Lot 79
P
Fabulous Match & Medicine Proof collection, A fabulous, intact collection of about 750 virtually all different die or plate proofs (perhaps 85% die proofs) of Private Die Proprietary Match and Medicine stamps, as well as those of the Cannery, Perfumery and Playing Cards stamps. Included among the more noteworthy items are several complete "sets" of die proofs in all known colors, several Essays (Eisenhart's Matches, Electric Match Co., E.W. King matches, etc.) and compound die proofs of RS29/RO120 and RS114/115. There are also several newly-listed and probably unique die proofs of 1898 issues: RS278TC, 280TC, 302TC, 303TC and 306P1, as well as unlisted RS279P1, 300TC and 305P1. In addition, there are many other Essays and unlisted colors. You will also find what is said to be the finest of only three recorded examples of the highest priced Match & Medicine proof, 4¢ Thos. E. Wilson, M.D. die proof (RS271P1), that Scott prices at $2,500! [The reason this proof is priced so much higher than all the other proofs, even the unique ones, is that only one example of the actual stamp has ever been found (Scott $25,000), making this proof the only way for collectors to fill their album space]
Throughout the collection there are many die proofs of which only one example is recorded. Many of these were missing from the famed Morton Dean Joyce collection and many others are ex-Joyce, some still on Joyce's exhibition pages.
Incidentally, while we mention that there are many, many unique die proofs in this collection, many more are here that exist in quantities of only two or three and very few are known with more than 10 copies in existence. Based on this, it is easy to imagine that even the slightest spike in demand will send prices spiraling upward, given Scott's ultra-conservative values of $500 for most of one-of-a-kind proofs and $300 for those of which only two are known.
This is a tremendous opportunity to acquire, all at one time, the finest showing of this rare material since the Joyce collection was sold in 1991. The value stated below is the Scott value for the listed material only, with no accounting for the Essays and unlisted proofs.
Scott $190,000 ++
Accompanying the collection are three reference works: Turner's Essays and Proofs of United States Internal Revenue Stamps, the Quarteman reprint of The Boston Revenue Book and Friedburg's Collector's Handbook For Private Die Proprietary Proofs and Census of the Morton Dean Joyce Collection of These Issues.
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| Realized $95,000 |
