Sale 1320 — United States Stamps
Sale Date — Monday-Thursday, 22-25 April, 2024
Category — 1870-88 Bank Note Issues (Scott 156-217)
1c Ultramarine (156). Bright color, red Glen Allen Star fancy precancel, tiny perf tear at top right, still Very Fine
7c Orange Vermilion (160). Original gum, lightly hinged, exceptionally wide margins with natural straight edge at right, choice centering with fiery color, Extremely Fine, with 2004 P.S.E. certificate
7c Orange Vermilion (160). Unused (no gum), brilliant color, choice centering and margins, Extremely Fine, with 2023 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90), this issue has incredibly low population numbers at P.S.E., this XF 90 is the highest grade awarded to an unused example without gum and it is shared by only one other (two o.g. stamps grade higher, at 95 and 95J)
15c Yellow Orange (163). Original gum, h.r., intense shade and impression, with top selvage with trace of imprint, small thin spot at left, Very Fine appearance
15c Yellow Orange (163). Original gum, h.r., vibrant color, two light horizontal creases, Very Fine appearance
90c Rose Carmine (166). Original gum, vibrant color, reperfed at left and bottom, Very Fine appearance
90c Rose Carmine (166). Part original gum which covers more than half the back (with a fingerprint), brilliant color on bright paper, Fine, with 2023 P.F. certificate, SCV $2,100 as original gum, $700 as no gum
90c Rose Carmine (166). Disturbed original gum, bright color, well-centered but reperfed at right, appears Very Fine, with 1989 P.F. certificate mentioning the reperfing but describing the gum as "o.g., previously hinged"
10c Brown, With Secret Mark (188). Disturbed original gum, reperfed, light corner crease at top right, Very Fine appearance
10c Black Brown, With Secret Mark (188 var). Original gum, lightly hinged, exceptionally intense shade described on P.S.E. certiicate as Black Brown, huge margins and well-centered, irregularly punched perf at left results in slight pulled perf hole which is not mentioned on accompanying certificate, appears Extremely Fine, with clear 1994 P.S.E. certificate
30c Full Black (190). Original gum, detailed impression, wide and balanced margins, single short perf at bottom center, otherwise Extremely Fine
30c Full Black (190). Choice centering with wide and balanced margins, intense shade, oval registry cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, with 2013 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95)
90c Carmine (191). Original gum, h.r., brilliant color, lightened stain at upper right, otherwise Fine
90c Carmine (191). Jumbo margins, bold grid cancel, Very Fine and choice, with 2022 P.S.E. certificate (VF 80 Jumbo)
12c Blackish Purple, Special Printing (198). Without gum as issued, intense shade and impression, tiny pinhole in "E" of "CENTS" and picked-out inclusion
VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 12-CENT 1880 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY SPECIAL PRINTING.
Our census of Scott 198, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/198, contains 65 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library, leaving 64 available to collectors. Of these, at least one-third have flaws. Many have poor centering as well. Only thirteen are confirmed as sound, and of these only seven have decent centering.
Census no. 198-UNC-07. 1955 P.F. certificate as sound no longer accompanies. With 2024 P.F. certificate.
30c Greenish Black, Special Printing (201). Without gum as issued, bright shade and detailed impression, well-centered, tiny thin spot on bust is immaterial and endemic to this soft paper
EXTREMELY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 1880 30-CENT AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY SPECIAL PRINTING.
Our census of Scott 201, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/201, contains only 45 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library, leaving 44 available to collectors. Only ten are confirmed as sound and only seven of those are well-centered. Another 17 need to be reexamined for condition, but only a handful of these have better than Fine centering.
Census no. 201-UNC-45. With 2024 P.F. certificate.
30c Orange Brown (217). Mint N.H., Jumbo margins and outstanding centering, beautiful rich color and sharp impression on post office fresh paper
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1888 30-CENT AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY ISSUE—ARGUABLY THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.
This magnificent 30c Orange Brown, Scott 217, comes to market for the first time from a collection that has been dormant since the early 1960s, when the collector passed away. It was the center stamp in a sheet-margin strip with Mint Never-Hinged stamps. When we submitted this Gem to P.S.E., we were confident it would be certified as Superb 98 Jumbo. However, they left us bitterly disappointed by returning a grade of XF-Superb 95 Jumbo. All one has to do is use Power Search to look at the population of all Large Bank Note stamps with P.S.E. grades of 95J and 98J to see that this deserves 98J, which would make it the highest graded Mint N.H. Scott 217. There are three NH 98 and one PH 100 stamps in the P.S.E. Population Report. We offered one of the NH 98 stamps in Sale 1192, lot 282, where it brought $16,000 hammer. If the stamp offered here had received the 98J grade it deserves, we would expect it to realize more. Collectors who use their eyes to judge the stamp, not the grade on a P.S.E. certificate, will appreciate the extraordinary quality of this 30c Orange Brown and bid accordingly. It is one of our favorite stamps in this sale (and one of our all-time least favorite certificates).
With 2024 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; unpriced in SMQ in this grade, SMQ $6,500 as 95).
4c Blue Green (211). Mint N.H. block of four with bottom imprint selvage, rich color, attractive margins and centering, small natural gum inclusion in top right stamp is not visible from the front, Fine, Scott value $3,000 as singles without premium for the imprint
5c Indigo, Imperforate (216a). Horizontal pair, large to huge margins including right sheet margin, disturbed original gum, deep rich color, Very Fine