Sale 1172 — United States Stamps and Hawaii
Sale Date — Tuesday, 19 December, 2017
Category — 1861-68 Issues, 1875 Re-Issue (Scott 65-105)
American Bank Note Co., Washington Design Die Essays on India. Four essays with "ABNC" in corners, including one large die proof in Black mounted on card cut to just outside the India paper, two others cut down with large margins, one on card and stamp size, couple minor translucencies as often encountered, Very Fine appearance, these are probably samples of the ABNCo. engraver's and printer's handiwork, the central vignette is attributed to the work of Danforth, Bald & Co. (see Nos. 11-E10-11-E13)
3c Dim Deep Red, First Design Die Essay on Semi-transparent Stamp Paper (65-E15b). Large margins all around, rich color, Very Fine, also includes two Atlanta Trial Color proofs (104TC4) in Black and Blue
3c Rose (65). Brilliant color on bright paper, light strike of target cancel, beautifully centered, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $225.00)
12c Black (69). Original gum, bright shade and crisp impression, wide margins, Very Fine and choice, ex "Laila", with 1999 and 2009 P.F. certificates (VF 80)
24c Red Lilac (70). Deep rich color, neat strike of grid cancel, Very Fine and choice, with 2016 P.S.E. certificate (VF-XF 85; SMQ $575.00)
24c Violet, Thin Paper (70c). Beautifully centered, true shade and unusually vibrant color, cancelled by neat San Francisco double-circle datestamp, fresh and Very Fine, with 2016 P.F. certificate (VF 80)
24c Violet, Thin Paper (70c). Original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich color and proof-like impression, remarkably choice centering for this difficult issueEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE 1861 24-CENT VIOLET ON THIN PAPER WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED. THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST STAMPS IN SOUND, CENTERED AND ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION.
The 24c 1861 exists in four basic shades of Violet: Dark Violet (August 1861 trial printing, formerly Scott 60); Violet on Thin Paper (August-September 1861 regular issue, Scott 70c -- the shade offered here); Pale Gray Violet (1861 regular issue, Scott 70d) and Blackish Violet (ca. 1863 printing, Scott 78c). All four are rare, especially in sound original-gum condition. We feel this is nearly as rare as the Blackish Violet, which has a catalogue value of $100,000.00.
With 2006 P.F. certificate. This stamp and the ex-Whitman copy (Siegel Sale 968, lot 89, realized $90,000 hammer) are the two finest we have encountered.
3c Green & Gold, Vignette Map of the United States on Thick White Paper, Rouletted (79-E7). Essay by an unknown author depicting a map of the United States with the words "United States" and gold "3" superimposed, borders of the country as they were established in 1867, with remarkable detail depicting mountain ranges, wide margins with the lower right corner slightly closer from trimmingVERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE 1861-67 ISSUE ESSAY.
With 2014 P.F. certificate which shows the lower right margin before it was slightly trimmed
1c Blue, E. Grill (86). Jumbo margins and choice centering, rich color, neat grid cancel, Extremely Fine, with 1994, 2007 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (VF-XF 85 Jumbo; SMQ $1,100.00)
2c Black, E. Grill (87). Horizontal strip of five, each stamp with bold Japanese "X" chop cancel, some small flaws including slight toning and margin trimmed at left, otherwise Fine, an extremely rare Black Jack grill strip with cancels from the U.S. Post Office in Japan, a similar strip is known on cover and worth tens of thousands of dollars
3c Rose Red, E. Grill (88 var). Deep color in a distinctly rich shade, choice balanced margins, quartered cork cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a beautiful stamp, 2005 P.F. certificate no longer accompanies, with 2005 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $800.00 as Rose), only four other examples have achieved this grade and only one has graded higher (at 95J)
3c Red, F. Grill, Imperforate (94b). Horizontal pair, original gum, huge margins, bright color, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb pair of this scarce imperforate, with 2017 P.F. certificate (XF-Superb 95)
5c Brown, F. Grill (95). Original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich color and detailed impression, outstanding centering and marginsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 5-CENT BROWN F GRILL WITH LIGHTLY-HINGED ORIGINAL GUM. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE STAMP IN THIS CHOICE CONDITION.
The 5c 1861-68 Issues are extremely difficult to find in sound, well-centered, original-gum condition. The narrow spacing between stamps on the plate and large 12-gauge perforations resulted in stamps that are frequently off center. This applies to Scott 67, 75, 76 and 95 alike. None is easy to locate in centered original-gum condition (to understate the matter), but the limited production of 5c F Grills leaves collectors with an even smaller supply.
With 2017 P.F. certificate (XF 90). By way of comparison, the highest grade awarded to the 5c F Grill by P.S.E. is also XF 90 (two examples)
15c Black, F. Grill (98). Outstanding centering with balanced margins, neat target cancel, bright white paper, clear grill impressionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 15-CENT F GRILL.
Ex Dauer. With 2002 P.F., 2009 and 2017 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $3,250.00). Only two have graded higher (highest is 100)
24c Gray Lilac, F. Grill (99). Original gum, clearly-defined grill, precise centering with well-balanced marginsEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 24-CENT F GRILL.
The high-value F Grill stamps are scarce in original-gum condition and rarely seen with the centering of this superb example.
With 2003 P.F. certificate
24c Gray Lilac, F. Grill (99). Part original gum, bright color, strong grill easily visible from face, attractive margins and centeringVERY FINE AND CHOICE PART ORIGINAL GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 24-CENT F GRILL.
With 2016 P.S.E. certificate ("unused, part o.g."). Scott Retail as original gum
3c Brown Red, Re-Issue (104). Unused (no gum), rich color, Fine, with 1968 P.F. certificate
5c Brown, Re-Issue (105). Original gum, rich color and proof-like impression, wide and balanced marginsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1861 RE-ISSUE.
The 5c Re-Issue was printed from a new plate of 100 subjects, compared to the original plate of 200 in two panes. The Re-Issue plate can be identified by a notch at bottom. 10,000 stamps were printed (100 impressions). Only 672 of the 5c were sold; the remaining 9,328 were destroyed on July 16, 1884.
With 1993 and 2014 P.F. certificates (XF-Superb 95)