50c Orange (310). Mint
N.H. top plate no. single, extraordinarily wide and well-balanced margins,
vibrant color and pristine conditionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN OUTSTANDING MINT NEVER HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 50-CENT 1902 ISSUE WITH PLATE NUMBER SELVAGE.
The 1902-03 Regular Issue was a great improvement over the Bureau's first efforts in 1894 and 1895. Perforations tend to be cleaner, and centering better, but the large plate layout and perforating method still resulted in a large number of poorly centered stamps. Furthermore, stamps issued in choice condition seldom stayed that way, because the boom in stamp collecting that began with the Roosevelt administration caused hordes of hinge-bearing philatelists to mount stamps over and over again. For this reason, today's collectors have grown accustomed to paying many multiples of Scott value for Extremely Fine stamps in Mint Never Hinged state. Anyone who has pursued this set can testify that the 50c is rarely encountered in such condition. The 50c 1902 offered here probably ranks among the five highest-quality examples in existence.
With 1997 P.F. certificate (Image)
$2.00 Dark Blue (312).
Lightly hinged, mammoth margins on all four sides, perfectly centered, dark
shade, sharp proof-like impressionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE $2.00 1902 ISSUE SIMPLY CANNOT BE FOUND WITH BETTER CENTERING AND MARGINS -- AN ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR STAMP.
While the $2.00 1902 Issue is not very rare, we do not recall seeing another example of these dimensions.
With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)
$2.00 Dark Blue (312).
Block of eighteen (3 x 6), Mass. city registry oval cancels, deep rich
color, natural s.e. at left, five stamps with few trivial creases as one
would expect on a used multiple of this size, rejoined along vertical row
of perfs at center, perf separations reinforced between stamps -- all to be
expected in a used multiple of this sizeVERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE LARGEST KNOWN USED MULTIPLE FOR THE $2.00 1902 ISSUE.
An outstanding exhibition piece with incredible centering for such a large block of the $2.00 1902 Issue. (Image)
$5.00 Dark Green (313).
Mint N.H., deep rich color, phenomenal margins and centeringEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB MINT NEVER HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE $5.00 1902 ISSUE IN THE FINEST ATTAINABLE QUALITY.
The $5.00 1902 is one of the rarest of all 20th Century regular issues in Mint Never Hinged condition. Perhaps because collectors proudly hinged this dollar value in their albums, very few stamps seem to have escaped such a fate. Only blocks -- rarely well-centered and also often hinged -- have provided the few Mint Never Hinged stamps that exist today. This remarkable stamp is easily one of the finest extant.
With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)
5c Blue, Imperforate
(315). Horizontal pair, large margins all around, neat wavy-lines
machine cancel, pretty shade and sharp impressionEXTREMELY FINE. A RARE USED PAIR OF THE 5-CENT IMPERFORATE 1908 ISSUE.
Genuinely cancelled pairs of the 1906 Imperforate are extremely rare (covers bring $12,000 or more).
With 1989 P.F. certificate (Image)