3c Dull Red, Ty. II, Chicago Perf 11 (11A var). Positions 54-56/64-66R2L, unused block of six (no gum), bright color, light staining mostly removed, some h.r. reinforced perf separations between two stamps, tiny tear in bottom right stamp

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THE SECOND LARGEST OF FOUR RECORDED BLOCKS FROM THE 3-CENT "SAMPLE A" SHEET WITH THE HADLEY 11-GAUGE CHICAGO PERFORATIONS.

Jerome S. Wagshal established a connection between the "Sample A" Chicago Perf 11 stamps and the effort by R. K. Swift to sell the Hadley perforator to the U.S. Post Office Department in June 1855. W. Wilson Hulme II went into greater detail (Chronicle 174, May 1997), identifying the various known examples by their respective positions in the sheet and establishing that the ex-Chase block of 21 (since divided into smaller units) and the two known blocks of six originated from the same "Sample A" sheet, which Swift submitted to the Third Assistant Postmaster with his solicitation letter. The other pane submitted by Swift had different perforations, was marked "Sample B" and its whereabouts are unknown.

From the "Sample A" sheet, Hulme recorded the ex-Chase block of 21, which came from the estate of Mr. Madison Davis, formerly chief clerk to the Third Assistant Postmaster General. Dr. Chase obtained the block from J. M. Bartels, who purchased it from the Davis estate in 1910. This block of 21 has been broken up into a block of nine, a block of four (both sold in our Hulme Sale 964 in 2008), four singles (one of which is offered in this sale) and four contiguous stamps which have not been accounted for and may or may not still exist as a block. Adding the block of six offered here and one other block of six (ex Lakeshore, realized $37,500 hammer in our Sale 888), a total of 33 "Sample A" Chicago Perf stamps are recorded. This block comes from the positions directly above the ex-Piller block of nine last sold in the Hulme sale. The examples from the Sample "A" sheet are the only known unused 3c stamps with Chicago perforations. There are no known unused examples with the gauge 12.5 perforations.

With 1975 and 1976 P.F. certificates

Image Magnifier / Download

Power Search for Comparables