Sale 1129 — 2016 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Tuesday, 31 May, 2016
Category — 1861 Issue First Designs and Colors
5c Brown, First Design (57). Unused (traces of original gum), deep rich color, small thin spot at top, few perf faultsVERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 1861 5-CENT FIRST DESIGN. ONLY 36 EXAMPLES ARE KNOWN.
Our census of Scott 57, available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/57/57.pdf , contains a total of 36 copies of this rarity. Of these, one is in The New York Public Library collection. Of the 35 thought to be available to collectors, two are cancelled, 18 have no gum, five have part original gum and ten have full (or nearly full) original gum. Eight of the full or part original gum stamps in private hands are sound or have tiny flaws, such as a corner perf crease. Of the no-gum copies, seven are sound or have a small toned spot, and the other eleven have faults of varying degrees.
Census No. 57-UNC-16. With 1971 P.F. certificate stating "genuine, slightly defective at top". From our 1972 Rarities sale and offered to the market for the first time in 44 years.
