| BRITISH HONDURAS and UNITED STATES combination postal history (Ex Ralph HART) c1868 exceptional and exquisite combination piece with vertical strip of four plus horizontal pair British Honduras 1865 QV 1d pale blue No wmk P.14 (SG.1, Cat.£65) tied "A06", and pair 1861-62 U.S. 3c rose Washington tied partial cds and pmk'd segmented cork cancels at New Orleans where framed "STEAMSHIP" also applied. The U.S. 6c, by adhesives, show the double rate and the manuscript crayon "due 14" completes the 20c rate, the double rate franking with BRH adhesives should have totalled 8d. Some adhesive faults but a unique franking (Ex Ralph HART 1978, Lot 264 as pencilled). Letters from British Honduras 1866 to 1869 could prepay the U.S. internal postage and supplies of the U.S. 3c rose Postal Stationery Envelope were evidently available in Belize for partial pre-payment as witnessed by covers (as per scans) of JA 12 1868 to Natchez, Mississippi (ex Edward S. Knapp, Maurice Burrus), and FE 27 1868 to Shreveport, Louisiana (Ex Ralph Hart). As the normal U.S. internal rate was 10c single rate, it is not understood why partial franking of 3c were the chosen partial prepayments, but this may have been the fee payable to the private contract steamboat carrier that made the trip between New Orleans and Belize City once a month starting in May 1867. £1725 | |