Encased Postage Stamps
Ten Cents "Ellis, McAlpin & Co." Cincinnati, Ohio Civil War Period Encased Postage Stamp Rarity-5 (21-30 Known)
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." 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 it is more realistically a Rarity-6 with about 10 to 20 examples known. This Merchant encasements legend reads: "Ellis, McAlpin & Co. - Wholesale Dry Goods. - FOR CASH - 108 Pearl St AND 119 Third St - PAT. AUG 2, 1862 - J. GAULT - Cincinnati."
This pleasing example displays a deep green 10 George Washington 1861 Issue U.S. Postage Stamp. It has clean, clear unbroken mica, having just one faint natural internal craze at the top rim edge. The case is a perfect natural chestnut-brown, its legends very clean and defect free in appearance. The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection Sale of June 2004 offered just one Fr. EP-112 example and that Ford piece was noted to have "problems." Previous examples of 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, in our June 2011 Specialized Encased Postage Stamp Sale, Lot 8 graded Extremely Fine sold for $3,405. This current Ten Cents Ellis, McAlpin & Co. is an opportunity to acquire a very lovely example of this scarce Merchant type. Provenance Ex: William H. Kelly Collection Sale, January 5, 2012, Lot 15575 (with lot tag).
KEYWORDS:
Civil War Currency, John Gault, Scovill, Waterbury, Connecticut, Civil War Money