Sale 1140 — Outstanding United States Stamps, featuring The Irwin Weinberg Inventory
Sale Date — Wednesday-Friday, 9-11 November, 2016
Category — Essays and Proofs
Gavit & Co., 5c Franklin, Black Die Essay on White Glazed (1Xa-E1e). 45 x 75mm, intense shade, usual slight translucencies outside the design, Very Fine
1847-1883 Issues, Plate Proofs on Card. Set of 174 card proofs with 17 original Post Office Department envelopes, as received by an employee of the Stamp Agency, complete sets for 1847, 1851, 1861, 1869, 1870, 1865 and 1874 Newspapers, 1873 Officials and 1879 Postage Dues, nice margins throughout, a few with minor toning, some of the envelopes with edge faults incl. 1851 nickedVERY FINE SET OF CARD PROOFS AND VERY RARE WITH ALL OF THE ORIGINAL ENVELOPES.
This collection is accompanied by an 1889 letter from the original owner stating in part, "U.S. Postage Stamps to 1883, order from Post Master General to have printed from the engraved plates the stamps used in America from the first stamps issued from 1847 to 1883 for gifts...I received a set of 174 stamps as I was in the Stamp Agency". Letter is partially stuck to photo album page.
Scott Retail for just the proofs more than $6,000.00
5c Red Brown, Large Die Proof on India (1P1). Hybrid, cut to size and mounted on 49 x 60mm card with albino cross-hatching, deep rich color, Very Fine, Scott Retail as normal
5c Black, 10c Green, Large Die Trial Color Proofs on India (1TC1a-2TC1a). 5c 41 x 52mm, 10c 53 x 66mm, both with cross-hatching, affixed to cards with signatures of engravers of 1947 CIPEX souvenir sheets, as well as officials of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, very freshVERY FINE. THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL DIE PROOFS LENT BY DEALER GEORGE B. SLOANE TO THE BUREAU OF ENGRAVING & PRINTING FOR USE AS MODELS IN DESIGNING THE 1947 CIPEX SOUVENIR SHEETS -- WHICH CELEBRATED THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1847 ISSUE.
When the Bureau of Engraving and Printing went about designing the 1947 CIPEX sheets, they did not have original dies of the 1847 Issue on hand. Famed dealer George B. Sloane lent his pair of 1847 large die trial color proofs to the Bureau to serve as models for their design. Before returning them to Sloane, the engravers and officials of the Bureau signed the cards. This is an historic set of die proofs and was a featured item in the famous Katharine Matthies collection.
Ex Sloane and Matthies. Accompanied by an article from Stamp Collector magazine by Wayne Youngblood and a 1947 CIPEX souvenir sheet
10c Blue Green, Orange Vermilion, Large Die Trial Color Proof on Bond (2TC1bf, 2TC1bi). 31 x 42mm and 29m x 33mm respectively with cross-hatching, fresh and Fine-Very Fine
1847 Issue, Proofs Balance. Small group incl. No. 2P1a with cross-hatching, two sets of 3P4-4P4 plus extra 3P3 and 4P4, latter with added "gum", finally a later New Haven Conn. reprint and a forgery of 9X1, Fine-Very Fine group, Scott Retail for only the 1847 Issue items $2,400.00
3c 1851-70 Issues, Essays & Proofs. Diverse group incl. complete set of Atlanta Trial Color Proofs, Gavit & Co. Franklin and Washington essays, Draper, Welsh & Co. Washington essays, range of Danforth, Bald & Co. incl. No. 11-E13b, Bald, Cousland triple essay and several cut singles, small range of later Schernikow essays and others, a few typical flaws but overall a Fine-Very Fine and attractive group, Scott Retail more than $10,000.00
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Gavit & Co., 3c Die Essay on Bond (11-E3d). Four, in Blue, Black, Scarlet and Brown, from second state of the die with dash above "P", three approximately 33 x 42mm, Black slightly smaller, fresh and Very Fine group
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1c-90c 1857 Reprints, Plate Proofs on Card (40P4-47P4). Large margins, just one side on the 24c close, brilliant colors, unusually fresh and Very Fine set
5c Orange Brown, Plate Proof on India (42P3). Top margin block of four, rich color on bright paper, top right stamp small thin spot typical of India paper, light crease in bottom stamps, appears Very Fine
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Toppan, Carpenter & Co., 1c Franklin, Schernikow Die Essays (63-E1/63-E9). 33 essays, each of the three stages of the die represented with a variety of colors, on old proof paper, colored bond, glazed card, most full-size, very few condition issues, Very Fine group
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1c Blue, Large Die Proof on India (63P1). Die sunk on 128 x 190mm card, with blue die no. 440 and imprint, Extremely Fine, this is much rarer than the version usually seen, which has an albino die number and black imprint
1c-90c 1861-66 Issue, Plate Proofs on Card (63P4-78P4). Complete set including the scarce 24c Red Lilac (which came only from the 1879 printing) and the 3c Scarlet, large margins, brilliant colors, Extremely Fine, a very choice set of card proofs
Toppan, Carpenter & Co., 24c Washington, Schernikow Die Essays (70-E1/70-E4). 40 essays, each of the four stages of the die represented with a variety of colors, on old proof paper, colored bond, glazed card, most full-size, just a few with condition issues, Very Fine group
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30c Black, First Design, Die Essay on India (71-E2a, formerly 61TC1). Die sunk on 66 x 80mm card, intense shade, fresh and Very Fine
90c Blue, Die Essay on India (72-E5b). Die sunk on 80 x 92mm card, deep rich color, few toning specks at edges of card are inconsequentialVERY FINE. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF THE 90-CENT TOPPAN, CARPENTER 1861 ISSUE ESSAY DIE SUNK ON CARD KNOWN TO US. A RARE AND DESIRABLE CLASSIC ESSAY.
This essay is from the original Toppan, Carpenter & Co. submission as part of the 1861 contract competition. These were re-printed in 1903 in various formats and papers by Ernest Schernikow, but this original is extremely rare. We consulted essay and proof specialist James Lee, who states that there are two examples recorded die sunk on card -- the other ex Finkelbeg, "Lake Shore" and Hansen
2c Black, Francis Patent Essay (73-E). Horizontal pair, original gum, lightly hinged, large even margins, intense shade, slight wrinkling from the gum as often encountered with this thin greenish paper, Very Fine, scarcer than the Decalcomania essays, with 1989 P.F. certificate
National Bank Note Co., 3c Typographed Plate Essays (79-E25). Substantial collection covering numerous varieties of the 79-E25 sub-letter listings, including Gibson Patent, more than 275 plate essays in total including complete sheet of 100, 35 blocks of four, bottom margin strip of five and 39 singles, wide range of colors, papers, printings, grills, both imperf and perforated, etc., all mounted on album pages with headings and many identified by Brazer numbers, Very Fine, an outstanding array of these essays, we have not offered these in substantial numbers since our "Lake Shore"" sales more than ten years ago, and even then not in this quantity, Scott Retail ranges between $25.00 and $50.00 per single, total Scott Retail well over $7,500.00
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1c-90c 1869 Pictorial, Hybrid Large Die Proofs on India (112P1-122P1). Stamp size, mounted on India and die sunk on approximately 137 x 215mm cards with full die sinkage, 1c cut to shape, 2c tiny nick in margin only, still Very Fine set
1c-90c 1869 Pictorial, Plate Proofs on India (112P3-122P3). Complete set, 15c Ty. II, large margins, few small thin spots as often seen, still a Very Fine set
3c Orange, Small Numeral, Plate Essay on Stamp Paper, Perforated 12, Grilled (114-E6d). Block of four with full "National Bank Note Co. New York" bottom imprint, original gum, h.r., vivid color, "3" pencil notation in selvage, Fine, extremely rare with the full imprint, three sheets of 150 are believed to have been printed in this color and they do not come with plate numbers, a Power Search review failed to find another imprint multiple
6c Deep Dull Blue, Large Die Trial Color Proof on India (115TC1). Die sunk on 153 x 230mm card, brilliant color distinctly different from the issued color, Extremely Fine, ex Kuphal
10c Lincoln, Green, Die Essay on India (116-E1c). 52 x 66mm, imprint at bottom, rich color, h.r., couple typical small India paper translucencies, Very Fine
10c Black, 1869 Pictorial, Large Die Trial Color Proof on India (116TC1). On 39 x 40mm card, detailed impression, Very Fine, few are known in Black, with 2008 P.F. certificate
30c Blue, Burgoyne Large Die Essay on India (121-E1a). 70 x 46mm, imprint at bottom, brilliant color, Very Fine, ex Dr. Heimburger
30c Orange, Burgoyne Large Die Essay on India (121-E1a). 70 x 49mm, light imprint at bottom, vivid color, Very Fine, ex Dr. Heimburger
30c Black, Burgoyne Plate Essay on Thin Salmon-Red Surface-Tinted Paper (121-E1p). Block of 20 with sheet margin at bottom and sides and imprint at bottom, large margin at top, small tear in sheet margin at leftEXTREMELY FINE AND RARE BLOCK OF THE BOTTOM TWO ROWS OF THE PLATE OF THE 30-CENT BURGOYNE PLATE ESSAY. PROBABLY UNIQUE.
Ex "Lake Shore"". Scott Retail as singles without premium for the position
30c Black, Burgoyne Plate Essay on Thin Brown-Violet Surface-Tinted Paper (121-E1p). Block of four from the bottom left corner of the sheet, with massive 55 x 30mm margins clearly showing where the paper tinting ended, fresh and Extremely Fine, a striking position piece, Scott Retail for four normal singles without premium for the position
30c Burgoyne, Carmine Essay on Canary entire (Undersander E43Am). 223 x 100mm, radiant color, small soiling spot at left, still Very Fine and scarce, ex "Lake Shore""
90c Washington, Plate Essay on Stamp Paper (122-E2b). Four of the five listed colors, Red-Brown, Blue, Dull Violet and Pale Orange-Red, large margins throughout with just one side on the Blue close, Very Fine-Extremely Fine