An 1849 cover displaying a rare Swiss Basel dove stamp is expected to make $15,000-20,000 at Robert A Siegel.

The piece is among the top lots of the sale of the Richard C Franjola collection of worldwide covers in New York on May 19.

The 1849 cover displays a rare Basel dove stamp

It was sent from Liverpool as part of a correspondence relating to the Sarasin & Hensler trading house.

Siegel explains the stamp is "seldom encountered in this outstanding condition on such an eye-appealing entire" and describes it as "possibly the most beautiful classic imperforate ever issued from the infancy of multicolored printing."

A cover bearing an 1850 3-pfennig Saxony red is also expected to perform well, with a valuation of $7,500-10,000.

The lot was sent between Leipzig and Chemnitz.

Siegel calls it "Very fine and choice in every regard. Easily one of the finest existing examples of the 1850 3-pfennig issue of Saxony used on an immaculate complete wrapper.

"A classic postal history rarity of the world in outstanding exhibition quality."

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