Sale 1255 — The David W. Gorham Collection of Outstanding Used U.S. Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Friday, 17-20 May, 2022
Category — 1c 1851 Issue (Scott 5-9)
1c Blue, Ty. I (5). Position 7R1E, large margin at top, just touched at right, barely in at left, just touched to barely in at bottom, showing full outer design at lower right, pretty shade, cancelled by unobtrusive strike of blue circular datestamp, completely soundVERY FINE AND CHOICE. POSITION 7R1E IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE 1,000 POSITIONS USED TO PRINT IMPERFORATE ONE-CENT STAMPS THAT SHOWS THE COMPLETE DESIGN. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL CLASSIC UNITED STATES STAMPS TO FIND IN SOUND CONDITION.
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).
The census compiled by Jerome S. Wagshal, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/5 , contains at least 98 unduplicated records of Scott 5. There are probably no more than ten examples existing outside of the Wagshal census population. Therefore, the 1c 1851 Type I is the rarest of all United States stamps issued regularly prior to the 1868 Grills.
Ex Hugh J. Baker and Dr. Jerry Buss. 1976 P.F. certificate no longer accompanies. With 2004 P.F. certificate
