Sale 1159 — 2017 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Tuesday, 27 June, 2017
Category — 1910-22 Washington-Franklin Issues (Scott 389-539)
3c Deep Violet, Orangeburg Coil (389). Centered to left, deep rich color, tied by "Orangeburg N.Y. May 27 5PM 1911" wavy-line machine cancel on light gray clasped envelope with "Bell & Company Incorporated Manufacturing Chemists" corner card to Dunmore Pa., without usual cover edge creasing, stamp with faint soiled spot at right harshly described on certificate as a "light stain"VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 3-CENT ORANGEBURG COIL ON COVER. ONLY 13 ORANGEBURG COIL COVERS HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED AS GENUINE BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION.
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 third-class mail, and the fact that philatelists were generally unaware of their production accounts for their rarity. This May 27, 1911, date is early for the Orangeburg coil.
With 1992 P.F. certificate
3c Deep Violet, Orangeburg Coil (389). True "Orangeburg" Deep Violet color, wavy-line machine cancel, better centered than many examples encountered, area of thinning at rightVERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS MAJOR COIL RARITY.
With 2009 P.F. certificate
2c Carmine, Coil (393). Mint N.H. guide line pair, radiant color on post office fresh paper, mathematically perfect centering with wide margins on all sidesEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS MAGNIFICENT MINT NEVER-HINGED GUIDE LINE PAIR OF THE 2-CENT 1911 HORIZONTAL COIL HAS BEEN AWARDED THE PERFECT GRADE OF GEM 100 BY P.S.E. THIS STANDS ALONE AS THE HIGHEST GRADED MINT NEVER-HINGED SCOTT 393.
With 2015 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; unpriced in SMQ above the grade of 95). This is the only Mint N.H. example of Scott 393 to achieve this perfect grade in any format (single, pair, line pair). To find a line pair in this superior grade is truly remarkable. The next highest is graded 95
50c Violet (440). Left plate no. 7042 block of six, Mint N.H. and unpriced as such in Scott, vivid color, beautiful margins and centering, light natural gripper marks on gum of left stampsVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. AN INCREDIBLY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1915 50-CENT PERF 10 WITH SINGLE-LINE WATERMARK.
This plate block is extremely rare in any gum condition -- this is one of only four plate blocks we have offered in ten years. We have not offered a Mint N.H. plate block in all of our sales since 1993 and our Rarities sales dating back to 1964.
Ex Curtis. With 2006 P.S.E. and 2015 P.F. certificates. Unpriced in Scott as Mint N.H. Scott Retail as hinged
2c Red, Ty. I, Coil (449). Mint N.H. joint line pair, vivid color on fresh paperFINE AND RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 1915 2-CENT TYPE I VERTICAL COIL.
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).
With 1992 and 2009 P.F. certificates
2c Red, Ty. I, Coil (449). Mint N.H., exceptional centering with wide margins all around, brilliant color and detailed impressionEXTREMELY FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1915 TYPE I VERTICAL COIL.
This issue is notoriously difficult to find in Mint N.H. condition and with such choice centering. This is easily one of the finest in existence.
Ex Whitman. With 1992 P.S.E. and 1999 P.F. certificates
2c Red, Ty. I, Coil (449). Radiant color and detailed impression, wide margins and well-centeredVERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 1915 2-CENT TYPE I VERTICAL COIL.
With copy of 1996 P.F. certificate for a pair. With 2017 P.F. certificate (VF-XF 85)
5c Carmine, Error (467). Mint N.H. double error in a block of twelve, large portions of all stamps surrounding the block of 12, natural s.e. at bottom, brilliant color, outstanding centering, particularly on the errorsEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED DOUBLE ERROR BLOCK OF THE PERF 10 5-CENT CARMINE ERROR. RARE WITH THIS CENTERING AND CONDITION.
With 2017 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90; blocks unpriced in SMQ)
9c Salmon Red (471). Mint N.H., vivid color, mathematically perfect centering with wide marginsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS SUPERB EXAMPLE OF SCOTT 471 HAS ACHIEVED THE ULTIMATE GRADE OF GEM 100 FROM P.S.E. NO OTHERS SHARE THIS GRADE.
With 2016 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; unpriced in SMQ above the grade of 98J, SMQ $2,800.00 as 98J). This is the only example of Scott 471 to achieve this perfect grade in any condition (used, hinged Mint N.H.)
2c Deep Rose, Ty. Ia, Imperforate, Schermack Ty. III Private Perforation (482A). Intact Schermack perfs at right with portion of adjoining stamp, neat wavy-line machine cancel, characteristic intense shade, completely soundVERY GOOD. A LOVELY EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE RAREST 20TH CENTURY STAMPS, WITH ONLY 40 EXAMPLES RECORDED (ALL BUT ONE CANCELLED).
Scott 482A, like its slightly more famous predecessor, Scott 314A, was issued imperforate by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and sold to the Schermack Company for use in its patented stamp-affixing machines. The Schermack "Sealer and Stamper" machine typically applied stamps one at a time, and, in most cases, the hyphen-hole perfs on one side would be cut off. Unlike Scott 314A, the release of imperforate sheets printed from the experimental Type Ia plates escaped the notice of contemporary collectors, and, therefore, has a very small survival rate.
Our census of Scott 482A (available at www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/482A/482A.pdf ) records one used pair (ex Zoellner), three covers, one unused single and 34 used singles for a total of 40 stamps.
Census No. 482A-CAN-32. With 1975 P.F. and 2013 P.S.E. certificates
5c Carmine, Imperforate, Error (485). Mint N.H. single error in a block of nine, top three stamps and bottom center stamp lightly hinged, large margin all around, brilliant color, few tiny natural inclusionsEXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING MINT NEVER HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT IMPERFORATE ERROR IN A BLOCK OF NINE.
During the course of production of the normal 2c plate No. 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.
Ex Hoffman. With 2004 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail as a hinged block of nine
2c Carmine, Ty. II, Coil (491). Joint line pair, lightly hinged with pencil notations on gum, deep rich color, choice centeringEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 2-CENT ROTARY TYPE II COIL.
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 1989 P.F. and 1991 P.S.E. certificates
2c Carmine, Ty. II, Coil (491). Pair, lightly hinged, rich color, well-centeredVERY FINE AND CHOICE PAIR OF THE RARE 2-CENT TYPE II PERF 10 HORIZONTAL COIL ON UNWATERMARKED PAPER.
Scott 491 was in production for only a short period of time before being replaced by the Ty. III, Scott 492. Unlike most other issues, the horizontal coil is actually scarcer than the vertical coil.
With 2004 P.F. certificate
$5.00 Deep Green & Black (524). Mint N.H. top arrow and double plate nos. 8179/8178 block of eight, deep rich shadeFINE-VERY FINE. A SCARCE AND HANDSOME MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 1918 $5.00 ISSUE.
We have only offered four other examples in the past 10 years.
2c Carmine, Ty. VII, Imperforate (534B). Horizontal pair, barely hinged at top, brilliant color, large even margins all aroundEXTREMELY FINE PAIR OF THE RARE 2-CENT TYPE VII IMPERFORATE.
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 did reach the public.
With 2007 P.F. certificate
2c Carmine Rose, Ty. II, Rotary Perf 11 x 10 (539). Barest trace of hinging in top left corner (earlier certificate states Mint N.H.), rich color and sharp impression, balanced margins and choice centeringVERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE ROTARY-PRESS WASTE ISSUE. AN EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT STAMP TO FIND WITH ANYTHING APPROACHING EXTREMELY FINE CENTERING.
With 1995 (as Mint N.H.) and 2006 P.F. certificates (VF-XF 85). By way of comparison, the P.S.E. Population Report does not list an example graded above VF 80 in any gum condition