Sale 1134 — The Alan Collection of United States Stamps
Sale Date — Wednesday, 14 September, 2016
Category — 1922-29 and Later Issues (Scott 551-679)
-1/2c-$2.00 1922-25 Issue (551/572). 19 stamps, including two -1/2c and three 14c, 14 are Mint N.H., each with graded certificate (most from P.S.E.) graded 90J or above, including $2.00 (NH 95), $1.00 (NH 95), 25c (NH 95J), 14c (NH 98 and two NH 95), rich colors, Extremely Fine, SMQ value $2,965.00 as all P.S.E.-graded
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4c Yellow Brown (556). Mint N.H., unusually wide margins, brilliant color, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2006 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $600.00), only three have graded higher and none share this grade, this is the highest grade we have offered in one of our auctions
5c Dark Blue (557). Mint N.H., fabulous Jumbo margins, deep color on bright white paper, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2007 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $525.00), top selvage accompanies (which is how it was certified)
15c Gray (566). Mint N.H., radiant color and crisp impression, gorgeous centering, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2007 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $650.00)
20c Carmine Rose (567). Mint N.H., brilliant color, perfectly centered with Jumbo margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2007 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98 Jumbo; SMQ $1,100.00)
50c Lilac (570). Mint N.H., brilliant color, Jumbo margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $500.00)
$5.00 Carmine & Blue (573). Mint N.H., brilliant colors, beautiful centering, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb example of this top value, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $1,150.00), only one Mint N.H. stamp has been graded higher
$5.00 Carmine Lake & Dark Blue (573a). Barely hinged, intense colors, Extremely Fine, with 2004 P.F. certificate
1c-10c 1923-34 Rotary Press Issues (578/591, 632/641). 18 mostly Mint N.H. stamps, each with certificate (most graded), including Nos. 578 (NH 90), 583 (NH 98), 585 (NH 95), 586 (NH 95), 591 (NH 95), 634 (NH 98), three lightly hinged, one ungraded with nice centering, Extremely Fine group, SMQ value as all P.S.E.-graded approximately $2,885.00
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3c Violet, Perf 10 (584). Mint N.H., deep shade and proof-like impression, Jumbo margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2010 P.F. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo)
1c Green, Rotary, Perf 11 (594). Unobtrusive strike of machine slogan cancel at top, radiant color, long full perfs all around, small internal paper split at bottomVERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT ROTARY PERF 11 ISSUE, SCOTT 594. ONE OF THE RAREST 20TH CENTURY STAMPS.
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 recently completed exhaustive census of Scott 594, available at our website at: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/594/594.pdf , contains 92 used singles, four used pairs and five covers (including one with a pair) for a total of 106 used stamps. Many have perforations either in on one or more side, or have faults.
Census No. 594-CAN-52. Ex "Laila". With 1997 and 2010 P.F. certificates
2c Carmine, Rotary, Perf 11 (595). Lightly hinged, brilliant color, choice centering with well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (OGph, XF-Superb 95; SMQ $450.00), a difficult issue to obtain in the higher grades, the highest grade awarded (either Mint N.H. or hinged) is a 98
1c-5c 1923-32 Coils (599/606a). Eight pairs or line pairs and five singles, each with a graded certificate, including 597 (NH 98), 599 pair (NH 98), 601 pair (NH 95), 606 line pair (NH 98), 606a pair (NH 80) and single (NH 90), almost all Mint N.H., Very Fine-Extremely Fine, SMQ value $1,620.00 as all P.S.E. grades
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2c Carmine, Ty. II, Coil (599A). Pair, lightly hinged, deep shade, perfectly centered, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2006 P.S.E. certificate (OGph, Superb 98; SMQ $750.00), this is the highest grade awarded of a 599A pair in any condition
2c Harding, Rotary, Perf 10 (612). Mint N.H., intense shade, perfectly centered, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2011 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $575.00), also including No. 610 Mint N.H. with 2013 P.F. certificate (XF-Superb 95 XQ)
2c Harding, Rotary, Perf 11 (613). Intense shade, neat wavy-lines machine cancel, three wide and balanced margins, perfs just barely in at leftFINE. A RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT HARDING ROTARY PERF 11.
Warren G. Harding, the 29th President, died in San Francisco on August 2, 1923, during a cross-country "Voyage of Understanding". Several people suggested a Harding memorial stamp, printed in black, and it was rushed into production. The first flat plate printing (Scott 610) was issued on September 1, 1923, in his home town of Marion, Ohio, followed less than two weeks later by the normal Perf 10 rotary press printing (Scott 612) on September 12.
The 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11 stamp was discovered in 1938 by Leslie Lewis of the New York firm, Stanley Gibbons Inc. Gary Griffith presents his hypothesis in United States Stamps 1922-26 that rotary-printed sheets of 400 were first reduced to panes of 100 and then fed through the 11-gauge perforating machine normally used for flat plate sheets. This method explains the existence of a straight-edge on Scott 613. Production quality and quantity was very low, due to the rotary press stamps' natural tendency to curl, and the use of the flat plate perforator for the slightly different-sized rotary printing.
Our census of the 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11, available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/613/613.pdf , records 45 used singles (one faintly cancelled, if at all), one used pair and the recently-discovered used strip of three. Of the singles, 20 are sound (nine need to be reexamined for condition), but of these only six rate a grade of Very Fine or Extremely Fine. The sound example offered here is very desirable.
Census No. 613-CAN-42. With 2006 P.F. certificate
1c-5c Huguenot-Walloon (614-616). Mint N.H., rich colors, wide margins and choice centering, Extremely Fine Gem set, with 2012 P.S.E. certificates (1c graded 98, 2c graded 98J, 5c graded 95J, SMQ $1,275.00), a desirable set, for the 1c only three have graded higher, for the 2c only one has graded higher
13c Green (622). Mint N.H., gorgeous centering with Jumbo margins, intense shade, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2011 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98 Jumbo; SMQ $325.00), only four have graded higher
2c Carmine Lake, Ty. I (634b). Mint N.H., intense color on bright paper, beautiful centering, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp, with 2015 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $775.00), only two have graded higher and only three others share this grade
1c-10c Kan.-Nebr. Ovpts. (658/676). 17 of the 22 stamps in the series, all but two inexpensive items with graded certificates (mostly P.S.E.), ten Mint N.H., including Nos. 663 (95), 664 (95, slight oxidation), 670 (95J), 673-676 (each graded 95), Extremely Fine group, SMQ value if all P.S.E.-graded $2,400.00
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4c Kans. Ovpt. (662). Mint N.H., rich color, choice centering with balanced margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2014 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $675.00), only five have graded higher (all at 98J)
7c Kans. Ovpt. (665). Mint N.H., intense shade and impression, choice centering with Jumbo margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $575.00)
8c Nebr. Ovpt. (677). Mint N.H., pretty shade, unusually choice centering, Extremely Fine Gem, with 1998 P.F. and 2005 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $425.00), difficult to obtain in higher grades, the highest awarded is a 98
9c Nebr. Ovpt. (678). Mint N.H., radiant color, mathematically perfect centering, long and full perforations all around, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp in every respect and one of the finest in existence, with 2012 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; SMQ $2,550.00), only one has graded higher and only three others share this desirable grade
10c Nebr. Ovpt. (679). Mint N.H., vibrant color, choice centering with Jumbo margins, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $675.00)