EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1860 ISSUE. THIS ISSUE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN IN ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION AND WITH SUCH PRECISE CENTERING.

The 90c stamp was issued in 1860, along with the 24c and 30c values, all of which were needed to prepay high international letter rates established by various postal treaties. When supplies of current postage stamps were declared invalid in the South and ultimately demonetized by the Federal government, the 90c had been in use for only one year. Most unused examples come from supplies recovered from Southern post offices. The vast majority have no gum or poor centering -- this is an extraordinary exception to the rule. This stamp's centering and margin width are virtually unimprovable, and we consider the XF-Superb 95 grade to be one level too low -- if this is not a Superb 98, then what is?

With 2017 P.S.E. certificate (OGh, XF-Superb 95; SMQ $17,500.00). Only three other original-gum stamps have achieved a 95 grade in the P.S.E. Population Report -- the highest awarded.

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