A 152-year-old registered cover from Peru, franked with nine one-dinero stamps, is among the featured lots in Sparks International’s Oct. 8 Postal History of the World sale.
Offered as Lot 259, the cover was mailed March 6, 1874, from Huancavelica to Lima. It bears a strip of four and a strip of five of Peru’s 1868 Lecoq one-dinero green issue in the bluish-green shade.
All nine stamps are cancelled with Huancavelica datestamps. Eight floral stars around the edges denote registration, while a framed “CERTIFICACION” handstamp appears at right.
The reverse bears a Lima postal datestamp of March 14. According to Sparks, the nine-dinero franking paid four dineros for registration and five dineros in postage.
Sparks describes the cover as “very rare” and of very fine appearance despite a minor stain at the bottom and faults affecting a couple of the stamps. It is signed Sotoriva and accompanied by a 1999 Brian Moorhouse certificate.
STORIES IN MAIL
The cover is part of Sparks International’s fourth Postal History of the World sale, featuring material spanning the 17th through 20th centuries.
Stampless mail is a particular focus of the Oct. 8 auction, with the firm highlighting not only postal rates and routes but also the stories contained in the correspondence.
Letters offered in the sale document periods of war and revolution, slavery, migration, pandemics, travel, financial upheaval and the hazards of maritime trade.
The auction also includes early ship and forwarding-agent mail, registered and redirected covers, wartime correspondence, wreck mail and pioneer aviation material.
AIRMAIL COVER
Lot 259 features an 1874 registered cover mailed from Huancavelica to Lima, Peru, franked with strips of four and five of the 1868 Lecoq one-dinero issue. Sparks International describes the cover as “very rare.”
Another featured item is Lot 295, a registered airmail cover mailed March 15, 1921, from Basel, Switzerland, to Frankfurt, Germany.
The cover combines Switzerland’s first Air Post issue with several provisional tête-bêche issues. Its franking includes the 30-centime “Propeller” stamp, a horizontal pair of the five-centime on 7½-centime provisional, a horizontal tête-bêche pair of the 20-centime on 15-centime issue and two tête-bêche blocks of four.
The stamps are tied by Basel datestamps of March 15. The cover also carries a blue “Chargé” marking, a handwritten “per Flugpost” notation, Buser’s Briefmarkenbörse cachet and a Basel registration label.
It was addressed poste restante to Frankfurt and carries March 16 Frankfurt and March 27 Basel backstamps.
Sparks describes the cover as a “scarce usage,” particularly because of its combination of provisional surcharge tête-bêche stamps. It is accompanied by 1987 Werner Liniger and 1999 Jean-Claude Marchand certificates.
As of Sept. 20, bidding stood at $200.
BIDDING OPTIONS
Advance bids for the Oct. 8 sale can be placed through Sparks International, Philasearch and Stamp Auction Network, where bidding is already underway. Collectors can also participate live on the auction floor, by telephone or through an agent.
All lots are being sold in Canadian dollars. In-person viewing is available by appointment.
The auction comes as the Ottawa firm adopts the Sparks International name. According to the company, the change reflects its expanded worldwide philatelic and postal history activities, along with retail and private treaty services and expanded consignment and purchasing opportunities.
Sparks will follow the Oct. 8 worldwide sale with its Stamps and Postal History of Canada and British North America auction on Oct. 14-15. That sale will feature four single-owner exhibits or collections.
Another worldwide stamps and postal history sale is scheduled for November.