386th Auction

1875, 8 öre grey/red, as additional franking on postcard 2 skilling blue, as correct 12 öre-franking from “KJÖBENHAVN 13 5 1875” to Trysil, Norway, with transit marks on front. Some marginal faults. A very rare mixed currencies combination and the only recorded postcard to Norway at this rate.

1884/1902, Coat-of-Arms 20 öre blue, tied by c.d.s. "RIBE 3.-7.99" to official letter of enquiry for a registered letter to South Africa, also a privately initiated enquiry, correctly franked with 20 öre for the enquiry fee, obviously excepted from the Postal Administration since it shows the similar recordation handstamps as the official form. A very rare and most interesting ensemble.

 

1855/1945, 9 cards, covers and postal stationeries including Postal receipt for parcel and Dänish West Indies 6 cents unused card, some better items with 1864, 4 skilling on entire letter (placed against regulation at lower left) with postage due tax “2” in red crayon, postal stationery card 10 öre with additional franking 8 öre from “VIBORG 22.1.(91)” to Singapore with arrival postmark and underfranked letter card 8 öre from “KOSOR 9.5.94” to Norway, mostly fine

1877, 12 cents red-lilac & yellow-green, tied by c.d.s. "ST. THOMAS 19/1 1879" to small mourning cover to the Lord Bishop at Antigua, with frontside arrival mark. A scarce and a lovely intra-Caribbean transitional rate single franking. (Scott 11)

1905, Christian IX., 5 bit, 10 bit and 25 bit, , tied by c.d.s. "ST.THOMAS 2/2 1907" to envelope to Bluefields, Nicaragua, with transit- and arrival marks. A fine and scarce colour franking.

1902, 1 c. blue, marginal strip of three, tied by cds. "ST. THOMAS 20/1 1905" to commercial, unsufficiently prepaid postcard from "KJØBENHAVN 31.12.1905" to St. Thomas. One stamp tiny applied over the edge of the card, still very fine and scarce.

Note: The PO did not require that dues be cancelled, so very few cancelled dues exist on entire.

Illustrated in James Peter Gough ‘The Postal Card’, p. 805

1852, Frederik VIII. Essay 8 rbs. bicoloured, fresh color and good margins, no gum, scarce (AFA E5Ab)

1851, Ferslew, FIRE RBS chocolate brown, good to large margins, used on ship letter sheet with Lübeck return address, to Copenhagen, cancelled upon arrival with no. "1", with adjacent compass handstamp of 4.8.1853. Certificate Moeller (1996)

1852, Thiele 4 rbs. red-brown, First Printing, Plate 2, slightly cut in at right otherwise fine with fresh colours, tied by 4-ring mute cancel with adjacent compass postmark “KJOBENHAVN. 1.4.1852.” to entire letter to Broholm pr Svendborg, endorsed on the inside “Amagerbro pr. Kjöbenhavn, d 30 Marz 1852”, fine. The initial Thiele printing would be delivered in early March 1852, the first of April 1852 being the earliest date of usage recorded. An extremely rare First Day cover from the first Thiele printing, certificates Kaiser (1984) and Møller AIEP (2025)  (FACIT-Nr. 2II) 

1852, Thiele printing 2 rbs. blue, type 3, fresh colour and good to wide margins all around, tied by  numeral “1” to cpl. local letter (dated Riga, 5/17.Mai.1855) with adjacent blue foot post marking of 24.May 1855, in good condition. An unusual forwarded letter from Latvia

1852, 2 R.B.S., Thiele printing, plate II, type 6, fresh color and close to wide margins all around, neatly tied by numeral “1” and foot post handstamp “F. 8 23 9 53 P” to folded letter, the letter with small wrinkles, otherwise a fine and scarce entire, certificate Nielsen (2000)

8 sk. green with ample to large margins (inconspicuous scissors cut), in combination with 1864/70, 2 sk. blue and 4 sk. orange, tied by clear no. "24" with adjacent "HELSINGBORG 7 12" to lettersheet (side flaps slightly reduced) to London. Fine and very attractive. Certificate Nielsen (1994)

1854, 8 s. green in combination with 1864 3s. violet as horizontal pair, fresh colors, good margins and mostly good perforations, all tied by numeral “19” to folded lettersheet with adjacent cds. “FREDERIKSHAVN 15 5 1867” to London, from the famous Westenhoff-Correspondence, with the usual changed name in the address, a very attractive and scarce entire

1864/70, 3 sk. lilac, horizontal pair (right stamp with plate flaw 'spot under 3'), tied by clear no. "218" with adjacent c.d.s. "RANDERS JB.P.E. 11/1" to entire letter to Lübeck. Very fine. Certificate Moeller 1994

1871, Coat of arms 4s. rose, perf. 12½, horizontal pair tied by numeral “45” with adjacent cds. “NIBE 8/10” to parcel cover to Hobro, left stamp light filing fold, otherwise fine and scarce

1885, 1c. brown-red and light green, sheet of one hundred, showing varieties including a “broken C” (pos. 6), “filled C” (pos. 65),mostly never hinged, save for a small number of stamps at lower right which have been reinforced, two stamps having been re-affixed to pane with hinges, tear in right margin and other small margin flaws. Extremely scarce.  (Facit 5e). 

1876/93, 5 c. green & gray, horizontal pair, tied by c.d.s. "ST.THOMAS 6/6 79" to folded letter to Grimstad, Norway. Stamps with very light filing fold. Apparently accepted without postage due, despite the rate having been raised to 12c in March 1879. A scarce Destination.

1893, 10c red brown & grey blue, sheet of one hundred, showing the “white dot between T and S” in various positions, “white spot at foot of R of OER” (pos 71), bright colour but significant perf separation in several places, stamp in position 80 separated and re-attached with hinge, margin torn beside, fragile, yet quite scarce. (Facit 10g)

1878, 12c. yellow-green & lilac red, sheet of one hundred, showing the “foot on big ‘2’ filled” variety (pos. 50), some perforations hinge reinforced in bottom selvedge, small piece torn from lower right margin, with some perf separation to surrounding stamps, other trivial edge flaws, else a remarkably fresh and bright pane, scarce and fine. (Facit 11b; )

1873/1900, 3 c. light blue & carmine, frame inverted, and 5 c. light blue, all tied by c.d.s. "ST.THOMAS 21/12 1900" to postal stationery envelope 2c to Dunedin, New Zealand, with arrival mark. A scarce destination.

1904, Christian IX, essay 5 c. in black, stamp format and large block format, also 2 pairs of proof for 1930 Hagermann reprint

1905, Christian IX. 5 bit light green, 10 bit in horizontal pair, and vertical pair 20 bit, tied by c.d.s. "CHRISTIANSTED 6/2 1906" to registered cover to Wiesbaden, Germany, with Le Havre transit (24 Feb) on front, St. Thomas and Wiesbaden (25 Feb) c.d.s. backstamps. Scarce and attractive.

1905, Christian IX. 20 bit, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. to postal stationery card 3 c., registered to Helsinki, Finland, with arrival mark on front. Very fine and scarce.

1905, Christian IX 40 bit and 25 bit, tied by c.d.s. "FREDERIKSTAD 17 1 1907" to double rate registered letter with adjacent boxed “FREDERIKSTED / R” and additional violet boxed St. Thomas D.W.I. registration marking, to New York City. Fine and very scarce.

50 bit and Frederik VIII. 30 bit, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. to registered cover of the St. Thomas Post Office 1915 to Chicago, with arrival marks. Light horizontal fold, not affecting the stamps. A scarce mixed franking.

1907/08, Christian X., 5 bit, 15 bit, 20 bit and 25, tied by St. Thomas c.d.s. to cover from the German Consulate 1909 to Berlin, Germany, without arrival mark. Very fine.

Puerto Cabello Steam Ship Co, 1866, two 2r green singles, rouletted 9 x 9.5, one in distinctly darker shade, each tied by Caracas double circle to folded entire to Bordeaux, France, France, paying the rate for 15g carried via the United Kingdom, lower adhesive further tied by blue oval Montamat & Adoue commercial handstamp, endorsed “voie d’Angleterre”, struck with British “G B / 1F60c” accountancy mark, “ANGL AMB CALAIS” (28 Feb) entry mark on front, adjacent “8” (decimes) due marking, backstamped Paris (1 Mar), Paris a Bordeaux (1 Mar), and Bordeaux c.d.s. backstamps, horizontal fold through lower adhesive, else a fine and rare double rate entire, signed Lamy, with 1989 Holcombe certificate.

Puerto Cabello Steam Ship Co, 1866, 2 r. green, Type IIB, tied by Caracas double circle to entire letter to Bordeaux, France, endorsed “voie d’Angleterre”, with red London transit (16 Aug), black boxed “G B / 1F60c” accountancy mark, ‘ANGL AMB CALAIS” (16 Aug) entry mark, and black “10” (decimes) French due mark on front, backstamped Paris, Paris a Bordeaux (17 Aug), next-day c.d.s. arrival backstamp, small portion of text removed (but included), slight internal hinge repairs, a scarce entire.

Puerto Cabello Steam Ship Co, 1866, 2 r. green, tied to folded letter by Caracas double circle, to Bordeaux, France, endorsed in manuscript “par le paquet Anglais”, struck with black French “10” (decimes) tax mark and boxed “GB / 1F60c” accountancy mark, “ANGL AMB CALAIS” entry c.d.s. on front (16 Oct), with Paris and Paris a Bordeaux c.d.s. backstamps of same date, next-day Bordeaux receiver, via St. Thomas and England to Bordeaux, tear to front near “10”, light wrinkles, else fine and scarce. (Facit LG11)

1875 1c blue, 2 copies, tied by intaglio corks with adjacent “ST. THOMAS 12/2 1876” to entire letter to New York, datelined St. Thomas, 9th of February,  with oval Lamb & Co (Forwarding Agents) anchor handstamp. The franking  paying the 10c rate for carriage on the King Line, whose King Richard called at St. Thomas on its final northbound journey on February 12; postmarked on arrival in Baltimore with two “BALT / PAID ALL” c.d.s. Edge creasing and vertical filing folds, of trivial importance given the tremendous rarity of this cover, being the only recorded example carried on this final trip of the King Line. Certificate Philatelic Foundation (2025) (Scott 179)

"The inclosed letter was recovered from the wreck of the Steamer Metropolis, lost on Currituck Beach, North Carolina, January 31, 1878" printed on reverse of Postal Service entire with printed 'Division of Dead Letters' return address at left, cancelled by cork with adjacent "Philadelphia Pa. Feb. 12" circular datestamp, addressed to St. Thomas, Danish Westindies. Very Fine, a most unusual usage, the Metropolis was bound for Para, Brazil and was driven ashore during a gale near the Kitty Hawk Signal Station -- 102 lives were lost -- this official entire was used to transit pieces of mail recovered from the wreck (Scott UO16)

1852, kompletter Faltbrief mit Absenderstempel aus Hamburg und Leitvermerk “via Southampton p W.I.Steamer” sowie rotem Tax-Vermerk “19” (Schillinge) via London mit rotem “PAID 6.MRZ.”-Stempel an den Forwarded-Agent “Schön-Willink & Co.” in St. Thomas, von diesem weiterbefördert nach La Guayra, Venezuela. Ein interessanter Brief in guter Erhaltung nach Übersee

1875, HAPAG First printing 10c. blue-green, fresh color, good perforation and embossing, used with target cancel and adjacent cds. “ST. THOMAS 5/4 1876” on folded lettersheet endorsed “pr Rhenania” and with senders cachet “LAMB & CO Ship & Insurance Agents ST. THOMAS W.I.” alongside to Puerto Cabello, very light, unobstructive filing fold through adhesives, otherwise very fine and attractive, signed Bühler

“FRA KJÖBENHAVN”, Ra1 nebengesetzt auf mit stummen Vierringstempel entwerteter 1854 4 S. rotbraun, auf frankiertem Faltbrief aus Kopenhagen nach Marne im Herzogtum Holstein, die Marke winzig berührt, sonst tadellos, ein schöner und nicht häufiger Brief

1873, “ST. THOMAS 30.1.1873” klar auf kleinformatigem Briefkuvert mit bar bezahltem Briefporto in Höhe von 7 Cents per NDL-Dampfer “Graf Bismarck” nach Bremen mit Rahmenstempel “Aus Westindien über Bremen”, L1 “FRANCO” und Tax-Vermerk “1” (Groschen) für die Briefgebühr nach Hamburg mit Ankunftsstempel. Der Umschlag rückseitig mit Öffnungsfehlern, sonst in sehr guter Erhaltung. Ein attraktiver und in dieser Kombination sehr seltener Brief, nur wenige Wochen vor Einführung der Briefmarken in Dänisch-Westindien

1896, 10 Cents hellblau/braun mit klarem EKr. “ST.THOMAS 17.10.1901” auf Vordruckbrief “J.H. FECHTENBURG & CO” mit handschriftlichem Leitvemerk “Per Steamer S.S. Markomannia Via Havre” nach Hamburg mit Ankunftsstempel, in guter Erhaltung, selten