1c Blue, Ty. I (5). Position 7R1E, huge margins including portion of adjoining stamps at sides and part of top sheet margin, barely touched at lower left, rich color and unusually dark shade, two neat strikes of Boston small "Paid" grid cancel, light vertical creases at left and right mostly in side margins are barely noticeable

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE WIDEST-MARGINED EXAMPLES OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE I IN EXISTENCE. A STAMP OF REMARKABLE PROPORTIONS. THIS IS THE ONLY IMPERFORATE POSITION THAT SHOWS THE ENTIRE DESIGN OF THE STAMP.

The Type I 1c imperforate only comes from one position on the five plates used to print the imperforate stamps -- Position 7R1E, or the seventh position in the top row of the right pane of the first plate. Due to difficulties in creating the plates, all 999 other positions are other types. An explanation of the 1c types can be found in the Siegel Encyclopedia at http://siegelauctions.com/enc/pdf/1c1851.pdf .

The published census compiled by Jerome S. Wagshal and available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/5/5.pdf contains 90 unduplicated records of Scott 5. There has been one addition to the Wagshal census, and there are probably no more than ten examples existing outside of the census population. Therefore, the 1c 1851 Type I is the rarest of all United States stamps issued regularly prior to the 1868 Grills.

Because of the significance attached to the outer portions of the 1c 1851 design, rare types that have been carefully cut apart, so as not to impinge on any part of the design, are extremely desirable. The narrow spacing between stamps in the sheet and the users' indifference to the outlying ornamentation during separation are factors that contributed to the great rarity of four-margin copies. Examples of Position 7R1E (Scott 5) with large right and bottom margins, where there was very little space between it and the adjoining stamps, are true rarities. Looking at the census data, the stamp offered here has among the widest margins known. It has consistently brought at least twice Scott Catalogue value in past auction sales.

Wagshal Census No. 5-CAN-008. Ex T. Charlton Henry and Lyons. With 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott Catalogue states "Values for No. 5 are for examples with margins touching or cutting slightly into the design, or for examples with four margins and minor faults."

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