VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND FRESH MINT NEVER-HINGED WIDE TOP IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER STRIP OF THE 10-CENT 1893 SPECIAL DELIVERY ISSUE.
Unlisted as Mint N.H. Scott Retail as hinged
FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE LARGE MULTIPLE OF THE $2.00 ON $1.00 OFFICES IN CHINA ISSUE, CONTAINING A MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK. THIS IS THE FIRST MINT NENEVR-HINGED PLATE BLOCK WE HAVE OFFERED SINCE OUR 1999 RARITIES SALE.
The $2.00 Offices in China plate block is exceeded in rarity only by the $1.00 value. We have offered only one other since 2010. The last example in Mint N.H. condition was offered in our 1999 Rarities sale.
Scott Retail as plate block of six and singles
VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE COMPLETE SET OF WAR DEPARTMENT CARD PROOFS WITH BLUE TYPE 3 "SPECIMEN" OVERPRINTS. ONLY ONE SET OF THIS TYPE IS RECORDED.
These handstamped "Specimen" overprints were the subject of an outstanding study by Michael Plett, presented in Chronicle 227 (Aug. 2010). These overprints are distinct from the Scott listed "Specimen" overprints on perforated stamps, and are believed to originate from the archives of foreign governments. War Department card proofs exist with each of the four different types of "Specimen" overprints (as described and named by Plett), but only one set of each type is recorded.
Ex Markovits and "Lake Shore".
FINE-VERY FINE. AN ATTRACTIVE AND SCARCE COMPLETE SET OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING.
Other than the 1c, 2c and 7c values, between 104 and 119 copies of the War Department Special Printings were sold (the 30c has the smallest sale quantity). It ranks fifth in rarity, just after the Navy Department set.
VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE NACO, ARIZONA, REGISTRY EXCHANGE LABEL ON COVER WITH A FULL SET OF THE JAMESTOWN ISSUE.
The U.S. Scott Specialized Catalogue recently began listing the various U.S. registry exchange labels. The labels from Naco, Arizona, are among the rarest. Scott lists just two examples of the handstamped variety and one other with the manuscript name, but this is not one of the counted examples, since it was part of a lot purchased by Irwin Weinberg in a Siegel sale decades ago and was unrecognized for its rarity at that time.
VERY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THIS ERROR CARD.
Ex Cunliffe