Sale 1258 — The Richie Prager Collection of United States Hunting Permits
Sale Date — Tuesday, 14 June, 2022
Category — Complete Panes and Souvenir Sheets
$1.00 Blue, 1934 Hunting Permit (RW1). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 129200 at bottom and selvage at right, deep rich color, usual natural gum skips, few minor perf separations at top mentioned for accuracy but this is a beautifully intact paneVERY FINE. AN INCALCULABLY RARE INTACT MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF THE FIRST FEDERAL HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW1. THE "HOLY GRAIL" OF HUNTING PERMIT MULTIPLES -- VERY FEW ARE KNOWN.
Nos. RW1 thru RW12 were issued in panes of 28. Selvage is found at either top or bottom and on one side; nine stamps have a natural straight edge on one side, and one has a natural straight edge on two sides. Plate numbers are found at either top or bottom, though we have never offered a multiple from the top position larger than a block of six.
The first Hunting Permit stamp went on sale to the public on August 24, 1934. Multiples were not allowed to be sold, until the last two weeks the stamps were on sale, from June 15 thru June 30, 1935. RW2 was placed on sale July 1, 1935. This short period when they were allowed to be sold as unused multiples accounts for their rarity as plate blocks or in panes. This is the first intact pane with selvage on two sides -- as issued -- that we have offered since keeping computerized records. We have offered two without selvage on one side, but one was separated into two pieces (ex Webster) and another was affixed to a card (ex Frelinghuysen). We are aware of only one other fully intact pane.
Scott value as plate block of six and 22 singles, which does not adequately convey the rarity of this intact pane.
$1.00 Rose Lake, 1935 Hunting Permit (RW2). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 131982 at bottom and selvage at left, extra large natural straight edge margin at top capturing complete guideline and half arrow, deep rich color and proof-like impression, usual light natural gum bendsVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE COMPLETE PANE OF 28 OF THE 1935 SECOND FEDERAL DUCK STAMP ISSUE.
Designed by Frank Weston Benson, this issue shows Canvasback Ducks taking flight. These ducks are a diving species which are highly migratory in the United States. We have offered only one other complete pane of RW2, in our William Webster auction in 2016.
Scott value as plate block and singles does not adequately convey the rarity of this pane.
$1.00 Brown Black, 1936 Hunting Permit (RW3). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 134317 at top and selvage at right, unusually wide top selvage with light gripper marks near top edge, deep rich color, usual light natural gum skips and bendsVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF 28 OF THE THIRD FEDERAL HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW3. THIS IS THE FIRST WE HAVE OFFERED SINCE KEEPING COMPUTERIZED RECORDS.
The largest multiple we have offered since 1994 and in all of our Rarities sales is a block of sixteen, without plate number. This full pane was missing from the William Webster collection. The example offered here, with wide top plate number selvage and superior centering, is truly remarkable.
Scott value as plate block of six and 22 singles does come close to conveying the rarity of this pane.
$1.00 Light Green, 1937 Hunting Permit (RW4). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. F 136267 at top and selvage at right, unusually wide top selvage, pretty color, choice centering throughout, usual light natural gum skips and bends, one bend causes light natural gum crease in Position 8, few minor perf separations mostly confined to outer edges of selvageVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED INTACT PANE OF 28 OF THE FOURTH FEDERAL HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW4.
The William Webster collection was lacking very few complete panes, but it did lack panes of RW3 and RW4. We have offered only one other intact pane since 1994 and in all of our Rarities sales.
Scott value as plate block of six and singles does not adequately convey the rarity of this complete pane.
$1.00 Light Violet, 1938 Hunting Permit (RW5). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 138602 at bottom and selvage at left, deep rich color, natural gum skips and bends, natural paper wrinkle affects three stamps at right, few trivial perf separationsVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE INTACT PANE OF 28 OF THE 1938 $1.00 HUNTING PERMIT, SCOTT RW5.
We have offered only one other intact pane, in the William Webster collection, since keeping computerized records. Scott value as plate block of six and singles again does not convey the rarity of the intact pane.
$1.00 Chocolate, 1939 Hunting Permit (RW6). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. F 141428 at top and selvage at right, intense shade and impression, well-balanced margins throughout, natural paper wrinkle affects a few stamps away from the plate blockVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE INTACT MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF 28 OF THE $1.00 1939 HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW6.
We have offered only one other since keeping computerized records. The William Webster collection was lacking this pane. Scott value as plate block of six and singles, which does not convey the rarity of the intact pane.
$1.00 Sepia, 1940 Hunting Permit (RW7). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 143776 at top and selvage at left, crisp impression, slight natural paper wrinkle at far right well away from plate blockVERY FINE AND CHOICE MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF 28 OF THE $1.00 1940 HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW7.
We have offered only two other panes since keeping computerized records. Scott value as plate block of six and singles, which does not convey the rarity of the intact pane.
$1.00 Brown Carmine, 1941 Hunting Permit (RW8). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 146282 at bottom and selvage at right, nicely centered throughoutVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A SCARCE AND DESIRABLE MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF 28 OF THE $1.00 1941 HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW8.
We have offered three others since keeping computerized records. This is one of the finest we have encountered. Scott value as plate block of six and singles, which does not convey the rarity of the intact pane.
$1.00 Violet Brown, 1942 Hunting Permit (RW9). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 149600 at bottom and selvage at left, deep rich color, few natural gum skips at right not affecting plate blockVERY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED PANE OF 28 OF THE $1.00 1942 HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE, SCOTT RW9.
Scott value as plate block of six and singles, which does not convey the rarity of the intact pane.
$1.00 Deep Rose, 1943 Hunting Permit (RW10). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 152827 at top and selvage at left, deep rich color, slight natural short gum at top, tear at edge of selvage above plate no., Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$1.00 Red Orange, 1944 Hunting Permit (RW11). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. 155603 at bottom and selvage at left, radiant color, few natural gum bends get a bit heavy in places, Very Fine-Extremely Fine and attractive, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$1.00 Black, 1945 Hunting Permit (RW12). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with plate no. F 157248 at top and selvage at right, bright shade, few natural gum skips mostly in top row, usual natural gum bends, Extremely Fine and attractive, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$1.00 Red Brown, 1946 Hunting Permit (RW13). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with top right plate no. 158456 and selvage on all sides, plate no. 47510 on back of selvage next to Position 24, gummed on stamp side at right in selvage and partway into right column of stamps, few small adherences at bottom causing tiny thin spot in bottom left stamp, few perf separations, Very Fine, very unusual with gumming on the front of the stamp, this is the first federal Hunting Permit issue with perforations on all sides, beginning in 1946 a message began to be printed on the back of Duck Stamps telling hunters to sign their stamp, RW13-RW17 contain the plate number in this one position in the upper right pane of the plate from the offset plate used to print the message, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$1.00 Black, 1947 Hunting Permit (RW14). Complete pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 159461 and selvage on all sides, typical narrow selvage as always found on this issue, mostly Mint N.H. except adherences affect a few stamps in plate block, still Very Fine, a scarce full pane, Scott value as Mint N.H.
$1.00 Bright Blue, 1948 Hunting Permit (RW15). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 160101 and selvage on all sides, crisp impression, some natural gum skips, three stamps at left natural paper wrinkle, Very Fine and attractive, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Bright Green, 1949 Hunting Permit (RW16). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with top left plate no. 160792 and selvage on all sides, typical selvage width for this issue, bright color, well-balanced margins, few small natural gum skips, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Violet, 1950 Hunting Permit (RW17). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with top left plate no. 161536 and selvage on all sides, deep rich color, well-balanced margins, few tiny natural gum skips, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Gray Black, 1951 Hunting Permit (RW18). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 162128 and selvage on all sides, bright shade, choice centering throughout, usual light natural gum skips and bends, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, a rare pane, we have offered only one other since keeping computerized records, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Deep Ultramarine, 1952 Hunting Permit (RW19). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 162603 and selvage on all sides, deep rich color and detailed impression, natural gum bends, few small natural gum skips, Very Fine, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Deep Brown Rose, 1953 Hunting Permit (RW20). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 163623 and selvage on all sides, bright color, well-balanced margins, usual natural gum skips and bends, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, surprisingly rare, we have offered only one other since keeping computerized records, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Black, 1954 Hunting Permit (RW21). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with top right plate no. 164747 and selvage on all sides, typical narrow plate number selvage -- all plate blocks we have ever offered have this width of selvage -- crisp impression, gorgeous centering throughout, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb and rare pane, this is the first issue with the inscription on back printed on top of the gum, this was the only pane after RW6 missing from the William Webster collection and this is the first we have offered since keeping computerized records, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Dark Blue, 1955 Hunting Permit (RW22). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom left plate no. 165284 and selvage on all sides, bright color, unusually choice centering, typical narrow selvage -- all plate blocks we have ever offered have this width of selvage -- Extremely Fine, a beautiful pane, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Black, 1956 Hunting Permit (RW23). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom right plate no. 165860 and selvage on all sides, typical plate number selvage width -- all plate blocks we have ever offered have this selvage width -- bright shade, beautiful centering, Extremely Fine pane, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Emerald, 1957 Hunting Permit (RW24). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with bottom right plate no. 166257 and selvage on all sides, radiant color, typical width for plate number selvage -- all plate blocks we have ever offered have selvage around this width -- gorgeous centering throughout, small circle out of selvage at lower left seems to coincide with a printed box in that corner, Extremely Fine, a beautiful pane, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$2.00 Black, 1958 Hunting Permit (RW25). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 28 with top left plate no. 166755 and selvage on all sides, detailed impression, well-balanced margins, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$3.00 1959 Hunting Permit (RW26). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom left plate no. 167120 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, choice centering throughoutFRESH AND VERY FINE COMPLETE PANE OF 30 OF THE $3.00 1959 HUNTING PERMIT, SCOTT RW26.
This issue is one of many firsts for the federal Hunting Permits. It was the first $3.00 denomination, the first produced on a rotary printing press, the first produced using more than one color, the first to depict a subject other than waterfowl and the first to have a slogan. This remains one of the most popular designs of the entire program.
Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1960 Hunting Permit (RW27). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top left plate no. 167498 and selvage on all sides, bright colors, choice centering, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1961 Hunting Permit (RW28). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top right plate no. 167768 and selvage on all sides, bright colors, beautiful centering, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1962 Hunting Permit (RW29). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom left plate no. 168073 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, gorgeous centering, Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1963 Hunting Permit (RW30). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top right plate no. 168269 and selvage on all sides, bright colors, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1964 Hunting Permit (RW31). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom left plate no. 168630 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, balanced marginsVERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE COMPLETE PANE OF 30 OF THE $3.00 1964 HUNTING PERMIT, SCOTT RW31.
Beginning in 1959 Hunting Permit stamps were printed by rotary press and plate blocks could therefore be collected as corner blocks of four. This 1964 issue had the plate number mistakenly entered above the second stamp from the top or bottom left. Collectors assumed a plate block of four was still the correct format and many sheets were broken in this manner before the realization that the correct format for this issue is a block of six. We have offered only one other pane since keeping computerized records, which was signed and had toning so was not as pristine as the example offered here.
Scott value as plate block of six and singles
$3.00 1965 Hunting Permit (RW32). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top right plate no. 168790 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, Very Fine and attractive, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1966 Hunting Permit (RW33). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom right plate no. 169058 and selvage on all sides, deep rich colors on bright paper, beautiful centering throughout, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1967 Hunting Permit (RW34). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top right plate no. 169487 and selvage on all sides, rich colors on bright paper, Extremely Fine, a beautiful pane, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1968 Hunting Permit (RW35). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom right plate no. 170436 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1969 Hunting Permit (RW36). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top left plate no. 170765 and selvage on all sides, rich colors, small bit of extra printing ink in selvage at upper right, Very Fine-Extremely Fine pane, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1970 Hunting Permit (RW37). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top left plate no. 171165 and selvage on all sides, lovely colors on bright paper, choice centering, Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$3.00 1971 Hunting Permit (RW38). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with top right plate no. 171586 and selvage on all sides, pretty colors, well-balanced margins, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine pane, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$5.00 1972 Hunting Permit (RW39). Complete Mint N.H. pane of 30 with bottom left plate no. 171864 and selvage on all sides, deep rich colors, fresh and Very Fine-Extremely Fine, Scott value as plate block of four and singles
$15.00 2005 Hunting Permit (RW72). Mint N.H. cross gutter block of 16, each of the four panes contributes a plate no. S 11111 block of four, bright and fresh colors, Extremely Fine and rare, reportedly only 100 full sheets were released, this format with blocks of four is easily displayable on a page
$15.00 2005 Hunting Permit, Souvenir Sheet, Artist Signed in Black (RW72b). Mint N.H., well-centered for this, Extremely Fine, 1,000 sheets were printed and sold for $20.00 each, nearly all are artist signed with approximately 750 in black, 150 in blue and 100 in gold, footnote in Scott states "most examples are in the grade of F-VF"
$15.00 2005 Hunting Permit, Souvenir Sheet, Artist Signed in Blue (RW72b). Mint N.H., attractive centering, fresh and Very Fine, much rarer signed in blue than in black, 1,000 sheets were printed and sold for $20.00 each, nearly all are artist signed with approximately 750 in black, 150 in blue and 100 in gold, footnote in Scott states "most examples are in the grade of F-VF"
$15.00 2005 Hunting Permit, Souvenir Sheet, Artist Signed in Gold (RW72b). Mint N.H., unusually well-centered for this, Extremely Fine and much rarer signed in gold than in black, 1,000 sheets were printed and sold for $20.00 each, nearly all are artist signed with approximately 750 in black, 150 in blue and 100 in gold, footnote in Scott states "most examples are in the grade of F-VF"
$15.00 2005 Hunting Permit, Souvenir Sheet, Unsigned by Artist (RW72d). Mint N.H., bright and fresh colorsVERY FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE UNSIGNED SOUVENIR SHEET OF THE 2005 HUNTING PERMIT ISSUE.
1,000 sheets were printed and sold for $20.00 each. Nearly all are artist signed with approximately 750 in black, 150 in blue and 100 in gold. This unsigned version is vastly rarer than the any of the signed colors -- despite this fact Scott prices this only $250.00 higher than the gold signature (with 100 signed).
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$15.00 2006 Hunting Permit (RW73). Complete sheet of four panes, Mint N.H., rich colors, faint crease at top left of little consequence, Very Fine and choice, a rare complete sheet, Scott value as plate blocks and singles
VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A DESIRABLE "COLLECTOR'S SET" OF COMPLETE PANES OF THE 1973-2021 HUNTING PERMITS.
An excellent opportunity to acquire a complete run of panes of these issues. Scott value as plate blocks and singles