Sale 1024 — The Natalee Grace Collection of Used Stamps of the United States, Part One: 1847-1868 Issues
Sale Date — Thursday, 7 June, 2012
Category — 5c 1857-60 Issue (Scott 27-30A)
5c Brown, Ty. II (30A). A remarkable stamp with mathematically perfect centering and incredibly wide margins on all four sides -- almost unheard-of on the 5c Type II -- deep rich color and proof-like impression, vivid "paint" red grid cancelEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE FINEST USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1861 5-CENT TYPE II. A STUNNING STAMP IN EVERY RESPECT -- LONG AND FULL PERFORATIONS, ENORMOUS MARGINS, PERFECT CENTERING AND A BEAUTIFUL COLORED CANCEL. THIS STAMP HAS BEEN GRADED GEM 100 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE TO ACHIEVE THIS GRADE. THIS IS ALSO THE ONLY STAMP OF THE ENTIRE 1857-60 ISSUE TO BE AWARDED THE GRADE OF GEM 100.
This offering of the only P.S.E.-graded Gem 100 stamp of the entire 1857-60 Issue gives us an opportunity to explain why such a stamp is so rare and extraordinary. We will begin with the historical background of perforated stamps in the United States and then delve into the specifics of 5c perforated stamp production.
The use of postage stamps in the U.S. doubled in the two years after enactment of the 1855-56 laws mandating compulsory prepayment and use of stamps. Postmaster General James Campbell anticipated that such high-volume use would render the act of cutting stamps apart with scissors inconvenient. In response to seeing examples of British stamps, which had been perforated on an Archer machine since 1854, the Post Office Department requested that Toppan Carpenter investigate and report on the means used to perforate stamps in Great Britain.
Toppan Carpenter officials solicited advice from friendly competitors, the English firm of Perkins Bacon, who printed stamps for the British government. Perkins Bacon was at odds with Henry Archer and referred Toppan Carpenter to another manufacturer, Bemrose and Sons. In October 1855 both Toppan Carpenter and Perkins Bacon placed orders for two Bemrose rouletting machines at once, benefiting from a price reduction. In March 1856 Toppan Carpenter received its Bemrose machine, but was forced to convert it from a rouletting device to a round-hole perforator, which proved to be difficult and time-consuming (Perkins Bacon never succeeded in converting its own machine).
Toppan Carpenter soon realized that the spacing between stamps in the 1851-56 sheets was not wide enough to accommodate perforations. To create more space, Toppan Carpenter trimmed the transfer reliefs to reduce the width and/or height of the printed designs. New plates were made from the modified reliefs. The 5c design required only moderate trimming at top and bottom, and the vertical rows were spaced far enough apart to leave room for the gauge-15 perforation holes. As multiples demonstrate, there is approximately twice as much space between the vertical columns of stamps as there is between the horizontal rows. The imbalance in spacing produced stamps with margins that are almost always wider at the sides than at top and bottom, even if the rows of perforations were placed at the equidistant point between stamps. Only when the horizontal perforations are unusually wide apart (with balanced margins on all sides) is it possible to achieve a numerically perfect grade of 100.
Therefore, the statistical odds against a Gem 100 example of the 5c Type II perforated issue are enormous even at the point of conception. Once that rare child is born, it must survive distribution and use, dormancy while awaiting discovery and entry into the philatelic market, and finally years of collector handling. The stamp offered here made that journey and stands alone as proof that it is indeed possible for an 1857-60 Perforated Issue stamp to achieve Gem 100 status.
Ex Dr. Morris. With 1991 and 1997 P.F. certificates and 2009 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; unpriced in SMQ above the grade of 98, SMQ $8,900.00 as 98). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. It is also the only stamp of the entire 1857-60 Issue to be awarded the grade of Gem 100 in any condition (NH, OG or Used).
