Sale 1093 — The Curtis Collection: U.S. 20th Century and Air Post
Sale Date — Monday-Tuesday, 23-24 February, 2015
Category — 1915-17 Issues, cont. (Scott 475-482A)
15c Gray (475). Mint N.H., crisp shade on bright paper, perfectly centered with wide marginsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A REMARKABLE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1916 15-CENT PERF 10 UNWATERMARKED ISSUE, WHICH HAS BEEN GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.
With 2009 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $7,000.00). Only six NH stamps have achieved this grade with none higher.
15c Gray (475). Top plate no. 6819 block of six, lightly hinged, deep rich color, selvage narrow as almost always, possible slight thin in top right selvage where hinge was removed, Very Fine appearance, a scarce plate block, we have offered only a few others in the past 20 years
20c Light Ultramarine (476). Left plate no. 6920 block of six, lightly hinged, pastel shade, Fine, a scarce plate block
30c Orange Red, Perf 10 (476A). Position 72 from Plate 6911, Mint N.H., vivid color, choice centeringFRESH AND EXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 30-CENT PERF 10 WASHINGTON-FRANKLIN ON UNWATERMARKED PAPER.
Ex Floyd and Gorham. With 1984, 1997 and 2006 P.F. certificates (last graded XF 90).
30c Orange Red, Perf 10 (476A). Mint N.H., rich color, centered to left but perfs clearA FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 30-CENT PERF 10 WASHINGTON-FRANKLIN ON UNWATERMARKED PAPER.
Ex Weisman. With 1984, 1989 P.F. and 1990 P.S.E certificates.
50c Light Violet (477). Mint N.H., well-centered with bottom sheet selvage, bright color, fresh and Very Fine, with 2004 P.S.E. certificate for block
50c Light Violet (477). Right plate no. 7040 block of six, single small hinge remnant on top right stamp, others Mint N.H., vivid color in distinctive 50c 1917 shade, well-centered with only the perfs at the bottom close to but clear of the design, fresh and intactVERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF THE 50-CENT 1917 PERF 10 UNWATERMARKED FRANKLIN ISSUE. ONLY SEVEN PLATE BLOCKS OF SCOTT 477 ARE RECORDED, OF WHICH SIX ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.
The 50c on unwatermarked paper with 10-gauge perforations was available in post-office stocks for a very brief period in 1917, because it was released shortly before the introduction of the new Perf 11 series. Its predecessors -- the 50c Perf 12 on single and double-line watermarked paper (Scott 421 and 422), and the Perf 10 on single-line watermarked paper (Scott 440) -- were available for much longer periods of time.
Lewis Kaufman records seven plate number blocks of Scott 477, including Top 4040, Top 4049, Top 4057 (Miller collection, The New York Public Library), Bottom 7057, Bottom 7057, Right 7040 (offered here) and Right 7057. When this plate block was offered in a 1988 Superb Auctions sale (the "Stearns-Dockweiler" collection), the selvage was slightly wider; it was reduced by about 2mm to remove some soiling at lower right, which does not materially affect the plate block and is not noted on the accompanying 2015 P.F. certificate.
With 2015 P.F. certificate
$1.00 Violet Black (478). Top imprint, plate no. 5782 and "A" block of six, lightly hinged, intense shade and impression, choice centering for this difficult plate blockFINE-VERY FINE. AN INCREDIBLY RARE PLATE BLOCK OF THE $1.00 PERF 10 UNWATERMARKED FRANKLIN ISSUE.
Lewis Kaufman records only nine top and four bottom plate blocks of Scott 478. Plate 5782 was the only plate prepared for each of the $1.00 Franklin issues (Scott 423, 460, 478 and 518).
Ex Saddleback. With 1991 P.F. certificate
$2.00 Dark Blue (479). Bottom plate no. 8015 block of six with narrow selvage, top center stamp hinged, others Mint N.H., natural diagonal flat plate bends (heavy on bottom row, but barely affect top), Very Fine plate block, but the top left stamp is a Mint N.H. Extremely Fine Gem and should be valued accordingly
$2.00 Dark Blue (479). Block of 20 with bottom plate no. 8015 in selvage, neatly cancelled by multiple strikes of Washington D.C. double oval cancel, well-centered for such a large block, bottom two rows affected by diagonal creases (flat plate printing artifacts), otherwise Fine-Very Fine, with 2011 P.F. certificate
$2.00 Dark Blue (479). Bottom plate no. 8015 block of six, cancelled by bold strikes of Washington D.C. duplex datestamp and oval grid, slight crease along right vertical pair, otherwise Fine, scarce as a used plate block
$2.00 Dark Blue (479). Used on two Federal Reserve Bank registered mail tags, one to Federal Reserve Bank in New York City with Nos. 504, 516, 517 and 518, tied by oval registry cancels, purple Philadelphia Aug. 7, 1918 double-circle datestamp, other to Bristol National Bank in Bristol Conn. with No. 499, both have perfin initials, tied by oval registry cancel, purple Boston Mass. Mar. 13, 1920 double-circle datestamp, former $2.00 slightly creased and toned spots, latter with short perfs, still Fine and scarce examples of $2.00 Perf 10 paying postage
$5.00 Light Green (480). Mint N.H., near perfect centering, bright color, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 2000 P.F. certificate
$5.00 Light Green (480). Top plate no. 8016 block of six, lightly hinged, brilliant color, choice centering, Very Fine and choice, a beautiful plate block
$5.00 Light Green (480). Jumbo margins, radiant color, crisp impression, light strike of oval cancelEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1917 $5.00 MARSHALL PERF 10, WHICH HAS BEEN GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.
Ex Kirke. With 2012 P.F. and P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98; SMQ $775.00). This is the highest used grade awarded and only one other has achieved it.
$5.00 Light Green (480). Two large used blocks: bottom right sheet corner block of ten with plate no. 8016 and siderographer's initials in selvage, Washington D.C. Aug. 24, 1918 duplexes, some creases, mostly affecting left block of four, slight paper remnants, Fine appearance, other is a block of 20 with oval grid cancels, four stamps creased, one other has tear, Fine-Very Fine appearance
$5.00 Light Green (480). Rich color, tied by "Hartford Conn." oval cancel on cover to New York City, trivial soiling, Very Fine, an attractive and scarce use on a small-size cover, with 1975 and 2003 P.F. certificates
2c Deep Rose, Ty. Ia, Imperforate, Schermack Ty. III Private Perforation (482A). Deep rich color on bright paper, Schermack perforations intact at left, full margins other three sides, neat wavy-line machine cancel leaves design characteristics clearly visible, tiny tear inside top perfFINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY 43 RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS MAJOR 20TH CENTURY RARITY.
Scott 482A, like its more famous predecessor, Scott 314A, was issued imperforate by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and sold to the Schermack Company for use in its patented stamp-affixing machines. The Schermack "Sealer and Stamper" machine typically applied stamps one at a time, and, in most cases, the hyphen-hole perfs on one side would be cut off. Unlike Scott 314A, the release of imperforate sheets printed from the experimental Type Ia plates escaped the notice of contemporary collectors, and, therefore, this stamp has a very small survival rate.
Our census of Scott 482A, available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/482A/482A.pdf , records three covers, one unused single, a used pair and 37 used singles for a total of 43 stamps. Most examples are either cut well into the design or have the Schermack perfs trimmed away on one side.
Census No. 482A-CAN-09. Ex Lessin. With 1960 P.F. certificates
5c Carmine, Imperforate, Error (485). Mint N.H. single error in a block of 25, brilliant color, large margins all around including sheet margin at right with full arrowEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT CARMINE IMPERFORATE ERROR.
During the course of production of the normal 2c plate No. 7942, three positions were noted to be defective. The plate was returned to the siderographer, who burnished out the three positions and mistakenly re-entered them using a transfer roll for the 5c stamp. The error passed unnoticed and the sheets were issued to the public Perf 10, Imperforate and Perf 11 (Scott 467, 485 and 505). The imperforate is by far the rarest of the three.
Ex Whitman. With 1999 P.F. certificate
5c Carmine, Imperforate, Error (485). Double error in block of twelve, top row lightly hinged, others (including both errors) Mint N.H., huge margins showing parts of all adjoining stamps, bright and freshEXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT DOUBLE ERROR IN AN IMPERFORATE BLOCK OF TWELVE.
During the course of production of the normal 2c plate No. 7942, three positions were noted to be defective. The plate was returned to the siderographer, who burnished out the three positions and mistakenly re-entered them using a transfer roll for the 5c stamp. The error passed unnoticed and the sheets were issued to the public Perf 10, Imperforate and Perf 11 (Scott 467, 485 and 505). The imperforate is by far the rarest of the three.
Scott Retail as hinged multiple.
2c Carmine, Farwell Ty. 4A4 Private Vending Machine Perforations (Farwell 482). Tied by "Chicago Ill. Feb. 27, 1917" postmark on window envelope, with John V. Farwell Co. accounting department return address, fresh and Very Fine, scarce, with 2008 A.P.S. certificate