United States Stamps continued...

Prices realized...
1861 First Designs and Colors:
Lot Sym. Lot Description Realized
489 ng image1c Indigo, First Design (55). Unused (no gum), intense shade and impression

EXTREMELY FINE AND FRESH. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE RARE ONE-CENT 1861 FIRST DESIGN IN THIS CHOICE CONDITION.

Our census of 1861 First Designs and Colors contains a total of 24 copies of the 1c First Design, including two cancelled stamps and one sound example in the New York Public Library collection. Of the 21 remaining unused copies, only ten are completely sound. This is among the three finest centered of all recorded examples.

Census No. 55-UNC-10. With 1979 P.F. certificate. (Image)

$ 37,500
490 og image3c Brown Rose, First Design (56). Original gum, lightly hinged, well-centered, rich color, Extremely Fine and choice (Image) $ 900
491 ogbl image3c Brown Rose, First Design (56). Block of four, original gum, h.r., fresh color, top left stamp natural inclusion, few perf separations sensibly reinforced, Fine-Very Fine block, Scott value as singles (Image) $ 850
492 ng image90c Blue, First Design (62). Unused (no gum), well-centered, deep shade and proof-like impression on bright white paper

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE SECOND RAREST STAMP OF THE 1861 FIRST DESIGNS AND COLORS. ONLY EIGHT OTHER SOUND WELL-CENTERED EXAMPLES OF THE 90-CENT FIRST DESIGN ARE RECORDED. A BEAUTIFUL AND EXTREMELY RARE CLASSIC STAMP.

This stamp was not included in our census of the 1861 First Designs and Colors (Zoellner sale). The updated count of 23 examples of the 90c First Design includes one copy in the New York Public Library collection and another copy certified as a privately-perforated No. 62a, which comes from a set in the Col. Green sale that was signed by John Luff (we believe this stamp to be genuine). Excluding the NYPL copy and the ex-Green stamp just noted, only eight other examples of the 90c First Design are sound (generally Extremely Fine centering) and five of the eight are unused without gum, as is this example.

Census No. 62-UNC-23 (Image)

$ 40,000
493 P image10c Green, First Design, Plate Proof on India (62BP3). Horizontal pair, ample to large margins, fresh and Very Fine (Image) $ 375
494 TC image10c Black, First Design, Large Die Trial Color Proof on India (62BTC1). 45 x 58 mm, imprint and no. 443 at bottom, diagonal crease and two thin spots, otherwise Fine, rare First Design trial color proof (Image) $ 210
495 og image10c Dark Green, First Design (62B). Original gum, extraordinarily well-centered with wide margins all around, extraordinarily wide at top and bottom, incredibly deep color, barest trace of horizontal crease at top, invisible on face and not detracting from Extremely Fine appearance, with 1999 P.F. certificate (Image) $ 4,250
496 ng image10c Dark Green, First Design (62B). Unused (no gum), deep rich color, Very Fine and choice, with 1986 P.F. certificate (Image) $ 2,600
497 image10c Dark Green, First Design (62B). Intense color and impression, bright red grid cancel, Very Fine, with 1981 P.F. certificate (Image) $ 1,100

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