Sale 1240 — United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Wednesday, 20-21 July, 2021
Category — 1894-97 Bureau Issues (Scott 246-284)




VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF SIX OF THE 1894 3-CENT IMPERFORATE UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
Full imperforate sheets of 400 of the 3c, 4c, 5c and 10c values were removed from the Bureau and became available to collectors. They were not gummed when they came from the Bureau, but were later unofficially gummed.
Ex "Whitpain". With 2009 P.F. certificate as "original gum, previously hinged". Scott value $7,500.00






EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST 50-CENT 1894 BUREAU PLATE STRIPS OF THREE KNOWN. PARTICULARLY RARE IN MINT NEVER-HINGED CONDITION.
The 1894 Issue was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's first effort at regular stamp production, and they experienced difficulty in applying perforations. This problem, coupled with the fact that only small quantities of high values were printed before watermarked paper was introduced (only 175,000 of the 50c), accounts for the rarity of 50c and dollar-value 1894 Unwatermarked Bureau stamps in choice condition. Plate number multiples are exponentially rarer, and this is perhaps the finest 50c 1894 we have handled. Using Power Search, we located two other Mint N.H. strips, both from the bottom position, including one with perfs touching the design.
Ex Diamond. With 2021 P.F. certificate




FINE APPEARING AND RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1894 $1.00 TYPE II UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
According to Brookman, the Type II stamps, with circles complete around the bottom left denomination, were not discovered until several years after the stamp was issued. Its discoverer was the custodian of the National stamp collection, who determined that the Type II stamps are found on only five rows of the plate. Brookman estimated that only 8,762 were distributed.
Scott value $9,000.00


VERY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1894 $5.00 UNWATERKARKED BUREAU ISSUE.
With 2006 and 2021 P.S.E. certificates (OGph, F-VF 75; SMQ $3,000.00)







FINE-VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE "IR" POSITION PAIR OF THE 8-CENT 1895 ISSUE WITH "USIR" WATERMARK.
The "USIR" (United States Internal Revenue) watermark error occurred when a supply of paper reserved for revenue stamp production was used for printing the 6c and 8c postage stamps. Of the small population known unused, many are either off-center or have flaws. This position multiple is very desirable.
Ex Curtis. With 1975 P.F. certificate. Scott value as two singles without premium for the imprint






VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A VERY SCARCE MINT NEVER-HINGED WIDE TOP PLATE BLOCK OF THIS ISSUE.
This is the first Mint N.H. wide top plate block of Scott 280 we have offered since before 1993



