Sale 1326 — 2024 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Thursday, 27 June, 2024
Category — 1894-98 Issue
50c Orange (260). Mint N.H., brilliant color as fresh as the day it was printed, choice centering with well-proportioned margins
EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 50-CENT 1894 UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE. THIS IS A DIFFICULT ISSUE TO OBTAIN IN SUCH SUPERB CONDITION.
Ex Odeneal and "Hampshire". With 1996 A.P.S. and 2007 P.F. certificates.
$1.00 Black, Ty. II (261A). Mint N.H., intense shade on post-office fresh paper, choice centering with balanced margins
EXTREMELY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1894 $1.00 UNWATERMARKED TYPE II BUREAU ISSUE.
Condition conscious collectors are well aware that it is extremely difficult to find First Bureau stamps in centered, Mint Never-Hinged condition, particularly the higher denominations. This is mostly due to production problems as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing assumed responsibility for stamp production after the American Bank Note Co. contract expired.
With 2018 P.F. certificate (VF-XF 85).
$5.00 Dark Green (263). Original gum, lightly hinged, gorgeous deep color and proof-like impression, perfectly centered with wide margins
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1894 $5.00 UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE, GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E.
The 1894 Unwatermarked issue was the first U.S. postage issue to be printed by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, after the contract with American Bank Note Co. expired. The first stamps printed by the Bureau are notoriously difficult to find well-centered, as production was marred by initial problems as they geared up to meet the needs of the public for stamps. The designs through the $1.00 were kept the same from the 1890 ABN Co. issue, with the addition of corner triangles to distinguish the printings. The use of the same designs is another indication of the time pressure that may have caused some of the initial production problems. The $5.00 is one of the two or three most difficult denominations to find in superb condition.
With 2004 P.F. and 2008 P.S.E. certificates (OGph, Superb 98). Only four others share this grade and only one grades higher (at 100). Collectors waiting for a Mint N.H. example in higher grades will have a very long wait — the highest grade awarded thus far to a Mint N.H. copy is VF 80.
50c Orange (275). Top imprint and plate no. 75 block of six, original gum, small h.r. bottom right stamp and couple reinforced perfs between position 1 and the selvage, brilliant color and well-centered
VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND SCARCE TOP PLATE BLOCK OF SIX OF THE 50-CENT 1895 BUREAU ISSUE.
Top position imprint and plate number blocks of the high-value 1895 Bureau Issue are exceedingly scarce.
$1.00 Black, Ty. I-II (276-276A). Mint N.H. bottom imprint and plate no. 76 strip of three, left stamp Ty. I, other two stamps Ty. II, intense shade, right stamp natural gum bend, few perf separations in selvage at left
VERY FINE AND RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER STRIP OF THE 1895 $1.00 WATERMARKED ISSUE, WITH THE LEFT STAMP TYPE I AND THE MIDDLE AND RIGHT STAMPS TYPE II.
The plate of the $1.00 1894-95 Bureau Issue consisted of fifteen vertical rows of Type I and five vertical rows of Type II, which accounts for the scarcity of Type II compared with Type I. There are only ten positions on the plate which yield combination pairs—between the fifth and sixth rows of the right pane.
$1.00 Black, Ty. I (276). Wide top imprint and plate no. 76 block of six, original gum, lightly hinged with a couple small reinforcements, intense shade on crisp paper, attractive centering and margins, selvage has some erased pencil notations
VERY FINE AND INCREDIBLY RARE WIDE TOP IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF THE 1895 ONE-DOLLAR TYPE I WATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE, SCOTT 276. THIS IS THE FINER OF ONLY TWO RECORDED SCOTT 276 PLATE BLOCKS.
Lewis Kaufman, in his extensive research on the early Bureau issues, records only eight $1.00 plate blocks across the 1894-95 unwatermarked and watermarked issues, encompassing four Scott numbers (261, 261A, 276, 276A). For the 1894 unwatermarked issue, there are five plate blocks recorded—all from the bottom position and all with combinations of Types I and II (261-261A). Despite the 1894 unwatermarked issue being almost universally scarcer than the 1895 watermarked issue, there are only three recorded $1.00 plate blocks of the watermarked issue. One is a combination of Types I and II (276-276A) from the top position, offered in our 1967 Rarities sale (Sale 313, lot 84). Two are Type I Scott 276, including the top plate block from the W. Parsons Todd collection (Sale 517, lot 235), which has large part original gum, and the top plate block offered here. This plate block was offered in 1974 in Sale 459 (lot 516), which featured the Walter C. Hill collection. Of the two recorded Scott 276 plate blocks, this is by far the finer, with full original gum and better centering than the ex-Todd plate block.
$2.00 Bright Blue (277). Mint N.H., deep rich color on fresh paper, choice centering and margins
EXTREMELY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1895 $2.00 WATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
With 1991 and 2000 P.F. certificates—the former as part of a plate number strip of three and the latter with plate number selvage, which has been removed.
$2.00 Bright Blue (277). Mint N.H. wide top imprint and plate no. 84 strip of three, gorgeous color and well-centered
EXTREMELY FINE. An extremely RARE AND BEAUTIFULly CENTERED MINT NEVER-HINGED WIDE TOP IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER STRIP OF THE $2.00 1895 WATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
This issue was printed from only one printing plate—Plate 84. This is only the third Mint N.H. imprint and plate number strip we have offered in more than 25 years. Lewis Kaufman records only five full plate blocks of this issue and all are hinged (catalogue value $90,000). This is a rare combination of the desirable attributes of scarce wide top position piece with Mint N.H. gum.
With 2019 P.S.E. certificate. Unpriced in Scott as Mint N.H. Scott value for three Mint N.H. singles.
$5.00 Dark Green (278). Wide top imprint and plate no. 85 strip of three, original gum, left stamp Mint N.H., other two lightly hinged, attractive centering and margins
VERY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM WIDE TOP IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER STRIP OF THREE OF THE $5.00 1895 WATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
With 2019 P.S.E. certificate (OGph, VF 80). Scott value as singles.
15c Olive Green (284). Mint N.H. wide top imprint and plate no. 264 block of six, deep rich color, excellent margins and centering
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. THIS IS LIKELY THE FINEST MINT NEVER-HINGED WIDE TOP PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1898 15-CENT BUREAU ISSUE IN EXISTENCE.
This is the one of only two Scott 284 plate blocks in Mint N.H. condition listed in Power Search. The other is from the bottom position and has Fine centering.