24c Purple (153). Mint N.H. with plate no. 21 selvage at top, new P.S.E. certificate mentions "fingerprints" on gum, which are truly negligible and probably occurred in the National Bank Note Company gumming room 138 years ago, intense dark color on crisp paper, well-balanced margins for this difficult issue

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. THIS IS THE ONLY KNOWN MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE NUMBER EXAMPLE OF THE 1870 24-CENT NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY ISSUE. A FABULOUS CLASSIC RARITY FROM THE FAMOUS BLOCK THAT WAS BROKEN.

This stamp comes from the top left of the Mint N.H. plate number block of four that was part of the Walter Klein collection and last sold in our 1998 Rarities sale. Sadly, after the Rarities sale it was broken into singles. Each of the righthand stamps from the block has a straight edge at right. The bottom left stamp was offered in our Silver Lake sale (Sale 866, lot 84) and is not quite as well-centered as the stamp offered here, nor does it have the plate number selvage.

Ex Klein as a block of four. With 1989 and 1999 P.F. certificates, the former for the block. With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (VF 80). Only three Mint N.H. stamps have been graded: two at 80 and one at 70. Scott Retail as hinged

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