Lot 317 (C) New Brunswick #2bvar 6d Mustard Yellow Crown & Heraldic Flowers, Pence Issue, A Fine Cover Franked With Bisected Single, Tied By Faint #8 Chatham Grid Cancel, One Of Two Known, This Is The Earliest, From February 1859, 1994 BPA Certificate

A fine cover of the 6d mustard yellow Crown & Heraldic Flowers from the 1851-1860 Pence Issue franked with bisected single, tied by faint #8 Chatham grid cancel, one of two known, this is the earliest, from February 1859, 1994 BPA certificate. The cover is a folded letter sheet with the usual vertical file fold, but is otherwise fresh and pristine. The stamp has the right margin just clear to just touching at upper right, while the top margin is just clear at upper right and just in at upper left, so the stamp is VG, but this is of little consequence on a cover of this rarity. The BPA certificate identifies the shade as olive yellow, but comparing the stamp to all the other olive yellow #3's I have in this sale leads me to conclude that this is incorrect, and the stamp is in fact the mustard yellow shade, which on cover, commands a 25% premium over the normal olive yellow. According to the consignor this is one of only 2 known bisect covers from Chatham to Saint John, and this one is the earliest, having been sent February 8, 1859 and arriving in Saint John On February 11. A second, 1934 Royal Philatelic Society certificate accompanies and also identified this as the 6d olive yellow, but I think that is because the mustard yellow shade was not listed in 1934.

Unitrade values this at $5000, for a fine cover, and 2022 Scott Classic assigns a $60 premium for the cancel on just the 3d (should be higher for the 6d cover), plus a 25% premium for the shade. Our estimate of the value for the condition offered is $6300.

The pence issues are notorious for condition problems. First of all the paper used was very soft and fragile: it tears very easily, creases easily and thins very, very easily. As a result, very few stamps have survived without at least one of these three faults. Many have been repaired or rebacked to conceal these faults. The genuine paper should have a somewhat rough surface under magnification, and will often show very fine mesh. If it is smooth, lacks any bluish undertone and shows no mesh at all, even when held to backlight, it very likely has been rebacked. The second major condition issue with these is small to no margins. This is because the printing plates for these were laid down by hand, by just 2 or three individuals. Spacing between the impressions was often no more than 1 mm, to even less, and occasionally slightly more, so that margins are rarely more than 1/2 mm wide. So, quite often a stamp will appear to have fewer than 4 margins, even when it does. Full margins on all sides is XF to superb. VF stamps will have 4 margins of 1/2 mm width.

This is a consignment lot. Accordingly, a 15% buyer's premium will be added to the hammer price.