Mercado & Seully, 2c Black, Old Paper (RS177a). Large margins all around, intense shade, two or three very small and shallow thin spots but free of the more severe faults from which nearly all examples of this rarity suffer

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 2-CENT MERCADO AND SEULLY PRIVATE DIE PROPRIETARY ISSUE. ONLY FIFTEEN EXAMPLES OF THIS ISSUE FROM THIS SAN FRANCISCO PRODUCER ARE KNOWN AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST.

The Aldrich book records 15 copies of this rarity, of which five are stated to be sound. We have never offered a sound example so we suspect that number is actually lower than five. Many examples have severe faults including repairs, holes, stains or large tears. The stamp offered here, with only small thin spots that are not obvious except in fluid, is a true condition rarity. This stamp was designed to be affixed over the cork and down the neck of bottles of Sausevain's Bitters so it is easy to see why most would have been destroyed and survivors would be typically faulty. It is only known on old paper.

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