Sale 1148 — The Barry K. Schwartz Collection of The U.S. 1909 Bluish Paper Issue
Sale Date — Tuesday, 28 February, 2017
Category — Three-Cent Deep Violet (Scott 359)
3c Deep Violet, Bluish (359). Small h.r., rich color and proof-like impression on nicely blued paper, beautifully centeredEXTREMELY FINE. AN EXCEPTIONALLY CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT BLUISH PAPER.
Light blue Stanley Gibbons backstamp. With 2003 P.F. certificate
3c Deep Violet, Bluish (359). Block of four, deep rich color, exceptionally choice centering, bright and freshVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE BLOCK OF THE 3-CENT 1909 BLUISH PAPER ISSUE. BLOCKS OF THIS QUALITY ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.
Ex Col. E. H. R. Green. With 1992 and 2011 P.F. certificates
3c Deep Violet, Bluish (359). Block of four with imprint in wide right selvage, deep rich color, nicely centered, bright and fresh, natural staple holes in selvage indicating distribution through a post office, certificate describes gum as slightly disturbed, which is just some small areas of patchiness and red offset from a 2c sheet, really quite moderateVERY FINE. AN IMPRESSIVE AND EXTREMELY RARE IMPRINT BLOCK OF THE 3-CENT 1909 BLUISH PAPER ISSUE.
With 1989 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail as a normal block without premium for the imprint
3c Deep Violet, Bluish (359). Top imprint and plate no. 4927 block of six with wide selvage, four stamps Mint N.H., positions 2-3 with small h.r. straddling the perfs, rich color on deeply blued paper, small natural inclusion in margin of position 2FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE WIDE TOP IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF SIX OF THE 3-CENT ON BLUISH PAPER WITH FOUR MINT NEVER-HINGED STAMPS. VERY FEW PLATE BLOCKS ARE KNOWN.
There are seven recorded 3c Bluish Paper plate blocks of six, including one in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (4918 Right). Of the six in private hands, five are top positions and one is a left position. In addition to the plate blocks, there is one pane in private hands (4925 UR) and one in the “Postmaster General’s Collection” at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (4927 UR). This wide top plate block was probably acquired by W. Parsons Todd from one of the earliest dispersals, circa 1910-14, and was owned by him for more than 60 years, thus explaining its extraordinary freshness.
Ex Todd. With 2017 P.F. certificate
3c Deep Violet, Bluish (359). Deep rich color and proof-like impression on nicely blued paper, face-free strike of circular datestamp at upper rightFINE. THE 3-CENT ON BLUISH PAPER IS THE RAREST OF THE REGULARLY-ISSUED BLUISH PAPERS IN USED CONDITION. ONLY FOUR USED EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED.
A total of ten sheets of 400 (4,000 stamps) were printed, then divided into 40 panes of 100. A quantity was inadvertently distributed to various post offices, including the post office in New York.
Our census of Scott 359 in used condition, available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/359/359.pdf , records three copies plus one on cover. A fifth example off cover example needs to be reexamined for authenticity. This makes it as rare, or rarer, than the 5c Bluish Paper in used condition, which catalogues twice as much.
Census No. 359-CAN-01. Ex “Natalee Grace.” With 1992 and 2011 P.S.E. certificates. For the record, the P.F. issued a certificate stating “counterfeit cancel and reperforated at bottom” (473528).