Sale 1227 — Outstanding United States Stamps and Gold Coins
Sale Date — Monday-Friday, 19-23 October, 2020
Category — 15c-90c 1869 Pictorial Issue (Scott 118-122)
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Part original gum, bright colors, three wide margins, perfs well clear of design at rightVERY FINE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT TYPE I 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
With 1996 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Unused (no gum), three wide and balanced margins but reperfed at top, small closed tear at bottom left, otherwise Very Fine, with 1999 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Bright colors, unobtrusive cork cancel, wide and balanced margins, Extremely Fine
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Wide and well-balanced margins, rich colors, quartered cork cancel, Extremely Fine, with 1997 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Bright colors, circle of wedges and red circular datestamp cancel, well-balanced margins, Very Fine and choice, with 1995 and 2004 P.F. certificates
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Warm colors, cork cancel, Very Fine, magenta manuscript on back, with 2011 Weiss certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Original gum, nearly perfect centering with wide margins all around, deep shades of Brown and Blue, fresh and brightEXTREMELY FINE GEM. ONE OF THE FEW 15-CENT TYPE II 1869 PICTORIAL STAMPS IN EXISTENCE WITH ORIGINAL GUM, SUPERB CENTERING AND FRESHNESS.
Even though the supply of Type II stamps (Scott 119) is more plentiful than its Type I counterpart (Scott 118), we have found that it is at least as difficult, if not more so, to find in such superb condition. This Type II is both centered and lightly hinged, and the vignette is nicely aligned to the frame, something that perfectionists will appreciate.
Ex Wingate. With 1999 P.F. certificate.
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Original gum, deep rich colors and sharp impression, fresh and Fine
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Unused (no gum), wide margins and attractive centering, fresh colors, Very Fine, with 2020 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Block of four, original gum, lightly hinged, rich colors, centered to bottomFINE AND RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF THE 1869 PICTORIAL 15-CENT TYPE II.
With 2000 P.S.E. certificate. Scott value $16,500.00
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Block of 20 with right sheet margin and color registration markers, Positions 46-50/56-60/66-70/76-80, marvelous rich colors and impression, slightly disturbed original gum, h.r., centered to bottom right, perf separations sensibly reinforced, creases affect center two rowsONE OF THE LARGEST 15-CENT TYPE II 1869 PICTORIAL BLOCKS IN EXISTENCE. THIS BLOCK ORIGINALLY COMES FROM THE UNUSED BLOCK OF FIFTY, WHICH WAS LAST SEEN INTACT IN THE 1920s AND WAS BROKEN INTO SMALLER UNITS SOME TIME AGO.
The 1869 Pictorial Issue was a transformative set of stamps created during a period of historic transition. With their novel shapes and imagery, they reflected the choice of President Johnson's postmaster general, Alexander Randall, but they were inherited by Grant's new postmaster general, John A. J. Creswell. In the midst of Reconstruction's political controversies, the 1869s were spurned by the public and quickly replaced with the 1870 Issue, bearing traditional portraits of statesmen, war heroes and Founding Fathers.
The four 1869 high values were printed in two colors. The 15c vignette is an engraving by Smillie, based on Balch's engraving from an 1839 oil painting entitled Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn.
We record four intact unused blocks of 20, as follows:
1) With left selvage, ex Wingate (Sale 1180, lot 174)
2) Bottom right corner selvage with blue imprint and plate no. 23, ex previous Rarities sales (including 1977), Walske and Dr. Heimburger (Sale 1054, lot 441)
3) Bottom right corner selvage with blue imprint and plate no. 23, originally a block of 33, reduced to the block of 20 sometime after our 1966 Stern sale (Sale 309, lot 144), ex Gross (Sale 1200, lot 102)
4) Right selvage with plate marker, centered to bottom right, from the block of 50 shown in Rose book (fig. 159, p. 122), ex Walske, 1999 Rarities sale (Sale 811, lot 120), the block offered here
Scott value as four blocks of four and two pairs is $78,000.00
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Deep rich colors, bold strike of unusual geometric target cancel, Very Fine and choice, with 1997 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Deep rich colors and proof-like impressions on bright paper, wide margins, light strike of quartered cork cancel, Very Fine and choice, with 1989 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Wide and well-proportioned margins, wonderful depth of frame color complemented by strikes of blue circular datestamp, Very Fine and choice, with 2005 P.F. certificate
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. II (119). Wide margins, beautifully bold strike of blue Star in Circle fancy cancel, tiny margin tear at top, Extremely Fine strike and rare on the 15c 1869 Pictorial, ex Haas (Siegel Sale 418) and Rose, with 1997 P.F. certificate
24c Green & Violet (120). Unused (no gum), deep rich colors, wide marginsVERY FINE AND CHOICE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
With 2000 P.F. certificate
24c Green & Violet (120). Unused (no gum), deep rich colors and proof-like impressions, wide marginsVERY FINE AND CHOICE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
Scarce with such wide margins
24c Green & Violet (120). Original gum, h.r., deep rich colors, clearly-defined grill, Fine, pencil notations on gum, with 2020 P.F. certificate
24c Green & Violet (120). Beautifully balanced margins, rich colors, unobtrusive grid cancel, Extremely Fine, with 1997 P.F. certificate
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Original gum, bright colorsVERY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
With 2000 P.F. certificate
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Disturbed original gum from hinge removal, centered to top right, bright colors, Fine, with 2011 P.F. certificate
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Wide margins, beautifully centered with intense colors, red grid cancel, fresh and Extremely Fine, a choice 30c 1869 Pictorial cancelled in red, with 2007 P.F. certificate (XF 90)
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Well-balanced margins with four perfect corner perfs, bright colors complemented by red New York 9c credit datestamp used as a cancel, fresh and Extremely Fine, ex Dale-Lichtenstein, with 1999 and 2018 P.F. certificates
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Block of four, each with cork cancel and with traces of red cancel, top left stamp small tear in right margin, overall Very Fine block with the bottom left stamp Extremely Fine, with 2001 P.F. certificate
30c Ultramarine & Carmine (121). Horizontal block of six, fresh colors, cork cancels as usual but not as heavy on the left block of four as often encountered, also traces of red cancels, bottom left stamp small thin spots, overall Fine, virtually all large multiples of this issue are faulty to some extent and also cancelled in this manner
90c Carmine & Black (122). Unused (no gum), rich colors, Very Fine, a scarce sound unused example of the 90c 1869 Pictorial Issue, with 1999 P.F. certificate
90c Carmine & Black (122). Wide margins and well-centered, bright colors, cork cancelVERY FINE AND CHOICE SOUND AND CENTERED USED EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
With 1975 and 2004 P.F. certificates
90c Carmine & Black (122). Wide margins and well-centered, rich Carmine frame color, light strike of red cancelVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A FRESH 90-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL CANCELLED IN RED.
With 1974, 1996 and 2002 P.F. certificates
90c Carmine & Black (122). Rich colors, unobtrusive cork cancel, few thin spots, Fine appearance
90c Carmine & Black (122). Horizontal pair, rich colors, centered to bottom right, left stamp tiny edge tear at bottom, Fine or Fine appearance, Scott value $8,000.00