30c Black (154). Mint N.H., intense shade characteristic of National printing, remarkably detailed impression, magnificent centering with unusually wide and balanced margins

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SPECTACULAR MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1870 30-CENT NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY UNGRILLED ISSUE. THIS IS EASILY THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THIS ISSUE WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED, AND WE ARE CONFIDENT IT IS THE FINEST EXTANT. THIS IS THE FIRST MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE EVER SOLD BY THE SIEGEL FIRM, AND IT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE ONLY ONE IN EXISTENCE.

Among classic United States stamps, there are certain issues that fail to achieve the normal survival rates for Mint Never-Hinged versus hinged, or high grade versus low. The 30c 1870 National is one of those impossibly difficult issues. Ignoring the grilled stamps (Scott 143), let us consider Scott 154, the ungrilled version of the basic 30c 1870 Issue.

We reviewed every major sale containing significant offerings of Bank Note singles and blocks. A cursory overview follows: Ambassador collection--one no gum; Argentum--regummed single; Caspary--large part OG and another with a crease, no blocks; Hetherington--one of Caspary's singles; Lilly--one part OG, no blocks; Seymour--two OG Fine-Very Fine; West--a few off-cover singles, no blocks; Siegel Sale 612--off-center block and single with nibbed perfs; Klein--off-center block with s.e.; Braus--two no gum singles, no blocks; and Hirschfield--none. Zoellner had to settle for a well-centered stamp with traces of gum. There are perhaps four to five Fine-Very Fine OG singles and two Extremely Fine OG singles. All of the half-dozen or so known blocks are off center. The P.S.E. Population Report lists five OG stamps, including one 70, two 90's and one 95. There is only one Mint N.H. stamp (offered here).

In the context of this dismal report on the population of surviving Scott 154 stamps, the Extremely Fine Mint Never-Hinged example in the Whitman collection is nothing short of phenomenal. It is reported to have turned up in an old-time collection of gem-quality stamps that was sold privately several years ago. The first collector to own it after the collection was dispersed is believed to be Dr. Robert Hinrichs. It was then sold privately to the consignor of the Lakeview collection (Siegel Sale 836), but this stamp was removed from the collection and sold privately to Alan Whitman before the balance of the collection was consigned to auction. Now that the P.S.E. has given the stamp its blessings with an XF 90 OGnh grade, we can confidently describe it as the finest 30c 1870 National Ungrilled Issue extant, and we are equally confident there is no other copy in existence which can rival it.

With 1995 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (XF 90). This is the only graded Mint N.H. example, probably for all time. Scott Retail as hinged

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