Encased Postage Stamps
Civil War Period Ten Cents "Ellis, McAlpin & Co." Cincinnati, Ohio Rated as Rarity-5 Encased Postage Stamp
EP-112, HB-113, S-81, Reed-EM10. Ten Cents Stamp, "ELLIS, McALPIN & CO. - Wholesale Dry Goods. - FOR CASH - 108 Pearl St AND 119 Third St - PAT. AUG 2, 1862 - J. GAULT - Cincinnati.", Very Fine / Extremely Fine.
Rated as Rarity-5 (21 to 30 known) according to Fred Reed. The Hodder-Bowers "Standard Catalogue of Encased Postage Stamps" reference states that "Six specimens of the Ten Cent denomination have been traced, two of which are in institutional collections." This cataloger believes that EP-112 is more realistically a Rarity-6 with only about a dozen examples known. This very collectible example displays its green 10 George Washington 1861 issue U.S. postage stamp centered a bit towards the left moon. It has unbroken mica, having some faint natural hazy internal lamination craze. The case is gorgeous, appearing to be a very attractive chestnut-brown with traces of coppery-russet about its sharp legends, with an overall very clean and defect-free in appearance. The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection Sale of June 2004 offered just one Fr. EP-112 that was noted to have "problems." Previous examples of the Fr. EP-112 offered in our EAHA Auctions include; August 26, 2000, Lot 650 graded Choice VF+ which sold for $2,070; April 23, 2000, Lot 288 graded Choice VF which sold for $2,185; and our December 7, 2002 Auction Lot 638 graded Choice EF sold for $3,450; and our June 2011 Specialized Encased Postage Stamp Sale Lot 8 that was graded Extremely Fine sold for $3,405. Not having another for over a decade, this current Ten Cents Ellis, McAlpin & Co. is an opportunity to acquire a relatively affordable original example of this scarce Merchant type.