2c Black, Harding, Imperforate (610b). Mint N.H. block of twelve with plate no. 14870 at left, huge margins to full, intense shade, naturally short gum at left, few light natural gum bends

THE INCOMPARABLE IMPERFORATE BLOCK OF TWELVE WITH PLATE NUMBER 14870. THE PLATE NUMBER TELLS US THAT THIS WAS FROM A SHEET WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN PERFORATED, BUT WHICH WAS REPORTEDLY FOUND IN AN OTHERWISE NORMAL PACKAGE OF STAMPS BEFORE THE IMPERFORATE SHEETS WERE ISSUED.

According to Johl (p. 84), one pane of 100 imperforate stamps from plate 14870 was found in a usual post office package of 100 sheets of regularly perforated stamps. The sheet had been "blue pencilled" at the Bureau but had still gotten out. The stamps were issued imperforate at a later date, but this plate number was not used to print those stamps. The only way to distinguish the earlier imperforate error from the normal imperforate issue is by the plate number, which is what makes this piece so important. There are three such plate blocks known.

Image Magnifier / Download

Power Search for Comparables