The Frelinghuysen Collection, Part Two: United States Stamps continued...

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. AN EXTREMELY RARE SOUND ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT BRICK RED SHADE -- IN OUR OPINION, THE BRICK RED IS ONE OF THE RAREST STAMPS OF THE CLASSIC PERIOD IN SOUND CONDITION WITH ORIGINAL GUM.

Many collectors know this issue by type and shade, but fewer are aware of the order of production (or release). This state of confusion is partly due to the Scott Catalogue. The distinctive Brick Red shade of the 5c 1857 Issue comes first in the series of Scott-listed perforated 5c issues, but its true release date comes later in the sequence.

Based on dated covers, the 5c Type I shades were released in the following order: 1) Red Brown, Scott 28, EDU 8/23/1857, 2) Indian Red, Scott 28A, EDU 3/31/1858, 3) Brick Red, Scott 27, EDU 10/6/1858, 4) Brown, Scott 29, EDU 3/21/1859, almost certainly the last printing from the first 5c plate. The second 5c plate was made from a new six-relief transfer roll with the design projections cut away at top and bottom, to varying degrees. The Type II Brown was issued first (Scott 30A, EDU 5/4/1860), and the Orange Brown printing from the same plate followed about one year later (Scott 30, EDU 5/8/1861).

After surveying dozens of classic United States sale catalogues, we found approximately twenty stamps with original gum, allowing for duplicate offerings and excluding the one known original-gum block. Of the stamps we counted, about half had perfs touching two sides or were deeply cut into on one side. Almost two-thirds had stains or small faults.

With 2011 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT BRICK RED SHADE.

Many collectors know this issue by type and shade, but fewer are aware of the order of production (or release). This state of confusion is partly due to the Scott Catalogue. The distinctive Brick Red shade of the 5c 1857 Issue comes first in the series of Scott-listed perforated 5c issues, but its true release date comes later in the sequence.

Based on dated covers, the 5c Type I shades were released in the following order: 1) Red Brown, Scott 28, EDU 8/23/1857, 2) Indian Red, Scott 28A, EDU 3/31/1858, 3) Brick Red, Scott 27, EDU 10/6/1858, 4) Brown, Scott 29, EDU 3/21/1859, almost certainly the last printing from the first 5c plate. The second 5c plate was made from a new six-relief transfer roll with the design projections cut away at top and bottom, to varying degrees. The Type II Brown was issued first (Scott 30A, EDU 5/4/1860), and the Orange Brown printing from the same plate followed about one year later (Scott 30, EDU 5/8/1861).

After surveying dozens of classic United States sale catalogues, we found approximately twenty stamps with original gum, allowing for duplicate offerings and excluding the one known original-gum block. Of the stamps we counted, about half had perfs touching two sides or were deeply cut into on one side. Almost two-thirds had stains or small faults.

With 2011 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT RED BROWN.

The perforated 5c "1856" Red Brown (Scott 28) stamps were made from the stock of imperforate stamps on hand in 1857 when perforations were introduced. Since these were the first 5c stamps to be put through the perforating machine, they were the first to be used. As such, very few are known with original gum -- we have offered only two singles and a block since 1998. This is only the seventh unused (no gum) example we have offered since keeping computerized records. Most have flaws or are off-center. The example offered here, with superior centering and a negligible flaw, should be considered highly desirable.

With 2011 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

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FINE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1861 5-CENT ORANGE BROWN.

Although a relatively large number of 5c Orange Browns reached collectors from unused supplies left over after the issue was demonetized due to the Civil War, multiples are scarce, and most have been broken to feed the market's desire for singles. (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. THIS RECENTLY-REVEALED BLOCK OF THE 1860 5-CENT BROWN TYPE II NOW BECOMES THE LARGEST RECORDED MULTIPLE OF THIS ISSUE. THE PRESENCE OF SEVEN MINT NEVER-HINGED STAMPS MORE THAN TRIPLES THE NUMBER WE HAVE OFFERED AT AUCTION SINCE KEEPING COMPUTERIZED RECORDS. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FRELINGHUYSEN COLLECTION AND A SPECTACULAR UNITED STATES MULTIPLE.

The 5c Brown Type II is far rarer in multiples than the Orange Brown. Unlike the 1861 Orange Brown, the earlier printing in Brown was not left in Southern post offices when the issue was demonetized in August 1861. The previous largest recorded multiple is a block of nine with plate no. and imprint at left., followed by one horizontal block of six (creased thru bottom three stamps) and approximately a half-dozen blocks of four. The block offered here has been buried in the Frelinghuysen collection, unknown to philatelists for close to a century.

A review using Power Search shows that we have offered only two Mint N.H. examples of this issue in all of our Rarities sales or in our regular auctions since 1993.

Scott Retail as four blocks of four and two pairs, with no premium for the seven Mint N.H. stamps (Image)

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