Sale 1093 — The Curtis Collection: U.S. 20th Century and Air Post
Sale Date — Monday-Tuesday, 23-24 February, 2015
Category — 1908-10 Washington-Franklin Imperfs and Imperf Coils (Scott 343-347V)
1c-5c 1908-09 Issue, Imperforate (343-347). Top imprint and plate no. blocks of six with extra 1c side plate block (with star), one 1c, 2c and 4c hinged, others Mint N.H., large margins, Very Fine set, 3c with 2006 P.F. certificate
1c Green, 2c Carmine, U.S. Automatic Vending Co. Pocket Ty. 4-1 (343, 344). Pair, each with one and two stamps respectively, Mint N.H., numbered "334" and "335" on back, Very Fine, Scott Retail as two single pockets.
2c Carmine, Imperforate (344). Ample to large margins, tied by "Norwich N.Y. Dec. 7, 1908" machine cancel on stamp dealer corner card cover to New Hamburg N.Y., receiving backstamp, central file fold and piece of backflap missing, Very Fine, the earliest documented use of Scott 344 as well as the earliest use of any Washington-Franklin imperforate stamp, ex Berkun, with 2000 A.P.S. certificate
2c Carmine, Horizontal Imperforate Coil (344H). Single with side margins cut at a slight bias from government vending machine, tied by "Chi & Clark St. R.P.O., Chi Ill, Mar 23 1909" duplex, which is the earliest documented use, backstamped Tacoma, Wash. on March 26VERY FINE. THE EARLIEST OF THE TWO RECORDED 2-CENT HORIZONTAL IMPERFORATE COIL ON COVER.
The streetcar cancel makes it possible that this is a first day use, since the government vending machine was tested in the stations of this trolley line and broke down after the first two hours.
Ex Berkun. With 1999 A.P.S. certificate
3c Deep Violet, Ty. I, Horizontal Imperforate Coil (345H). Pair, large margins, fresh color, trivial small tear in bottom marginVERY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT HORIZONTAL IMPERFORATE COIL.
It is known that the Post Office issued 13,500 3c imperforate coils (27 rolls of 500). However, there was little commercial need for a 3c stamp. When the first perforated 3c coil (No. 389) was issued the following year, only one company used it, Bell & Co. of Orangeburg, New York. When the Scott Catalogue introduced listings for imperforate coils, the 3c was included. Stamp dealer George Sloane tried to acquire examples of all government-issued coils for one of his customers, but he was unable to find any 3c imperforate coils. On his recommendation, the Scott Catalogue deleted the 3c imperforate coil in its 1941 edition.
Ken Lawrence found this pair in 1997. He submitted it to the A.P.S. for expertizing. Because it has a guide line at top, it was compared to Perf 8-1/2 coils with guide line at top, since these were manufactured the same year with the same equipment. After careful scrutiny by coil specialists, including George Brett, W. Wallace Cleland, Mick Hadley, George Wagner and Larry Weiss, it was determined that the top edge possesses the traits of the coil stamp.
With 2002 A.P.S. certificate. Listed but unpriced in Scott
4c Orange Brown, Vertical Imperforate Coil (346V). Single with vertical guide line, tied by "Pittsburgh, Pa, Feb 18 1911" machine cancel on illustrated cover (front and back) of the Pittsburgh Steel Co., this is the earliest document use, Junction Tex. backstamp of Feb. 22, cover has been expertly restored (due to the bulky contents which are included), the restoration not affecting adhesive or markings, Very Fine appearance, one of only four recorded covers with the 4-Cent Vertical Imperforate Coil (all from the same company), ex Berkun
5c Blue, Vertical Imperforate Coil (347V). Guide line strip of four, pos. 2 lightly hinged, other three Mint N.H., Fine, with 1983 P.F. certificate
5c Blue, Vertical Imperforate Coil (347V). Two singles with irregular separations as usual (each stamp shows the slightly diagonal scoring that is the telltale sign of the simplex machine), tied by indistinct ovals on a registered printed return envelope of Wilhelm Bergman, Secretary of the Swedish Mutual Aid Society Scandia in New York City, with a "Brooklyn (Sta. No. 7) N.Y./Registered/Apr.17,1909" circular datestamp on front and back as well as a New York City registry oval backstamp of April 18, 1909, this is the earliest documented use of the 5c Blue imperforate coil, small cover edge tears at top, otherwise Very Fine, one of four recorded uses of the 5c Vertical Imperforate Coil, this pre-dates the former earliest document use by two years, with 2005 P.F. and A.P.S. certificates