Sale 1375 — The Nick Kardasis Collection of the 1869 Pictorial Issue, Part One
Sale Date — Tuesday, 21 April, 2026
Category — Scott 112-122 with Original Gum-PSE Set Registry #1 All-Time Finest Set
15c Brown & Blue, Ty. I (118). Original gum, fresh colors, well-centered with balanced margins
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL SOUND ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT TYPE I 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE.
In his book on the 1869 Pictorial Issue, Jonathan Rose notes that essays were made for both the Type I and II designs prior to the time the stamps were issued. The stamps were put on the press twice — first for the vignette and then for the frame. The challenge for the plate printer was to properly align the vignette when printing the frame. The addition of surrounding lines in the Type II design made any misalignment less noticeable.
This is a very difficult stamp to obtain in sound condition with original gum and choice centering. The P.S.E. Population Report statistics bear this out, with only two stamps graded higher than the example offered here.
With 1994 P.F. and 2017 P.S.E. certificates (OGph, VF 80). Only two grade higher: one at 85, last offered to the market in our 2006 "Scarsdale" sale, and one at 95, which was graded in 2005 and we have never offered. Only one other shares this grade, which demonstrates how difficult this is to find in superior condition. SCV $9,000.
