Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

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The Curtis Collection: 1847-1901 Stamps and Covers continued...

1894 Unwatermarked Bureau Issue (Scott 246-263) continued...

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

3570

5c Chocolate (255). Bottom imprint and plate no. 134 block of six, original gum, lightly hinged, radiant color, light natural paper wrinkles are barely noticeable, Fine-Very Fine (Image)

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$ 1,500.00

SOLD for $950.00
Will close during Public Auction

3571

5c Chocolate (255). Gorgeous centering with Jumbo margins, intense shade and impression, long and full perforations all around, unobtrusive cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, a superb stamp in every respect, ex Natalee Grace, with 2010 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $250.00 as 95, $1,250.00 as 98), only one has graded higher (at 98) and only three others share this grade (Image)

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$ 10.00

SOLD for $375.00
Will close during Public Auction

3572

6c Dull Brown (256). Bottom imprint and plate no. 28 block of twelve, natural s.e. and part arrow at right, original gum, few h.r. where some perf separations sensibly reinforced, pretty shade, Fine and scarce, ex Wampler, Scott Retail as plate block and two blocks of four (Image)

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$ 4,270.00

SOLD for $1,100.00
Will close during Public Auction

3573

6c Dull Brown (256). Perfectly centered with Jumbo and even margins, deep shade on brilliant paper, neat strike of duplex cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, the 6c was issued on July 18, 1894 and was the first denomination of the Bureau series to be issued, ex Natalee Grace, with 2003 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $600.00 as 95, unpriced as 98), this is the highest grade awarded and only one other shares this grade (Image)

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$ 30.00

SOLD for $650.00
Will close during Public Auction

3574

8c Violet Brown (257). Bottom imprint and plate no. 58 block of eight, original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich color, choice centering, fresh and Very Fine, Scott Retail as plate block and two singles (Image)

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$ 2,820.00

SOLD for $1,700.00
Will close during Public Auction

3575

10c Dark Green (258). Right imprint and plate no. 62 block of six, center stamps Mint N.H., others lightly hinged, pretty shade, fresh and Fine (Image)

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$ 3,250.00

SOLD for $1,600.00
Will close during Public Auction

3576

10c Dark Green (258). Jumbo balanced margins, bright shade on crisp paper, light cancel, Extremely Fine Gem, ex Kirke, with 2011 P.F. and 2009 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo; SMQ $500.00 as 95, unpriced as 98), this is the highest grade awarded and it is shared by only one other (Image)

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$ 22.50

SOLD for $750.00
Will close during Public Auction

3577

15c Dark Blue (259). Mint N.H., intense color, well-centered, light natural gum crease at top right, Very Fine, with photocopy of 1996 P.F. certificate for block of four as sound and with 2013 P.F. certificate (Image)

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$ 850.00

SOLD for $700.00
Will close during Public Auction

3578

15c Dark Blue (259). Bottom imprint and plate no. 52 block of six, original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich color on bright paper, light natural gum bends

FINE-VERY FINE. A RARE PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1894 15-CENT UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.

We have offered only three others since keeping computerized records, all from the bottom position, including one without gum. The centering on the plate block offered here is superior to the others (Image)

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$ 4,750.00

SOLD for $3,750.00
Will close during Public Auction

3579

50c Orange (260). Bottom imprint and plate no. 75 block of six, original gum, positions 3-6 Mint N.H., bright color

FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1894 50-CENT UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE.

Lewis Kaufman records fewer than ten plate blocks of this issue. We have offered only one other example since at least 1993, which was stained and not nearly as choice as this plate block.

With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)

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$ 20,000.00

SOLD for $14,500.00
Will close during Public Auction

3580

$1.00 Black, Ty. I, II (261-261A). Bottom imprint and plate no. 76 block of six, left two stamps Type I, right four stamps Type II, original gum, small h.r. top center stamp, other five stamps Mint N.H., intense shade on bright white paper, centered slightly to top left

FINE-VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY FOUR RECORDED ORIGINAL-GUM COMBINATION PLATE BLOCKS OF THE $1.00 1894 UNWATERMARKED BUREAU ISSUE. A MAGNIFICENT SHOWPIECE.

The $1.00 1894-95 Issue was printed in a sheet of 200 comprised of two panes of 100. The left pane and left half of the right pane were Type I, while the right half of the right pane was Type II. Imprint and plate number multiples from the right pane consist of one Type I and two Type II stamps. Combination pairs and strips, which exist only between the fifth and sixth columns, are extremely rare and desirable. Plate number strips and blocks are of even greater rarity, and only a small number of the 1894 unwatermarked issue exist. According to Bartels and Brookman, only 8,762 of the Type II were issued in total, and of these only a small fraction (about 20%) come from the positions that could yield combination pairs.

With the emergence of the block of eight offered in our 2012 Frelinghuysen sale, we record only four combination imprint and plate number blocks, and our census was confirmed by Lewis Kaufman. They are: 1) block of six, four stamps Mint N.H., ex "MLG" (Siegel sale 971, lot 1165); 2) block of six, five stamps Mint N.H., ex Bauer and Wampler, the block offered here; 3) originally a bottom imprint and plate no. block of 20 (since broken out as a plate block -- the right six stamps of this multiple were offered in Part Two of the Alan B. Whitman Collection), small separation, currently in a private collection; 4) block of eight, two stamps Mint N.H., ex Frelinghuysen (Siegel sale 1021, lot 460).

Ex Bauer and Wampler (Image)

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$ 75,000.00

SOLD for $30,000.00
Will close during Public Auction