3c Dusky Blue, Die Essay on
India (11-E22). 67 x 41mm, beautiful rich color, some thinning at right
from mount removalEXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE FINER OF THE TWO EXAMPLES RECORDED IN THIS COLOR. THIS IS THE ONLY ESSAY DESIGN SHOWING THE CORNER ROSETTES. AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION PIECE.
Some students consider this and the following lot to be proof strikes of the die used for the Roosevelt and Panama-Pacific small die proofs. Others, including Clarence Brazer, consider these to be die essays struck in 1851.
This essay is known in both Black and Dusky Blue. A Black essay was sold as lot 103 in our 1990 Brazer sale (Siegel sale 726), where it realized $7,500 hammer. The other recorded Dusky Blue, ex Burroughs and Heckett, has several faults (Image)
3c Black, Die Essay on India
(11-E22). 37 x 50mm, small thin spot VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A VERY RARE ESSAY SHOWING THE CORNER ROSETTES.
See previous description for an explanation of this essay (Image)
12c Brown Violet, Die Essay
on India (17-E2). Two: first is stamp size, clear margins all around,
second is hybrid on wove and die sunk on 116 x 133mm card, card with
toned spot at top and corner crease at top right, otherwise both are Very
Fine, the hybrid is unlisted in Scott, Scott Retail for both cut to stamp
size (Image)
24c Black, Die Essay on India
(37-E1). 46 x 60mm, crisp impression and deep shade, very trivial
crease at top left edge, otherwise Extremely Fine and extremely rare (Image)