VERY FINE APPEARANCE. POSITION 7R1E -- THE SEVENTH STAMP IN THE RIGHT PANE OF PLATE ONE EARLY -- IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE 1,000 POSITIONS USED TO PRINT IMPERFORATE ONE-CENT STAMPS THAT SHOWS THE COMPLETE DESIGN (TYPE I). A GREAT RARITY.
The published census compiled by Jerome S. Wagshal contains at least 98 unduplicated records of Scott 5. There are probably no more than ten examples existing outside of the Wagshal census population. Therefore, the 1c 1851 Type I is the rarest of all United States stamps issued regularly prior to the 1868 Grills.
Wagshal Census No. 5-CAN-26. Ex McCree. With 1995 P.F. certificate
A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE Ib IMPERFORATE. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL UNITED STATES CLASSICS TO OBTAIN IN UNUSED CONDITION.
Type Ib was produced only as an imperforate stamp. Six positions on Plate 1 Early furnished stamps qualifying as Type Ib--Positions 3-6R and 8-9R--distinguished by the complete design at top and nearly complete design at bottom. When first entered on the plate, these six positions (as well as 7R1E) had the complete design at top and bottom. However, unlike 7R, small portions of the bottoms were burnished away.
A thorough search of past auctions and our own extensive records produced a result that surprised us. The unique block of eight from Plate 1E contains Position 7R1E (Scott 5) and five Type Ib stamps (with faults). The famous ex-Waterhouse copy of Position 7R1E is joined with a pair of Type Ib stamps (this unused unit is currently owned by William H. Gross). The multiples, containing a total of seven Type Ib stamps, really do not fit the needs of collectors who want a single unused example of Scott 5A. We located only four other unused singles, and we were surprised at the conspicuous absence of any unused Scott 5A stamps in major name sales, including Wagshal. The last we offered was in our 2008 Hoffman sale.
With 1988 and 1989 P.F. certificates as regummed. With 2000 P.S.E. certificate as original gum. Scott Retail $12,000.00 as no gum and $32,500.00 with original gum.
VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1851 ONE-CENT IMPERFORATE TYPE Ib.
Type Ib comes from only six positions on Plate 1E: Positions 3-6, 8 and 9R1E.
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE IMPERFORATE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE Ia, WHICH CLEARLY SHOWS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TYPE.
Stamps printed from Plate 4 were issued in April, May and briefly in June 1857 before perforations were introduced. The relatively small number of imperforate Plate 4 stamps issued during this period explains the rarity and desirability of any of the imperforate stamp types produced from this plate (Ia, Ic, II, III and IIIa). The extremely rare Type Ia, showing the full design at bottom, was furnished only by 18 of the 200 subjects on Plate 4 (the remaining two bottom-row positions were sub-type Ic).
With 1993 P.F. certificate
EXTREMELY FINE APPEARING BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE II IMPERFORATE.
With copy of 2000 P.F. certificate for block of eight.
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A MAGNIFICENT ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE IIIa IMPERFORATE. SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT.
Stamps printed from Plate 4 were issued in April-June 1857 before perforations were introduced. The relatively small number of imperforate Plate 4 stamps issued during this period explains the rarity and desirability of any of the imperforate stamp types produced from this plate.
The Type IIIa from Plate 4 with original gum is extremely rare. We have offered perhaps five examples in the past 20 years in comparable condition.
Ex Chapin. With 1986, 1992 and 2003 P.F. certificates.
EXTREMELY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 3-CENT ORANGE BROWN.
With 1993 P.F. certificate
FINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1851 3-CENT TYPE II ORANGE BROWN, SCOTT 10A, FROM PLATE O. AN IMPORTANT CLASSIC UNITED STATES IMPERFORATE MULTIPLE.
This block comes from the lower left corner of the block of twelve from Plate O that was once part of the Stanley M. Piller and Robert Zoellner collections. After our Zoellner sale it was cut into smaller units, primarily to harvest a Mint N.H. single, but this block was preserved.
Ex Piller and Zoellner as block of twelve. With copy of 1979 P.F. certificate (for block of twelve).
EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1856 ISSUE WITH PART ORIGINAL GUM. ONE OF THE RAREST CLASSIC IMPERFORATE STAMPS IN SOUND UNUSED CONDITION.
The 5c stamp was issued in 1856, five years after the 1c, 3c and 12c values and one year after the 10c were issued. It was typically used to pay the 5c shore-to-ship rate for mail sent overseas and also in multiples for the 10c transcontinental or 15c U.S.-French treaty rates.
With the exception of some rare types of the 1c and 10c, such as Scott Nos. 5 and 16, the 5c stamp is the most difficult denomination to obtain with four margins in sound original-gum condition. The spacing between stamps was very narrow, leaving little margin for error when separating the stamps, which explains why so few examples are known with four margins. When other factors such as gum, color and impression are taken into consideration, the rarity and beauty of the stamp offered here may be fully appreciated.
With 1992 P.F. certificate stating "part o.g."
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. ONE OF THE CHOICEST EXAMPLES OF THE 10-CENT TYPE I, WHICH WAS FURNISHED ONLY BY THE BOTTOM ROW OF THE PLATE. VERY FEW ORIGINAL-GUM TYPE I STAMPS EXIST, AND THIS IS CERTAINLY AMONG THE FINEST IN TERMS OF COLOR, IMPRESSION AND MARGINS.
Type I stamps come from the bottom 20 positions of the plate. They are the only stamps to show the design complete at bottom. For some reason the sheet margin at bottom was often trimmed away, leaving a dearth of quality copies. The Type IV stamps come from only eight positions, but we would rank the two types equally in terms of the rarity of sound four-margin original-gum copies.
We have offered only one other comparable example in terms of margins and condition, in the Whitman sale.
Ex Golin. "W.H.C." backstamp (Warren H. Colson). With 1985 P.F. certificate
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT TYPE II 1855 ISSUE.
Given the wide spacing between subjects on the plate used to print the 10c 1855 Issue, one would expect to find an ample supply of examples in sound original-gum condition with four margins. However, such stamps are extremely rare.
With 2002 P.F. certificate
VERY FINE AND CHOICE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT TYPE III 1855 ISSUE.
With 1993 P.F. certificate
VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE FOUR-MARGIN ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1855 10-CENT TYPE IV IMPERFORATE. ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL CLASSIC UNITED STATES UNUSED STAMPS.
As an indication of rarity, we have offered only ten other unused copies in all of our Rarities sales and in the last 20 years of our auctions, and only one of those has full original gum (five have part original gum and one has disturbed gum)
With 1999 P.S.E. certificate.
VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 12-CENT 1851 ISSUE.
With 1968 P.F. certificate