2 New 24c 1861 Covers

Here's two of my recent purchases...

First up is from the Ray Vogel sale:



This is actually an overpayment, franked with a 12c, 10c and a pair of 24c Grey Lilacs to Switzerland via Prussian Closed Mail from San Francisco. The franking is actually a 4c overpayment, the sender must have assumed that the rate was 35c but in 1863 it dropped to 33c per 1/2 oz.

The next one is from the Wagshal sale:



This is a Brown Lilac paying the single treaty rate to England. Normally, 24c stamps going to England are very common, but this one from Washington DC is cancelled with a "FREE" postmark. I assume that it was likely sent by a member of Congress. Franking privileges only applied to domestic mail, no foreign mail treaty recognized franking privileges hence the 24c stamp to pay postage to England.

billw2, those are very nice covers. The 24 c is always an intriguing stamp.

second cover.. went from DC to Boston to England?
but the Washington "Free" mark is over the stamp. So the stamp was applied, a FREE ride to Boston then onto a ship to England?
Why not leave out of DC straight away? I am just curios how it got it's several ways from DC to Boston then OUTCONUS?
Looks like the addressee was a law firm.

Very nice covers.

SV, maybe the next ship for England was from Boston?

Very nice covers, BillW!

Ships were just as predominant in and around Baltimore.
I am not debating the legitimacy of the cover. I would like to know the story.

Thanks!

Sv, that's an exchange office marking. Basically, foreign mail during this period was routed through a foreign exchange office with rare exceptions. The most common exchange office markings are New York, followed by Boston and then Philadelphia. There were also offices in Portland, Maine, Detroit and Chicago. Portland is tough, Detroit is tough, Chicago is the toughest.

Basically, this cover went from DC and was sent to Boston, probably because that's when the next sailing was. The 19 is for a 19c credit to the UK, 3c for internal postage and 16c for ocean postage. The US kept 5c of the rate, 3c for internal postage and 2c for a shore to ship fee. Had an American contract steamer carried the letter the credit to Britain would have been 3c for internal postage from Southampton to ots' final destination in Northamptonshire.

Here's a cover I picked up recently that went from Appleton, Wisconsin to Germany, also via Prussian Closed Mail. Except that this one went through the Detroit exchange office. The 28c Prussian Closed Mail rate to Germany is the second most common rate that 24c stamps were used with.

Fantastic covers! I think the 1861 24 cent is one of the most beautiful stamps issued in the classic period.

Yes the covers are fantastic Bill

dude, I still want one.

I was playing with the scanner today... I can post a few more recent purchases :)

Sv, I have to see if I have any duplicate 24s that I don't need next time I hit the bank. Basically, most of what I have are blocks, pairs, strips, etc. I have been trying to plate this stamp for the past 9 years or so and I do believe that it can be done.

Rule #1 of 24c 61s... be VERY careful when buying them, this is one of the top 3 misidentified stamps that I see offered for sale. I must have, sheesh, 10 covers with off certs and easily 30% of my off cover 24s have incorrect certs. When I mean incorrect certs I mean the stamp or cover was sent to the PF as a Red Lilac and it's a Brown Lilac or it was sent in as a brown lilac and it's a lilac, or it was sent in as a violet and it's a red lilac or it was sent in as a steel blue and it's a greyish lilac. On the other hand I have a Steel Blue that was sent in as a grey lilac and a Violet that was sent in as a red lilac. I've also bought a few Steel Blues that were misidentified as cheaper shades :)

Of course, some of these are a joke to anyone who knows the stamp.. a cover used in 1865 is virtually guaranteed to NOT be franked with a Steel Blue!

Oh, another thing to remember about Exchange Office markings, a lot of it depends on the correspondence. As an example, the Pierce correspondence to Russia, pretty much all of those seem to have gone through the Portland, Maine exchange office, and while that's usually a big plus on a cover, it's just how Pierce covers are. OTOH, most Pierce covers are fantastic items for a myriad of other reasons.

Wonderful covers Bill

Thanks for showing them and for your words of wisdom.

Dianne