The 90¢ stamp was probably issued in late March or early April, 1869, but only one such cover is known to have existed and that is on a cover from Boston to Calcutta, India. This cover was sent in 1873, and to date, is the only known example of the 90¢ used on cover. The cover originally reposed in the David Baker collection, which was stolen in the early 1970’s. When the collection was recovered, this cover, known as the “Ice House” cover, was not among the items that were recovered. Many believe that the cover had been destroyed or that perhaps the 90¢ stamp was soaked off the cover and sold as a used stamp. It reappeared in 2009 and was sold in NY for $375,000. It is known as the “Ice House” cover because it is addressed to Mr. James H. Bancroft, Ice House, Calcutta, East Indies (now India). The largest known unused block is a vertical block of six, of which there are two known, and there are approximately six unused blocks of four and eight used blocks of four. The only known piece with the 90¢ stamp on it has a 90¢ stamp with a “New York Steamship” cancellation in black. There are no other used 90¢ stamps on piece or cover currently known to exist. Although there are no recorded inverts of the postal issue, when producing the proof an error was made with the vignette.
