The Natalee Grace Collection of Used United States Stamps, Part One continued...

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT BLACK JACK PRINTED ON BOTH SIDES. ONLY FOUR USED AND ONE UNUSED EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED. THIS IS THE MOST VISUALLY APPEALING PRINTED-ON-BOTH-SIDES VARIETY WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED, WITH AN EXTREMELY STRONG IMPRESSION ON BACK SHOWING PART OF FOUR STAMPS. IT IS ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE ON THE POPULAR "BLACK JACK" ISSUE.

Engraved stamps printed on both sides usually have a poor impression on one side and a second, complete impression on the other. They probably occurred when a sheet was printed without proper moistening, which prevented the paper from picking up the ink in the recessed lines of the engraved plate.

Our list of printed-on-both-sides stamps is included as an appendix to this catalogue. The 2c Black printed-on-both-sides stamps are known with the orientation of the back impression the same or inverted in relation to the design on the front, which indicates more than one sheet was printed. The inverted impression on back is a result of the sheet being turned 180 degrees before it was put on the press the second time.

Our census of the 2c Black Jack printed on both sides, shown at left and available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/73f/73f.pdf , records four used and one unused example of this rarity. The example offered here shows the strongest impression on back of any known. This also is the only example with perforations on all sides that has not been reperfed.

Census No. 73f-CAN-01. Ex MacKay and Metzger (where illustrated on the front cover of the catalogue). Illustrated in Brookman, Vol. II, p. 10. With 2002 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. THE 2-CENT BLACK JACK ON LAID PAPER IS ONE OF THE RAREST BLACK JACK VARIETIES. ONLY FOUR COPIES HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED AS GENUINE BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION.

The 2c Black Jack on laid paper is one of the rarest production varieties (as opposed to a plate variety). The other rare Scott-listed variety is printed on both sides (offered in the previous lot). Our census of this variety, illustrated below and available at our website at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/73g/73g.pdf , records just four used copies. None is known unused.

Census No. 73g-CAN-01. Ex Metzger. With 1969 and 2002 P.F. certificates. (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT SCARLET CANCELLED BY THE NEW YORK CITY OVAL DUPLEX CANCELLATION. ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF THIS ISSUE WERE ACTUALLY SENT THROUGH THE MAILS.

As documented by Jerome S. Wagshal in a series of Chronicle articles (Nos. 56, 60, 61 and 62), Carl F. Rothfuchs, a Washington D.C. stamp dealer, obtained a supply of the 3c Scarlet in 1893 -- probably from the Post Office Department in exchange for his assistance with the Columbian Exposition -- and sold them with pen marks and original gum. A small number were also used by J. W. Scott, who posted letters with some of his supply to validate his claim that these stamps were legitimate postage. Today, there are perhaps five copies cancelled in this manner. We offered one in 2001 (Twigg-Smith collection), and another in our recent sale of the Wagshal collection.

With 1994 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail as with the more common penstrokes cancel (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1862 IN THE MOST INTENSE SHADE OF THE RED BROWN SPECTRUM.

Brookman notes "I consider the used Red Brown to be more scarce than Buff but the Buff is more scarce unused". Accompanied by cover bearing 1c Blue (63) from Boston to N.C., from which this stamp originates.

Ex Newbury. With 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90, SMQ $1,200.00). Only three have graded higher to date. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THE 1863 5-CENT BROWN WE HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED. THIS MAGNIFICENT STAMP HAS BEEN AWARDED THE GRADE OF XF-SUPERB 95 JUMBO BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE TO ACHIEVE THIS GRADE.

Brookman notes "it is far from easy to find a copy that is well-centered". We agree. Most copies, even those with high grades, tend to have small margins. This is due to a combination of factors, including the design of the stamp, which has an outer frameline and corner ornaments that project outwards, and the spacing of subjects on the plate, which left little room for the perforations.

With 2003 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo, SMQ $1,300.00 as 95, unpriced in SMQ as 98). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1863 24-CENT IN THE LILAC SHADE. A BEAUTIFUL STAMP.

Ex Hinrichs. With 1995 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95, SMQ $2,350.00). Only four have graded higher to date and only three others share this grade. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1863 24-CENT IN THE GRAYISH LILAC SHADE. THIS STAMP HAS BEEN AWARDED THE GRADE OF XF-SUPERB 95 BY P.S.E., WHICH IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE.

With 2001 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95, SMQ $2,750.00). This is the highest grade awarded to date and only three others share this grade. (Image)

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