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Sale 68: New York 2016

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10 Select Items

Lot 324    

Airmail, 1918, 24¢ Carmine Rose & Blue, Center Inverted, position 8, slightly disturbed o.g., rich colors which are bright and fresh, tiny natural paper inclusion and reperfed at top, Fine appearance; with 2002 P.F. certificate.
Scott No. C3a    $350,000.

A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE FAMOUS 1918 24¢ INVERTED "JENNY" ERROR AND AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THIS CLASSIC WORLD GEM.

According to "Jenny" by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), the original sheet of 100 Inverted "Jenny" stamps was purchased for $24 by William T. Robey at the New York Avenue Branch Post Office window in Washington D.C., on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was first placed on sale at the main post office. On May 20, Robey sold his sheet for $15,000 to Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Klein had already arranged to sell the sheet to Col. Edward H. R. Green for $20,000. Colonel Green instructed Klein to divide the Inverted "Jenny" sheet into singles and blocks, and to sell all but a few key position blocks.

Realized: $190,000

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Lot 62    

1858, 5¢ Indian Red, Type I, original gum with some light disturbance, remarkably intense color in the true 1858 Indian Red shade, wonderful deep impression, three wide margins and perfs barely touch at bottom, Very Fine and exceptionally choice; with 2014 P.S.E. Graded certificate (VF 80).
Scott No. 28A    $175,000.

THE FINEST RECORDED SOUND ORIGINAL GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1858 5¢ INDIAN RED, BY FAR THE HIGHEST GRADED EXAMPLE BY EITHER THE P.F. OR P.S.E. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED MINT EXAMPLES THAT ARE SOUND WITH ANY ORIGINAL GUM.

A search of old auction catalogs and records at the Philatelic Foundation and P.S.E. yields only twelve unused examples of Scott 28A. Of these, only three have any gum whatsoever and completely sound. They are:
1) ex-C.A. Brown, A.T. Seymour, and Whitman where described as large part original gum, realized $130,000 hammer in 2009.
2) ex-"Ambassador", "Argentum" where described as "unused (traces of gum)".
3) the example offered here.

As an indication of value, Robert A. Siegel sold the ex-Caspary Lilly, Hoffman original gum example with light horizontal crease, centered to the top and right, for $207,000 in 2008. The example offered here is sound and with superior centering.

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Lot 660    

Réunion, 1852, 15c Black on Blue, type II, four large and balanced margins, deep paper color, cancelled by manuscript on 1854 cover from St. Denis to Mauritius, "St. Denis, Il Bourbon, 10 Avril 1854" cds on front and additional strike on reverse, black "Mauritius, G.P.O., AP 19 1854" crown circle arrival postmark; file folds and some minor erosion, stamp lifted and hinged in place for examination (signed by Brun and Calves), Very Fine, ex-Burrus, Walske; signed by Behr, Brun, Calves and Sismondo, with 1989 Holcombe, 2004 Calves and 2016 Behr certificates.
Scott No. 1    $45,000.

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE USE OF THE 1852 15C BLACK ON COVER TO MAURITIUS.

The 15c stamp prepaid the 15 centimes internal postage rate for up to 7.5 grams from the city to the harbour according to the schedule that came into effect on January 1st 1852.

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Lot 494    

Confederacy, Rutherfordton, N.C., 1861, 5¢ Black, cut-round adhesive prepared by handstamping an undated office postmark on white paper and separately adding "Paid / 5 cts" in manuscript at the center of the postmark, affixed on cover addressed "To George J. Sheppard, Esq, Longmire's Store P.O., Edgefield Dist, So. Ca.", with manuscript "Decr 27th 1861" date in same hand as the rate on adhesive; cover with small corner stain at top left and small piece of backflap missing, Very Fine, ex-Brown, Caspary and Haas; with 2015 C.S.A. certificate.
Scott No. 72X1    $35,000.

THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE RUTHERFORDTON 5¢ POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL AND ONE OF THE GREAT TREASURES OF CONFEDERATE PHILATELY.

This is a unique provisional, one of the classics of Confederate philately and was last offered 30 years ago at auction in a Richard Frajola sale where it sold for $29,700. Listed but priced with a dash in the CSA Catalog, evidence of how infrequently rarities of this magnitude change hands and how difficult they are to value. The Scott Catalog value of $35,000 is based on a thirty-year-old auction realization and the price in italics attests to similar difficulty of valuation in today's market.

The addressee, George J. Sheppard, was a merchant in Liberty Hill, South Carolina, after the war. His motto was "A Quick Penny is Better than a Slow Shilling." (Edgefield Advertiser, Edgefield, S.C., September 18, 1867). He was listed as the postmaster of Kirksey's X-Roads, Edgefield District, in 1849.

Realized: $52,500

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Lot 587 ()   

Newfoundland, 1860, 1s Orange Vermilion, large well balanced margins all around, rich brilliant color which is unusual for this issue, Extremely Fine and choice, ex-Ferrary, Moody, Lilly, Cartier, Schneider ; with 1968 R.P.S. certificate. SG No. 15.
Scott No. 15    $35,000.

A GREAT BRITISH NORTH AMERICA RARITY - ONE OF THE FINEST MINT EXAMPLES OF THE 1860 1 SHILLING ORANGE VERMILION ISSUE IN EXISTENCE.

The unused one shilling orange-vermilion of Newfoundland (1,000 issued) is possibly the rarest classic imperforate stamp of British North America. A census compiled from a study of auction catalogs finds no unused multiples and only three satisfactory four margin copies with good color. These are:

1. ex-Dale-Lichtenstein (H.R. Harmer Nov 18-21, sale 1968, lot 654) three large margins with smaller margin at left. Later appeared in Dallas and Ballie collection where described as "clear to large margins, exceptional color, slight creasing, part O.G.", realizing $48,300 in 2006.
2. This example, first appearing as lot 579 at the 7th Ferrary sale of June 18-20, 1924, later appeared in the Moody, Lilly, Cartier and Schneider collections.
3.The four margin example in the Pratt sale (Harmers London October of 1986, lot 157) which later appeared in Harmer's N.Y. Gilbert sale on October 2004.

The Pratt book states "Most of the 1/ (orange-vermilion) stamps that have appeared on the market are dispirited looking and lacking good color." Two four-margin copies fitting that description have been seen. The second Dale-Lichtenstein copy (lot 55 in January 26, 1970 sale) was returned and reappeared in the clean-up sale of July 1, 1971 with an RPSL certificate stating "badly soiled and treated". This stamp was later sold (without certificate) in Christies Robson Lowe's Weill Bros. stock sale of November 22, 1987. A very similar four margin copy with the same weak color sold as lot 129 in Siegel's Clifford Cole sale of March 17, 1988 and later appeared as lot 314 in Spink-Shreve's November 19, 2009 William Gross sale. In both these sales the stamp was described as being of good color, but the color is much duller than examples 1-3 above.

Realized: $32,500

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Lot 18    

St. Louis, Mo., 1845, 10¢ Black on Greenish, large margins all around, sharp detailed impression on bright greenish paper, on 1846 folded letter to Lexington, Ky. tied by manuscript "X" cancel and initialed J. M. W. by Postmaster John M. Wimer, additionally tied by red "St. Louis, Mo., Feb 10" cds with matching straight line "Paid" handstamp and manuscript "10" rate below, Extremely Fine, ex-Texas Collector, Weill.
Scott No. 11X2    Estimate $20,000 - 30,000.

THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE 10¢ ST. LOUIS PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER TIED ON COVER BY POSTMASTER JOHN M. WIMER INITIALS.

John M. Wimer was the postmaster who issued the 5¢, 10¢ and 20¢ Bear, who also served the city as Alderman and Mayor. The plate of six subjects was engraved by J.M. Kerhsap, proprietor of the Western Card and Seal Company of St. Louis. The design of the stamps - the Missouri coat of arms held by bears at each side - was based on the Great Seal of Missouri. The seal was designed by William G. Pettus, who chose bears as a symbol of Missouri citizens' rugged durability.

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Lot 566    

British East Africa, India 1882-90, ½a Blue Green + 1a Plum + 2a Blue + 8a Mauve, Four Singles + 1r Slate, all but first with red manuscript "B.E.A." provisional overprint, on oversized registered cover to the Eastern Telegraph Co. in London, England, all tied by "Mombasa, Au 20, 90" cds's paying the 11x 4½a rate to the U.K. plus 2a registry fee, matching "R" in oval handstamp and red London oval date stamp additionally tying ½a, reverse with Aden transit date stamp; some light cover wrinkling and a couple vertical fold not affecting stamps, Very Fine, one of the two earliest usages of the six covers recorded during the first period of use, ex-Col. Rose-Hutchinson, Hunt, Reynard, Krieger.
SG No. Z1-Z2+Z4+Z7-Z8    Estimate $20,000 - 30,000.

A UNIQUE AND COLORFUL FIVE COLOR COMBINATION FRANKING OF INDIA STAMPS PROVISIONALLY USED IN MOMBASA.

The Eastern Telegraph Co. was laying underwater cable between Mombasa and Lamu during this time and just previous had the same between Zanzibar and Mombasa.

Realized: $18,000

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Lot 602    

Falkland Islands, 1964, 6d "H.M.S. Glasgow" Vignette Error, o.g., small hinge remnants, well centered, bright vibrant colors and exceptional freshness, Extremely Fine; with 2015 R.P.S. certificate. Scott No. 151a $32,500 for n.h.
SG No. 216a    £40,000 ($56,950).

A WONDERFUL MINT EXAMPLE OF THIS POPULAR MAJOR 20TH CENTURY FALKLAND ISLANDS RARITY.

When the error first came onto the market, it was first discovered by a North American collector in 1970. The owner had acquired the set in 1965 and noticed the Glasgow vignette on the two values yet believed at the time it to be normal. It was not until later, after reading an article in a British philatelic magazine, that he realized that the stamp was a major error. It is believed that only one sheet of 60 of this famous error had been produced. A note in the Stanley Gibbons catalog regarding this stamp states: "There have been seventeen reports of stamps showing this error, although it is believed that some of these may refer to the same example."
.

Realized: $17,000

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Lot 453 ()   

Wines, 1951, 1-7/10¢ Green & Black, unused, without gum as issued, bright fresh color on crisp paper, Very Fine, ex-Smithsonian National Postal Museum; with 2005 P.F. certificate.
Scott No. RE182F    $22,500.

ONE OF ONLY FOUR RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 1-7/10¢ 1951 REVENUE STAMP IN PRIVATE HANDS, THE KEY WINE STAMP RARITY.

This is from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum deaccession, which is the only source of the 3 known unused copies. There is one used example known.

Realized: $18,000

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Lot 538    

Hawaii, 1857, 5¢ Manuscript Surcharge on 13¢ Dark Red, large margins to just clear at bottom, deep color, uncanceled on 1857 buff cover in combination with U.S. 12¢ black (17), nearly four margins, tied by San Francisco encircled grid cancel, matching "San Francisco Cal Oct 5 1857" cds to Hon. D.A. Ogden, Penn Yan N.Y., red "Honolulu, U.S. Postage Paid, Aug 31" cds (HON US34); cover expertly repaired, Very Fine appearance, ex-Seybold (backstamps); with 1977 H.P.S. and 1983 P.F. certificates, signed by Ashbrook.
Scott No. 7    $45,000.

A RARE USAGE OF THE 1857 5¢ ON 13¢ PROVISIONAL SURCHARGE ISSUE IN COMBINATION WITH THE UNITED STATES 1851 12¢ ISSUE, THERE ARE ONLY TEN SUCH COMBINATIONS RECORDED BY FRED GREGORY. ONE OF ONLY TWO WITH THE HON US34 CDS.

This cover was carried on the "Fanny Major" the departed Honolulu August 31, 1858 to San Francisco arriving Sep. 24th. From there it was carried on the PMSC "Golden Gate" that departed San Francisco Oct. 5th and arrived in Panama about Oct. 19th. After crossing the isthmus it was carried on the USMSC "Granada" that departed Aspinwall October 20th and arrived in New York on October 29th after a stop at Havana.

The Gregory census lists 18 covers with the 5¢ on 13¢ surcharge, with only ten used with the 12¢ stamp. The 5¢ provisional surcharge was necessary due to a shortage of 5¢ stamps just after the transition from Postmaster Whitney to Jackson. Most were made by Jackson's clerk, Alvah Clark, around the start of 1857. New supplies of the 5¢ stamp (Scott No. 8) were received at the end of June 1857.

References: Meyer-Harris cover #8 in the listing on page 148.
Gregory Census No. 14 (illustrated and described in Volume II, page 57 and census III-53).

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