50c Columbian (240). Bottom imprint, plate no. 77 and letter "S" block of eight, original gum, three stamps on bottom row Mint N.H., deep rich color, some reinforced perfs between stamps at right

VERY FINE. A RARE PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 50-CENT COLUMBIAN ISSUE WITH SEVERAL MINT NEVER-HINGED STAMPS.

The 50c Columbian is the first value of the series that was printed in much more limited quantities, with 243,750 copies versus more than 617,000 of the 30c and millions of each of the 1c-15c (or more than a billion in the case of the 2c). It is scarce as a plate block -- especially in the larger eight-stamp size -- and it exists only from the bottom position due to the way the sheets from the 100-subject plates were cut and perforated (the $4.00 also exists only as a bottom plate block -- all the other Columbian values have top and bottom plate blocks).

With 2008 P.F. certificate

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