Sale 1305 — United States Stamps
Sale Date — Wednesday-Thursday, 13-14 December, 2023
Category — Officials Special Printings from the Mooz Estate
1c-30c Agriculture, Specimen Ovpt. (O1S-O9S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, attractive margins and centering, a few small flaws may be found but this set was compiled by selecting attractive examples without obvious faults from numerous sets owned by Mooz, overall fresh and Fine-Very Fine appearance, of the 3c to 30c values a range of 352 to 390 each were sold
1c-30c Agriculture, Specimen Ovpt. (O1S-O9S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, centering to touched or just in, a few small flaws may be found but this set was compiled by selecting attractive examples without obvious faults from numerous sets owned by Mooz, overall fresh and Fine-Very Fine appearance, of the 3c to 30c values a range of 352 to 390 each were sold
1c-30c Agriculture, Specimen Ovpt. (O1S-O9S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, centering to touched, a few small flaws to be expected, overall Fine or appear so, of the 3c to 30c values a range of 352 to 390 each were sold
12c Yellow, Agriculture, Specimen Ovpt. (O6S). Without gum as issued, strong color, fresh and Fine, with 2019 P.F. certificate
3c-30c Agriculture, Specimen Ovpt. (O3S-O9S). Without gum as issued, the balance of the Agriculture Department from the extensive Mooz collection, 140+ stamps each with Scott value of $400.00, all values from 3c-30c are present with numerous complete sets in that denomination range (balance does not include the cheap 1c-2c stamps), almost all with problems to varying degrees, ranging from some with small faults to some defective, the buyer will find a few better condition as well, Fine appearing group and probably never offered in this quantity — at least since catalogue values increased a couple of decades ago, Scott value approximately $56,000
1c-90c Interior, Specimen Ovpt. (O15S-O24S). Complete set, without gum as issued, vivid colors, scissors-separation affects perfs on a few sides, some mostly minor flaws
FINE APPEARANCE. THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT SET IS ONE OF THE TWO RAREST OFFICIAL SPECIAL PRINTING SETS TO THE 90-CENT VALUE.
Of the 3c to 90c values, between 75 and 88 were sold, for a total of 635 stamps, making the Interior Department set one of the two rarest of the 1c-90c Special Printings (the Treasury Department has 646 sold, excluding the 7c).
1c-90c Interior, Specimen Ovpt. (O15S-O24S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, scissors-separation affects perfs on a side of several values, some mostly minor flaws
FINE APPEARANCE. THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT SET IS ONE OF THE TWO RAREST OFFICIAL SPECIAL PRINTING SETS TO THE 90-CENT VALUE.
Of the 3c to 90c values, between 75 and 88 were sold, for a total of 635 stamps, making the Interior Department set one of the two rarest of the 1c-90c Special Printings (the Treasury Department has 646 sold, excluding the 7c).
3c-90c Interior, Specimen Ovpt. (O17S/O24S). Balance of the 3c-90c Interior Special Printings from the Mooz collection, 24 stamps, five of the eight better denominations are present with duplication including the 3c (eight), 12c (four), 15c (three), 24c (six) and 90c (three), without gum as issued, these are the most problematic of the extensive group formed by Mooz, with faults to be expected throughout and one 15c and one 24c defective, still some with Fine appearance, an extremely rare assemblage, of the 3c to 90c values, between 75 and 88 were sold, for a total of 635 stamps, making the Interior Department set one of the two rarest of the 1c-90c Special Printings (the Treasury Department has 646 sold, excluding the 7c), Scott value $60,000
1c-90c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O25S-O34S). Complete set, without gum as issued, brilliant colors and attractive centering, some scissors-separation but all sides with full perfs, a couple small flaws to be found including 24c corner crease but the stamps in this set were selected from a substantial group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious faults
OVERALL FINE-VERY FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
The sold quantities of the 3c-90c denominations in this set range from from 150-178.
1c-90c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O25S-O34S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, nearly all sides with full perfs, 90c with natural straight edge, 3c with trace of imprint in perfs, some typical small flaws and the 3c with a large tear
FINE APPEARING COMPLETE SET OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
The sold quantities of the 3c-90c denominations in this set range from from 150-178.
1c-90c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O25S-O34S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, most sides with full perfs, some scissors-separated perfs, 12c with trace of imprint in bottom perfs, a few of the usual small flaws including 3c small stain, overall fresh and attractive appearance
FINE APPEARING COMPLETE SET OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
The sold quantities of the 3c-90c denominations in this set range from from 150-178.
1c-90c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O25S-O34S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, nearly all with perfs trimmed on a side by scissors separation, some typical flaws including short or nibbed perfs
FINE APPEARING COMPLETE SET OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
The sold quantities of the 3c-90c denominations in this set range from from 150-178.
30c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O33S). Without gum as issued, deep rich color, choice centering, slightly shortish perf at upper right, still Very Fine, only 150 sold, ex Huggins, with 2016 P.F. certificate
1c-90c Justice, Specimen Ovpt. (O25S/O34S). Balance of the Mooz collection of the Justice Department with duplication, missing only the 12c and 15c and including three 3c, two 6c, three 10c, six 24c, two 30c and three 90c, without gum as issued, condition is mostly rough as these were the leftovers that we did not want to put into complete sets due to condition, some are defective including one 90c, some appear Fine, Scott value $24,095
1c-90c Navy, Specimen Ovpt. (O35S-O45S). Complete set, without gum as issued, bright colors, most sides with full perfs, just a few sides affected by scissors separation, some small flaws to be found but the stamps in this set were individually selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
FINE AND RARE COMPLETE SET OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
Other than the 1c, 2c and 7c values, the Navy Department is very scarce, with sales of the 90c value limiting the possible number of sets to 102.
1c-90c Navy, Specimen Ovpt. (O35S-O45S). Complete set, without gum as issued, a handful of sides affected by scissors separation and some flaws including 24c slightly faded
OVERALL FINE APPEARING AND RARE COMPLETE SET OF THE NAVY DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
Other than the 1c, 2c and 7c values, the Navy Department is very scarce, with sales of the 90c value limiting the possible number of sets to 102.
1c Ultramarine, Navy, "Sepcimen" Error (O35Sa). Without gum as issued, attractive centering and margins, soiling, otherwise Very Fine
1c Gray Blue, Navy, Soft Porous Paper, Double Specimen Ovpt. (O35xSa). Without gum as issued, deep rich color and choice centering, central thin spot, Extremely Fine appearance, these scarce stamps nearly always have faults and this one is quite well-centered, with 2022 P.F. certificate
24c Ultramarine, Navy, Specimen Ovpt. (O43S). Without gum as issued, scissors-separated as often seen, well-centered, small bleaching spots, otherwise Very Fine
30c Ultramarine, Navy, Specimen Ovpt. (O44S). Without gum as issued, radiant color, outstanding centering with wide margins
EXTREMELY FINE. AN EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT NAVY DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING. RARELY FOUND IN THIS QUALITY.
Only 104 were sold and this is one of the two or three best examples we have offered. Ex Huggins and "Adventurer". With 2016 P.F. certificate (XF 90 XQ; the "XQ" stands for "Extraordinary Quality").
3c-90c Navy, Specimen Ovpt. (O37S-O41S, O43S, O45S). Balance of twelve stamps, containing most of the better denominations of the Navy Department Special Printing, including 3c (three), 6c, 7c (two), 10c (three), 12c, 24c and 90c, these are the faultiest examples from the extensive Mooz collection and some are seriously defective, one 3c appears Extremely Fine but has a large repair, a scarce group nonetheless with sold quantities as low as 102 for the 90c, Scott value $18,600
1c-90c Post Office, Specimen Ovpt. (O47S-O56S). Complete set, without gum as issued, detailed impressions and mostly attractive centering, most sides with full perfs, a few sides affected by scissors separation, a few small flaws may be encountered but the stamps in this set were selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
FINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE COMPLETE SET OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
Most of the values of the Post Office Special Printing above 2c were sold in quantities in the 80's and 90's, with the 30c sold in a quantity of only 81. This gives the Post Office set third-place ranking in rarity among the 1c to 90c complete set Official Special Printings.
1c-90c Post Office, Specimen Ovpt. (O47S-O56S). Complete set, without gum as issued, detailed impressions and several with attractive centering, most sides with full perfs, a couple sides affected by scissors separation, a few small flaws may be encountered including 3c small toned spots at top and 6c pulled perf but the stamps in this set were selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
FINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE COMPLETE SET OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
Most of the values of the Post Office Special Printing above 2c were sold in quantities in the 80's and 90's, with the 30c sold in a quantity of only 81. This gives the Post Office set third-place ranking in rarity among the 1c to 90c complete set Official Special Printings.
1c-90c Post Office, Specimen Ovpt. (O47S-O56S). Complete set, without gum as issued, most sides with full perfs, a few sides affected by scissors separation and a few flaws to be encountered including 3c soiling, 10c extraneous blue ink, 15c pulled perf
FINE APPEARANCE. AN RARE COMPLETE SET OF THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRINTING.
Most of the values of the Post Office Special Printing above 2c were sold in quantities in the 80's and 90's, with the 30c sold in a quantity of only 81. This gives the Post Office set third-place ranking in rarity among the 1c to 90c complete set Official Special Printings.
1c Black, Post Office, Specimen Ovpt., Inverted Ovpt. (O47Sb). Without gum as issued, small fault at center and short perf at right, otherwise Fine, this is the only invert error among the Officials Special Printings, although the 1c Post Office stamps were printed from a 200-subject plate, the sheets were divided into panes of 100 before overprinting, therefore, only 100 of the inverted "Specimen" overprints could have been produced and we do not know how many were sold, only a small fraction of the number printed has been located
3c Black, Post Office, Specimen Ovpt. (O49S). Without gum as issued, crisp impression, a few clipped perfs at right but otherwise full, Fine, only 91 sold
1c-90c Post Office, Specimen Ovpt. (O47S/O56S). Balance of 20 stamps, all denominations are present except the 15c, with duplication of the 3c (four), 10c (seven) and 12c (three), without gum as issued, flaws to be expected as these were the stamps from the large Mooz holding that did not warrant inclusion in complete sets, the six stamps in the bottom row of the linked PDF scan are faulty, some appear Fine and overall a scarce balance, most of the values of the Post Office Special Printing above 2c were sold in quantities in the 80's and 90's, with the 30c sold in a quantity of only 81, this gives the Post Office set third-place ranking in rarity among the 1c to 90c complete set Official Special Printings, Scott value $24,970.
1c-90c State, Specimen Ovpt. (O57S-O67S). Complete set, without gum as issued, rich colors, nearly all sides with full perfs and a few decent centering, some small flaws may be found but this set was selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major flaws, Fine-Very Fine set
1c-90c State, Specimen Ovpt. (O57S-O67S). Complete set, without gum as issued, rich colors, nearly all sides with full perfs, some small flaws but this set was selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major flaws, Fine-Very Fine set
3c-90c State, Specimen Ovpt. (O59S-O67S). Balance of the Mooz State Department Special Printings, more than 210 stamps from the 3c to 90c denominations, without gum as issued, large amount of duplication of each with at least 11 complete sets possible, as 11 of the 90c are present (assuming the buyer can find the cheap 1c-2c denominations), other denominations with amounts up to 49 of the 7c, mixed condition with faults to be expected and some defective — these are mostly the stamps that did not warrant inclusion in the complete sets made from the Mooz collection, still many appear Fine, an incredible lot unlikely to be encountered again, see our website PDF for a complete scan and a list of denominations and Scott Catalogue values, total Scott value is approximately $84,000
1c-90c Treasury, Specimen Ovpt. (O72S-O82S). Complete set, without gum as issued, deep rich colors, a few with decent centering and nearly all sides with full perfs, a few small flaws but the stamps in this set were selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
OVERALL FINE-VERY FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING — ONE OF THE TWO RAREST OF THE "CENTS" VALUES AMONG THE DEPARTMENTAL SPECIAL PRINTINGS.
Only 72 of the 90c were sold — the lowest among all the 1c-90c Special Printings, meaning no more than 72 complete Treasury sets can exist. Between 74 to 99 of the other values were sold (excluding the common 1c and the slightly more available 2c and 7c), for a total of 646 stamps. This makes the Treasury Department Special Printing one of the two rarest sets overall of the 1c to 90c issues, along with the Interior Department, which has 635 sold.
1c-90c Treasury, Specimen Ovpt. (O72S-O82S). Complete set, without gum as issued, deep rich colors, a couple with nice centering and nearly all sides with full perfs, a few small flaws may be encountered but the stamps in this set were selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
OVERALL FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING — ONE OF THE TWO RAREST OF THE "CENTS" VALUES AMONG THE DEPARTMENTAL SPECIAL PRINTINGS.
Only 72 of the 90c were sold — the lowest among all the 1c-90c Special Printings, meaning no more than 72 complete Treasury sets can exist. Between 74 to 99 of the other values were sold (excluding the common 1c and the slightly more available 2c and 7c), for a total of 646 stamps. This makes the Treasury Department Special Printing one of the two rarest sets overall of the 1c to 90c issues, along with the Interior Department, which has 635 sold.
1c-90c Treasury, Specimen Ovpt. (O72S-O82S). Complete set, without gum as issued, deep rich colors, a few with wider margins or decent centering, nearly all sides with full perfs, a few small flaws may be encountered but the stamps in this set were selected from a large group owned by Mooz, picking examples without obvious or major faults
OVERALL FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING — ONE OF THE TWO RAREST OF THE "CENTS" VALUES AMONG THE DEPARTMENTAL SPECIAL PRINTINGS.
Only 72 of the 90c were sold — the lowest among all the 1c-90c Special Printings, meaning no more than 72 complete Treasury sets can exist. Between 74 to 99 of the other values were sold (excluding the common 1c and the slightly more available 2c and 7c), for a total of 646 stamps. This makes the Treasury Department Special Printing one of the two rarest sets overall of the 1c to 90c issues, along with the Interior Department, which has 635 sold. 30c with P.F. certificate calling a small crease.
2c-90c Treasury, Specimen Ovpt. (O73S-O82S). Balance of the Mooz collection of the Treasury Department Special Printings, all denominations included except the 3c and the common 1c, heavy duplication on some including ten or more of the 2c, 7c and 24c, faults to be expected as these represent the stamps that were not deemed worthy for construction of complete sets, however very few are actually defective and many reasonably attractive stamps are present, overall Fine appearing and valuable accumulation, see our website PDF for a complete scan and a list of quantities and Scott values, which exceeds $70,000
1c-90c War, Specimen Ovpt. (O83S-O93S). Complete set, without gum as issued, rich colors, a few with decent centering and all with full perfs except for a couple sides with wide natural straight edge, a few small flaws to be found and 24c with small margin repair
OVERALL FINE-VERY FINE COMPLETE SET OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING.
Other than the 1c, 2c and 7c values, between 104 and 119 copies of the War Department Special Printings were sold (the 30c has the smallest sale quantity with 104).
1c-90c War, Specimen Ovpt. (O83S-O93S). Complete set, without gum as issued, rich colors, generally Fine centering and with full perfs, a few flaws to be found but most are non-obvious
FINE APPEARING COMPLETE SET OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING.
Other than the 1c, 2c and 7c values, between 104 and 119 copies of the War Department Special Printings were sold (the 30c has the smallest sale quantity with 104).
2c-90c War, Specimen Ovpt. (O83S-O93S). Balance of the Mooz collection of the War Department Special Printings, all denominations included except the 6c, 12c and the common 1c, good duplication on most, the lowest amounts are two each of the 15c and 30c, faults to be expected as these represent the stamps that were not deemed worthy for construction of complete sets, however very few are actually defective and some reasonably attractive stamps are present, overall Fine appearing accumulation, see our website PDF for a complete scan and a list of quantities and Scott values, which exceeds $43,000
1c Officials, Specimen Ovpt., Horizontally Ribbed Paper, Small Dotted "i" (O1Sc, O10Sb, O26Sc, O57Sc). Nine 1c stamps from the 2nd printings, including Agriculture, Executive, Justice and State, four of the Executive and three of the Justice, bright colors, some flaws to be expected, Fine or appear so
1c-2c Officials, Specimen Ovpt., Singles Balance (O1S/O84S). Incredible accumulation of more than 3,600 stamps, all departments present for 1c-2c denominations except no 2c Treasury stamps, also includes 1c Soft Paper stamps — the Navy Department examples are segregated and counted at the higher Scott Catalogue value but any of the Executive or State Soft Papers that may be present are mixed in and counted as the normal issues, the Executive Department includes 1c-10c values, condition is very mixed with some choice and ranging down to faulty, overall an exceptional holding, the likes of which has probably never been matched, Mooz was a well-known specialist and accumulated these over many decades to aid his work in studying these Special Printings (he produced several Chronicle articles on the 1c-2c denominations), see our website PDF spreadsheet for approximate counts and calculated catalogue values — which exceed $175,000
1c-2c Officials, Specimen Ovpt., Multiples Balance (O1S/O84S). Extensive balance of more than 100 multiples, mostly blocks of four plus some larger blocks and some strips and pairs as well, all Departments covered, 1c-2c values of course, some of the highlights include 1c Agriculture block of six with part imprint, block of four with part imprint, strip of seven containing Small Dotted "i" (O1Sc), another block of six, lots of 2c Agriculture blocks, 1c Executive blocks of six and eight, corner selvage block of four, 1c Justice blocks of six and nine with top selvage, 1c Navy block of six and bottom left imprint and plate no. strip of six, 1c Navy Soft Paper block (O35xS), two 2c Navy blocks, 1c State two Soft Paper blocks (O57xS, Scott value $2,500.00 each), 2c State top selvage strip of four, 1c Treasury two blocks of four, 2c War irregular block of six, others, mixed condition with some centering or perf separation issues and some small faults, overall an exceptional balance, Scott value exceeds $52,000
Officials, Specimen Ovpt., Balance. Balance of dozens of stamps mostly on Mooz's album pages, range of singles including many varieties, from hard to ribbed to soft paper, including couple Small Dotted "i" and font variations on the soft paper, O35Sd double overprint (large thin spot), some non-Specimen stamps for comparison including 10c Executive with part original gum (Scott value $1,200.00), a page of tickets to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, also a range of stamps with obliterated overprints (mostly by fakers), mixed condition with flaws to be expected but an interesting range of material