Sale 1093 — The Curtis Collection: U.S. 20th Century and Air Post
Sale Date — Monday-Tuesday, 23-24 February, 2015
Category — 1914-16 Rotary Press Coils (Scott 448-459)
2c Red, Ty. I, Coil (449). Mint N.H. joint line strip of four, top pair light purple "Jan 6, 1916" backstamp, bottom pair pencil notations on gum, perfectly even imperforate margins, characteristic deep Red color, detailed impressionVERY FINE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE JOINT LINE STRIP OF FOUR OF THE 1915 2-CENT TYPE I VERTICAL COIL.
The 2c Type I rotary plate was used very briefly to make vertical coils issued in late 1915. It was briefly used because the Type I plate was not very deeply engraved and the curvature of the rotary press yielded impressions lacking in some of the details. The Bureau noticed this immediately, and quickly replaced it with the Type III plate (according to Scott, the EDU for No. 449 is Oct. 29, 1915, and the EDU for Type III is Dec. 10, 1915).
The joint line strip of four offered here is the only example contained in Power Search in Mint N.H. condition (despite the markings on the gum). The Zoellner collection contained a hinged example.
With 1972 and 2008 P.F. certificates, the latter stating Mint N.H.. Scott Retail as Mint N.H.
