Lot 24 o
1847, 5¢ Red Brown and 10¢ Black, each bearing the red Wheeling, Va. Control Grid in upper right corner, blue cancels, 5¢ with straight line "Paid", wonderfully matched centering amid clear to large margins, 10¢ with strong shade and 5¢ with vibrantly rich color, 5¢ with shallow thin spot and 10¢ with faint horizontal crease visible only in fluid, Very Fine, the first pair of these classic rarities to appear on the market in years; 5¢ with 1996 P.F. and 10¢ with 1970 P.F. certificates.Scott No. 1-2 Estimate $10,000 - 15,000.
THE MOST IMPORTANT AND HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER PRECANCELS IN U.S. PHILATELY.
According to Wall, for the 5¢ 1847 there are only two covers and three off-cover stamps, and the 10¢ 1847 there are only four covers and five off-cover stamps with the red Wheeling Va. control grid. Most of the known copies have defects.
The red grid was apparently applied once to every four stamps, at the center of each block in the sheet. The purpose of the marking has never been established conclusively because used examples were cancelled by the customary blue "Paid" or grid cancels upon usage. Therefore, the Wheeling red grid is not considered to be a true pre-cancellation, which would suffice for mailing without further cancelling. It perhaps served to provide security against Post Office theft.
Realized: $8,500