Sale 956 — The Jay Hoffman Collection of United States Stamps
Sale Date — Thursday-Friday, 8-9 May, 2008
Category — Postmasters
Brattleboro Vt., 5c Black on Buff (5X1). Position 2, large margins with full framelines complete on all four sides, lightly cancelled by pen (almost appears unused), slight trace of thinning at centerEXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. AN ATTRACTIVE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE BRATTLEBORO PROVISIONAL.
A total of 52 Brattleboro provisional stamps are recorded (32 off cover and 20 on 19 covers). Of these, many are faulty due to the softness of the paper.
Ex Ferrary, Weill and Wall. "W.H.C." (Colson) backstamp.
Providence R.I., 5c Gray Black (10X1). Position 2, Mint N.H., large margins incl. sheet margin at top, detailed impression, fresh and Extremely Fine, with 2000 P.F. certificate, Scott Retail as hinged
St. Louis Mo., 5c Black on Greenish (11X1). Type II, Position 3, huge margins all around, crisp impression on beautiful greenish paper, lightly cancelled by single penstroke at top right leaving entire design clearly visibleEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB FRESH EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT ST. LOUIS PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER.
Ex Twigg-Smith. With 1992 and 2005 P.F. certificates
St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Greenish (11X2). Type I, Position 2, large to huge margins all around, crisp impression, neat penstroke cancel, small closed tear at right in margin only, small scissors-cut at bottom in margin onlyEXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE-MARGINED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON GREENISH PAPER.
With 1991 P.F. certificate
St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Gray Lilac (11X5). Type II, Position 4, large margins to well clear at bottom, without pen cancellation, cancelled solely by lightly-struck red circular datestampVERY FINE AND CHOICE. A SCARCE EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS "BEARS" CANCELLED SOLELY BY THE RED CIRCULAR DATESTAMP.
With 2000 P.S.E. and 2002 P.F. certificates. Scott Retail $7,000.00 for normally pen-cancelled stamp off cover (footnote states: "Values for used off-cover stamps are for pen-cancelled copies. Handstamp cancelled copies sell for much more.")
St. Louis Mo., 5c Black on Bluish Pelure (11X7). Type III, Position 5, ample margins to clear, usual pen cancel and also part of red "Paid" handstamp, typically fragile pelure paper has been partially repairedFINE APPEARANCE. THE 5-CENT ON PELURE IS ONE OF THE RAREST OF THE ST. LOUIS "BEARS" PROVISIONALS.
Pelure paper was used for the last printing after the 20c denomination on Positions 1 and 3 was burnished out and the 5c values were re-engraved. At the time of this modification to the plate, Position 5 was slightly altered by adding a dot within the bottom ball of the figure "5", as visible on this example. Pelure stamps are almost always faulty and often seriously defective. The last example we offered at auction was in 2003, a stamp which was rebacked.
With 1990 P.S.E. certificate
St. Louis Mo., 10c Black on Bluish Pelure (11X8). Type III, Position 6, three full margins to in at bottom, sharp impression on deeply blued paper, without pen cancellation, cancelled only by a red handstamp, trivial paper wrinkling at top but none of the usual faults found in this thin and fragile paperFINE. AN ESSENTIALLY SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT ST. LOUIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON PELURE PAPER, CANCELLED SOLELY BY THE RED HANDSTAMP. THE STAMPS ON PELURE PAPER ARE THE RAREST OF THE ST. LOUIS "BEARS".
As an indication of rarity, we have offered only nine other examples in all of our Rarities sales and in the last 14 years of Siegel auctions. Of these, only two were sound.
With 1990 P.S.E. certificate. Scott Retail $12,000.00 for normally pen-cancelled stamp off cover (footnote states: "Values for used off-cover stamps are for pen-cancelled copies. Handstamp cancelled copies sell for much more.")