Lot 152 United States SC#UO54var 3c Red on Blue, 1875 Plimpton Issue, A Very Fine Mint Cover, 1884 Signal Service Envelope, Full Note Sized Envelope, Wmk 5, Addressed To The Chief Signal Officer US Army, Washington DC, $250.

A very fine mint cover of the 3c red on blue from the 1875 Plimpton Issue, 1884 signal service envelope, full note sized envelope, wmk 5, addressed to the chief signal officer US Army, Washington DC, $250.

The cover contains the test 'this envelope will be used for the transmission of monthy reports, form 1253'. In addition there is a 'war department Signal Service USA Railway Bulletins corner card'. By 1884, the US army signal service had partnered with many of the railway networks to deliver and distribute weather forecasts. Sent on June 30 1994 from an undiscernable location to Washington DC, passing through the Philadelphia sorting facility on July 1, as indicated by the backstamp, arriving in Washington DC on July 2 1884.

Scott doesn't list this variety, so we estimate it at $250. The stamp offered here grades 75 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 35/60

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

Cancellation: 10/10