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Auction: 15USA - The William H. Gross Collection
Lot: 69

S.G. #55, 1917 ""WAR STAMP 1 1/2d"" Surcharge on 2 1/2p Deep blue, the rare type 16, a remarkable franking of a single and a horizontal pair of this most important surcharge type (along with a single of the type 15 surcharge), all tied to a small neat registered cover to Reading, England by ""Georgetown/Oc 9 17/Grand Cayman"" type 5 c.d.s., with ""R"" in oval handstamp and blue crayon registration ""label"" type R6, various transit and receiving markings on reverse, just the faintest trace of toning on a couple of perf. tips, very fine; a cover of immense rarity as very few examples of the type 16 surcharges are known, and our research indicates that only two full covers and one cover front are franked with this surcharge, the other full cover, which bears only a single franking is used out of period (1919), so this cover is unique in the fact that it is the only cover bearing three examples, used in the right time period and completely intact; the aforementioned cover front was sold in our February 2007 sale of Richard Maisel´s award-winning Cayman Islands collection, where it realized $8,000.00, plus the buyer´s premium; an essential cover for the serious Cayman Islands or War Tax specialist; 1995 BPA certificate; ex-Mer Estimate US$ 7,600-9,500

Sold for
$11,775