Cherrystone to sell part 1 of expansive Kugel collection of worldwide stamps and postal history June 18-19

By Charles Snee

The first part of the massive collection of worldwide stamps and postal history formed by Alfred F. “Al” Kugel (1930-2022) will be sold by Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers during a June 18-19 sale at its gallery in Teaneck, N.J.

Each day’s session will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

Kugel’s expansive holdings were donated to the American Philatelic Society following his death.

Following the completion of a rigorous appraisal on Aug. 1, 2023, Kugel’s philatelic material and literature were released to the APS.

Invitations to bid on the sale of the Kugel estate were sent following the completion of the Aug. 10-13, 2023, Great American Stamp Show in Cleveland.

Requests for proposals were sent out Aug. 28, 2023, and the APS received seven responses.

“Cherrystone was selected from a field of seven firms from the United States and Europe, vying for the honor of bringing the Kugel Estate to market,” the APS said in a news release published Feb. 28 on its website.

“The first of many to follow, this sale is only a sample of the vast amount of material yet to be presented,” Cherrystone said.

According to Cherrystone, the June 18-19 auction opens “with United States Dollar values on cover, U.S. Postal Agencies in the Far East, U.S. International Registration Exchange Labels, U.S. Intervention in Mexico and Registered Mail from U.S. Possessions.”

“There is a splendid selection of the International Intervention in China during the Boxer Rebellion, extensive showing of German Colonies in China and the Pacific, with dozens of rare and unusual items, including unique Tientsin handstamps on 2m and 3m Reichspost [stamps],” Cherrystone said. “In addition, there are selections of World War I British Occupation of Baghdad, Jordan, Salonika, Mafia Island, Saudi Arabia, plus elusive covers from the Austrian, British, Ottoman, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese Empires.”

Among the more unusual U.S. items is a Jan. 22, 1919, registration receipt for a locked pouch sent from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to its branch in Detroit.

As shown above, the receipt is still mounted on the exhibit page Kugel created.

The receipt is franked with three 1917 50¢ Franklin stamps (Scott 517), a 1917 20¢ Franklin (515) and a 1917 8¢ Franklin (508). Also affixed to the document are a 1917 5¢ documentary revenue stamp (R232) and a 1917 2¢ documentary revenue stamp (R229).

In his description of the receipt at the bottom of the exhibit page, Kugel explained how the stamps were used:

“Postage of $1.78 would be accounted for by two packets in the pouch: one of 70 pounds (the weight limit for fourth class [mail]) and the other of 5 pounds. Postage on the first would be $1.44 plus 10 cents registry and the other would be 14 cents postage plus 10 cents [registry], for a grand total of $1.78. The war tax of 7 cents (paid by Documentary revenue stamps) would apply only to the larger packet as the other was under 25 cents.”

Cherrystone is offering this 1919 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago registration receipt with an opening bid of $180.

The 1917 50¢ Franklin used on cover is valued at $400 in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.

Various offices abroad are well represented in the sale.

One highlight among the lots of Germany offices abroad is a March 12, 1901, registered cover from the German office in Tientsin, China, that was mailed locally and franked with a Germany – Offices in China 50-pfennig purple and black on salmon paper (Scott 22) and a Germany – Offices in China 80pf lake and black on rose paper (23). The stamps are Germany 1900 Germania issues overprinted “China” diagonally from lower left to upper right.

Cherrystone notes that the cover is reduced at top and has a horizontal file fold away from the stamps. A Tientsin registry label is affixed at upper right, and both stamps are neatly tied to the cover with bold strikes of a “Tientsin Deutsche Post” circular datestamp.

The cover is signed by various experts (including Behrens, Brandes, Kohler and Bothe) and is accompanied by a 2024 expertizing certificate from Michael Jaschke-Lantelme, according to Cherrystone.

Jaschke-Lantelme states on the certificate that the cover was last offered in a 1951 Ebel auction.

Cherrystone is offering this handsome 1901 registered cover from Tientsin, China, with a starting bid of $5,000.

The 50pf and 80pf stamps are valued on cover at $27,500 and $11,500, respectively, in the Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940.

The catalog for the June 18-19 auction of part 1 of the Kugel collection can be viewed and is available for download on the Cherrystone website, with online bidding options available through Cherrystone and Stamp Auction Network.

Information also is available from Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers, 300 Frank W. Burr Blvd., Second Floor, Box 35, Teaneck, NJ 07666.

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