezia / Tridentina” overprints of the Italian occupation of Austrian territory. Repubblica Sociale and Fiume overprints are also present. Volume 2 of the Rome Collection examines fakes and forgeries of Europe from Albania and Austria to German States, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland to Turkey.
The third part delves into fakes and forgeries of the British Empire from Bahamas and Barbados to Canada, Cape of Good Hope, followed by Hawaii, India, Ionian Isles, Nevis, a lonely so-called “Spiro” forgery of the Virgin Islands, Newfoundland, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Sierra Leone, Trinidad, Turks Islands and French Colonies. Part Four visits Overseas and Americas from Bolivia, Brazil, the “Big Nose” of Ceres, Panama, and the United States.
Album 5 of Enzo Diena’s fakes and forgeries of overseas countries bogus and deceptive creations shows examples of forged Ethiopian stamps, French and German Colonies, followed by the Persian lions. These are followed by the forgeries of Japanese stamps sold “en masse” in albums to naïve tourists who probably thought to please the neighbors who were supposedly philatelists. Portugal India, Philippines, Shanghai and Transvaal, play their roles as teasers of courageous collectors.
Sharing with the vast public the Enzo Diena reference collection on fakes and forgeries is undoubtedly a great merit of this volume. The other sincere kudos go to the author who has shared the names and areas of expertise of the AIEP
members; thus facilitating contacts between the Solons of philately and stamp and postal history collectors.
This book is welcomed by professionals, collectors and newcomers and is lavishly produced; by now we have understood that it is also a “must have book” — Giorgio Migliavacca
Marc Gonzalez, Reprints, Counterfeits and Forgeries of Mexico’s First Design, softcover, ISBN 979-8-218-97521-0, 8½ by 11 inches, 318 pages, privately published, limited edition of 50, 2024, $110, available from the author at PO Box 33387, Northglenn, Colo. 80233-3057, or email at marc3771,@aol.com.
Wherever there’s a potential for easy profit at the expense of others, there will always be someone there to make an attempt. That is the single-largest driving factor behind the faking of stamps and postal history. The scarcer the issue, or the more easily an item can be convincingly forged, the more attempts there are to do so. Credible literature that helps identify these fakes, explains their background and illustrates them clearly are among the most effective tools in any philatelist’s toolbox. Such is the case with Reprints, Counterfeits and Forgeries of Mexico’s First Design, by Marc Gonzalez.
Once upon a time, the earliest stamp issues of Mexico were extremely with collectors. These issues include the first issue of 1856, second issue of 1861 and the Gothic Provisional issue of 1867. It’s perhaps a little deceptive to say “first design” (as the author does); these issues include three very different portrait types of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, but the point is well made.
As Gonzalez points out in his introduction, the Mexican postal system was unique among early stamp-issuing entities for distribution of stamps.
As an effort to thwart stamp theft during distribution, stamps were not valid for postage until they were overprinted with the appropriate district name by local postal authorities. Thus, if one wanted a complete collection of the first 12 stamps of Mexico – issued from every district – as well as each of the five denominations available, one would have to pursue thousands of collectible varieties. Because some of the districts are considerably scarcer than others, there are significant value differences. “For example,” wrote Gonzalez, “a Scott No. 3 from Veracruz District could have a retail value of $5-10, whereas a Baja, California, Scott 3 might fetch $10,000.” Enter the fakers.
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Many of Mexico’s earliest issues exist with many thousands of reprints without district overprints, using original printing plates and convincing paper types, so there is certainly incentive and a significant amount of raw material for fakery. It is a reasonably simple matter to add an overprint.
By the turn of the 20th century, stamp albums were beginning to fill up with fake overprints, collectors began fearing the fakers and collecting interest in the early issues of Mexico waned. “This is a loss to philately,” according to Gonzalez, “as Mexico is one of the richest and most variety filled countries to collect. It is my intent and hope to provide detailed information with photos to assist the collector and dealer in understanding how to reveal these fakes.” With that, this major work is launched.
Over the last 120+ years, according to Gonzalez, there has been much written about the reprints, with information on how to unveil them, yet there has never been a comprehensive color-illustrated reference to help the collecting community. “In March 2020, the pandemic gave me the time and inclination to produce such a publication,” according to Gonzalez. “As a collector of fakes of Mexico for 40 years and as chairman of the MEPSI Expert Committee since 2009, I was in a unique position to have the reference material to accomplish this task.”
This publication has three major parts (divided into nine sections), including the reprints themselves (Chapters 2-4), the counterfeits or facsimiles (Chapter 5) and a section on forger’s techniques with examples (Chapters 6 and 7). Documented in this publication are all known districts that produced reprints. Each district is covered, with illustrations of the reprints, measurements and comparisons of genuine and fake overprints and examples of known fake cancels. All known facsimiles are shown in color, including a new discovery. The forgeries section provides information on techniques forgers use and goes through each district showing known forgeries using genuine stamps and covers. Historical research also provides evidence as to who, where and when the reprints were made. The forgers were not infallible, and previously known and new information is provided to help collectors unearth the fakes. There is an appendix of common cancels found on fakes and a bibliography, as well as a chapter on paper fiber analysis and pleanty of background.
This is meant as an easy-to-use reference, and it delivers in spades. My only criticism is that some of the enlargements seem a bit “soft,” but they are still produced well enough to be highly useful.
There are two versions of this work. The first, in April 2024,09 was found to contain spelling errors created by a blanket search/replace function that weren’t noticed prior to publication. Some minor formatting problems were also addressed. No new information was added in the second edition, only editing corrections. [Editor’s Note: The Collectors Club does posess a copy of this book in its library collection.]
— Wayne L. Youngblood
The Collectors Club
Membership Update: Oct. 28 through Dec. 2, 2024
Approved by the Board of Governors: Nov. 26, 2024
Resident:
Kleespies, Paul Watchung, N.J.
Non-Resident:
Constantino, Don Madison, Ind. Effner, Harold Lincroft, N.J. McCabe, Michael New York Mills, N.Y. Yount, Eugene M Rochester, N.Y.
We regret to inform you of recent deaths of the following longtime Collectors Club members and supporter: Stein, Robert Tonawanda, N.Y. Stillions, Clarence A. Washington, D.C.
If you would like to update your contact information, please contact our Executive Secretary Andrea Matura at: info@collectorsclub.org.
We appreciate the outreach efforts at the recent Great American Stamp Show (GASS), which attracted several applicants. Our ongoing 2024 remote Zoom meeting series is in progress. We eagerly anticipate the ramping-up of “in-person” activities at the Clubhouse throughout 2024 and into 2025.
Respectfully submitted, Mark E. Banchik, Membership Chair
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SCHUYLER J. RUMSEY AUCTIONS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE SALE OF:
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THE FOREIGN POST OFFICES IN CHINA
Italy, Offices in China—Peking
1917, 40c on 1l Brown & Green (Scott 11; Sassone 7)
One of two recorded examples
Scott $350,000; Sassone €600,000
Russia, Offices in China
1904, 10k Dark Blue, Vertically Laid Paper, Groundwork Inverted (Scott 11a)
The only recorded used example
The Magnolia Collection of Foreign Post Offices in China will be offered by order of the trustee in a special Siegel International auction in February 2025.This offering will be primarily off-cover stamps, including numerous rarities.
