H. R. Hammer is going to conduct the third sale of the “ERIVAN” Collection of United and Confederate States Postal History on August 7. The auction will introduce to collectors’ attention a vast variety of rare philatelic items such as US and Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals, Western Express covers, locals etc. The highlight of this auction is the unique “solo” franking of the $2 green Pony Express stamp, one of the rarest of all Pony Express covers. It is listed in the H.R. Harmer sale with a starting price of $100,000.
The auction house described this lot as: “One of only six Pony Express covers to a foreign destination, one of five to Europe, one of four with Pony Express adhesives, and the unique cover to France, a showpiece of the highest order.”
$1 Red Pony Express stamp is tied by July 27 blue Running Pony to 3c star die envelope (U27) with black Wells Fargo frank. The cover with this legendary stamp passed through St. Joseph on August 8 but was not postmarked until New York on August 14 when it left on the Cunard steamship Africa, then it was treated as unpaid so 3c debit to France for U.S. inland postage and arrived in France on August 27.
