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 $1.00 and $2.00
$2.00 Orange Brown, Trans-Mississippi (293). Mint N.H. with top plate no. 613 selvage, deep rich color, wonderful centering for this difficult top valueEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A BEAUTIFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE NUMBER SINGLE OF THE $2.00 TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE, GRADED XF 90 BY THE P.F.
The design of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi is based on the famed Eads Bridge that spans the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The river has long been considered the dividing line between East and West, and is a fitting theme for this issue.
All of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi stamps were printed in a single day's run on June 3, 1898. The $2.00 was printed in sheets that have narrower spacing between the horizontal rows than between the vertical columns. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to obtain stamps with top and bottom margins that equal the sides. This makes it difficult to fit the collecting criteria of most Gem-quality collectors. The stamp offered here, which is Mint Never-Hinged with choice centering and fresh color, is a true condition rarity. The plate number selvage adds to its desirability
With 1991 and 2021 P.F. certificates (XF 90). By way of comparison, P.S.E. has graded only four at 90, with only three higher (all 95). We have never offered a P.S.E.-graded 90 before and neither of the 95s we have offered had printed selvage.
