Sale 1283 — Commemoratives, Featuring Morton Trans-Mississippi, Brody Jamestown and Haber 1909 Issues
Sale Date — Wednesday, 19 April, 2023
Category — 1898 Trans-Mississippi Issue: Gem Quality Stamps to 50c
8c Violet Brown, Trans-Mississippi, Vertical Pair, Imperforate Horizontally (289a). Original gum, h.r., with horizontal guide line, deep rich color, wide margins, few light natural gum creases as found on most examples of this rare error, which originated from one pane of 50 (not noted on certificates)VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A RARE AND DESIRABLE EXAMPLE OF THE 8-CENT TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE IMPERFORATE HORIZONTALLY, WHICH IS THE ONLY MAJOR ERROR OF THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE.
According to the Neil-Rosenthal book (pp. 115-118), one pane of 50 was discovered by Robert Watts, a stamp clerk at one of the sales windows at the Philadelphia General Post Office, who found it between the wrapping paper of a bundle of stamps. He sold it for double face value ($8.00) to Herman Lewis, a locksmith in Philadelphia. Lewis soon sold it to William S. F. Pierce, who broke it into three pieces: a vertical strip of ten with sheet margin and full arrow at right, a vertical block of 20 containing both plate blocks, and a vertical block of 20 with natural straight edge at left. Each of these multiples has since been broken.
With 1974, 1996 and 2022 P.F. certificates.
