Sale 1288 — The Nelson Berman Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps
Sale Date — Thursday, 22 June, 2023
Category — 1912-23 Issues (Scott 420-594)
30c Orange Red (420). Mint N.H. with bottom plate no. 6911 selvage, brilliant color, wide margins, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 1988 P.F. certificate
50c Violet (421). Original gum, small h.r., rich color on bright paper, well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine
50c Violet (440). Original gum, lightly hinged, bright color, Very Fine, with 1980 P.F. certificate
1c Green, Coil (443). Mint N.H. guide line pair, deep rich color on bright paper, fresh and Very Fine, with 1982 P.F. and 2007 P.S.E. certificates (VF 80; SMQ $325.00)
3c Violet, Coil (445). Pair, original gum, rich color, well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine, with 1981 P.F. certificate
4c Brown, Coil (446). Guide line pair, original gum, lightly hinged, bright shade and paper, beautiful centering, Extremely Fine, with 1987 P.F. certificate
5c Blue, Coil (447). Mint N.H. guide line pair, deep rich color on bright paper, fresh and Very Fine, with 1988 P.F. certificate
2c Red, Ty. I, Coil (449). Joint line pair, bottom stamp barely hinged, radiant color, unusually choice centeringEXTREMELY FINE. A GORGEOUS ORIGINAL-GUM JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 1915 2-CENT TYPE I VERTICAL COIL, SCOTT 449. RARE WITH SUCH CHOICE CENTERING.
The 2c Type I rotary plate was used very briefly to make vertical coils issued in late 1915. It was briefly used because the Type I plate was not very deeply engraved and the curvature of the rotary press yielded impressions lacking in some of the details. The Bureau noticed this immediately, and quickly replaced it with the Type III plate (according to Scott, the EDU for No. 449 is Oct. 29, 1915, and the EDU for Type III is Dec. 10, 1915). The joint line pair offered here, with choice centering and color, is a major rarity. Only a handful exist in such condition.
With 1985 P.F. certificate.
2c Carmine Rose, Ty. I, Coil (453). Joint line pair, original gum, brilliant color, balanced margins, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 1988 P.F. certificate
3c Violet, Coil (456). Joint line pair, original gum, h.r., bright color, well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine, ex Hewitt, with 1981 P.F. certificate
2c Carmine, Ty. I, Imperforate Coil (459). Pair, original gum, lightly hinged, brilliant color, Very Fine and choice, with 1981 P.F. certificate
$1.00 Violet Black (460). Original gum, lightly hinged, intense shade and impression, Very Fine, with 1984 P.F. certificate
5c Carmine, Error (467). Double error in block of twelve, both errors and most 2c stamps Mint N.H., top left and top right stamps h.r., Very Fine, Scott value as two Mint N.H. single errors
50c Light Violet (477). Original gum, rich color on bright paper, well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine, with 1985 P.F. certificate
$1.00 Violet Black (478). Original gum, barest trace of what may be hinging, intense shade and impression, fresh and Extremely Fine
$2.00 Dark Blue (479). Mint N.H., rich color, choice centering with well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine, with 2006 P.F. certificate (XF 90)
$5.00 Light Green (480). Mint N.H., lovely color on bright paper, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 1982 P.F. certificate
5c Carmine, Imperforate, Error (485). Mint N.H. single error in block of twelve, with sheet margin with arrow at right and significant portions of thirteen other 2c stamps, radiant colorEXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1917 5-CENT CARMINE IMPERFORATE ERROR IN A LARGE MULTIPLE.
During the course of production of the normal 2c plate number 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 in Perf 10, Imperforate and Perf 11 formats (Scott 467, 485 and 505). The imperforate is by far the rarest of the three.
Scott value as single error in block of nine
2c Carmine, Ty. II, Coil (491). Pair, original gum, lightly hinged, radiant colorVERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM PAIR OF THE SCARCE 2-CENT ROTARY HORIZONTAL COIL, SCOTT 491.
Unlike most other issues, the horizontal coil is actually scarcer than the vertical coil. It was in production for only a short period of time before being replaced by the Type III, Scott 492.
With 1996 P.F. certificate.
2c Deep Rose, Ty. Ia (500). Original gum, single hinge mark, brilliant color, Very Fine and choice, with 1996 P.F. certificate
5c Rose, Error (505). Single error in strip of three, original gum, h.r., radiant color, Extremely Fine
2c Carmine (519). Mint N.H., deep rich color, well-balanced margins, Very Fine and choice, with 1987, 2002 and 2006 P.F. certificates (VF 80)
2c Carmine, Ty. V, Imperforate (533). Mint N.H. horizontal pair, huge margins including left sheet margin with part arrow, brilliant color, Extremely Fine, with copy of 1985 P.F. certificate
2c Carmine, Ty. VII, Imperforate (534B). Mint N.H. horizontal pair, large margins, brilliant color, light natural gum creases not noted on certificateEXTREMELY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED PAIR OF THE 2-CENT TYPE VII IMPERFORATE, SCOTT 534B.
Most Type VII stamps were used by private vending and affixing machine companies. However, unlike Scott 314A and 482A, a small supply of the imperforate 2c Type VII stamps reached the public. Mint N.H. multiples of this issue are very rare.
With copy of 1990 P.F. certificate for plate block.
2c Carmine Rose, Ty. II, Rotary Perf 11 x 10 (539). Mint N.H., brilliant color on fresh paperFINE AND RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1919 2-CENT TYPE II ROTARY PRESS WASTE ISSUE, SCOTT 539.
With 1992 P.S.E. certificate.
1c Green, Rotary Perf 11 (544). Original gum, barest trace of hinging, rich color and detailed impressionVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THIS MAJOR 20TH CENTURY RARITY. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CENTERED EXAMPLES WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
A small quantity of 1c Rotary Press stamps was perforated 11 gauge at the end of 1922, using remainder sheets from the earlier printings that were normally perforated in 10 gauge or 10/11 compound gauge. Its existence as a Perf 11 variety was discovered in 1936, and the stamp received its Scott Catalogue listing in 1938.
Most of the recorded copies of Scott 544 are off-center or have been damaged--the result of irregular production and mishandling. There are perhaps a dozen Mint N.H. examples, but the highest grade at P.S.E. is a 75 and the highest at the P.F. is an 85. It is unlikely any of the ungraded copies with gum would grade higher, and we would love to see the P.F.'s 85 to confirm the grade is correct.
With 1992 and 2003 P.F. certificates.
1c Green, Rotary, Perf 11 (594). Bold strike of machine slogan cancel, choice centering, long full perfs all aroundVERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF SCOTT 594. ONE OF THE RAREST TWENTIETH CENTURY STAMPS IN SOUND AND CENTERED CONDITION.
The 1c Green, Scott 594, is waste from a horizontal rotary printing used to make coils. At the beginning or end of a coil-stamp print run from the 170-subject rotary plates, some leading or trailing paper was produced that was too short for rolling into 500-stamp rolls. In 1919 the Bureau devised a plan to salvage this waste by perforating and cutting the sheets into panes. They were put through the 11-gauge flat plate perforator in use at the time, giving the sheets full perforations on all sides. The existence of Scott 594 was not reported until four months after the final sheets were delivered, and the 1c Rotary Perf 11 was soon recognized as one of the rarest United States stamps.
Our census of Scott 594, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/594 , contains 98 used singles, 6 stamps in 3 used pairs, and 6 stamps on 5 covers (one with a pair) for a total of 110 used stamps. Another 19 unused stamps are recorded. Many have perforations cutting in on one or more sides, or have faults. This example, in centered and sound condition, is a great rarity.
Census no. 594-CAN-78. With 2001 P.S.E. certificate.