Sale 1244 — The Arthur S. Przybyl Collection of United States, Confederate States and Hawaii
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 9-10 November, 2021
Category — 1861 Issue First Designs and Colors (Scott 55-61)
1c Indigo, First Design (55). Original gum, intense color of the unmistakable First Design printing, attractive centering, single nibbed perf at top not mentioned on any certificate, expertly reperfed at right noted only on most recent certificateVERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT 1861 FIRST DESIGN. ONLY 22 UNUSED EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.
Our census of Scott 55, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/55 , contains a total of 26 examples. Three have target cancels and one is in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Of the remaining 22 copies, at least thirteen have faults ranging from serious defects to pulled perfs.
Census no. 55-OG-09. Ex Dr. Meilstrup and "Newport". With 1964 P.F. certificate not noting the reperfing (issued to Jack Molesworth immediately after the stamp appeared with a straight edge in our Sale 272). With 2008 P.F. certificate stating reperfed at right
3c Brown Rose, First Design (56). Original gum, very faint hinging if at all, well-centered for this tightly spaced issue, Very Fine and choice
5c Brown, First Design (57). Small part original gum which thinly covers about half the back but called "traces" on P.F. certificates, deep rich color, short perf at bottom and added (or reattached) perf at upper leftFINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT 1861 FIRST DESIGN. ONLY 37 ARE RECORDED IN THE SIEGEL CENSUS.
Our census of Scott 57, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/57 , contains a total of 37 copies of this rarity. Of these, one is in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Of the 36 available to collectors, two are cancelled, 19 have no gum, five have part original gum and ten have full (or nearly full) original gum.
Census no. 57-OG-02. Ex Lilly and "Newport", and from our 1973 Rarities sale. With 1973 and 2008 P.F. certificates.
10c Dark Green, First Design (62B). Original gum, deep rich color, attractive centeringVERY FINE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1861 ISSUE FIRST DESIGN.
With 1997 P.F. certificate
12c Intense Black, First Design (59). Unused (no gum), intense shade and impression, light vertical crease, some shortish perfs and a pulled perf at top rightVERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY SIXTEEN EXAMPLES OF THE 12-CENT 1861 ISSUE FIRST DESIGN ARE RECORDED. THIS IS THE RAREST OF THE FIRST DESIGNS AND FIRST COLORS.
The 12c is the rarest of the 1861 First Designs and Colors, with a total of 16 examples recorded, including one in the Benjamin K. Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Our census of the 12c 1861 First Design, available at https://www.siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/59 , contains only three sound copies.
Census no. 59-UNC-01. Ex "Alan". With 2010 P.F. certificate
24c Dark Violet, First Color (60). Original gum, deep rich color and proof-like impression, choice centering with well-balanced margins, small gum-covered thin spot at top leftVERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1861 24-CENT DARK VIOLET EARLY TRIAL PRINTING. ONE OF THE RAREST OF THE 24-CENT 1861-63 ISSUE SHADES.
The Dark Violet trial printing and Violet regular issue shades are often confused, and the Scott Catalogue adds to the confusion by putting the Dark Violet (the old Scott 60) in the Trial Color Proofs section as 70TCe, while the Violet gets a front seat as Scott 70c. In our opinion, there is no good reason to relegate the Dark Violet to the Trial Color Proof section. As a result, the stamp offered here is undercatalogued in relation to other 24c stamps of equal rarity.
Ex Geisler. 2001 P.F. certificate identifying the stamp as No. 70c no longer accompanies. With 2007 P.F. certificate
30c Red Orange, First Color (61). Original gum, beautiful shade and impression, choice centering for this difficult issue, full perforations all aroundVERY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE RARE 30-CENT 1861 FIRST COLOR. AN EXTREMELY RARE STAMP IN SOUND CONDITION.
Our census of Scott 61, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/61 , contains a total of 33 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Virtually all are centered to one side, and many are centered to two sides. A characteristic common to most examples of the 30c 1861 First Color is creasing, which in some cases is very severe and in others barely visible. Only six stamps with original gum are free of faults, including the example offered here, and among those a few have a nibbed perf or two.
Census no. 61-OG-02. Ex Lessin and Gorham, and from our 1970 Rarities sale. With 1970, 2002 and 2013 P.F. certificates.
90c Blue, First Design (62). Unused (no gum), deep dark color, reperfed at leftFINE APPEARANCE. THE 90-CENT IS THE SECOND RAREST STAMP OF THE 1861 FIRST DESIGNS AND COLORS.
Our census of Scott 62, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/62 , contains 22 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library and another copy certified as a privately perforated No. 62a, which comes from a set in the Col. Green sale that was signed by John Luff (we believe this stamp to be genuine). Another has been certified as genuine with a trial cancel.
Census no. 62-UNC-06. With 2003 and 2012 P.F. certificates