Sale 1357 — 2025 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Wednesday, 25 June, 2025
Category — 1861-68 Issues
90c Blue, First Design (62). Original gum, very lightly hinged, choice centering with well-balanced margins, wonderful deep shade, trivial tiny tear in perf hole at bottom (barely detectable and almost unworthy of mention)
EXTREMELY FINE DESPITE THE TINY FLAW. THE SECOND RAREST STAMP OF THE 1861 FIRST DESIGNS AND COLORS. ONLY EIGHT EXAMPLES OF THE 90-CENT FIRST DESIGN WITH ORIGINAL GUM ARE IN PRIVATE HANDS. A BEAUTIFUL AND EXTREMELY RARE CLASSIC STAMP.
Our census of Scott 62 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. Excluding the NYPL copy and the ex-Green stamp just noted, only eight examples of the 90c First Design are available with original gum. Of these eight, only three are sound. The example offered here, with a tiny tear in one perf hole, has the least noticeable flaw among the remaining five original-gum stamps.
Census no. 62-OG-15. Ex Caspary and Petersen. Tiny purple backstamp. 1971 P.F. certificate no longer accompanies. With 2007 P.F. certificate.
3c Rose (65). Complete pane of 100 including imprint and plate no. 33 at bottom, imprint at top and part of imprint at right (one piece of selvage missing), nearly all stamps are Mint N.H., three stamps in corners with hinging or h.r., some perf separations to be expected and some faint gum toning in portions of selvage
FINE. AN INCREDIBLY RARE COMPLETE PANE OF 100 OF THE 3-CENT 1861 ISSUE.
Only three complete panes are listed in Power Search. This pane was last offered in our 2001 Rarities of the World sale. Scott value $20,690 as hinged plate block, 22 blocks of four and two pairs.
3c Rose (65). Tied by beautifully clear strike of Bridgeport Fireman fancy cancel of Waterbury, Connecticut (Rohloff E-6) on cover to Detroit, Michigan, matching "Waterbury Con. Apr. 25 '66" double-circle datestamp, missing backflap
EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL DETAILED STRIKE OF THE BRIDGEPORT FIREMAN FANCY CANCEL OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, AND THE EARLIEST KNOWN USE. ONLY SIXTEEN COVERS ARE RECORDED, AND THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST.
This cancel was inspired by the annual Bridgeport Fireman's Parade through Waterbury. William T. Crowe records sixteen covers with this cancel, used from April 25 through June 3, 1866. This is the earliest recorded use in both the Rohloff book and the Crowe census.
From our 2014 Rarities sale. With 2014 P.F. certificate.
3c Rose (65). Tied by perfect strike of Masonic Square and Compass fancy cancel of Waterbury Conn. (Rohloff O-4) and "Waterbury Con. Aug. 31 '67" double-circle datestamp on cover to Danbury Conn., Extremely Fine strike showing every detail of the design including measurement notches in the square, ex Haub ("Erivan"), with 2021 P.F. certificate
24c Red Lilac (70). Radiant color, used with 12c Black (69), straight edge at left, tied by circle of V’s cancels, “Rockland Me. Nov. 23” (1864) double-circle datestamp on buff cover to Captain Henry A. Starrett of the ship Lizzie Southard (misnamed “T.J.” Southard, a vessel that sank years earlier), in care of a merchant firm in Rangoon, Burma, sender's original routing “Prussian Closed Mail via Trieste” at lower left, red “N. York Am. Pkt. Paid 7 Nov. 26” 7c credit datestamp (crossed out in pencil), blue "AACHEN FRANCO 8 12" (Dec. 8) framed datestamp, blue manuscript “Ret. for postage”, sent back to New York exchange office, earlier New York credit datestamp crossed out in pencil, red “New York Br. Pkt. Paid Dec 28” datestamp, red manuscript "28" credit, red London Paid datestamp (Jan. 9, 1865), red crayon "1" British Colonial credit, red Bombay datestamp (Feb. 12), Calcutta and Rangoon backstamps, slightly reduced at left
VERY FINE. A FASCINATING AND RARE COVER, ORIGINALLY MAILED FROM MAINE TO RANGOON, BURMA, VIA PRUSSIAN CLOSED MAIL—IT TRAVELED AS FAR AS GERMANY, BUT WAS RETURNED TO NEW YORK DUE TO INSUFFICIENT POSTAGE OR CREDIT FOR PRUSSIAN TRANSIT—REPOSTED BY BRITISH MAIL VIA SOUTHAMPTON.
An analysis of this unusual cover was provided by the late Richard F. Winter. In his opinion, the original postage was paid in cash at the Rockland, Maine, post office—a notation beneath the stamps appears to confirm this, and payment using stamps was not compulsory for foreign-bound letters at this time. The letter was routed through New York and carried on the HAPAG Borussia to Southampton and then by closed mail to Aachen. At this point the letter was returned to New York because full credit for the 36c Prussian Closed Mail rate was compulsory. After receiving the returned letter, the New York office changed the route to the more frequently used British Mail via Southampton. The letter then left New York for the second time on the Cunarder Cuba, departing December 29, 1864. It passed through Southampton, London, Alexandria, Suez, Bombay and Calcutta on its journey to Burma. In his analysis, Richard Winter also noted that he had never seen a Prussian Closed Mail cover sent via Trieste to the East Indies. Neither have we, and this partly completed trip may be the closest one will ever get.
Ex Vogel.
24c Violet, Thin Paper (70c). Original gum, magnificent color, well-centered but reperfed at left
VERy FINE APPEARANCE. the 1861 24-CENT VIOLET IS A RARE UNUSED STAMP IN ANY CONDITION, ESPECIALLY WITH ORIGINAL GUM.
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 original-gum condition.
With 2008 P.S.E. certificate. Scott value $27,500.
90c Blue (72). Block of four, original gum, h.r., deep rich color, centered to left as are several of the known blocks
FRESH AND FINE. A RARE AND DESIRABLE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 90-CENT 1861 ISSUE.
Fewer than ten original-gum blocks of four are recorded. Most tend to be centered to left.
Ex Dupuy. With 1987 P.F. certificate. SCV $32,500.
24c Lilac (78). Used with 2c Brown (157) and 3c Green (158), tied by segmented cork cancels with "Newark N.J. Mar. 15 6PM" (1875) circular datestamp, bold red "New York 24 Mar. 16" 24c credit datestamp on cover to Moradabad, India, red London Paid datestamp (Mar. 29), red crayon "1d" British Colonial credit, Sea Post Office and receiving backstamps, 2c stamp small tears at bottom, Very Fine, scarce late use of the 24c 1863 Issue on cover to India, overpaying by 1c the 28c rate by British Mail via Brindisi
3c Rose, D. Grill (85). Strip of four, clear grills, pos. 3 small internal crease, tied by three strikes of "New-York Jul. ?" duplex datestamp with rosette cancel on incoming cover from an unknown origin to Wall Street address in New York, "United States of America", Fine and an extremely rare on-cover strip of the 3c D Grill, presumably this was mailed from outside the United States and the strip overpaid the 10c blanket ship letter rate, ex Klein, with 1977 P.F. certificate, Scott value as two off-cover pairs is $4,800
2c Black, Z. Grill (85B). Tied by bold red 4-point Star in Circle cancel and matching "New York City Feb. 17" circular datestamp on buff drop-rate cover to local address, a magnificent strike and Very Fine, truly spectacular, with 2002 P.F. certificate
12c Black, F. Grill (97). Block of four, original gum, double transfers of framelines at top or bottom, spaces between stamps show plate bruises, deep shade and fresh
FINE-VERY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF THE 1868 12-CENT F GRILL.
Our records contain around a dozen original-gum blocks of the 12c F Grill. Some of these have may have been broken to feed collector demand for singles, and therefore the number of surviving multiples may be smaller. Blocks of four are the largest surviving multiples, since the Caspary block of eight has been broken.
Ex T. Charlton Henry, Ishikawa and Gross. With 1976 and 1993 P.F. certificates. SCV $40,000.