Lot 256 Nigeria #16, 16b, 1d Deep Red & Rose Red 1921-1932 King George V Imperium Keyplate Issue, Usage On 1923 & 1935 Covers To USA

Two covers sent to the US in 1923 and 1935 at the 3d rate. The 1923 cover is sent from Jebba to Montgomery Ward in Chicago, and is franked with a strip of 3 die 1 1d rose red stamps, tied to the cover by Proud type D4 Jebba cancels, dated September 13, 1923 cancels.

The second cover is a curious one, as it is franked with a 25pf German 1927 Labour Bureau overprint issue (Scott cat. $135 on cover, $65 off cover) in addition to a pair and a single of the 1d deep red die 2 stamps. These are tied by Lagos cancels. It is a mystery as to why a 1927 German issue that had no validity would be on a 1935 cover. The only explanation I can think of is that the envelope had been pre-stamped and the sender decided to use it up, and simply added the required stamp.

F-VF condition overall. The value of the cancels in Proud is 2.5 GBP. The destination for the covers is of no premium value, but the basic covers would be $10. The stamp value on cover is $4 plus $65 for the German stamp. So, my estimate of the value of these is $80.