US 12c Black 1851 Bisect on Sonora Cover

United States · 1851 · 12c bisect (used as 6c)

A bisected 12c black stamp featuring a portrait of George Washington, used as a 6c provisional issue. It is affixed to a postal cover with an 1852 Sonora, California cancellation.

This bisected stamp represents a provisional postal rate, likely used due to a shortage of 6c stamps in Sonora, California, during the mid-19th century. Such bisects are significant examples of early American postal history and resourcefulness.