Sale 1138 — The Hanover Collection of Superb-Quality U.S. Stamps, Part 2
Sale Date — Thursday, 6 October, 2016
Category — 1922-29 and Later Issues (Scott 594-642)
2c Carmine, Joint Line Pair, Ty. I, II (599-599A). Mint N.H. joint line pair, left stamp Type II, right stamp Type I, rich color, gorgeous centeringEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A RARE SOUND AND CENTERED JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 2-CENT ROTARY PRESS COIL COMBINING TYPES I AND II.
According to the Armstrong book, the Type I, Scott 599, was produced starting in 1923. In 1929 the Bureau experimented with a new method of making plates. It became necessary to retouch the die, most notably in the hair, creating Type II (Scott 599A and 634A). Combination joint line pairs exist because two plates of 170 subjects were used at one time and for a short period one plate of each type was used.
The existence of the new die wasn't discovered until 1932, almost three years after it was produced. On July 6, 1932, the postage rate for first class mail was changed from 2c to 3c, and demand dropped sharply for 2c stamps. The existence of combination joint line pairs was not discovered until the early 1940's, making them especially scarce.
Ex "Golden Oak". With 2005 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90; SMQ $2,500.00). The P.S.E. Population Report does not list the combination joint line pair so we do not know the population figures; it is unpriced in SMQ as 95, so it is likely none exist at that higher grade.
