Sale 1096 — The Robert R. Hall Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Thursday, 28-30 April, 2015
Category — 1861-66 Issue, cont. (Scott 69-78c)
12c Black (69). Original gum, crisp impressionVERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 12-CENT 1861 ISSUE.
With 1996 P.F. certificate
12c Black (69). Perfectly centered, intense shade, blue grid cancel, Extremely Fine, with 2000 P.F. certificate
24c Red Lilac (70). Choice centering, crisp shade and impression, circle of wedges cancel, Extremely Fine, with 1998 P.F. certificate
24c Steel Blue (70b). Gorgeous deep rich color in the true Steel Blue shade, complemented by New York City red grid cancel, centered slightly to left but mostly wide margins, Very Fine, with 1989 and 2003 P.F. certificates
24c Violet, Thin Paper (70c). Original gum, well-centered, bright fresh color, light horizontal and vertical creases, trivial short perfs at rightVERY FINE CENTERING. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1861 24-CENT VIOLET.
With 2015 P.F. certificate
24c Violet, Thin Paper (70c). Unusually deep shade of Violet, well-centered, cork cancel, Very Fine, with 1998 P.F. certificate
30c Orange (71). Block of four, original gum, top pair hinged and bottom pair very lightly hinged, near perfect centering, brilliant fresh color on bright white paperEXTREMELY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF THE 30-CENT 1861 ISSUE. A BLOCK OF FOUR IS THE LARGEST RECORDED UNUSED MULTIPLE, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE TWO FINEST BLOCKS.
As this block demonstrates, the 30c 1861 plate left very little space between the stamp subjects. Consequently, perforations usually cut into part of the design. This fact is acknowledged in both the Scott Catalogue and Stamp Market Quarterly, and the 30c 1861-68 Issue is one of the few for which which centering standards are adjusted accordingly.
This block is one of approximately eight different blocks we have located in past auctions. It was originally joined with the equally superb block of four in our sale of Alan B. Whitman collection (Siegel Sale 968). This block was originally positioned to the right of the ex-Whitman block. It is possible that these and a few other 30c 1861 blocks were part of a larger multiple, but this and the Whitman blocks have superior centering to any others.
Ex Lilly, Klein and Zoellner. With 1968 and 1998 P.F. certificates.
90c Blue (72). Block of four, original gum, intense shade and proof-like impression, top right stamp light diagonal bend not noted on certificateFINE-VERY FINE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 90-CENT 1861 ISSUE.
Less than ten blocks of four are recorded. Most tend to be centered to left. A block of eight was offered in the Caspary sale, with similar centering, and this may have come from the same sheet.
With 1983 P.F. certificate.
30c Orange (71). Original gum, lightly hinged, unusually well-centered, bright colorVERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY SCARCE SOUND AND WELL-CENTERED ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT 1861 ISSUE.
Ex "Concord". With 1988 P.F. certificate
90c Blue (72). Regummed (looks like 1861 Re-issue gum), h.r., bright color, Very Fine
90c Blue (72). Near perfect centering, cancelled by bold strike of New York City 4-Petal Flower foreign mail cancel, a forerunner to the later Bank Note period foreign mail cancels, faint toning not noted on accompanying certificate, still Extremely Fine, with 1993 P.F. certificate
90c Pale Blue (72a). Horizontal pair which has been rejoined, bright shade, quartered cork cancels, right stamp diagonal crease at right, still Extremely Fine examples of this shade variety, with 2005 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail as singles
2c Black (73). Block of four, part original gum, intense shade and impression on bright paper, top left stamp few short perfs and corner crease, Fine-Very Fine appearance
3c Scarlet, Trial Color Plate Proof on Card (74TC4). Shaved, perforated and gummed proof created to deceive, apparently it worked, with 1978 P.F. certificate as sound Scott 74
3c Scarlet (74). Four neat pen strokes, vibrant color, bright and freshVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A REMARKABLY FRESH AND ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT SCARLET TRIAL PRINTING FROM THE ROTHFUCHS GROUP.
As has been documented by Jerome S. Wagshal in a series of Chronicle articles (Nos. 56, 60, 61 and 62), Carl F. Rothfuchs, a Washington D.C. stamp dealer, obtained a supply of the 3c Scarlet in 1893 -- probably from the Post Office Department in exchange for his assistance with the Columbian Exposition -- and sold them with pen marks and original gum. The Rothfuchs lot is not from the same supply acquired by John W. Scott in the late 1870's, from which stamps exist uncancelled and cancelled with a New York City Station D oval.
Ex "Vineyard." With 2000 P.F. certificate
5c Red Brown (75). Original gum, deep rich color and proof-like impressionVERY FINE AND RARE SOUND ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1862 ISSUE IN THE RED BROWN SHADE.
This is a very difficult issue to obtain in sound original-gum condition.
With 1986 P.F. certificate
5c Red Brown (75). Warm shade, neat strike of target cancel and part of red transit, well-balanced margins, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 1980 and 1998 P.F. certificates
5c Brown (76). Original gum, lightly hinged, rich color and detailed impressionEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFULLY CENTERED AND UNUSUALLY FRESH ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1863 5-CENT BROWN.
The 5c 1861-68 Issue was printed from plates with closely-spaced subjects that left little room for the large 12-gauge perforations. The Brown shade, Scott 76, is scarce in original-gum condition, and truly rare in this quality.
With 1986 P.F. certificate
15c Black (77). Original gum, intense shade and proof-like impression, unusually wide margins for this difficult issueEXTREMELY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1866 15-CENT LINCOLN. SCARCE IN SUCH CHOICE CONDITION.
With 1990 P.F. certificate
24c Lilac (78). Original gum, crisp impression, attractive centering for this difficult issueVERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1863 24-CENT LILAC SHADE.
With 1996 P.F. certificate for block of four
24c Grayish Lilac (78a). Original gum, lightly hinged, intense shade and detailed impression on bright white paper with virtually colorless gum (all hallmark characteristics of the 1863 printing)EXTREMELY FINE. A CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1863 GRAYISH LILAC SHADE. VERY SCARCE IN THIS HIGH-QUALITY ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION.
With 1986 P.F. certificate (submitted as No. 78, opinion states No. 70a Brownish Lilac -- we disagree)
24c Blackish Violet (78c). Deep rich color in this distinctive shade on bright paper, bold strike of cork cancel, choice centering for this difficult issueEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT BLACKISH VIOLET, WHICH IS THE MOST DIFFICULT STAMP OF THE 1861-66 SERIES TO OBTAIN -- EITHER UNUSED OR USED -- IN SOUND AND CENTERED CONDITION. THIS IS EASILY ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.
A thorough search through past auction catalogues will demonstrate how rare this stamp is in either used or unused condition. With regard to used stamps, this shade was lacking from the Ishikawa, Grunin, Klein, Caspary and Twigg-Smith collections. The Zoellner collection contained an original-gum single even though the rest of the series was obtained in used condition, because a suitable used stamp was never offered. The superb used single in our Sale 878 (lot 324, realized $22,000 hammer) was stolen from a Fedex courier and has not been recovered.
Our census of Scott 78c, available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/78c/78c.pdf , records a total of 36 used examples of this issue, of which only 31 have been certified as genuine by The Philatelic Foundation. We also record nine on cover plus three unused, for a total of 48 potential examples. Of the used off cover copies only ten are confirmed as sound, and of these ten only four have decent centering (one of which is the stolen copy). This leaves only three used copies which are confirmed as sound and centered -- Census Nos. 01 (ex Dr. Morris), 02 (ex Natalee Grace) and 30 (ex Floyd, the example offered here).
Census No. 78c-CAN-30. Ex Floyd. With 1996 P.F. certificate