5c Indian Red (28A). Full original gum, beautiful color in the true Indian Red shade, detailed impression clearly showing the lathework background, light horizontal crease is not readily apparent

FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT INDIAN RED SHADE. THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST ORIGINAL-GUM STAMPS IN UNITED STATES PHILATELY -- ONLY FOUR INDIAN RED STAMPS WITH ANY AMOUNT OF GUM ARE CONTAINED IN OUR RECORDS.

Our search of old auction catalogues and the records of the Philatelic Foundation yielded only ten unused examples of Scott 28A. Of these, only four have been described as having any gum whatsoever. These are: 1) Offered in the C. A. Brown Collection by Harmer, Rooke & Co. in 1941 where described as "full original gum"; it was offered in the 1968 Rarities sale and again as part of the A. T. Seymour Collection (Siegel Sale 373, Apr. 23, 1970, lot 35) where described as "large part original gum" and in our Sale 895 (lot 102, realized $75,000 hammer); 2) the "Ambassador" copy (Siegel Sale 300, Apr. 27, 1966, lot 45A), described as part original gum, also ex Argentum (Siegel Sale 807, Feb. 23, 1999, lot 76) where described as "unused (traces of gum)"; 3) the Caspary/Lilly copy, described in both catalogues as full original gum and with light horizontal crease (the example offered here); and 4) the example offered in our sale of the Alan Geisler Collection, where described as part original gum, a light diagonal crease and two small corner creases at top right (Siegel Sale 929, lot 47, realized $110,000 hammer).

Ex Caspary and Lilly. With 2007 P.F. certificate

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