Lot 1146 1882 Special Printing, 5¢ gray brown (205C), virtually perfect centering with large margins, rich distinctive color, free of the flaws that affect several of the known examples. Without gum as issued. Extremely Fine. Scott $40,000 A MARVELOUS EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE STAMP, OF WHICH ONLY 22 HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION. Expertization: 1993 P.F. Certificate. Because this was the first stamp that the American Bank Note Company produced completely from scratch—previously they had only printed stamps using plates or transfer rolls made by the Continental or National Bank Note Companies—they experienced production delays and could not meet the intended issue date of March 1. In mid-February, however, they apparently sent four ungummed sheets of 100 to the Third Assistant Post Master General, whose office was charged with selling all of the special printings to the public, as a partial delivery of their initial order of 5,000. These 400 stamps were from an early printing, probably made while still trying to smooth out the production process, and are the basis for Scott’s listing of #205C. It is believed that the rest of the 10,000 stamps eventually supplied to the 3rd Asst. P.M.G. by A.B.N.Co. came from regular press runs and cannot be distinguished from ordinary 5¢ Garfields. This theory is further supported by the fact that the 3rd Asst. P.M.G. placed his initial order for the 5¢ special printing well before the stamp was released by the Post Office Department, whereas all previous special printings were ordered long after the regular stamps had been released. This also explains the great disparity between the number of 5¢ Special Printings sold, 2,463 (a quantity comparable to the 6¢ 1869 Re-issue, which Scott values at $1,900) and the obvious rarity of #205C. Since the 5¢ Garfield was available from the 3rd Asst. P.M.G. from mid-February until its regular release on April 10th, for nearly two months it was the only way for a stamp collector to acquire the new stamp. Accordingly, stamp dealers bought large quantities to supply their regular customers. (Summarized from an article by William Mooz published in the February 1992 issue of "The Chronicle".).

Realized $49,500

Lot 1798 Newfoundland Airmail, 1919, 3¢ "Martinsyde" manuscript overprint (C1 var.), "Aerial Atlantic Mail, J.A.R." handwritten overprint applied by Postmaster General J. Alex Robinson on a 3¢ Caribou (117), tied by St. John's machine cancel, April 19, 1919, on cover with G.P.O. corner card to the Postmaster General of England, manuscript "per Aeroplane 'Raymor'", backstamped London, Jan. 7, 1920; light foxing and trivial paper clip rust at upper left, Very Fine with historical content (see below). Estimate 40,000 - 50,000 ONE OF ONLY ABOUT 16 MARTINSYDE COVERS RECORDED AND ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AIRMAIL COVERS IN EXISTENCE. Expertization: 1991 E. Diena Certificate. Included is a typed letter signed from P.M.G. Robinson to his counterpart in London. It reads, "The aeroplane 'Raymor' is about to leave for England, and the Sopwith Aeroplane has not left yet. The latter carries a mail with the stamps surcharged 'First Trans-Atlantic Air' Flight. There is a possibility of the Martinsyde Aeroplane outstripping her. I take the opportunity, therefore, of sending this aeroplane mail in the hope and expectation that it may be a pioneer, if not the pioneer, of rapid mail connection between the Motherland and her oldest Colony." The Martinsyde 'Raymor', leaving later on the same day as the Sopwith 'Atlantic', which carried covers franked with Scott #C1, crashed on take off. The mail was salvaged and placed aboard a steamer in July. However, it did not reach the London post office until January 7 of the following year. The letter is docketed on the inside by British P.M.G. A.H. Illingworth, "Posted 19 April 1919, Received 7 Jan 1920, A.H.I."

Realized $39,600

Lot 1590 () Newspaper, 1894, $6 pale blue (PR101), unused, nicely centered with fresh pastel color. Very Fine. Scott $60,000 ONE OF ONLY A VERY FEW SOUND EXAMPLES OF THIS NEWSPAPER RARITY OF WHICH THERE ARE FEWER THAN TEN CERTIFIED SINGLES EXTANT. Expertization: 1958, 1992 and 2002 P.F. Certificates.

Realized $27,500

Lot 1542 o 1920, 2¢ deep rose, type Ia, imperf (482A), centered to bottom and right, the Schermack perforations visible at left, rich characteristic color. Light wavy line machine cancel. Light diagonal crease. Fine appearance. Scott $50,000 #482A IS ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL 20TH CENTURY STAMPS, WITH FEWER THAN 40 EXAMPLES RECORDED. Expertization: 1996 P.F. Certificate.

Realized $26,400

Lot 1678 Canada 1959, 5¢ St. Lawrence Seaway, center inverted (387a), corner sheet block of 4. Wonderfully fresh and beautifully centered with full, undisturbed original gum, the lower left stamp being never hinged and the other three showing only the barest trace of hinging. A choice Extremely Fine block. Scott $30,000 as singles Expertization: 1985 P.F. Certificate. One of only two recorded corner blocks in private hands. Beginning in 1957 the Canadian postal authorities distributed stamps to their post offices only after trimming the plate number imprints from the panes. This was done to reduce the number of broken panes left in post office stocks as a result of collectors buying plate blocks. Plate blocks were only available through the Philatelic Service. Since the Seaway inverts were only discovered through normal post office distribution, there were never any plate blocks available. A blank corner block such as this is therefore, the only way to truly complete a Canadian plate block collection.

Realized $25,300

Lot 1297 1893, 4¢ Columbian, blue color error (233a), nearly perfectly centered within large balanced margins deep color and slightly disturbed original gum. Extremely Fine and choice. Scott $19,000 ONE OF THE FINEST RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS RARE ERROR OF COLOR. Expertization: 1984 and 1998 P.F. Certificates. Provenance: Zoellner The 4¢ error of color is the result of a quantity of 4¢ Columbians being printed in the color of the 1¢ value. At least two panes of slightly different shades are known to have made it into collectors' hands, this example being the deeper shade of the two. Used examples are known and would have come from other panes indicating that many more sheets were likely printed. A large number of the known 4¢ errors are faulty and/or poorly centered, and very few choice examples such as this exist.

Realized $15,400

Lot 1635 Canada 1859, 6d brown violet (13), well centered with deep color and full o.g. Remarkably fresh and Extremely Fine. Scott $8,000 SURELY ONE OF THE FINEST MINT SINGLES EXTANT; RETAINING ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL MINT "PATINA" AND BEING CENTERED UNUSUALLY WELL FOR WHAT IS NORMALLY A POORLY CENTERED STAMP. Expertization: 1996 Brandon, 1998 B.P.A., 2002 R.P.S. Certificates. The Royal Philatelic Society notes "perfs trimmed and some reinforced at top". In our opinion, while the lower most perfs on the left may have been slightly blunted by scissor separation, they are hardly worthy of note. And the reinforcement is no more than a tiny bit of album remnant that has adhered itself to the stamps gum. We maintain that this is still one of the finest mint singles in existence.

Realized $13,750

Lot 1193 1888, 5¢ indigo (216), single with natural s.e. at R., tied by bold strike of fancy segmented cork cancel on Feb. 29, 1888 cover from Jaluit, Marshall Islands to San Francisco additionally franked with Samoa 6d maroon (17b) tied by blue Apia Samoa Apr. 24 c.d.s., magenta San Francisco receiving c.d.s. with integral Paid All struck at far left, reverse with sender's datestamp confirming origin, Very Fine usage. Estimate 5,000 - 7,500 Provenance: Albert Though Samoa was not a member of the U.P.U., the Garfield stamps were made available at the Apia post office to facilitate mail to the U.S.

Realized $13,200

Lot 1743 Newfoundland Airmail, 1932, $1.50 on $1 Dornier DO-X Flight, inverted surcharge (C12a), exceptionally well centered, radiant colors on bright paper. O.g., lightly hinged. Extremely Fine and rare. Scott $11,500 Expertization: 2002 Greene Certificate. An exceptional example of the rare inverted surcharge Dornier DO-X. A world class rarity with only 20 known.

Realized $13,200

Lot 1468 o 1917, 20¢ light ultramarine, perf 10 at bottom (515d), light boxed "Pala(cios), Te(x.") cancel. Faint suggestion of vertical crease with minor soiling at upper right. Still a Very Fine example of this exceedingly rare variety. Scott $10,000

Realized $11,550

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