Daniel Cantor Small Queens

Lot 364, 1876 six cent pre-UPU SQ cover to Bahamas, sold for $2645

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Lot 364Lot 364 1876 6c pre-UPU cover to Bahamas, franked with vertical pair of 3c orange red, perforated 11½x12, tied by two strikes of fancy segmented cork cancel, paying the 6c pre-UPU letter rate. Mailed from Toronto, Ont. (JAN.20.1876) with readable House of Assembly c.d.s. to Nassau, Bahamas Island. Toronto (Jan. 20) and New York (Jan. 27) transit cancels and with U.S. 3c claim marking in red crayon. Fresh and attractive cover, fine stamps on a very fine cover. (Unitrade 37iii)

A rare rate with fewer than ten examples recorded to the Bahamas.

Provenance: Ted Nixon (2012).
Estimate $1,000, sold for $2,300 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 452, 1891 25c registered SQ cover to New South Wales, sold for $3910

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Lot 452Lot 452 1891 25c non-UPU registered letter rate cover to New South Wales, franked with 3c vermilion (two pairs and two singles) plus two 5c gray, all tied by grid cancels, overpaying the 15c non-UPU letter rate for service via Southampton, England, plus 10c registration fee. Mailed from Toronto (AUG.23.1891) to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Oct. 9 receiver) via Windsor (Aug. 24), Chicago (Aug. 25), New York (Aug. 27) and London (Sep. 4) and endorsed “via Brindisi”. Fine-very fine and believed to be a unique rate and routing. (Unitrade 41, 42)

Letters to New South Wales were normally sent at the 12c non-UPU rate using the trans-Pacific route via San Francisco. This cover was sent to New South Wales using the more expensive 15c rate using the slower trans-Atlantic route via Southampton and Brindisi route, and is believed to be the only such recorded cover. In addition, it is also believed to be the only cover to an Australian State at the 10c registration fee.
Estimate $2,500, sold for $3,400 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 380, 1879 fifteen cent non-UPU SQ cover to Cape of Good Hope, sold for $5520

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Lot 380Lot 380 1879 15c non-UPU cover to Cape of Good Hope, franked with 1c yellow (pair and single), perforated 11½x12, plus two 6c dull brown, perforated 12 (small faults), all cancelled by light cork cancels, paying the 15c non-UPU letter rate. Mailed from Noel, NS (OCT.18.1879) to Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope (Nov. 28 receiver). With “50” (50 centimes) British claim in red, equivalent to 5d, or 10c. The cover has staining at upper right, fine. Cape of Good Hope is a very rare destination and this is the only known cover prepaying the 15c non-UPU rate, and is also the earliest recorded Small Queen cover to Cape of Good Hope. (Unitrade 35vii, 39d)

Provenance: Charles de Volpi (1966), Harry Lussey (1983), George Arfken (1997), Ted Nixon (2012).

Illustrated in: Canada’s Small Queen Era 1870-1897 by George Arkfen, p.352.
Estimate $3,500, sold for $4,800 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 49, 1890s one cent yellow SQ bisect on newspaper, sold for $7130

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Lot 49Lot 49 1890s 1c yellow, diagonal bisect, tied by squared circle, paying the ½c domestic second class rate for transient newspapers. The Railway News newspaper masthead (folded), mailed from Fredericton, N.B. (NOV.8.1897) to Westmorland Street in Fredericton. A rare franking, which was authorized by the Canadian Post Office for the Fredericton Post Office between the dates of November 5th and 8th, at which time no ½c adhesives were available. Bit of wear due to the nature of the paper, still very fine and a desirable usage of the 1c stamp, with only six legitimate examples of this bisect having been recorded. A famous item, with great provenance. Accompanied by 1982 RPSL certificate. (Unitrade 35c)

Provenance: Dale-Lichtenstein (1970), Dr. Alan Selby (1993), “Jura” Collection (2007), Victor Willson (2013).

Illustrated in: The Postage Stamps and Postal History of Canada by Winthrop Boggs, p.303.
Unitrade CV$6,000, sold for $6,200 plus buyer’s premium.

Lot 54, One cent yellow SQ with segmented cork cancel, double impression, sold for $9200

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Lot 54Lot 54 Canada 1890s 1c yellow, used with clean segmented cork cancel showing a complete double impression of the whole design. The discovery example and only recorded example of this important and dramatic error. Arguably the best example of a double printed Small Queen stamp. Fine to very fine. Accompanied by a 2013 Greene Foundation certificate. (Unitrade 35 var)

This particular stamp was featured in an article co-authored by Danny Cantor and Geoff Browning published during 2013 in Confederation, the newsletter of the BNAPS Large and Small Queen study group.

Estimate $3000, sold for $8000 plus buyer’s premium.

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