Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions offers 1d "Perot" Provisional stamp at its "STOCKHOLMIA 2019 Private Treaty Sale" that will take place on May 29 - June 2, 2019. Only 11 examples of Perot's First Issue are known, six struck in red, five in black. The example that is being sold here is considered one of the finest of the remaining reds. The auction will also sell rare single items, sets and exhibition collections, including some world-class rarities of the U.S., the British Empire, Europe and Latin America.
William Bennett Perot was appointed Postmaster at Hamilton in 1818 and remained in his position until 1861. During the early years of his tenure, postmasters were permitted to keep any postage paid on inland mail. Outside of regular hours, though, some senders would leave a letter without payment, resulting in letters being sent free (and the postmaster losing income). In order to counter such fraud, William Bennet Perot introduced his own "stamps". They were essentially handstamps produced from an already existing datestamp, with the name and date of the month removed, leaving only the year date. They were sold to customers wishing to post letters after the post office closed.
1d red on bluish (Gibbons thick white) paper, cut approximately to shape, is selling for $150,000. An exceptionally rare and iconic stamp!
