| 4207 |
|
 12c Black, F. Grill (97). Wide margins and wonderfully centered, neat large circle of wedges cancel, clear impressionEXTREMELY FINE GEM. A MARVELOUS 1868 12-CENT F GRILL IN CHOICE USED CONDITION,
WHICH HAS BEEN GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 BY P.S.E. With 2007 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95, SMQ $2,700.00). Only two have graded higher, while nine others share this grade. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
300.00
SOLD for $1,800.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 4210 |
|
 15c Black, F. Grill (98). Mathematically perfect centering with unusually wide and balanced margins, bright shade and crisp impression, clear grill points, light strike of target cancel leaves entire
design clearly visible, long and full perforations all aroundEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS MAGNIFICENT STAMP HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ULTIMATE GRADE OF GEM 100 BY P.S.E. THIS USED 1868 15-CENT E GRILL IS UNDENIABLY THE PERFECT STAMP, POSSESSING EVERY
QUALITY ONE COULD POSSIBLY HOPE FOR -- CENTERING, IMPRESSION, STONG GRILL, FULL PERFORATIONS AND A LIGHT CANCEL. We created Power Search for occasions like this, when superlatives fail to do justice to an extraordinary stamp. To see the
centering, margins and cancellations on typical used examples of the 15c Lincoln -- ungrilled or not -- please use our website's Power Search feature to find Scott 77, 91 and 98 (three different searches). You will see that the 15c Lincoln is almost
always a stamp of compromise. Great centering and margins, but heavy cancel. Light or colored cancel, but small margins or not quite centered. Great looking, but small faults. Then look at the "name" collections and see which 15c Lincoln stamps were
included. No one -- and there are great collector names on this list -- managed to obtain this stamp or one even remotely like it. When numerical grading started, the 15c Lincoln was on our list of "Try to Find a 100" stamps. We did not believe
one existed. When this 15c F Grill was presented to us, we knew it was perfect without even looking at the grade. The Gem 100 grade and a note of praise from master grader Dr. William Litle confirmed our gut reaction. The ungrilled version of
this issue was released in 1866, about one year after President Lincoln was assassinated. It is regarded by many to be America's first commemorative issue, memorializing the martyred president as the nation started to heal from the wounds of the
Civil War. In 1868 it was issued with two grill types, the E Grill (Scott 91) and F Grill (Scott 98). 15c usually paid the registration fee on domestic mail or the U.S.-French treaty rate. The 15c stamps used on transatlantic mail passed through
foreign-mail exchange offices, where clerks were zealous about cancelling high-value stamps. For this reason, the 15c Lincoln usually has a heavy cancel or large cancel over the portrait. This stamp, with its light target cancel, is the rare
exception. There are certainly rarer stamps in this sale, and stamps that are worth much more, but we cannot think of a stamp that has conquered the odds better than this one. The perforating machine blessed it, the postal clerk respected it,
and the generations who handled it managed to preserve its soundness. We are quite sure that the collectors who bid for this stamp will express their appreciation accordingly. With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100, unpriced in SMQ above the
grade of 98, SMQ $10,600.00 as 98). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. The next-highest grade awarded is a 95. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
375.00
SOLD for $50,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 4211 |
 |
 24c Gray Lilac, F. Grill (99). Original gum, attractive margins and beautiful colorVERY FINE AND CHOICE BY ANY STANDARDS AND EXTREMELY FINE FOR THIS RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868
24-CENT F GRILL. The higher-denomination F Grills were produced in limited quantities and seem to have caused National Bank Note Co. difficulty in applying perforations. They are typically off center with very choppy perfs This stamp has
uncharacteristically precise centering and well-formed perforations. With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
8,500.00
SOLD for $5,250.00
Will close during Public Auction |
