Past Auction

Civil War Era Stamps Achieve $36,000 at Doyle New York's April 20, 2011 Auction of Coins, Bank Notes and Postage Stamps

Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 4pm EDT |

New York

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Including United States and World Coins, Bank Notes, and Postage Stamps, including Proof Sets and Many Rarities.

Including United States and World Coins, Bank Notes, and Postage Stamps, including Proof Sets and Many Rarities.
Featuring Property from the Collection of Ralph Louis Frank
Sale Totals $727,662, Far Surpassing Pre-Sale Estimate

Doyle New York held an auction of Coins, Bank Notes and Postage Stamps on April 4, 2011. The sale showcased property from a variety of prominent estates and private collections.

With competitive international bidding from buyers in the salesroom, on the telephones, and via the Internet, the sale totaled $727,662, surpassing the pre-sale estimate of $469,650-599,300 with a strong 82% sold by lot and 87% sold by value.

Important Civil War Era Covers

Highlighting the selection of Postage Stamps were three covers of great philatelic importance from the Great Central Fair held in Philadelphia on June 7-28, 1864 and organized by the U.S. Sanitary Commission. The U.S. Sanitary Commission was developed to inquire, advise and aid dealing with health and general comfort of Union troops who served in the Civil War. It was supported in part by public contributions donated at the Fairs held in the North East with eight issuing stamps. The stamps were commissioned and authorized by the Secretary of War on June 9, 1861 and approved by President Lincoln on June 13, 1861.

The first cover was the complete set of three stamps, Scott numbers WV11-WV13 tied on an oversize cover and tied by circular “Great Central Fairs June 11, 1864” cancellation. The second cover addressed to Boston bears the 10c. Blue tied by “Great Central Fair, June 17, 1864” c.d.s., in addition there are two 2c. Black Jacks tied by “Phila. Pa. June 24, 1864” and target cancels used to pay the carrier rate for regular postage. The third cover bearing a 30c. Black with a manuscript marking and tied by “Great Central Fair, June 11, 1864” c.d.s., used in combination with a pair of 2c. Black Jacks tied by “Phila. Pa. June 24, 1864” and target duplex cancels again paying the regular postage rate for delivery to Boston.

There are but a few recorded covers posted from the Great Central Fair of Philadelphia with a combination of United States Postage and Sanitary Fair Issues. These three covers were of great philatelic and Civil War significance.

The Ralph Louis Frank Collection

Featured in the Coins section of the sale was the Ralph Louis Frank Collection of United States One Cent Issues, dating 1857-1909, all graded as Mint State 63 - 65 or Proof. A career Special Agent of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ralph Louis Frank (1918-2008) had a long and distinguished tenure, which spanned the rural backwoods of Georgia; a posting in urban Baltimore, MD; and service with the elite federal security team tasked with safeguarding Dr. Albert Einstein and his colleagues while they were conducting highly-classified government research at Princeton University. Nearing the end of his career, Mr. Frank, aged 60, was awarded the Bureau’s highest honor, The F.B.I. Medal of Valor. In his free time, Mr. Frank was an avid collector of antique firearms;rare documents, correspondence and signatures; and fine art, as well as coins and currency. The Ralph Louis Frank Collection comprised 45 lots in the sale.

NEXT COINS, BANK NOTES AND STAMPS AUCTION: FALL 2011

Doyle New York's next auction of Coins, Bank Notes and Stamps is scheduled for Fall 2011. Consignments are currently being accepted. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.