Lot 2250 o
1923, 1¢ Franklin, rotary press sheet waste, perf. 11, "Kansas City, Mo". precancel, nicely centered for the issue with perfs just touching at bottom, strong color, creases and expertly repaired at top, F.-V.F. appearance, ex-Boker; with 2026 P.F. certificate.Scott No. 596 $200,000 for the grade of fine.
AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE 1923 1¢ ROTARY SHEET WASTE PERF 11 (SCOTT 596) ISSUE - A GREAT 20TH CENTURY RARITY WITH ONLY FIFTEEN EXAMPLES RECORDED.
This is without question the rarest United States issue of the 20th century. It was probably produced during the middle of 1924 however it was only discovered in 1962. This issue was the result of "coil waste" but rather than made from horizontal coil sheets, such as Scott #578-579 and #594-595, this issue was made from vertical coil waste sheets. The difference being in the measurement of the design as the horizontal coil design is wider since the plates have been stretched by curving them in that direction in order to fit the cylinder on the rotary press. In the same fashion, the vertical coil plates were curved in the vertical direction causing the design to stretch vertically.
According to the Siegel Census, there are 15 known examples (all used), five have machine cancels and the other ten bearing the Kansas City, Mo. precancels. Of the precancelled examples, only three are sound, one the condition is unknown and the remaining 6 have varying degrees of faults.
Realized: $42,500
Lot 2405 o
1869, 30¢ ultramarine & carmine, flags inverted, neat spoke cancel, strong colors, nicely centered amid well balanced margins, small repair at top around the 4th-5th perforations from the right, Very Fine appearance; with 2010 P. Scheller, 2012 Weiss & 2010 P.F. certificates.Scott No. 121b $85,000.
AN ATTRACTIVE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1869 30¢ PICTORIAL WITH FLAGS INVERTED - A GREAT RARITY WITH APPROXIMATELY FORTY EXAMPLES RECORDED.
Realized: $35,000
Lot
2274 
1847, 10¢ black, vertical bisect, right portion of stamp with large margins, tied across bisect by neat bold strike of red circular grid handstamp on 1851 folded letter addressed to Edward W. Buffum at Cambridge Mass., matching "Walpole, N.H., May 6" cds; cover with light edge toning and horizontal file well away from bisect and postmark (none of which is mentioned on certificates), accompanied by a matching 1847, 5¢ red brown (1) usage, large margins, with matching postal markings, Extremely Fine, a wonderful duo, ex-Boker, Sharrer & Gross; bisect with 1988 & 2013 P.F. certificates.Scott No. 2b Estimate $20,000 - 30,000.
WITHOUT QUESTION - ONE OF THE FINEST 1847 10¢ VERTICAL BISECT USAGE KNOWN AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE ORIGINATING FROM WALPOLE, N.H.
See Lot 2176 for another outstanding cover from Walpole, N.H.
Realized: $18,000
Lot
2443 
1901, 4¢ Pan-American, center inverted, disturbed part o.g., rich bold colors, some gum redistributed covering a few tiny thins, Fine appearance; with 2014 P.F. certificate.Scott No. 296a $80,000.
A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 4¢ PAN-AMERICAN WITH CENTER INVERTED.
The 4¢ invert was printed deliberately as the result of a misunderstanding. After the discovery of the 1¢ and 2¢ inverts in mid-1901, the Third Assistant Postmaster, Edwin C. Madden, decided to track down any additional errors. He had his assistant instruct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to send any inverted Pan-American stamps to Madden's office. No inverted stamps in fact remained on hand, and interpreting Madden's communique as an unconditional demand for inverts, the Bureau produced four sheets of them from the 4 cent plates and sent 400 copies on to Madden. About about half were marked "Specimen" and between 1901 and 1904 Madden distributed 172 examples.
Lot
2493
Mac & Co.'s Dispatch, 1¢ black, margins large to just into corner ornaments at right, on 1853, 3¢ Nesbitt entire addressed to Meredith Clymer in New York, entered the mails with "Morristown, Pa., May 22" cds, Very Fine, unique, ex-Ferrary, Caspary, Lilly, Middendorf, Golden & Kuphal; with 1990, 1999 & 2025 P.F. certificates.Scott No. 166L1 Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE MAC & CO.'S 1¢ DISPATCH ISSUE - BELIEVED TO HAVE CARRIED THIS COVER FROM FALLSINGTON TO MORRISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.
The Mac & Co.'s Despatch is believed to have provided service that ran between Fallsington and Morrisville. The original enclosure (which has gone missing) affirmed a date of 1854 and mentioned at the end of the letter."We have no N. York line that stops nearer to us than Morrisville".
Lot
2636
Great Britain, "V R" Official, 1840, Queen Victoria, 1d black, Imprimatur, lettered TA, lower-left corner of the (before hardening) sheet with Plate Letter "A" inscription and pen initials "C.P.", slight thinning in margin and slight vertical crease, still Extremely Fine.S.G. Spec. No. VR1; £20,000 ($26,600) Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS IN THE HISTORY OF THE INVENTION OF POSTAGE STAMPS: THE WORLD'S FIRST POSTAGE STAMP THAT WAS PREPARED BUT NOT ISSUED.
Two Imprimatur sheets were registered on 15 April and 9 May 1840. From both sheets the lower left stamp (TA) has been removed, of which the other is housed in the Royal Collection of His Majesty King Charles Ill. The manuscript initials "C P" are of Charles Pressly, Secretary of the Stamp Office. He endorsed on the reverse of the First Registration Sheet, were this VR 1d black, TA was removed: "The impression of the other side of this paper of the Die or Plate, intended by the Commissioners of Stamps & Taxes in pursuance of the several powers and authorities vested in them for expressing and denoting the Stamp duty of one penny for the postage of Letters was taken in my presence and in the presence of a Commissioner the 15th. Day of April 1840, Chas. Pressly, Secy." The manuscript note proves, that this corner sheet single originates from the first printed sheet of the first (re-jected) unissued postage stamp in the world.
Provenance:
Leonard H. Clark Collection, Robson Lowe
May 1946 "Chartwell" collection, Spink, Feb 2012
Simon Beresford-Wylie Collection, 346. Corinphila 2024
Illustrated in "Masterpieces of the Mail".
Realized: $25,000
Lot
2357
1861, 3¢ rose, tied in combination with two each of 1857-62, Sitting Helvetia ("Strubel"), 20rp pale dull orange + two Sitting Helvetia ("Strubel"), 40rp green on cover to Rochester, N.Y. all tied by "Luzern, Jul 4, 62" cds's, markings include red French transit "St. Louis 6 Juil 62" double circle and red "New York, Paid 15, Jul 29" entry cds, Extremely Fine, ex-Ishikawa; with 2002 Marchand certificate. Zumstein No. 25G + 26G.Scott No. 65 Estimate $15,000 - 20,000.
A STUNNING MIXED FRANKING OF GREAT EYE APPEAL FOR BOTH THE U.S. COLLECTOR AND SWISS COLLECTOR.
This is the only known cover with the "Strubel" combination franking with the other country's adhesive tied by a Swiss postmark.
The cover was fully pre-paid to destination by the 120rp rate. The United States 3¢ adhesive was perhaps added by a travelling American tourist who thought the 3¢ stamp would ensure the delivery of the cover.
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Realized: $37,500
Lot
2223
Cumberland, Me., October 22, bold printed precancel tying 1857, 1¢ blue, type V (24) rich color, on unsealed cover with printed "Superintending School Committee" formula address to Batavia, Mich. paying the circular rate, with original October 1859 printed circular advertising the "Weld and Quackenbos' New Progressive English Grammar" publication by Sanborn & Carter of Portland, Me., Extremely Fine, illustrated in Ashbrook The United States One Cent Stamp of 1851-57 (volume II, page 95), ex-A. Brown & Boker.Estimate $20,000 - 30,000.
ONE OF THREE RECORDED ON COVERS EXAMPLES OF THE CUMBERLAND, MAINE TWO-LINE PRECANCEL AND THE ONLY WITH THE ORIGINAL CIRCULAR.
Horace I. Gray was a "Card and Job Printer" located in Cumberland, Maine offering a variety of stationery merchandise. All of the known Cumberland precancels are on cover from only two firms, that of Gray himself and the Portland firm of Sanborn & Carter. It is suggested that Gray did the printing for Sanborn & Carter, together with the mailing, thus accounting for the Cumberland precancel on the Portland firm's mail.
Realized: $16,000
Lot 2332 o
1857, 5¢ red brown, type I, light 1859 year date town cancel, perfectly centered amid uncommonly large and evenly balanced margins, rich deep color enhancing a crisp detailed impression, a Superb gem, one of two examples to receive this lofty grade with none graded higher; with 1983 P.F., 2004 & 2022 P.S.E. certificates, the latter two Graded (Superb 98; SMQ $27,500).Scott No. 28 $1,100.
WITHOUT QUESTION - ONE OF THE FINEST KNOWN EXAMPLES OF THE 1857 5¢ RED BROWN TYPE I ISSUES IN EXISTENCE.
Due to the extremely tight spacing between the stamps of the 5¢ type I issue, the far majority of stamps were perforated into the design in at least one side. This example, with not only the design well clear of the perforation but with margins perfectly balanced, is a true one-in-a-million gem.
Lot
2453
1909, 8¢ olive green, on bluish paper, o.g., lightly hinged, nicely centered for this notoriously off centered issue, strong color on deeply blued paper, F.-V.F.; with 2019 P.F. certificate.Scott No. 363 $30,000.
AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE 8¢ WASHINGTON BLUISH PAPER ISSUE.
According to Johl, the only source of the 4¢ and 8¢ Bluish paper stamps was the archives of the Post Office Department. Approximately 80 of each were traded for rare stamps missing from the archives.
Realized: $7,500