Lot 20124 – Bull’s Head 27pa two used on cover

27 Parale + 27 Parale, black on rose-pink horizontally laid paper, two singles cut-round, cancelled by clear bluish-greenish “Bakeu 27/10” cds on 1858 registered cover addressed to Takor Karakas in Jassy; bluish-greenish “Jassy 30/10” arrival cancel on reverse

One of only fourteen examples recorded in private hands from the town of Bakeu, two additional examples are in museums

Rarity: It is one of the only three covers with multiple Moldavian Bulls frankings known on the philatelic market. With the exception of the one in the German Post Museum, all others either belong to King Carol’s collection (disappeared since 1950) or are mentioned by Tebeica but never seen on the market. Last time a letter with multiple first Moldavian franking was sold at an auction was June 1974, by Willy Balasse, Bruxelles.

A great world rarity and certainly on of top rarities of classic Romania

Note: This letter accompanied a money bag (“grop”) sealed with the initials I: B: of the sender. Upon receipt, the postal clerk in Bakeu registered it with No. 1041 in the register for group sendings and made the manuscript notations “No. 1041” in the middle top of the envelope, “ku un grop bani No. 1” on the lower part and the “I:B:” initials, on the lower right corner. According to the archives of the Postal Office of Jassy, detailed by K. Dragomir in his “The Monograph of the Romanian Post Stamps” page 190, the letter accompanied a shipment of 200 gold coins estimated at 6,300 Lei. It was recorded in the register for grop arrivals of the Postal Office of Jassy on Wednesday, 29 September 1958, with the current Nr. 1015.

Routing and Rate: Usual franking for such route: postal zone 1 (up to 8 “poste” – approx. 12.5 Km) and the 1st weight category (up to 2.5 “dramuri” – approx. 8g): 27 Parale. Double franking for registered mail (“Recipisse”). Andrew’s cross on the envelope marks its pre-paid status. The only known letter franked with the 1st Moldavian issue, known to have travelled on three of the five main postal routes of the time (Drumul Mare, Drumul Siretului and Drumul Bessarabiei)

Expertise: Heimbuchler (2004) and Saraga brothers (facsimile, 1896), signed Friedl

Illustrated: Heimbüchler I, page 269 (#269/5)

Provenance: Rothschild Collection: Harmer, London, May 1938, lot # 709

Holmer Collection: Harmer, April 1940, lot # 1057

Behr catalogue # 77, January-May 2005