cover 3p dull red (1; S.G.2), single and block of four, the former with large margins on three sides and just touched on the fourth, the latter with large margins on two sides and cut to the frame on most of the other sides, tied by St. John "1" oval grids to Jul. 1855 large blue folded insurance circular from St. John to Frederiction; backstamped St. John JY 7 1855, Fredericton JY 7 1855; printed circular appears trimmed at top and at bottom, but St. John d.s. across the flap is intact and it would appear that the circular, already trimmed, was used solely to forward an enclosure mentioned in the docketing on the reverse; circular refolded with ironed vertical creasing, two creases cross the block; a very rare franking to pay the five times local rate | Christie's

Lot 42

cover 3p dull red (1; S.G.2), single and block of four, the former with large margins on three sides and just touched on the fourth, the latter with large margins on two sides and cut to the frame on most of the other sides, tied by St. John "1" oval grids to Jul. 1855 large blue folded insurance circular from St. John to Frederiction; backstamped St. John JY 7 1855, Fredericton JY 7 1855; printed circular appears trimmed at top and at bottom, but St. John d.s. across the flap is intact and it would appear that the circular, already trimmed, was used solely to forward an enclosure mentioned in the docketing on the reverse; circular refolded with ironed vertical creasing, two creases cross the block; a very rare franking to pay the five times local rate

Details

cover 3p dull red (1; S.G.2), single and block of four, the former with large margins on three sides and just touched on the fourth, the latter with large margins on two sides and cut to the frame on most of the other sides, tied by St. John "1" oval grids to Jul. 1855 large blue folded insurance circular from St. John to Frederiction; backstamped St. John JY 7 1855, Fredericton JY 7 1855; printed circular appears trimmed at top and at bottom, but St. John d.s. across the flap is intact and it would appear that the circular, already trimmed, was used solely to forward an enclosure mentioned in the docketing on the reverse; circular refolded with ironed vertical creasing, two creases cross the block; a very rare franking to pay the five times local rate

Provenance

Dale-Lichtenstein, 1970
S.G., New York sale, 1980

Lot Essay

Argenti, page 47, recorded this item as a double rate cover to England, rather than as a quintuple local rate. The use of a block of any New Brunswick Pence issues on covers is a tremendous rarity