Summer 2025 | July 18-20, 2025

The stamp with large to huge margins, and cover struck with red "P.O. City Despatch Post, Dec. 9, 4 O'Clock" and 1846 docketing on reverse. The cover with small closed tears and a light vertical file fold.

The earliest recorded use of the 40L2 stamp is December 8, 1846, with this cover being dated just one day later. This is the second earliest recorded usage.

Three corner creases and a vertical crease

The stamp with stains, enamel wear and a light diagonal crease.

Folded letter datelined "New York Oct the 16, 1847" addressed to North Castle, NY. Single local, pen cancel, with strike of red integral rate New York postmark.

The stamp cancelled by three bars on small cover with red "New-York 20 Feb. 5 cts" integral-rate circular datestamp. Blue "Edouard Bossange/New-York" forwarder's backstamp. The stamp with a light horizontal crease and some light enamel wear.

Toned

The stamp with large margins cancelled by manuscript "X", addressed to Peekskill, NY with red "New York 5cts. 25 Jan." integral rate circular datestamp struck over "New-York Jan. 25" circular datestamp without rate on 1849 folded letter.
The stamp with a facial ding in left margin and slightly oxidized, and the cover with toning along horizontal file fold.

Approximately 15 examples are known, either on or off cover.
Locally addressed folded letter with genuine "P.O. City Despatch Post Jan 6, 1 O'Clock" circular datestamp with matching straightline "Paid" handstamp. The datestamp with time slug suggests operation by Mead or Cummings & Wright. The stamp has been repaired with long vertical tear and other tears, previously tied by a fake four-bar grid cancel, now removed.

One of Only Seven Genuine Off-Cover Examples. Identified as #6 in Alexander's Census
Canceled by blue manuscript pen squiggle, with faint horizontal crease at top and tiny pinhole. Three margins adjoining stamp margin at bottom.

Only 6 Others Recorded in Roth's Census of Type III Handstamps
"City Dispatch. Prompt Delivery. Jul. 14 11[AM]" Type III handstamp, addressed to Josiah Martin at 1343 North 2nd St.

Manuscript "FEB 1857"

"COMMERCIAL DISPATCH AND ADDRESSING CO. 162 WILLIAM ST." handstamp on locally used cover. Manuscript "personal"

Unused, No Gum

Unused, Original Gum, Never Hinged.

Blue oval handstamp “CROSBY’S SPECIAL MESSAGE POST / 19 WILLIAM ST. / N.Y.” on cover addressed locally to Edward Stephenson Esq., 49 South St., City. Minor tears at top of cover, otherwise very fine.

Lyon records only 7 stamped Crosby covers, 6 with the Underhill & Co. Corner advertisements.
The stamp with large to huge margins incl. sheet margin at bottom, with a scuff at the bottom left of the bottom margin. Used on a window ventilator manufacturer's illustrated advertising cover to local street address.

Illustrated on page 52 of The American Local and Carriers' Stamps - LXXI, by Donald Patton. Also included as Figure 1 in Lyon's Article, "Crosby's City Post A Used Pair" and Cover #1 in the Census

Stamp with large margins, tied by "Crosby's City Post, New York, 19 William St." double oval handstamp.

Small thins and light cracks in the glaze.

Figure 5, in Lyon's Article, "The City Despatch Post 1842 - 1852 Some New Perspectives"
Folded letter locally addressed in New York City, with red "P.O. City Despatch Post Mar. 25, 4 O'Clock" circular datestamp clearly struck at far right. The stamp, tied by black framed “FREE”, has large margins to just touched and shows surface rubbing, but overall a very fine example of this scarce usage.
One of only two recorded covers showing use of a Cummings' City Post adhesive in conjunction with the Post Office City Despatch markings, documenting the transition from Abraham Mead to Cummings & Wright.
The dated postmark (March 25, 1847) proves that Cummings & Wright had assumed operation of the post by that time, following Mead’s brief tenure after purchasing it from the New York carrier department on November 30, 1846.

Only One other Known Cover. This is seldom offered, with the last sale 25 Years ago.

Cutting's Despatch Post, Buffalo N.Y., 2c Black on Vermilion Glazed (56L1). Poor impression, large margins to clear at bottom, uncancelled, thinned, Fine appearance -- this is the mysterious second example of the Cutting's Despatch stamp, which is illustrated in Sloane's records and was mentioned in our description of the unique cover in the Golden sale (lot 1015) -- it was acquired from Charles J. Phillips in 1926 and has some details that match the on-cover example; however, we offer this stamp "as is"

No Gum, Thinned.

1879 locally mailed cover with "Mar. 10/City Delivery/New York", manuscript "In haste". The #157 with a straight edge at right is original to this cover.