Sale 1199 — Gem-Quality United States Stamps
Sale Date — Wednesday-Thursday, 1-2 May, 2019
Category — 1c 1851-56 Issue (Scott 5-9)
1c Blue, Ty. III (8). Position 70R4, huge margins all around including right sheet margin and top portion of imprint ("Toppan Carpent"), wide break at bottom and substantial break at top, huge margins, rich colorEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING JUMBO USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE III. THIS TYPE IS EXTREMELY RARE WITH THE IMPRINT. THIS IS THE ONLY SOUND EXAMPLE OF TYPE III SHOWING THE IMPRINT WE HAVE OFFERED SINCE KEEPING COMPUTERIZED RECORDS. APART FROM THE IMPRINT, THIS IS ALSO ONE OF THE FINEST TYPE III STAMPS IN EXISTENCE, BY VIRTUE OF ITS HUGE BALANCED MARGINS, FACE-FREE CANCEL AND WONDERFUL COLOR AND IMPRESSION.
The Neinken book states, "Stamps from Plate 4 showing part of the imprint are very rare." Looking at the layout of Plate 4 (Neinken book, page 263), the imprint position types are as follows: left pane 31/41L Type IIIa, 51L Type IIIa-III, 61L Type III; right pane 40R Type III, 50/60R Type IIIa, 70R Type III. Therefore, only Positions 61L, 40R and 70R4 are Type III imprint positions (51L is a "swing" position with a smaller break).
Ex Vogel, "Natalee Grace" and Curtis. With 2011 P.F. certificate as a pair with Type IIIa and 2012 P.S.E. certificate as single (Superb 98; SMQ $21,000.00). Only two have graded higher (at 98J) and one other shares this grade.
