EXTREMELY FINE BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE RARE GROUNDED PLANE VARIETY. FEWER THAN EIGHT BLOCKS ARE RECORDED.
The world's first regular government airmail service was inaugurated in the United States on May 15, 1918. Planes were scheduled to take off simultaneously from New York and Washington, D.C., each stopping at Philadelphia on the three-city relay route. The plane out of the nation's capital was piloted by Lieutenant George Boyle, who had limited flying experience, but whose future father-in-law was the well-connected head of the Interstate Commerce Commission. With a crowd of onlookers and dignitaries, including President Woodrow Wilson and the First Lady, the northbound flight took off from Potomac Park field, behind schedule and headed south. The young pilot, wondering why things on the ground did not look quite right, crashed the plane in a farmer's field in Maryland, and the mail was carried back to Washington on wheels for the next day's flight.
The Grounded Plane stamps, in which the wheels of the plane break through the top of "Cents", come from portions of three sheets. The discovery sheet was owned and broken up by John Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company. A second sheet was discovered in 1946 and sold in the Thomas A. Matthews sale (H. R. Harmer 11/4/1964), where it was purchased by Georges A. Medawar, publisher of Sanabria Airmail Catalogue. In Linn's 4/21/1986, specialist Joseph R. Kirker, Jr. published his research revealing the existence of a third source of this variety. All known sheets are from the first printing, which produced the world famous Inverted Jenny error. The first printing has selvage at bottom and left, and was trimmed to remove the top and right selvage; therefore, a plate block cannot exist.
The block offered here shows a strong downward shift and is extraordinarily fresh. The guideline indicates it comes from the fifth and sixth rows of a sheet. Comparing this block to the photograph of the Matthews-Medawar (Sanabria) sheet and the single on the Klemann cover, which comes from the fifth row (guideline at bottom, centered to top), we can rule out those two sources. This block must come from the third sheet.
Ex Price
VERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1918 24-CENT FIRST AIR POST ISSUE GROUNDED PLANE VARIETY.
The Grounded Plane stamps, in which the wheels of the plane break through the top of "Cents", come from portions of three sheets. The discovery sheet was owned and broken up by John Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company. A second sheet was discovered in 1946 and sold in the Thomas A. Matthews sale (H. R. Harmer 11/4/1964), where it was purchased by Georges A. Medawar, publisher of Sanabria Airmail Catalogue. In Linn's 4/21/1986, specialist Joseph R. Kirker, Jr. published his research revealing the existence of a third source of this variety. All known sheets are from the first printing, which produced the world famous Inverted Jenny error.
With 2017 P.F. certificate.
EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 65-CENT GRAF ZEPPELIN, WITH THE PERFECT P.S.E. GRADE OF GEM 100.
The Graf Zeppelin issue is extremely difficult to obtain in Gem 100 grade. For the 65c, four are graded 100 and two are graded 100 Jumbo. For the $1.30, nine are graded 100 with none graded 100 Jumbo. For the $2.60, only one is graded 100 and one is graded 100 Jumbo.
Ex Morton. With 2013 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; SMQ $4,450.00)
EXTREMELY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE $1.30 GRAF ZEPPELIN ISSUE.
Blue backstamp in selvage not noted on certificate. With 2007 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $3,500.00)