| U.S. Stamps: Airmail Through Parcel Post, Including an Inverted Jenny |
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Description |
Lot 2456 |
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Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue (C3), top margin arrow, double "top" and plate numbers 8493, 8492 block of 12. Crisp and full intact perforations. O.g., never hinged. A couple stamps with the usual gum skips, light bit of offset on reverse of two. F.-V.F.
Scott $2,000
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Lot 2457 |
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Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue, center inverted (C3a), position 34. Beautifully well centered, fresh rich colors. O.g., hinge remnant. Minor small thin spot. Extremely Fine appearance. One of the widest margined and best centered examples of this famous invert.
Scott $170,000
Expertization: with photocopy of 1978 P.F. Certificate.
The story behind the "Inverted Jenny" is certainly one of the most well-known and fascinating in all of the stamp collecting. It began with the somewhat hurried decision, in early 1918 (with the First World War still in progress), to issue a set of three postage stamps for the first official U.S. airmail flight, then scheduled for May 1918. Production time was extremely limited. Moreover the high value of the set, the 24c value, was to be issued in two colors (red and blue), with one color to be printed first, and the printed sheets then reinserted in the printing presses for the second color. Despite all efforts to catch any printing errors, one sheet of 100 stamps, printed with the second color (the "Jenny" in the center of the stamp), upside down, managed to escape detection.
This error sheet was sold to Mr. William T. Robey, a stamp collector living in Washington, D.C. He normally bought a full sheet of each new postage stamp as it was issued, for his collection, and it was therefore natural for him to try to acquire a sheet of the new airmail stamps. Robey could barely contain his excitement when the postal clerk (not suspecting or noticing the error) brought out the sheet for him. Robey bought the sheet (this was during his lunch hour) and returned to his job as a stockbroker’s clerk, where he told a few friends about his amazing find. They in turn tried to buy more of those stamps "with the upside down airplane". A few hours later postal inspectors were asking Robey to sell the sheet back to them. Robey naturally refused. The next day on May 15, 1918 Robey wrote to the famous dealer Elliot Perry saying "I have secured a sheet of 100 with inverted centers." (the letter was sold in our Sale 201, June 1997).
In the end, though, he did not sell it to Perry, but to a well-known dealer Eugene Klein, who sold the sheet to Col. Edward Green. The sheet was then broken up into singles and blocks.
The present single is one of few that is fresh and well centered. With so many of these stamps having distractions- 19 are straight edged, many are off centered, quite a few have disturbed gum or lost the gum entirely, some have more severe faults, and seven are apparently lost- the stamp offered here is clearly among the most attractive and desirable.
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Lot 2458 |
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Airmail, 1930 Graf Zeppelin set complete (C13-C15), a select set, extremely well centered with brilliant color. Unblemished o.g., never hinged with mild natural gum bends. Extremely Fine.
Scott $2,160
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Lot 2459 |
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Airmail, 1930 Graf Zeppelin set complete (C13-C15), blocks of 4. Nicely centered. O.g. $2.60 tiny thin speck in bottom right stamp. Otherwise F.-V.F.
Scott $6,800
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Lot 2460 |
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Airmail, 1930, $2.60 Graf Zeppelin (C15), bottom left corner margin block of 9 with plate number 20092. Deep fresh color, nicely centered. O.g. hinge reinforcement in ungummed portion of selvage, stamps are never hinged. F.-V.F.
Scott $9,900 for singles
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Lot 2461 |
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Airmail Semi-Official, 1877, 5¢ Buffalo Balloon, tête-bêche (CL1a), vertical pair. Top stamp type II, bottom type IIIa, large margins all around, fresh rich color. O.g., top stamp never hinged. Bottom thinned in right margin. Otherwise Extremely Fine. A rare mint pair of which there are only about 10 known.
Scott $21,500
This pair is listed as item number 11 and illustrated in Robert Schoendorf's The Buffalo Balloon Mail 1873-1877.
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Lot 2462 |
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Special Delivery, 1885, 10¢ blue (E1), outstanding centering within uncommonly large margins, exceptionally bright and fresh. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine and choice and choice.
Scott $700
Expertization: 1994 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2463 |
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Special Delivery, 1894, 10¢ blue, unwatermarked (E4), beautifully centered with incredibly huge margins and brilliant dark color on crisp snow white paper. O.g. Extremely Fine.
Scott $800
THE TERM "JUMBO" ACTUALLY SEEMS INADEQUATE AS THE SIZE OF THESE MARGINS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO EXCEED. THE BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED COLOR AND PAPER FURTHER ENHANCE THIS STAMP'S SENSATIONAL VISUAL APPEAL.
Expertization: 1981 P.F. Certificate.
A jumbo margined single of a scarce stamp such as an E4 is a truly rare event. This example is, without question, the largest margined, certified single in existence.
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Lot 2464 |
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Special Delivery, 1895, 10¢ blue (E5), bottom margin part imprint single. Wonderfully fresh with vivid color and a finely detailed impression on brilliant paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $350
Expertization: photocopy of 1995 P.F. Certificate for the strip from which it came.
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Lot 2465 |
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Special Delivery, 1911, 10¢ ultramarine (E8), bottom plate number 5513 single. Near perfectly centered with enormous margins, fresh brilliant color. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $200
Expertization: 1997 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2466 |
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Special Delivery, 1914, 10¢ ultramarine (E9), top plate number 5863 single. Near perfectly centered with extra large and beautifully balanced margins, stunning deep prooflike color on fresh white paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $375
Expertization: 1991 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2467 |
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Registry, 1911, 10¢ ultramarine (F1), beautifully centered with oversized margins, exceptionally bright color and paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine and choice.
Scott $140
Expertization: 1998 P.S.E. Certificate.
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Lot 2468 |
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Postage Due, 1884, 30¢ red brown (J20), virtually perfect centering, post office fresh with outstanding color and impression on bright paper. O.g., never hinged. An Extremely Fine gem.
Scott $175
NEVER HINGED HIGH VALUES OF THE FIRST DESIGN DUES THAT POSSESS EXCEPTIONAL CENTERING AND FRESHNESS AS WELL ARE RARE INDEED.
Expertization: 2000 P.S.E. Certificate.
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Lot 2469 |
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Postage Due, 1914, 30¢ carmine lake (J57), unusually wide margins for this value, beautifully centered with striking luxurious color and prooflike impression on bright paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $480
Expertization: photocopy of 1999 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2470 |
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Postage Due, 1917, 30¢ deep claret (J66a), top plate number 5537 single. Exceptionally well centered within absolutely immense margins, with prooflike color and impression on bright white paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine a visually appealing gem.
Scott $160
Expertization: 1995 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2471 |
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Postage Due, 1917, 50¢ carmine rose (J67), exceptionally well centered with uncommonly large margins, choice color and impression on fresh paper. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $200
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Lot 2472 |
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Postage Due, 1930, 30¢ carmine (J75), perfectly centered within extra wide and beautifully balanced margins with fresh intense color. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $200
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Lot 2473 |
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Offices in China, 1919, $1 on 50¢ light violet (K15), choice centering with unusually wide margins, exceptionally fresh. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine.
Scott $1,150
AN EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT VALUE TO LOCATE BOTH THIS WELL CENTERED AND IN NEVER HINGED CONDITION.
Expertization: 1999 P.F. Certificate.
This high value has always been the stumbling block to a complete set of superb Shanghai surcharges. Perfectly centered, large margined examples are virtually non-existent. To add the additional stipulation that the K15 be never hinged as well and you have a stamp that could only be imagined- until now! When we came across the above example, our first thought was "this must surely be unique". Once again, our intensive research revealed none that could compare. This is, most assuredly, the finest certified, never hinged mint single.
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Lot 2474 |
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Offices in China, 1922, 2¢ on 1¢ green (K17), perfectly centered with extra wide margins, particularly bright and fresh. O.g., never hinged. An Extremely Fine gem. Rarely seen in this superb condition.
Scott $220
Expertization: 1999 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2475 |
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Newspaper, 1885, 96¢ carmine (PR89), choice margins and centering, deep fresh color, trivial natural inclusion (not mentioned in certificate). O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine. Handsome and post office fresh.
Scott $500 for hinged
Expertization: 1990 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2476 |
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Newspaper, 1895, $50 dull rose (PR112), choice margins and centering, particularly intense color and strong impression enhanced by bright white paper, negative "B" cancel. Extremely Fine. A striking example.
Scott $450
Expertization: 2001 P.F. Certificate.
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Lot 2477 |
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Parcel Post, 1913, $1 carmine rose (Q12), right plate number 6265 single. Flawlessly centered with exceptionally large margins, stunning brilliant and saturated color on crisp white paper. O.g., never hinged. A Superb jumbo.
Scott $675
AT LAST, A MINT EXAMPLE WITH NO DISCLAIMERS. THE WONDERFUL MARGINS, CENTERING, COLOR AND NEVER HINGED O.G. FINALLY CONVERGE TO CREATE ONE UNSURPASSED GEM. THIS IS INDEED THE LARGEST MARGINED, WELL CENTERED, NEVER HINGED MINT SINGLE EXTANT.
Expertization: 1998 P.F. Certificate for the plate block from which it was taken.
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Lot 2478 |
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Parcel Post, 1913, $1 carmine rose (Q12), perfectly centered within absolutely enormous margins, brilliant color on fresh paper. O.g., lightly hinged. Small light gum wrinkle (not mentioned in certificate). Extremely Fine. A striking jumbo.
Scott $350
Expertization: 1995 P.S.E. Certificate.
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Lot 2479 |
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Parcel Post, 1913, $1 carmine rose (Q12), beautifully centered with wide margins and deep vibrant color. O.g. Extremely Fine.
Scott $350
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Lot 2480 |
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Parcel Post Postage Due, 1913, 10¢ dark green (JQ4), bottom plate number 6251 single. Virtually perfect centering within unusually large margins, fresh vibrant color. O.g., never hinged. Extremely Fine and choice.
Scott $325
Expertization: 1995 P.F. Certificate.
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