Sale 1288 — The Nelson Berman Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps
Sale Date — Thursday, 22 June, 2023
Category — 1861 First Designs and Colors (Scott 55-62)
1c Indigo, First Design (55). Original gum, h.r., intense color of the unmistakable First Design printing, attractive centering, single partly nibbed perf at bottom not noted on certificate and barely worth mentioning in this descriptionVERY FINE. A RARE SOUND ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT 1861 FIRST DESIGN. ONLY 22 UNUSED EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS. ONLY NINE ARE SOUND.
Our census of Scott 55, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/55 , contains a total of 26 examples. Three have target cancels and one is in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Of the remaining 22 copies, at least thirteen have faults ranging from serious defects to pulled perfs.
Census no. 55-OG-11. Ex Matthies and Lessin. With 1989 P.F. certificate.
5c Brown, First Design (57). Original gum, deep rich color, choice centering, few nibbed perfs at top not noted on certificatesVERY FINE APPEARING ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 5-CENT 1861 FIRST DESIGN. ONLY 37 EXAMPLES ARE KNOWN.
Our census of Scott 57, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/57 , contains a total of 37 copies of this rarity. Of these, one is in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Of the 36 thought to be available to collectors, two are cancelled, 19 have no gum, five have part original gum and ten, including the example offered here, have full (or nearly full) original gum. Only two of the full or part original-gum copies are confirmed as sound.
Census no. 57-OG-24. With 1971 P.F. certificate stating "part o.g.". With 1993 P.S.E. certificate stating "o.g.".
3c Brown Rose, First Design (56). Original gum, small h.r., rich color, well-balanced margins, Extremely Fine, with 1976 P.F. certificate
10c Dark Green, First Design (62B). Deep rich color and proof-like impression, gorgeous centering, "San Francisco Cal. Dec. 4, 1861" double-circle datestampEXTREMELY FINE. A STUNNING USED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1861 ISSUE FIRST DESIGN.
The 10c is the only denomination of the 1861-66 Issue that was actually issued in two types. Type I, Scott 62B, was printed from Plate 4. Type II stamps -- Scott 68 and its grilled counterparts -- were printed from Plates 15 and 26. It has been surmised that Type I was pressed into service to help fill strong demand for 10c stamps after demonetization of the earlier issue. The 10c stamps paid the transcontinental rate, the ship-letter rate and certain rates to foreign countries. The Plate 4 Type I stamps left very little space between the stamps for the 12-gauge perforation holes. Examples of Scott 62B are rarely seen with margins framing the design on all sides.
With 1986 P.F. certificate.
24c Dark Violet, First Color (60). Unused (no gum), intense shade and proof-like impression on bright fresh paper, almost perfect centeringVERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1861 FIRST COLOR. AN EXTREMELY RARE STAMP.
The Dark Violet trial printing and Violet regular issue shades are often confused, and the Scott Catalogue adds to the confusion by putting the Dark Violet (the old Scott 60) in the Trial Color Proofs section as 70TCe, while the Violet gets a front seat as Scott 70c. In our opinion, there is no good reason to relegate the Dark Violet to the Trial Color Proof section.
"W.H.C." (Colson) backstamp. With 2001 P.F. certificate.
12c Intense Black, First Design (59). Original gum, lightly hinged with slight offset from 10c Green stamp (probably the 10c First Design, distributed along with this stamp), choice centering for this difficult issue with perfs well clear of the design on all sides, intense shade and detailed impressionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE 1861 12-CENT FIRST DESIGN IN EXISTENCE. THIS IS THE CELEBRATED LILLY-SEYMOUR COPY.
The 12c is the rarest of the 1861 First Designs and Colors, with a total of 16 examples recorded, including one in the Miller collection at The New York Public Library. Our census of the 12c 1861 First Design is available at https://www.siegelauctions.com/census/US/Scott/59 . Of the 15 copies available to collectors, only eight have full original gum. Of these eight only three are sound (Census No. 09, which has slightly disturbed gum, No. 15 and this stamp, No. 10). Only one of the no-gum stamps is sound (Census No. 06). Apart from soundness, the stamp offered here is also one of the best-centered.
Census no. 59-OG-10. Ex Lilly and A. T. Seymour. With 1949 and 2016 P.F. certificates.
30c Red Orange, First Color (61). Unused (no gum), intense color and proof-like impression on bright paper, long and full perfs all around, choice centeringVERY FINE AND CHOICE. ONE OF ONLY 32 EXAMPLES OF THE 30-CENT 1861 FIRST COLOR AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS. OF THESE, ONLY SEVEN ARE CONFIRMED AS SOUND.
Our census of Scott 61, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/61 , contains a total of 33 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library. Virtually all are centered to one side, and many are centered to two sides. A characteristic common to most examples of the 30c 1861 First Color is creasing, which in some cases is very severe and in others barely visible. The stamp offered here is completely sound, with unusually long full perfs.
Census no. 61-UNC-26. With 1969 P.F. certificate.
90c Blue, First Design (62). Large part original gum which covers the entire back of the stamp, deep rich color, unusually choice centeringEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE 90-CENT 1861 ISSUE FIRST DESIGN.
Our census of Scott 62, available at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/62 , contains 22 examples, including one in the Miller collection owned by The New York Public Library and another copy certified as a privately perforated No. 62a, which comes from a set in the Col. Green sale that was signed by John Luff (we believe this stamp to be genuine). Another has been certified as genuine with a trial cancel. Excluding the NYPL copy and the ex-Green stamp just noted, only eight examples of the 90c First Design are available with original gum. Of these eight, only two are confirmed as sound (OG-05 and OG-09 offered here). One other (OG-02), known from a 1957 auction, needs to be examined for condition.
Census no. 62-OG-09. Ex Col. Green, Gleysteen and Lessin. With 1971 and 2002 P.F. certificates.