Sale 1227 — Outstanding United States Stamps and Gold Coins
Sale Date — Monday-Friday, 19-23 October, 2020
Category — $1.00-$5.00 1893 Columbian Issue (Scott 241-245)
$4.00 Columbian (244). Mint N.H., brilliant color on bright paper, outstanding centering with balanced marginsEXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE $4.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE, GRADED XF 90 XQ BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION -- THIS STAMP EXHIBITS A REMARKABLE DEGREE OF FRESHNESS RARELY SEEN ON COLUMBIAN DOLLAR-VALUE STAMPS.
The $4.00 Columbian depicts the two central figures in the story of Columbus -- Queen Isabella and Columbus himself. The portrait of Isabella is said to be based on a painting in Madrid, but its origins have been lost to history. The portrait of Columbus is based on a painting by the artist Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480-1556). This portrait of Columbus was painted in 1512 as a commission from Domenico Malpiero, a Venetian senator and historian, and was executed shortly after the death of Columbus in 1504. It is one of the earliest portraits of Columbus (none is known to have been painted in his lifetime). This image was also used for several stamps of Chile.
With 2020 P.F. certificate (XF 90 XQ). The "XQ" denotes extraordinary quality
