Sale 1100 — United States Stamps and Covers
Sale Date — Monday, 22 June, 2015
Category — 1861-68 Issues, Re-Issues (Scott 65-111)
3c Rose (65). Original gum, faintly hinged (actually just a fingerprint), fresh color, Very Fine and choice, with1994 P.F. certificate
24c Brown Lilac (70a). Original gum, lightly hinged, well-centered, fresh color, Very Fine, attractive original-gum example of the 24c Brown Lilac shade, with 1998 and 2013 P.F. certificates (VF 80)
24c Brown Lilac (70a). Original gum, lightly hinged, choice centering, bright shade and detailed impression, exceptionally fresh and Very Fine, ex Curtis, with copy of 2001 P.F. certificate for pair and 2007 P.S.E. certificate (OGph, F-VF 75; SMQ $2,200.00), only two stamps have graded higher
2c Black (73). Original gum, wide margins, rich shade, crisp impression, Extremely Fine, with 1999 P.F. certificate
3c Scarlet (74). Unused (no gum), radiant color, small repair at right, Very Fine appearance, ex Curtis, with 1986 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail as with gum
5c Dark Red Brown (75 var). Unused (no gum), deep rich color in the Dark Red Brown shade and proof-like impression, almost perfectly centered with perfs clear of outer linesEXTREMELY FINE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT DARK RED BROWN 1862 ISSUE.
With 1974 and 2005 P.F. certificates
24c Grayish Lilac (78a). Original gum, small h.r., radiant color and detailed impression, Very Fine, ex Laila, Hampshire and Curtis, with 2000 and 2014 P.F. certificates (F-VF 75)
3c Rose, A. Grill (79). Large part original gum, intense shade and impression, lighter than usual grill impression which leaves perforations on all sides completely intact, faint horizontal creaseFINE APPEARANCE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1867 3-CENT A GRILL. ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE WITH THE PERFORATIONS INTACT.
Due to the nature of the grilling machine and the overall grill, most examples of this issue have missing or ragged perfs. The example offered here, with intact perfs all around, is a condition rarity.
Ex Geisler and Curtis. With 1986, 1990 P.F. and 2007 P.S.E. certificates
12c Black, Z. Grill (85E). Intense shade and impression, bold strike of negative Star of David cancel, minor soiling on back not mentioned on accompanying certificate, Fine, with 1985 P.F. certificate
2c Black, E. Grill (87). Original gum, prominent grill, attractive centering, couple short perfs at upper left, Extremely Fine appearance, an exceedingly difficult stamp to find with original gum and decent centering, ex Curtis, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (OGh, F 70; SMQ $1,000.00), we are sure this would have graded much higher if not for the short perf
2c Black, E. Grill (87). Block of six with part imprint and plate no. 51 at bottom, original gum, lightly hinged, clearly-defined grills, centered strongly to top leftTHE ONLY RECORDED UNUSED BLACK JACK MULTIPLE SHOWING THE RARE PLATE NUMBER 51. THIS IS ALSO THE LARGEST RECORDED MULTIPLE OF THE 2-CENT E GRILL.
Ex Allen, Metzger and Hansen. As an indication of rarity, the Scott Catalogue lists a plate number and imprint block of four, but does not list any larger plate block. Scott Retail $12,500.00 as block of four and pair.
12c Black, E. Grill (90). Original gum, lightly hinged, bright shade and detailed impression, wide marginsVERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 12-CENT E GRILL.
As collectors who have been searching for a superb original-gum copy of the 12c E Grill can attest, it is rarely seen in choice condition. One reason is that there have been far fewer multiples of the 12c E Grill than other grilled issues, and, therefore, fewer singles from broken blocks. No blocks were offered in sales of great classic collections, such as Crocker, Caspary, Eno, Lilly, Moody, West or Ishikawa. The Zoellner block was broken into Fine-Very Fine singles. The singles in most of the important U.S. collections offered during the past 25 years have been unsatisfactory in one way or another.
Ex Curtis. With 1999 P.S.E. certificate and 2014 P.F. certificate (F-VF 75)
1c Blue, F. Grill (92). Original gum, lightly hinged, bright color, well-centered, fresh and Very Fine, with 1998 P.F., 1998 and 2007 P.S.E. certificates (OGph VF 80; SMQ $3,500.00)
15c Black, F. Grill (98). Original gum, lightly hinged, bright shade and clearly-defined grill, choice centering with wide marginsEXTREMELY FINE. A RARE SOUND AND CENTERED ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 15-CENT F GRILL.
The ungrilled version of this issue was released in 1866, about one year after President Lincoln was assassinated. It is regarded by many to be America's first commemorative issue, memorializing the martyred president as the nation started to heal from the wounds of the Civil War. In 1868 it was issued with two grill types, the E Grill (Scott 91) and F Grill (Scott 98). 15c usually paid the registration fee on domestic mail or the U.S.-French treaty rate.
With 2014 P.F. certificate (VF-XF 85)
24c Gray Lilac, F. Grill (99). Original gum, lightly hinged, clearly-defined grill, rich color and crisp impressionVERY FINE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 24-CENT F GRILL.
With 2005 and 2012 P.F. certificates (VF 80)
2c Black, Re-Issue (103). Mint N.H., wide balanced margins all around, rich shade and sharp detailed impression on fresh paperEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE ONLY 2-CENT "BLACK JACK" RE-ISSUE CERTIFIED AS MINT-NEVER HINGED BY EITHER THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION OR PROFESSIONAL STAMP EXPERTS.
This remarkable stamp is graded XF-Superb 95 by P.S.E., which is the highest grade awarded to any original-gum No. 103.
With 2007 P.S.E. certificate (OGnh, XF-Superb 95). P.S.E. does not price this issue Mint N.H.. SMQ for hinged 95 is $13,000.00.
15c Black, Re-Issue (108). Original gum, lightly hinged, intense shade and crisp impression, Fine and attractive, only 397 sold, with 1975 and 1998 P.F. certificates
15c Black, Re-Issue (108). Intense shade and impression on bright paper, bold strike of New York oval grid cancel, small sealed tear at bottomFINE APPEARING AND RARE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT 1866 RE-ISSUE. ONLY SIXTEEN ARE RECORDED IN OUR CENSUS.
The 15c Re-Issue was printed from the original plate of 200 subjects. 10,000 stamps were printed (50 impressions). Only 397 of the 15c were sold; the remaining 9,603 were destroyed on July 16, 1884.
Our census of Scott 108 used, available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/108/108.pdf , records only 16 examples.
Census No. 108-CAN-16. This is a new entry. With 2014 P.F. certificate
24c Deep Violet, Re-Issue (109). Original gum, deep intense color and proof-like impressionVERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1861 RE-ISSUE.
Only 346 sold. With 1992, 2002 and 2014 P.F. certificates (F-VF 75)
90c Blue, Re-Issue (111). Original gum, deep rich color on bright crisp paper, unusually choice centeringEXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1861 RE-ISSUE.
The 90c Re-Issue was printed from the original plate of 200 subjects. 10,000 stamps were printed (50 impressions). Only 317 of the 90c were sold; the remaining 9,683 were destroyed on July 16, 1884. The example offered here, with original-gum, sound and well-centered, is a great rarity.
With 1973, 1991, 2006 and 2013 P.F. certificates (latter grading VF-XF 85)