UNITED STATES STAMPED COVERS

RARE SHORT PAID 1861 US #20 1¢ BLUE PLATE #12 DOUBLE PERFORATED STRIP OF THREE ON TRANS-ATLANTIC COVER WITH BLUE CHICAGO ROCKING HORSE CANCEL AND ACCOUNTING MARKS
TO INVENTOR OF THE CIVIL WAR VANDENBURG VOLLEY GUN
WITH AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY EXPERT CERTIFICATE

Rare Short Paid 1861 1¢ Blue Plate #12 Strip of Three Double Perforated cover from Chicago
 to London with Blue Chicago Rocking Horse cancel & Black London 1 shilling due mark to
General Origen Van Denburgh, Civil War inventor of the Vandenburg Volley Gun
Scott 2006 Catalogue Value for Strip of Three with single perfs off cover = $950 USD.

Front: A very interesting and rare Trans-Atlantic cover. Strip of three US #20 tied to cover by two strikes of a Blue "CHICAGO/AUG/7/ILLs" double circle CDS with duplex blue circle gird cancel. Also has two strikes of the "21/CENTS" Blue Chicago "Rocking Horse" accountancy marking indicating that the 3¢ paid by stamps left 21¢ due for ocean carriage and British local delivery. There is a black 1 Shilling due accountancy mark applied the London Foreign Post Office reflecting the 1s or 24¢ charge which included US carriage, ocean carriage and British inland post. The black shilling handstamp was applied in London and indicated that the full 1 shilling or 24¢ was to be collected. If the full amount was not prepaid, then any amount paid was disregarded and the full amount was due. Thus the black 1 shilling due mark.
Reverse: Nothing to note except that the tear has been reinforced inside the envelope.
Notes: What this cover may lack in condition is offset by its rarity. Single stamp double perfed #20's are uncommon, but to find a strip of three used on a short paid Trans-Atlantic cover with attractive and scarce blue Chicago markings is indeed rare. ex Gaston. But that is just the beginning of understanding and appreciating this cover. This is an interesting American Civil War cover to the inventor of the Vandenburg Volley Gun. General Origen Van Denburgh (Vandenburg) designed one of the precursors to the machine gun and the Gatling gun. A General in the New York State Militia, he unsuccessfully approached the Union Army to build and use his Volley Gun. In 1861 he went to England and was successful in getting the gun manufactured by Robinson & Cottam of London. (why he was being written to in London) The gun had a variety of barrels from 85 up to 451 from .45 caliber up to .50 caliber. Van Den Burgh gave three guns to the Secretary for War for the Union but after field testing the US Army decided the manufactured model was impractical for field service. It was then offered to the Confederacy and one or more were purchased by the Governor Vance of North Carolina and one is recorded as being used in the Seige of Petersburg. The gun had good accuracy and a range up to 2500 yards firing projectiles pointed at both ends and some with fins for stabilized flight. The gun fired all barrels simultaneously and thus was not properly a machine gun with sustained fire, but a volley gun issuing a hail of bullets at one time. The larger 451 barrel model was designed to fire clusters of barrels in succession.
Condition: The envelope has a tear across its face which impacts the left stamp. The back has adhesions and at some point someone attempted a repair of the cover from the inside. The left stamp is missing the upper left corner and has a left tear (not mentioned in cert). The right stamp upper right corner is somewhat crumpled.
Contents: Envelope only, no contents. Addressed to General O Van Denburgh, 72 Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, London

Reverse of Cover

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