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Sale 272
Lot 2247
 
Airmail, 1918, 24¢ carmine rose & blue, center inverted (C3a), position 100 with natural straightedge at right and sheet margin at bottom, deep color and bright paper o.g., lightly hinged Fine.
Scott $170,000
UNQUESTIONABLY THE FINEST OF THE THREE CORNER MARGIN SINGLES.
Expertization: 1999 P.F. Certificate, signed Kessler, Sanabria, "Oriole".
The fourth of the corner copies is the lower left stamp in a corner margin block of 4.
The example with its bottom sheet margin endeared itself to both its former owner, Michael Rubin, as well as the current owner, Ron Scott, as they could immediately place their C3a on the sheet without the need to refer to the reconstruction chart. The fact that this example is in pristine condition as well produces a highly desirable "inverted Jenny" for the collector of United States stamps and errors.
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| Realized $104,500 |
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Lot 2014
1851, 1¢ blue, type I (5), Position 7R1E, an unused example with a large sheet margin at top, large margin at left and just in slightly at bottom and right; while the stamp has faults (toning, creases and a small scrape), its appearance has been dramatically improved since its discovery, as the color is quite fresh, with just the barest hint of toning, the impression is fine and the margins more than ample, allowing all the important type characteristics to show.
Scott $200,000
A MOST ATTRACTIVE AND SOUND APPEARING SINGLE AND THE ULTIMATE KEY ITEM TO AN UNUSED UNITED STATES COLLECTION.
Expertization: 1998 P.F. Certificate.
A brief history of this storied rarity is as follows: The design of this early issue was too large to allow for the accommodation of the 200 subjects onto one plate. Therefore, each position had to have some amount of the design erased to allow enough room. These erasures accounted for the majority of the types. One position, however, was not subject to any erasure whatsoever, that position being the 7R1E, the seventh stamp, top row of the right pane of Plate I in the early state. Hence, it is the only position of the 1,000 on the five plates utilized for the production of this one cent imperforate which shows the complete design. Slightly over 100 have been listed in the Wagshall census, of which most are faulty and/or cut-in. Even the slightly flawed used examples will sell for $30,000-$60,000, a testament to the extreme rarity of this classic United States imperforate stamp.
Note: As of five years ago, two unused examples had been recorded- the Waterhouse copy and the ex Kapiloff example in an irregular block. The third copy we had believed to exist has recently been certified as "used" by the Philatelic Foundation. In 1998, an old album revealed one additional unused single, the example we offer here.
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| Realized $99,000 |
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Lot 2077
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1869, 30¢ ultramarine & carmine, flags inverted (121b), well centered, marvelous color and neat rosette cancel fresh and choice Very Fine.
Scott $67,500
Expertization: 1983 and 2003 P.F. Certificates.
Provenance: Faiman
The 30¢ 1869 is the rarest of the non revenue inverts with less than 40 used examples estimated to exist. As with the other 1869 inverts, most of these are faulty. The example offered here not only possesses excellent centering and color it also enjoys complete freedom from faults and/or repairs, making this example among the five or six finest stamps extant of this popular and important error.
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| Realized $60,500 |
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Lot 2024
1858, 5¢ brick red, type I (27), well centered with perforations virtually clear of design all around, rich color and full lightly hinged original gum Very Fine.
Scott $30,000
THIS IS ARGUABLY THE FINEST OF THE FEW MINT EXAMPLES EXTANT.
Expertization: 1977, 1987 P.F. Certificates.
From our review of the records of the Philatelic Foundation, there are fewer than five surviving mint singles. This example and the ex Golin single are very close in quality, though we would "give the nod" to the one offered here.
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| Realized $49,500 |
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Lot 2169
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1920, 2¢ deep rose, type Ia, imperf (482A), vibrant color and deeply etched impression with huge balanced margins all around Extremely Fine and choice.
Scott $50,000
TYPICAL CENTERING WITH SCHERMACK HYPHEN HOLES INTO THE DESIGN AT LEFT, BUT FORTUITOUSLY CUT BY THE VENDING MACHINE SO AS TO LEAVE OVERSIZED MARGINS ON BOTH SIDES MAKE THIS ONE OF THE TWO OR THREE FINEST RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS GREAT 20TH CENTURY RARITY.
Expertization: 1986 and 2003 P.F. Certificates.
Provenance: Drucker
The imperforate 2¢ type Ia was printed specifically to fill an order by the Schermack Company, who then applied their distinctive oblong perforations to the entire supply. Most were then dispensed by poorly calibrated vending machines that, more often than not, cut the perforations off on one side or the other.
Because the Bureau gave no advance notice regarding this special printing, collectors were not aware of it until much later. Consequently, virtually none went into the hands of contemporary collectors and only about 40 examples are estimated to have survived.
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| Realized $41,250 |
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Lot 2170
1917, 5¢ carmine error, imperf (485), double error in block of 12 large margins, bright color and paper o.g., errors never hinged small unnoticeable thin upper left 2¢ fresh and choice Extremely Fine.
Scott $42,500
At some point during the period plate no. 7942 was used to print 2¢ Washingtons, it was decided that three positions in the plate were so defective they had to be replaced. Accordingly, the siderographer burnished out the three faulty positions but inadvertently re-entered them with the transfer roll of the 5¢ value. No one ever noticed the error, and so the plate was put back into service for printing the perf. 10 and perf. 11 2¢ stamps, as well as the much rarer imperfs, of which only 50 sheets are believed to have been issued.
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| Realized $41,250 |
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Lot 2114
1880 Special Printing, 3¢ blue green (194), deep color and prooflike impression on bright paper, exceptionally fresh without gum as issued Fine.
Scott $50,000
A SUPERLATIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE SPECIAL PRINTING WHICH SCOTT VALUES IN THE GRADE OF FINE. APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN ARE SAID TO EXIST.
Expertization: 1971 and 2001 P.F. Certificates.
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| Realized $38,500 |
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Lot 2139
1908, 4¢ brown, Schermack type III perfs (314A), well centered with full Schermack hyphen-holes at right and partial at left, rich color and neat wavy line cancel Very Fine.
Scott $40,000
Expertization: 1992 P.S.E. and 1993 P.F. Certificate.
With fewer than 50 from which to choose, the 6¢ imperforate is one of the rarest of all U.S. stamps, from either the 19th or the 20th century, and from this tiny population, only a small percentage are sound.
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| Realized $38,500 |
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Lot 2122
1883 Special Printing, 4¢ deep blue green (211D), intense color and razor-sharp impression without gum as issued fresh and nearly Very Fine an outstanding example of this very rare special printing of which only 26 were sold.
Scott $37,500
A CHOICE EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE RAREST OF THE SPECIAL PRINTINGS, OF WHICH ONLY 26 WERE SOLD.
Expertization: 1946, 1987, 1989 and 2002 P.F. Certificates, light signature of Stern and Ward.
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| Realized $25,300 |
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Lot 2179
1923, 1¢ green, rotary coil waste (544), nicely centered, bright color and bright paper o.g., very lightly hinged if at all fresh and virtually Very Fine for this.
Scott $20,000
A SUPERLATIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE STAMP, WHICH SCOTT VALUES IN THE GRADE OF FINE.
Expertization: 1992 and 2003 P.F. Certificates.
Among the rarest of the 20th century mint stamps, we estimate there are no more than 30-35 mint singles surviving.
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| Realized $23,100 |
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