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 5c Red Brown (1). Block of four, original gum, full to large margins all around, gorgeous bright shade with very strong reddish hue on deeply blued paper, exceptionally fresh, the naturally crackly
gum has caused some vertical wrinkles (typical of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson gum and not noted on certificate), at one point this block was apparently kept between the pages of a book, resulting in faint offset of printed letters on the gum
(described as "foreign matter" on certificate)EXTREMELY FINE FOR AN ORIGINAL-GUM MULTIPLE OF THE 1847 ISSUE. IN FACT, THIS BEAUTIFUL BLOCK OF FOUR, WITH ITS RICH COLOR AND SOUNDNESS, IS ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE RECORDED 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE
MULTIPLES IN EXISTENCE. It is surprising that so little reliable information has been published about the precise number of 5c 1847 Issue blocks in existence. Philip H. Ward, Jr., in his article on classic unused blocks ("Early Unused Blocks
1847-1869", 1960 Congress Book), simply said that the 5c was "not difficult to obtain in block form for some few exist in blocks of four and larger." Lester G. Brookman estimated "about a dozen blocks are known" in unused condition. More
recently, the Bennett November 2002 sale catalogue description of the block offered here (lot 1164) included an "exhaustive review" of the Philatelic Foundation records, which tallied eight unused blocks of four or larger. However, the Bennett list
only included certified blocks. It omitted the block of sixteen now in the William H. Gross collection, along with eight other blocks we were able to locate. To bring the record further along and to give better perspective to the block
offered here, we conducted our own review of auction records. We identified 17 unused blocks of the 5c 1847 Issue. Excluded from this tally is what might be an unused block in the Webster Knight collection at Brown University and a block of 30 which
has been rumored to exist for years (if it does exist, then it becomes the largest recorded multiple). The list of 17 confirmed unused 5c 1847 multiples follows (some ownership information is provided). 1) block of 16 (4 x 4, Pos.
21-24/51-54R), OG, ex Earl of Crawford, Ackerman, Ward, Ishikawa, currently in the W. H. Gross collection, 2) block of 10 (5 x 2, Pos. 1-5/11-15L with sheet margin at top), POG, crease, small repairs, ex Kapiloff, Siegel 2002 Rarities sale,
3) block of 8 (4 x 2), 3rd and 7th stamp with dot in "S", OG, slight creases, ex Caspary, Lilly, Grunin, 4) block of 8 (3 x 3 less TR stamp), Dark Brown shade, OG, ex Slater, Caspary, Lehman, Klein, 5) block of 6 (3 x 2), OG, BL
stamp NH, light creasing from gum shrinkage, Siegel 2001 Rarities sale, 6) block of 6 (3 x 2), OG, vertical creases, thin bottom center, ex Sevenoaks, 7) block of 6 (3 x 2), traces of gum, toned, repaired tear, Siegel 1993 Rarities
sale, 8) block of 6 (2 x 3 with sheet margin at top), no gum, creased, Siegel 1992 Rarities sale, 9) block of 4, OG, offset on back, ex Hind, the block offered here, 10) block of 4, OG, described as "pale reddish-brown, 1849
impression" in Crocker sale and "Orange Brown" in E. B. Martin sale, possibly the same shade as block #9 offered in this sale, 11) block of 4, bottom sheet margin, Dark Brown shade, OG, creases, Siegel Sale 902, lot 1002, 12) block of
4, no gum, right stamps vertical creases, lightened stains, 13) block of 4, OG, creases, small tear BR, Siegel 1992 Rarities sale, 14) block of 4, OG, creased and defective, Siegel 1988 Rarities sale, 15) block of 4, OG,
creases, minor faults, ex Hessel, possibly ex Worthington, 16) block of 4, OG, Dark Brown shade, faults and small repair TL, ex Picher, Siegel 1993 Rarities sale, and 17) block of 4 (Pos. 89-90/99-100R incl. DT Pos. 90R), OG, vertical
crease, ex West. Among the larger blocks, only #1, 4 and 5 are essentially sound. Of the nine blocks of four, only two are free of faults: #9 offered here and #10, which has not been examined in years (its present location is unknown). For the
collector who wishes to own one of the finest multiples of the United States First Issue, this block represents a rare opportunity. Another distinctive feature of this block is its remarkable vibrant color. We placed it side by side with a range
of 5c 1847 stamps certified as Orange Brown (Scott 1b), and the color of this block certainly matches several of the certified Orange Browns. The block listed as #10 above was once described as "Orange Brown," and we wonder if its color matches the
color of this block. Ex Hind. With 1990 and 2003 P.F. certificates as Red Brown (Scott 1). (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
42,500.00
SOLD for $45,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
