Sale 1244 — The Arthur S. Przybyl Collection of United States, Confederate States and Hawaii
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 9-10 November, 2021
Category — 1922 and Later Issues (Scott 594-1610c)
1c Green, Rotary Perf 11 (596). Bold "Kansas City Mo." Bureau precancel, dark shade and rich color, fine impression, corner thin spot at bottom rightFINE APPEARANCE. A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE THE ONE-CENT FRANKLIN ROTARY PERF 11 ISSUE, SCOTT 596, WHICH IS ONE OF THE KEYS TO A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF UNITED STATES STAMPS.
The discovery of the stamps that would eventually become Scott 596 and 544 was announced in a November 1936 article in the Bureau Specialist by Max Johl. A third rotary press rarity, the 2c Harding (Scott 613), would not be discovered for another two years. Scott 596 is a slightly taller design than both the flat plate printing and the rotary coil waste printing, or Scott 594, due to the direction it was rolled around the rotary press printing cylinder. The "tall stamp" was considered to be a variety of Scott 594, the “wide” Rotary Perf 11; it was given its own Scott number in 1963.
All three issues (Scott 544, 596 and 613) were rotary sheet waste perforated 11 in both directions on the flat plate perforating machine. It is unclear whether they were produced at the same time. Production quality and quantity were very low, due to the rotary press stamps' natural tendency to curl, and the use of the flat plate perforator for the slightly different-sized rotary printing.
Our census of Scott 596, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/596 , contains 15 stamps, all used or precancelled. None are graded above 70. Only 5 of the 15 have postal cancels, and only one of these is completely sound (number 1, realized $190,000 hammer in our 2009 Whitman sale). Only three precancelled copies are confirmed as sound (numbers 10, 11 and 13; No. 11 realized $190,000 hammer in our 2018 auction of the Wingate collection). One has not been seen since 1969 (number 6) so its condition has not been verified. Therefore, only one postally cancelled and three precancelled copies are confirmed as sound. The example offered here has trivial unobtrusive flaws and better centering than most.
Census no. 596-CAN-12. Ex Lessin and Hoffman. With 1951, 2002 and 2008 P.F. certificates
