Sale 968 — The Alan B. Whitman Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 27-28 January, 2009
Category — 1875 Re-Issue of 1869 Pictorial Issue (Scott 123-133a)
3c Blue, Re-Issue (125). Full original gum, deep rich color, unusually choice centering for this difficult issue with wide and balanced marginsEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE 3-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE IN EXISTENCE. THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT DENOMINATION TO OBTAIN IN SUCH SUPERB CONDITION. A STAMP OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER, WHICH HAS BEEN GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 BY P.S.E.
Original sales figures show that among the 1869 Pictorial Re-Issues, the 3c and 90c stamps accounted for the smallest number of units sold (1,406 and 1,356, respectively). Overall, the 1869's were popular with stamp collectors, far outselling the 1851-60 and 1861-66 Re-Issue sets. However, the 90c stamp's high denomination and the availability of ordinary 3c stamps limited demand. Today, both are rare, and handling over the years has not been kind to most of the surviving examples. The stamp offered here is the finest we have ever encountered.
With 1986 and 1994 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (OGph, XF-Superb 95). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. The SMQ does not even price this issue above the grade of 90, which is the next-highest grade awarded to date.
