Sale 1202 — The James Depew Collection of Superb U.S. Coils and 20th Century Imperforate Issues
Sale Date — Wednesday, 22 May, 2019
Category — 1914 Perf 10 Horizontal Coils, Single-Line Watermark (Scott 443-447)
4c Brown, Coil (446). Mint N.H. guide line pair, exceptionally choice centering with perfectly balanced margins, deep rich color on post-office fresh paperEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING MINT NEVER-HINGED GUIDE LINE PAIR OF THE 1914 4-CENT PERF 10 SINGLE-LINE WATERMARK COIL, SCOTT 446, GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.
The Perf 10 coils were issued as a middle ground between the previous Per 12 coils, which separated too easily and the Perf 8-1/2 coils, which were too difficult to separate. The Perf 10 Scott 446, printed by flat plate method, has an earliest known date of use of June 4, 1915. The rotary press coils followed shortly thereafter, with the 4c horizontal rotary coil known used in November 1915 (Scott 457). With a relatively short period of use, choice examples of Scott 446 are difficult to find. When you add Mint N.H. gum and the guide line pair format, the degree of difficulty increases exponentially. This superb Mint N.H. guide line pair is easily among the few finest known.
With 1981 P.F. (for strip of four) and 2013 P.S.E. certificates (Superb 98; SMQ $9,250.00). Only one other Mint N.H. guide line pair has achieved the 98 grade, which is the highest awarded
