Sale 1037 — United States and Foreign Stamps and Covers
Sale Date — Monday-Friday, 10-14 December, 2012
Category — 1893 Columbian Issue, 1c thru 30c (Scott 230-239)
4c Columbian, Error of Color (233a). Mint N.H., deep rich color and proof-like impression, centered to left with perfs barely touching frame, other sides wide marginsFRESH AND FINE. ONE OF THE FEW AVAILABLE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLES OF THE RARE 4-CENT COLUMBIAN ERROR OF COLOR.
The 4c Columbian color error was caused by the use of a wrong batch of ink, and spectrographic analysis has shown that the blue inks of the 4c error and 1c Columbian have the same components.
Stamps from at least two panes reached collectors, and the few cancelled examples indicate that stamps used by the public came from additional panes. It is likely that a number of full sheets were printed using the wrong ink, and most of the stamps have simply been lost to philately.
With 1967 P.F. certificate for block of four. With 2002 P.S.E. certificate for pair. We have offered only six other Mint N.H. examples since keeping computerized records, including another stamp from the block that yielded this example (the other ex Hoffman, Sale 956, lot 229).
