2008 Rarities of the World continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 ONE-CENT PERFORATED TYPE III WITH A GREEN TOWN CANCEL.

As an indication of the rarity of Scott 21 with a green cancel, we have not offered a single example in any prior Rarities sale nor in any sale since keeping computerized records fourteen years ago. The closest we have come is a pair of Scott 22, which we sold in Sale 818 (lot 421) for $14,000 hammer. The Scott Catalogue assigns a paltry $500.00 premium for the cancel.

With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. AN ATTRACTIVE AND RARE COMBINATION STRIP OF THREE OF THE PERFORATED ONE-CENT 1857 ISSUE. SCARCE WITH SUCH CHOICE CENTERING AND WITH SUCH OVERALL FRESHNESS AND EYE APPEAL.

With 2005 P.S.E. certificate. Scott Retail as combination pair and single of Type III (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE PATRIOTIC COVER WITH THE SMALL "OLD STAMPS NOT RECOGNIZED" HANDSTAMP. VERY FEW OF THIS TYPE ARE KNOWN.

It has been reported that only three examples of this type of "Old Stamps Not Recognized" handstamp are known, and that this is the only example on a patriotic.

Ex Grunin and Piller. With 1980 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A SCARCE AND DESIRABLE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 1857 3-CENT TYPE IV USED ON A COVER TO GERMANY.

This exceedingly rare on-cover multiple of the 3c Type IV is especially desirable, because one can clearly see the identifying characteristics of the type, the interrupted framelines between stamps. (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE 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.

To verify our intuition about the rarity of original-gum Brick Red stamps, we surveyed 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 1991 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT TYPE II BROWN 1860 SHADE.

With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90, SMQ $5,500.00). Only one has graded higher to date and only one other shares this grade. (Image)

VERY FINE. THIS LARGE DIE TRIAL COLOR PROOF STRUCK IN BLACK IS LIKELY UNIQUE, AND IS THE BASIS FOR THE SCOTT CATALOGUE LISTING.

Ex Finkelburg. In 1999 at the time of the Finkelburg sale this was unlisted in Scott in Black. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. A SCARCE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1860 ISSUE.

The 90c stamp was issued in 1860, along with the 24c and 30c values, all of which were needed to prepay high international letter rates established by various postal treaties. The basic 24c and 30c rates to England, France and Germany created a large volume of mail franked with those values. However, the 90c saw much more limited use, partly due to the rates in effect, but more because of the American Civil War. When supplies of current postage stamps were declared invalid in the South and ultimately demonetized by the Federal government, the 90c had been in use for only one year. For this reason, genuinely cancelled copies and covers bearing the 90c are extremely rare. Approximately 180 used examples have been certified as genuine by the Philatelic Foundation, of which approximately one-quarter are sound.

With 2006 P.F. certificate (Image)

A MAGNIFICENT COVER FROM THE ANGELL CORRESPONDENCE WITH AN EXREMELY RARE MULTICOLORED DESIGN AND A MIXED-ISSUE FRANKING.

Ex Matthies and Paliafito. Last offered by us in our 1989 Rarities sale. (Image)