The Saddleback Collection of U.S. Errors and Plate Blocks continued...

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE RARE GROUNDED PLANE VARIETY -- EXTRAORDINARY BOTH FOR ITS CONDITION AND THE EXTREME DOWNWARD SHIFT OF THE PLANE VIGNETTE.

The true Grounded Plane stamps, in which the wheels of the plane break thru the top of "Cents", come from portions of three sheets. The discovery sheet was owned and broken up by J. Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company. A second sheet was discovered in 1946 and sold in the Thomas A. Matthews sale (H.R. Harmer, Nov. 4, 1964), where it was purchased by Georges A. Medawar, publisher of Sanabria Airmail Catalogue. In Linn's Stamp News of April 21, 1986, specialist Joseph R. Kirker Jr. published his research revealing a third source of this variety.

With 2003 P.F. and P.S.E. certificates (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A REMARKABLY FRESH AND BEAUTIFULLY CENTERED EXAMPLE OF THE FAMOUS 1918 24-CENT INVERTED "JENNY". THIS STAMP IS ONE OF THE BETTER-CENTERED POSITIONS FROM THE DISCOVERY SHEET.

According to Jenny by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), the original sheet of 100 Inverted "Jenny" stamps was purchased for $24 by William T. Robey at the New York Avenue Branch Post Office window in Washington D.C., on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was first placed on sale at the main post office. On May 20, Robey sold his sheet for $15,000 to Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Klein had already arranged to sell the sheet to Col. Edward H. R. Green for $20,000. Colonel Green instructed Klein to divide the Inverted "Jenny" sheet into singles and blocks, and to sell all but a few key position blocks.

It is well-known among stamp specialists and professionals that examples of the Inverted "Jenny" come in different grades of freshness and condition. Many of the original 100 stamps were mistreated by collectors during the years, despite the stamps' rarity and value. Colonel Green himself allowed moisture to affect some of the stamps he retained. Other examples have become slightly toned from improper storage and climatic conditions. Hinge removal has caused thins and creases in numerous stamps, and a few have been "lost" to philately -- or nearly so, as in the case of the copy swept up in a vacuum cleaner. This example is remarkable for its pristine state of preservation and for its centering, equalled by only a few stamps in the original sheet (almost all of the others have disturbed gum or faults).

Ex Stephen Brown and Oscar Lichtenstein. With 1978 P.F. certificate. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL SET OF MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE NUMBER BLOCKS OF SIX OF THE 1930 GRAF ZEPPELIN ISSUE. ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE AND SCARCE AS A COMPLETE SET OF TOP PLATE BLOCKS.

A search of our computerized database indicates that we have only offered five sets of top plate blocks over the past 13 years. Tops are widely considered to be the most desirable plate blocks. (Image)