Lot
5223 
Ecuador, 1865, 1r Green, Embossed Arms, Horizontal Pair, ample to huge margins showing portion of adjacent stamp at left, positions 89-90 with full embossing on right stamp which extends slightly into frameline of left stamp, plate flaws in position 90 showing colorless spot in bottom right spandrel and broken frameline at right, tied by neat "Guayaquil, 13 Mar, 66" cds on fresh folded letter to Lima, Peru, receiving backstamp, Very Fine and choice, one of less than five recorded examples of the 1r green embossed arms variety on cover and one of the earliest usages to a foreign destination, ex-Funkhouser and Longhi. Scott No. 5b Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
AN EXTREMELY RARE USAGE OF THE 1R GREEN WITH EMBOSSED ARMS USED ON COVER TO A FOREIGN DESTINATION.
A considerable portion of maritime mail to Peru before autumn of 1866 was carried through the British P.O. at Guayaquil, without the involvement of the Ecuadorian mails. This example being one of the exceptions in this period not carried through the British Post Office.