Sale 968 — The Alan B. Whitman Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 27-28 January, 2009
Category — 1861 First Designs and Colors (Scott 55-61)
Lot
Symbol
Photo/Description
Cat./Est. Value
Realized
64
1c Indigo, First Design (55). Original gum, small h.r., deep rich color, intense impression, wide margins on three sides, top perfs slightly into oval as they are on virtually all known examplesVERY FINE AND FRESH. ONE OF ONLY EIGHT AVAILABLE SOUND AND ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE 1861 ISSUE ONE-CENT FIRST DESIGN. A PHENOMENAL RARITY.
Our census of the 1c 1861 First Design (available at http://www.siegelauctions.com/enc/census/55.pdf ) contains a total of 24 examples. Of these, one is in the Miller collection at The New York Public Library and two are cancelled. Of the remaining 21 original-gum copies, only eight are completely sound.
Census No. 55-OG-13. Ex Zoellner. With 1950 and 1998 P.F. certificates
30,000
65,000