Sale 1234 — The Gary Petersen Collection of Important United States Stamps
Sale Date — Thursday-Friday, 29-30 April, 2021
Category — 1908-12 Issues (Scott 385-404)
1c Green, Coil (385). Mint N.H. guide line pair, rich color, Fine, with 2000 P.S.E. certificate
2c Carmine, Coil (388). Original gum, h.r., brilliant color on bright paper, Fine, with 2021 P.F. certificate
2c Carmine, Coil (388). Guide line pair, original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich colorA FINE AND RARE GUIDE LINE PAIR OF THE 1910 2-CENT PERF 12 COIL WITH SINGLE-LINE WATERMARK, SCOTT 388.
With 1966 P.F. certificate.
3c Deep Violet, Orangeburg Coil (389). Deep rich color, neat wavy-line machine cancel, light vertical creases as do many examples of this rarity, which was used on bulky envelopesFINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE ORANGEBURG COIL.
The Orangeburg coil was made by the Post Office Department in 1911 specifically for use by the Bell Pharmaceutical Company. The 3c coil stamps were used to send samples of their products to physicians. Due to the quantity of mail, they were put through the first-class cancelling machine at Orangeburg, New York. Because the coil stamps were used on envelopes containing products, many of the surviving copies are faulty to some extent.
Ex McCree. With 1995 P.F. certificate
3c Deep Violet, Orangeburg Coil (389). Pair, original gum, left stamp Mint N.H., right stamp h.r., deep rich color and proof-like impression, right stamp has trivial small thin spotFINE-VERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE PAIR CONTAINING THE ONLY KNOWN MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT ORANGEBURG COIL, SCOTT 389. ONLY FOUR UNUSED SINGLES AND FIVE UNUSED PAIRS ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS. ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES OF 20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES PHILATELY.
The Orangeburg coil was made by the Post Office Department in 1911, specifically for use by the Bell Pharmaceutical Company. The 3c coil stamps were used to send samples of their products to physicians. Due to the quantity of mail, they were put through the first-class cancelling machine at Orangeburg, New York. The Orangeburg coil stamps' use on mail containing product samples and the fact that philatelists were generally unaware of their production account for their rarity.
Our census of unused Scott 389, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/389 , contains six pairs and four singles. An uncertified unused pair with paste-up at left is in the The New York Public Library's Benjamin K. Miller collection (on extended loan to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum) and will never be available to collectors. Of the five pairs available to collectors, one is a paste-up, one has perfs touching at left and three are centered similarly to the pair offered here.
The pair offered here contains the only Mint N.H. example of this rarity. It was originally the right-hand pair in a strip of five with 389-OG-PR-05 and 389-OG-07 in our census, all of which have similar centering..
The Scott Catalogue specifically refers to the left stamp in this pair: "There is only one mint, never-hinged example recorded".
Census no. 389-OG-PR-06. Ex Whitman. With 1997 P.F. certificate. Scott value as singles (the Mint N.H. single catalogues $240,000.00)
5c Panama-Pacific (399). Mint N.H. top left plate no. 6134 block of fourteen, comprising the top two rows of the pane, rich color, top right stamp small perf disc indention, Fine-Very Fine, Scott value as Mint N.H. plate block and singles
10c Orange Yellow, Panama-Pacific (400). Mint N.H. top left plate no. 6143 block of fourteen, comprising the top two rows of the pane, bright color with just a hint of oxidation, attractive centering, top left corner selvage clipped diagonally, somewhat enlarged staple role in top right selvage -- both of these selvage issues are outside the plate block of sixFINE-VERY FINE. A SCARCE LARGE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF THE 10-CENT ORANGE YELLOW PERF 12 PANAMA-PACIFIC ISSUE.
Scott value $5,830.00 as Mint N.H. plate block and singles
10c Orange, Panama-Pacific (400A). Left plate no. 6130 block of six, vibrant shade and detailed impression, Mint N.H. except where few perf separations expertly reinforced, light natural gum bendsVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF SIX OF THE 10-CENT ORANGE PERF 12 PANAMA-PACIFIC.
Ex "MLG".
10c Panama-Pacific, Perf 10 (404). Bottom plate no. 6135 block of six, two stamps at left and also top center Mint N.H., bottom right small h.r., intense shade and impression on bright paper, well-balanced margins, few light natural gum bendsFINE-VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL BOTTOM PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF SIX OF THE 10-CENT PERF 10 PANAMA-PACIFIC ISSUE.
Ex "MLG".