3070 – ERIVAN X

Bats, Ball, and Diamond, Waterbury, Connecticut, Rohloff O-2, choice strike ties 3c rose to cover to Shelburne, Massachusetts, postmarked with "Waterbury Con / Sep 7 / 67" c.d.s., tear to back flap and repair to back at left, else a very fine and choice example of this rare and whimsical cancellation, one of only six such examples on cover recorded by Crowe.  
A superb example of this rare strike, carved by Postmaster Hill in...

Mortar & Pestle, Type 2, Waterbury, Connecticut, Rohloff O-6, very fine strike ties 1867 1c grilled ultramarine to locally-addressed cover, postmarked with "Waterbury CT / Jun / 19" c.d.s., with enclosure dated the prior day, back flap largely removed, adhesive with the odd toned perf, else a very fine example of this rare cancellation, Weill Brothers "R.H.W. Co." backstamp, illustrated in Rohloff (fig. 211). 

Buttonless Shoe, Waterbury, Connecticut, Rohloff O-13, full strike on 3c ultramarine, tied to cover by "Waterbury CT / Mar / 19" c.d.s., to Salem, Connecticut, large piece removed from back flap, 3cm tear at top of cover well clear of stamp, adhesive with natural straight edge and lower left corner crease, yet a crisp and very fine strike of this great Waterbury rarity, with the Crowe census reporting only three examples on cover, all...

Shield, Nine Bars, Solid Top, Rohloff Q-5, superbly-struck on 3c ultramarine, alongside equally crisp "Waterbury CT / Dec / 13" c.d.s., on cover with C.H. Gilbert Hardware corner card to Watertown, Connecticut, some adhesive remnants on reverse, adhesive with barest trace of the odd toned perf, a remarkably fresh and appealing strike, one of the rarities of the Waterbury fancy cancels, very fine.

Skulls & Crossbones, Type 3, Rohloff R-3, fine strike ties 3c ultramarine to cover to New Haven, Connecticut, postmarked "Waterbury CT / Feb / 10", cover opened at right affecting some perforations, traces of extraneous red ink at right of stamp, not detracting from the appeal of this scarce and iconic fancy cancel, illustrated in Rohloff (fig. 265); , ex Rohloff, Eubanks.

“34 in Star”, Hatfield, Massachusetts, centrally-struck on 3c brown red, on cover to New York, postmarked with Hatfield MASS c.d.s. (Jun 11), the odd spot of soiling not detracting from this rare fancy cancel; ex Grunin. (Skinner-Eno ST-C5) 

Locomotive, South Hanson, Massachusetts, full strike ties 1883 2c red brown to piece, with “South Hanson” c.d.s. alongside (14 May), staining and a few shorter perfs at top, nevertheless a remarkable example of this intricate fancy cancel, and one of the only recorded complete strikes. (Cole Pi-67) Donald Barany, in his May, 2003 article “The South Hanson Locomotive Cancel” (Chronicle, 198), records nineteen strikes of this cancel, including...

Man in Derby, Vicksburgh, Mississippi, struck on 1869 3c ultramarine, tied to cover postmarked Vicksburgh (12 Mar), to Lexington, Kentucky, slightly reduced at left, a scarce and charming fancy cancel, unrecorded in Skinner-Eno; ex Foote, Boker.

Negative Crescent & Stars, Tarborough, North Carolina, choice strike on 3c pink on buff entire (U59), adjacent Tarborough c.d.s., date unclear, to Raleigh, some light edge stains, repair to back flap tear, but desirable strike of this rare fancy cancel; ex Robertson, Boker.This visually appealing fancy cancel is unlisted in Skinner-Eno, but a comparable strike on a 3c 1869 Issue is noted in the “North Carolina Postal Historian,” Vol. 34,...

New York, New York, four covers, two franked with 3c rose, one 1869 2c brown, and one 2c Black Jack, each tied by different star, rosette, or segmented cork cancel to Great American Tea Company illustrated advertising cover, one 3c with enormous margins on two sides, the Black Jack cover with ornate scene depicting Chinese torture devices, covers with small edge flaws, a pleasing and scarce group.

Running Fox, Hockanum, Connecticut, on 3c rose, affixed to cover to Watertown, Connecticut, postmarked Hockanum (13 May), cover cleaned, accompanying P.F. certificate noting “genuine usage stamp with large tear”, not impacting the appearance of this desirable fancy cancel, with only eleven on-cover examples of any Hockanum fox-type recorded in the Duffney census, and only five of this “Type I” style, an appealing rarity; with 1988 Philatelic...

Shoo Fly, Toledo, Ohio, neatly-struck on 3c postal stationery cover, adjacent Toledo c.d.s. (7 Apr), corner card of the United States Law Association and Collection Union, to New York City, a lovely example of this whimsical fancy cancel. (Skinner-Eno PA 1s-6)