1c Blue, Types I-Ib-Ib (5-5A-5A). Positions 7-8-9R1E, horizontal strip of three, Type I at left and two Type Ib stamps at right, large margins all around showing traces of surrounding positions at left and bottom, brilliant Plate 1 Early shade and finely detailed impression, complemented by clear strikes of vivid red grid cancel, equally sharp strike of matching "Richmond Va. Jul. 5" (1851) circular datestamp on blue folded letter datelined "Richmond July 5th 1851" from Womble & Company to Blow & March in New York City, letter reports the availability of apple brandy, the strip and folded letter are pristine and flawless

EXTREMELY FINE GEM STRIP CONTAINING THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF SCOTT 5, THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE I IMPERFORATE, USED ON THE FIFTH DAY OF ISSUE. STANLEY B. ASHBROOK, THE EMINENT PHILATELIC SCHOLAR, HAILED THIS AS "NUMBER ONE" OF ALL RARE UNITED STATES COVERS.

The 1c 1851 Franklin, a workhorse postage stamp from 1851 through 1861, was printed from 200-subject steel plates numbered 1 through 12 (Plate 6 was never used, and Plate 1 exists in Early and Late states). Only Plates 1 through 4 were used to print stamps that were issued imperforate. The original 1c 1851 die design has an elaborate ornamental border on all four sides. Several factors affected the designs entered on the plates, which in turn produced variations in the printed stamps. Stanley B. Ashbrook developed the system used to classify design types, based on the premise that Type I should be a printed version that comes closest to the original die design. The completeness of the ornamentation at top and bottom is a requirement for Type I. For imperforate stamps, Ashbrook found only one position among the 1,000 subjects that met this requirement--Position 7R1E--which is why Scott 5, a Type I imperforate stamp, is so rare. Type Ib, Scott 5A, has slightly less ornamentation and was also printed from Plate 1 Early (imperforate only).

Most of the approximately 100 known examples of Scott 5 do not have full margins, so parts of the ornamentation are cut off. The strip offered here has large margins, providing an unimpeded view of the Type I and Type Ib designs. The strip's margins, brilliant color, sharp impression, neat red cancels and sound condition, and the cover's overall appearance, led Ashbrook to declare it to be "number one" among covers with U.S. general issues, possessing "everything that could possibly be desired in a rare cover." He added, "I have no apologies to offer for my enthusiasm over this gem."

Although known as the "Newbury" cover, in tribute to one of its owners, Saul Newbury, the cover has in fact been owned by at least four other prominent collectors. It made its first auction appearance in 1911 at a sale held by George R. Tuttle, where it was described as "a most beautiful and perfect strip... mailed from Richmond, July 5, 1851, a most desirable and unique cover..." It realized $136. We have no record of the buyer in this 1911 sale. The cover was acquired 25 years later by Robert S. Emerson in a private transaction shortly before he died in 1937. The new acquisition was reported in a September 9, 1936, letter to Ashbrook, in which Emerson referred to it as the "finest 7R1E cover in existence." The cover was offered by Kelleher in an October 1937 sale of part of Emerson’s collection sold after his death, where it was described as "one of the gems of the sale.” In Warren H. Colson's personal copy of the catalogue, he wrote "tres beau." The cover was bought for $2,800 by Ernest R. Jacobs as agent for Newbury, who exhibited his namesake cover at the May 1940 Centenary Exhibition held at the Collectors Club of New York to commemorate Great Britain's first issue. It was also one of the cornerstones of his exhibit which captured the Grand Award at the 1947 CIPEX show. Newbury died three years later, in 1950. His collections were kept by his son, Michael, until 1961, when the Siegel firm held the first of a series of auctions. In the Newbury sale held on October 23-24, 1963, the 7R1E cover went up for bidding for the first time in a quarter century. The Weills acquired the cover for their secret client, Benjamin D. Phillips, for $12,000, a record price which made headlines.

The Weills bought the entire Phillips collection in 1968 for $4.07 million and sold the cover to Ryohei Ishikawa, who formed several important collections, including the 1c 1851-57s. Ishikawa included the Newbury cover in his triple Grand Prix 1847-1869 exhibit. At the October 1993 Christie’s Robson Lowe auction of the Ishikawa collection, the cover sold to Andrew Levitt as agent for John R. Boker, Jr., who assembled a select group of classic imperforate U.S. items. Boker later traded this group for Mr. Eubanks’s Waterbury fancy cancellations.

Wagshal census no. 5-COV-085. Illustrated in Stanley B. Ashbrook, The United States One Cent Stamp of 1851-1857, Vol. I (p. 124) and Neinken revision (p. 76); Lester G. Brookman, The United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century, Vol. I (p. 112); and in numerous other philatelic publications.

From the George R. Tuttle Sale 172, Apr. 22, 1911, lot 11; ex Robert S. Emerson, Saul Newbury, Benjamin D. Phillips, Ryohei Ishikawa and John R. Boker, Jr.

Backstamped "R.H.W. Co.” (Weill). With 2021 P.F. certificate.

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