As I prepare to introduce this collection and collector, my thoughts go back to an observation once made by Raymond H. Weill, who, together with his brother, Roger, has helped build more important United States stamp collections than any other professional, past or present. He told me that above all, the collector must have both the means and the inclination. The concept is so simple that my reaction upon hearing it was to look for other requirements. What about knowledge? Or time? Was it not important to join collector groups? Surely there must be other essentials.

Experience has taught me the simple truth of Raymond Weill’s observation. Truly great collections begin with the inclination to collect and grow through the dedication of financial resources necessary to acquire significant items. Knowledge may come to the collector. Membership in societies may add sociability to the process. The time spent collecting may be long or short (the key is being there at the right time). However, means and inclination are the fundamentals that determine how events in a collector’s life will unfold.

Robert Zoellner is the rare person with both the means and the inclination to build a great stamp collection. Mr. Zoellner was determined to have a complete United States stamp collection, and he could afford to do so. At those critical moments when both ingredients were needed, his purpose was clear and his commitment never wavered. Deciding to buy one stamp for $418,000 is a compelling demonstration of the Weill axiom.

Collectors are motivated for many reasons, but the seeds of inclination are often planted in childhood, when many of us were introduced to stamp collecting by our parents or teachers. Robert Zoellner started as a child and tried to fill the spaces of a United States stamp album with the best copies he could afford. When his interest was rekindled in 1984, Mr. Zoellner pulled out that old album and became reacquainted with the Columbian, Trans-Mississippi and Overrun Nations issues. This time he could afford to complete those sets with examples in choice condition.

And, he wondered, could he complete the whole album?

That was Robert Zoellner’s first question when we were introduced in 1985. It was the first time any collector had posed the question to me of whether or not it was possible to complete a United States stamp collection. My response was to outline, issue by issue, the major obstacles to completion and to assess the likelihood of acquiring all of the key stamps within a collecting lifetime. Yes, it was possible, but the cost would be considerable, and the rarest stamps—the 1867-68 A and Z Grills—might be very difficult to complete unless certain collections were sold.

Mr. Zoellner’s decision to pursue his goal was made. He bought a 24c Inverted Jenny and then looked for a stamp album. I recall attending an ASDA New York show with him, where he perused the dealers’ booths and shopped for an album and supplies. He stopped at one of the leading suppliers and asked about a National hingeless album, half-jokingly inquiring if the dealer could furnish it filled ("yes, that can be arranged"). I remember looking at Mr. Zoellner as he worked his way through the aisles filled with bag-toting collectors and kids looking for Grenadian Michael Jackson stamps, and I wondered if this nice fellow would see his ambition realized or give up in frustration. Whatever might happen, I was determined to be his guide, to make certain that the collection was genuine and beautiful, and that he could be confident every decision he made was based on accurate information and full disclosure.

Soon after the process began, any uncertainty I might have had about Mr. Zoellner’s determination quickly evaporated as he made bold moves to acquire the keys to his collection. There were several minor purchases and a few valuable stamps added during those early months, highlighted by the superb 4c 1908 Imperforate pair (lot 523) that was the first to be sold after the ex-Lilly strip of five was cut into two pairs and a single. As an item noteworthy as much for condition as for rarity, it set the quality standard for future acquisitions.

The first major collection to come to market after Mr. Zoellner’s start belonged to Leonard Sheriff and was sold through this firm in December 1985. When I told Mr. Zoellner that the Sheriff collection would be coming up for sale, he perked up. "The Leonard Sheriff?" he asked, "He is one of the most respected arbitrageurs on Wall Street." Yes, that Leonard Sheriff, who I knew as one of the country’s most respected stamp collectors. The Sheriff sale was the first and only stamp auction Mr. Zoellner attended, and he observed as I bid for and bought the complete set of used 1861-66 Re-Issues (lots 266-275), which Mr. Sheriff was particularly fond of and had carefully assembled over many years. From this sale Mr. Zoellner bought his first major grill rarity, the finest known example of the 30c A Grill (lot 216).

The biggest opportunity in Mr. Zoellner’s collecting career—in essence, the twin events that put him in striking distance of achieving completion—came during the following year, 1986. The first was the May auction of the "Isleham" collection by this firm at Ameripex, and the second was the November auction by Superior Galleries of the Dr. Jerry Buss collection. Between the two sales, all of the major Grill rarities would reach the market for the first time in years, including the coveted 1c and 15c Z Grills (lots 226 and 235). Also to be offered were examples of the 5c A Grill (lot 215) and the 3c B Grill (lot 217), both needed for the collection. The 10c Z Grill (lot 233) from William K. Herzog’s collection had been purchased in the 1986 Rarities sale before Ameripex, but the others were much-wanted building blocks to a complete collection. If they could be acquired at this early juncture, surely everything else would fall into place.

The Superior sale in Los Angeles in November 1986 was attended by several formidable competitors, and my instructions from Mr. Zoellner to acquire the 1c Z Grill were vague in specifics, yet crystal clear in intent. When the lot was finally knocked down at $380,000 hammer, plus the 10% premium for a total of $418,000, Mr. Zoellner received a phone call from me (he wanted to be awakened in the early morning) with the news that the 1c Z Grill was now his stamp. I recall "We got it!" were the first words he spoke (to his wife). At the time the notion of paying nearly half of one million dollars for a stamp was unnerving to me, although Mr. Zoellner seemed unfazed by that aspect of the event. The Dow was 1,914 back then, and in the twelve years to follow the $418,000 record price has been surpassed many times. In fact, today, it is 28th on the Linn’s Stamp News list of the stamp world’s top 100 auction records. Where it will be after October 8th will be up to the bidders.

With the acquisition of every major Grill rarity in 1986 came other significant purchases. The superb used 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11 stamp (lot 714) was plucked like a sweet plum from the James O. Hewitt collection sold by the Steve Ivy firm at Ameripex. The much-desired Pan-American Inverts (lots 505-507) became available in blocks and sparked an interest in multiples that would evolve over time. Toward the end of 1986 two outstanding items were added to the collection—covers bearing the 1845 New York provisional strip of four (lot 7) and the 12c 1851 block of five (lot 92). From this point forward, the collection would grow beyond the basic stamps necessary to complete a Scott Catalogue-based list, to include unusual varieties and rare multiples. Mr. Zoellner never collected covers on the basis of how the stamps were used—his interest was in the stamps themselves. For this reason there are covers in the collection, but they have been chosen for their stamps, which include rare types and multiples that would be desirable off cover.

1987 and 1988 were the zenith years of Mr. Zoellner’s collecting, both at auction and through private negotiated transactions.

Beginning in 1987 the Grunin collection of 1851-57 Issue covers came to market in three sales, providing the opportunity to acquire extraordinary examples of the classic stamps printed by Toppan, Carpenter. Mr. Grunin’s taste for superb stamps and rare multiples was compatible with Mr. Zoellner’s desire to choose covers on the basis of the stamps, not the postal markings or usage. Items such as the ex-Newbury 1851 1c Type Ia strip (lot 24), the ex-Chase 1851 3c corner copy (lot 64), the 1856 5c "Klep Strip" (lot 68), the ex-Neinken 1855 10c Type IV strip (lot 85) and the beautiful 1857-60 Issue covers with multiples came from this series of Grunin sales.

Early in 1988 the Siegel firm held the first in a series of sales dedicated to the Clifford C. Cole collection, another multimillion dollar holding with many United States rarities. From the Cole sale Mr. Zoellner bought the striking four-margin 1c 1851 Type I(lot 19). He also competed successfully for two of the most outstanding 20th century rarities—the unique pair of Scott 482A (lot 656) and a well-centered Scott 596 (lot 713). Later in 1988 the Walter C. Klein collection was sold at auction, and Mr. Zoellner added substantially to his holding of blocks, including the 1860 24c block of 20 (lot 145), the rare 1862 5c Red Brown block (lot 201), 1867-68 Grill multiples and the $2.00 Offices in China double overprint block (lot 804). Also from the Klein collection came choice examples of 1857-60 Reprints and Bank Note stamps with original gum.

During this period of intense auction activity, Mr. Zoellner also took advantage of opportunities to acquire stamps through private sources. Many of the First Designs and Colors and Bank Note Special Printings came from the Marcel Lutwak collection, brokered privately through dealers.

Between 1989 and 1991, Mr. Zoellner primarily sought only the stamps he needed to complete his collection and was less active in acquiring other kinds of material. When the Weill Brothers’ Stock came up for sale in 1989 and 1990, he chose not to expand his scope to include all of the postmasters’ provisionals and passed on the opportunity to bid for one of the 24c Inverted Jenny blocks. Instead of acquisition, Mr. Zoellner concentrated his efforts on mounting the collection in a format that would serve his original purpose—to complete a Scott album of United States stamps—as well as accommodate the large number of varieties and multiples he had amassed. To do this, a Scott Platinum album was adapted with computer-generated pages in the identical style of a Scott album page. As items were added, the spaces would be filled or the pages redesigned for a new block or variety.

In 1992, with the collection mounted and the goal of completion coming closer to his grasp, Mr. Zoellner’s collecting was reinvigorated through several key acquisitions. From the Siegel firm’s sale of Dr. Leonard Kapiloff’s collection, two 1847 blocks were added to enhance the showing of the first General Issue (lots 14-15). The 24c Inverted Jenny was upgraded with a perfectly-centered, lightly-hinged stamp from the McNall collection (lot 722). From the same collection came another important 20th century rarity, the 1c 1908 Vertical Coil (lot 524).

The year 1993 saw two major collections come to market, one at auction and the other by private treaty. The best of the Bechtel block collection was sold to Mr. Zoellner. For the first time in decades, collectors will have the opportunity to acquire fantastically rare blocks, such as the 1857 1c Plate 2 original-gum block of 30 (lot 98), the 1857 1c perforated Type IV block of five (lot 111), the 1860 30c block of 21 (lot 148), the 1867 3c C Grill imprint block (lot 218) and magnificent 1869 Pictorial blocks, highlighted by the 15c Type I original-gum block of six, ex Caspary (lot 288) and the 90c unused block of six (lot 297). Soon after the Bechtel purchase came the Ishikawa auction, from which Mr. Zoellner purchased the 1851 1c Plate 2 Crack block (lot 32), the unique 1857 1c Type III Position 99R2 block (lot 101), rare Grilled Issue blocks and the 1869 6c block of sixteen (lot 282).

The Ishikawa and Bechtel sales culminated in two fascinating discoveries. First, that the 1857 1c Type III Position 99R2 block (lot 101) from Ishikawa and the Plate 2 block of 30 from Bechtel (lot 98) were actually from the same sheet of stamps. Second, that the 1868 30c F Grill block of twelve in this sale (lot 262) could be reconstructed from separate blocks in the Ishikawa and Bechtel collections.

In 1994 and 1995 further acquisitions brought the collection to within a dozen or so Scott numbers of completion. One of the exciting items purchased in 1994 was a cover bearing the 1908 2c Vertical Coil, Scott 321 (lot 531), which came from major collection sold privately by the Siegel firm. The cover had been sold to its first owner more than fifty years earlier and is one of two known Scott 321 covers mailed from Indianapolis in 1908.

An invitation by the Collectors Club of New York to show the collection as the featured United States exhibit at Anphilex ‘96 was accepted, but it was still incomplete. A hard-target search ensued for the last stamps needed. Finally, with the gift of a Scott 165 from one of Mr. Zoellner’s close friends, the collection was complete. The last space was filled.

Being involved with Mr. Zoellner from the start and knowing every stamp intimately, as I do, this sale has a personal meaning to me that goes far beyond an auctioneer’s pride and pecuniary interest. When Mr. Zoellner told me he was considering selling the collection that he calls "our" collection, I actually felt myself resisting the idea, despite the obvious benefits to me and this firm. Then I thought about Raymond Weill’s words again—means and inclination—and I realized that for a dozen years Robert Zoellner was the most determined collector I have ever met, who had the means to achieve his goal. He did it, he enjoyed it, he learned from it, and now he no longer has the inclination to go beyond his original goal or to keep stamps locked away from other collectors.

That is my introduction to Robert Zoellner and his collection. The catalogue is a complete description of the collection and the subject areas it covers. In guiding Mr. Zoellner, I frequently used auction and Philatelic Foundation records to learn about the supply of a particular rarity. With the publication of this catalogue, our firm will make much of that information available to stamp collectors in the form of a photo census for 23 of the rarest United States stamps, which can be found in the Appendix on pages 364-390. A census can never be complete, but we have used the Levi records, our own sale catalogues over 68 years, and the Philatelic Foundation records to compile a comprehensive photo survey of stamps. We hope others will expand the listings.

In sale catalogues I do not normally acknowledge the work of our firm’s staff, because anyone associated with Siegel Auction Galleries is expected to produce quality work. However, John Zuckerman deserves credit for sharing my enthusiasm and vision for this catalogue and contributing enormous effort to create it, particularly in the census. Acknowledgment to several others who contributed information appears on page 391.

To those with the means and inclination to indulge their stamp-collecting desires, I wish you the very best for success in what will surely be remembered as the last great stamp auction of the 20th century.

—Scott R. Trepel

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