Sale 1032 — The Nick Kirke Collection of Gem-Quality Used U.S. Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 23-24 October, 2012
Category — Officials, Navy thru Postal Savings
Lot
Symbol
Photo/Description
Cat./Est. Value
Realized
3664
2c Navy (O36). Almost mathematically precise centering, Jumbo margins, brilliant color on fresh paper, wide bar grid cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp and rare in this outstanding condition, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98 Jumbo; this issue is not even priced above the grade of 95, SMQ $150.00 as 95), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade
25
750
3665
2c Dull Blue, Navy (O36a). Exceptional depth of color, choice centering with balanced margins, quartered cork cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $150.00), this is the only used example contained in the P.S.E. Population Report
25
200
Back to Top3666
6c Navy (O38). Jumbo margins, almost perfectly centered with rich color, attractively struck duplex cancel with "4" centered on the stamp, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $130.00 as 95, unpriced in higher grade), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade, the next highest grade for a used stamp is a 90
25
325
Back to Top3667
7c Navy (O39). Balanced wide margins, rich color, light strike of purple cancel leaves design completely visible, Extremely Fine, a lovely stamp, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90; SMQ $525.00), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade
230
1,000
Back to Top3668
10c Navy (O40). Beautiful bright color, wide margins, quartered cork cancel, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF 90; SMQ $110.00), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by no others
45
120
Back to Top3669
12c Navy, Double Transfer (O41 var.). Position 50 showing clear double transfer of left side, Jumbo margins and nice centering, bright color nicely complemented by perfect strike of fancy geometric cork cancel, Very Fine and choice, a beautiful example of this prominent variety, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (VF 80 Jumbo; unpriced in SMQ as double transfer), Scott Retail for this position is more than 5.5 times that of the normal stamp
250
600
Back to Top3670
30c Navy (O44). Choice wide margins, well-centered, bold cork cancel, Extremely Fine, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF 90; SMQ $120.00), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by only one other
50
150
Back to Top3671
90c Navy (O45). Outstanding wide margins and choice centering, rich color, two short perfs at upper right, otherwise Extremely Fine, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (F 70 Jumbo; SMQ $180.00 as 70, $250.00 as 75), despite the small flaw this is still the highest grade awarded and it is shared by only one other, though it is not clear if the other has the Jumbo appellation, without the short perfs this would have likely graded 90J
375
325
Back to Top3672
1c-24c Navy (O35/O43). Seven stamps, all P.S.E. graded including Nos. O35 (VF 80 Jumbo, light stain), O37 (XF 90 Jumbo), O37 (VF-XF 85, light diagonal crease), O37 (XF 90), O41 (XF 90, addl. P.F. certificate mentions perf crease), O42 (VF-XF 85) and O43 (VF 80), fresh colors throughout, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, a desirable group of high quality stamps, seven also accompanied by 2011 P.F. certificates, total SMQ without regard to Jumbo appellations $437.00
300
400
Back to Top3673
10c Post Office (O51). Wide and balanced margins, bright shade, light strike of 5-Point Star cancel at lower left, Extremely Fine, a lovely example of the key Post Office Dept. used value, with 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90; SMQ $120.00), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by no others
55
275
Back to Top3674
24c Post Office (O54). Perfect centering with wide margins, large target cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98; SMQ $225.00), this is the only used example contained in the P.S.E. Population Report
25
600
Back to Top3675
1c-90c Post Office, 2c-$1.00 Official Postal Savings (O47/O56, O108, O121/O125). 11 Post Office and five Official Postal Savings stamps, most with both P.S.E. and P.F. certificates and many graded, several 90's and three 95's with some Jumbos below 95, several with colored cancels, couple with small flaws, overall Very Fine-Extremely Fine group
E. 300-400
650
Back to Top3676
1c State, Ribbed Paper (O57 var). Clear horizontal ribbed lines, bright color and choice centering, neat strikes of target cancel, Extremely Fine, a beautiful example of this variety which is unlisted in Scott, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (VF-XF 85; unpriced in SMQ)
E. 200-300
350
Back to Top3677
2c State (O58). Absolutely massive margins which defy the term Jumbo, bright color, quartered cork cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a striking stamp, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $300.00 as 95, unpriced in higher grade), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade, the next highest grade for a used stamp is 80
100
800
Back to Top3678
7c State (O61). Choice centering with extra wide margins, rich color on fresh paper, beautiful strike of purple quartered cork cancel, Extremely Fine, with 1989 P.F. and 2011 P.S.E. certificates (XF 90 Jumbo; SMQ $140.00 as 90, $200.00 as 95), only one has graded higher (at 95J) and this is the only example at this grade
65
800
Back to Top3679
12c State (O63). Deep rich color, wide margins and nice centering, bold oval numeral grid cancel, Extremely Fine, with 2011 P.F. and 2010 P.S.E. certificates (XF 90; SMQ $250.00), this is the only used example contained in the P.S.E. Population Report
125
300
Back to Top3680
24c State (O65). Incredible depth of color, well-centered, bold cancel, Very Fine, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (VF 80; SMQ $225.00), only one has graded higher (at 85) and only one other shares this grade
230
225
Back to Top3681
30c State (O66). Jumbo margins which are especially wide at left and bottom, rich color and detailed impression, neat strike of blue oval datestamp,Very Fine and choice, a stamp of great visual appeal, with 2011 P.F. and 2010 P.S.E. certificates (VF-XF 85 Jumbo; SMQ $250.00 as 85, $375.00 as 90), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by no others
180
325
Back to Top3682
90c State (O67). Deep rich color, nice margins and centering, barely cancelled at bottom right corner, fresh and Very Fine, with 2000 P.F. and 2011 P.S.E. certificates (VF 80; SMQ $310.00), as an indication of the difficulty in finding this stamp in choice used condition, this is the highest grade awarded by P.S.E. and no other examples have achieved this grade
325
800
Back to Top3683
$2.00 State (O68). Rich color, attractive margins which are clear of the design all around, bold oval registry cancel, completely soundVERY FINE. A RARE SOUND USED EXAMPLE OF THE $2.00 STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUE.
This high-value issue is nearly always found with varying degrees of faults and below Very Fine centering. Collectors seeking sound well-centered used Officials would do well to consider this stamp. A review using Power Search failed to find a single sound example with centering comparable to this stamp.
With 1980 P.F. and 2011 P.S.E. certificates (F 70; SMQ $1,150.00). This is the highest grade awarded in the P.S.E. Population Report and no other example has achieved this grade. Given the typical condition in which this issue is found we feel the SMQ value is very conservative
1,600
2,300
Back to Top3684
3c-15c State (O59/O64). Five stamps, each graded by P.S.E. including Nos. O59 (VG 50, well-centered but two small faults), O60 (VF 80 Jumbo, purple cancel), O61 (VF-XF 85), O62 (VF 80) and O64 (F 70), rich colors, overall Fine-Very Fine group, SMQ value not counting No. O59 and without regard to the Jumbo appellation $210.00
E. 200-300
0
Back to Top3685
7c Treasury (O76). Gorgeous margins and centering, rich color, neat crossroads cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98; SMQ $300.00), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by no others, the next highest grade is a 90
35
325
Back to Top3686
15c Treasury (O79). Jumbo margins and essentially perfect centering, mostly face-free cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a huge stamp, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98 Jumbo; SMQ $125.00 as 98, unpriced in higher grade), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by no others, the next highest grade is an 85
12
800
Back to Top3687
90c Treasury (O82). Gorgeous centering with wide and balanced margins, rich color, unobtrusive strike of duplex cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a stunning used stamp, difficult to obtain in such superb condition, with 2011 P.F. and P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98; SMQ $190.00), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade, given the rarity of this top value in such superb condition, we feel this grade is significantly undervalued in SMQ
15
475
Back to Top3688
1c-90c Treasury (O72/O82, O110/O113). 19 stamps, most with graded P.S.E. certificates, including Nos. O72 (XF 90), O73 (VF-XF 85, tiny thin speck), O74 with bold "K" cancel (Superb 98, highest and only graded), O74 (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo), O75 (Superb 98), O75 (XF 90 Jumbo), O76 with blue cancel (XF 90), O77 (F-VF 75), O78 (XF 90), O78 (VF-XF 85J), O80 (VF-XF 85), O81 (P.F. XF-Superb 95, highest P.S.E. grade is 85J), O81 (VF-XF 85 Jumbo), O82 (XF-Superb 95), O82 (VF-XF 85 Jumbo), No. O113 cleaned to remove toning, overall Very Fine-Extremely Fine group with many quality stamps, many accompanied by P.F. certificates, SMQ value for only the Hard Paper graded stamps $589.00 vs. Scott Retail of $251.00, total Scott Retail including the Soft Paper stamps approx. $900.00
E. 1,000-1,500
1,800
Back to Top3689
12c War (O89). Jumbo margins and choice centering, rich color, cork cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $50.00 as 95, $160.00 as 98), this is the only example to achieve this grade with only one higher (at 98)
12
225
Back to Top3690
1c-90c War (O83/O93, O114/O119). 19 stamps, nearly all with P.S.E. and P.F. certificates, most graded with a general range of VF-XF 85 to XF-Superb 95 with a number of XF 90's, best grades are Nos. O91 (XF-Superb 95) and O83 (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo), a few with better cancels including bold purple star in circle and fancy geometric, fresh colors, a choice group with nearly all sound and Very Fine-Extremely Fine
E. 750-1,000
1,300
Back to Top3691
1c Interior, Soft Paper (O96). Bright color, nice margins and centering, light cancel, Very Fine and choice, with 2011 P.F. certificate
275
900
Back to Top3692
3c Treasury, Soft Paper (O109). Huge Jumbo margins, rich color, bold strike of duplex cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a huge and striking stamp, with 2011 P.F and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $45.00 as 95, unpriced in higher grade), this is the highest grade awarded and no other examples have achieved this grade, the next highest grade is a 90J and after that is a 40, we are not sure how the SMQ value has any relevance to this superb stamp
10
800
Back to Top3693
1c Postal Savings (O124). Mathematically perfect centering with Jumbo margins, bright color on fresh paper, oval registry cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, the perfect Official Postal Savings stamp, with 2011 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (Gem 100 Jumbo; SMQ $50.00 as 98, unpriced in higher grades), this is the only used example of any Official Postal Savings stamp to achieve this grade
2
350
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