Lot 260 o
Post Office Dept., 1873, 3¢ black, printed on both sides, with reverse showing strong second impression of upper portion of stamp design and partial plate imprint above, light target cancels, sound with full intact perfs all around, Very Fine; with 2014 P. Scheller certificate.Scott No. O49a $7,500.
WITHOUT QUESTION THE FINEST OF THREE KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE 3¢ POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT PRINTED ON BOTH SIDES VARIETY - A GREAT OFFICIAL ISSUE RARITY.
Only two other examples of this printing variety are known, with both examples showing faint yet visible portions of four stamps. Both of these examples have internal tears and one with an additional crease. The last time one sold at auction (ex-Markovits) was in a 2006 the Matthew Bennett auction which realized $7,475 and is the basis for current catalog value. The stamp offered here with strong second impression, an additional plate imprint and completely sound is by far the finest example known of this extremely rare variety.
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Realized: $6,000