30c Orange Brown (217). Mint N.H., Jumbo margins and outstanding centering, beautiful rich color and sharp impression on post office fresh paper

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1888 30-CENT AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY ISSUE—ARGUABLY THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.

This magnificent 30c Orange Brown, Scott 217, comes to market for the first time from a collection that has been dormant since the early 1960s, when the collector passed away. It was the center stamp in a sheet-margin strip with Mint Never-Hinged stamps. When we submitted this Gem to P.S.E., we were confident it would be certified as Superb 98 Jumbo. However, they left us bitterly disappointed by returning a grade of XF-Superb 95 Jumbo. All one has to do is use Power Search to look at the population of all Large Bank Note stamps with P.S.E. grades of 95J and 98J to see that this deserves 98J, which would make it the highest graded Mint N.H. Scott 217. There are three NH 98 and one PH 100 stamps in the P.S.E. Population Report. We offered one of the NH 98 stamps in Sale 1192, lot 282, where it brought $16,000 hammer. If the stamp offered here had received the 98J grade it deserves, we would expect it to realize more. Collectors who use their eyes to judge the stamp, not the grade on a P.S.E. certificate, will appreciate the extraordinary quality of this 30c Orange Brown and bid accordingly. It is one of our favorite stamps in this sale (and one of our all-time least favorite certificates).

With 2024 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; unpriced in SMQ in this grade, SMQ $6,500 as 95).

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