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 5c Dark Brown (1a). Mint N.H., huge margins all around including enormous left sheet margin, gorgeous Dark Brown shade and razor-sharp impression from a very early printing, the paper and gum are
fresh and pristineEXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS CERTAINLY THE FINEST MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE IN EXISTENCE. A MAGNIFICENT POST-OFFICE FRESH STAMP FROM THE UNITED STATES FIRST GENERAL ISSUE -- GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 JUMBO BY
P.S.E. The Act of March 3, 1847, signed by President Polk, specified that Postmaster General Cave Johnson "be authorized to prepare postage stamps, which when attached to any letter or packet, shall be evidence of the payment of the postage..."
The law's effective date was July 1, and the Post Office acted immediately to secure a contract with Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and (the new partner) Edson, so that stamps could be distributed by that date. The Franklin vignette is reported to have been
based on a portrait by John B. Longacre, and it also closely resembles a painting by Joseph S. Duplessis. A careful review of auction records, including a Power Search of our auction database, produced only one other 5c 1847 described as Mint
Never-Hinged. It is the top stamp in a vertical pair, which is ex Caspary and Drucker (Siegel Sale 851, lot 2), but the margins are not comparable to the margins of this stamp. There are two previously hinged examples (both Scott 1a) graded 98J in
the P.S.E. Population Report, one of which is the corner-margin copy from our 2002 Rarities sale. With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo). Scott Retail value for hinged has little relevance to the value of the Mint N.H. stamp. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
8,750.00
SOLD for $110,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
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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 hue, exceptionally fresh, accompanying certificate notes light vertical creases,
these are caused by the naturally crackly gum that is typical of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson's workEXTREMELY 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. 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. 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 4, OG, light vertical creases, ex Sevenoaks as a block
of six, since reduced to a block of four and offered here, 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 and Hansen, realized $42,500 hammer in Siegel Sale 963, 10) block of 4, OG, described as "pale reddish-brown, 1849 impression" in Crocker sale and "Orange Brown" in E. B. Martin and later
sales, possibly the same shade as block #9, 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 ten blocks of four, only two are free of faults: #9 offered recently in our Hansen sale and #10, which has not been examined in years (its present location is unknown). The example offered here (#6 on list), with light vertical creases but with
four large margins, is a rare opportunity for the collector who wishes to own one of the finest multiples of the United States First Issue. Ex Sevenoaks as a block of six. With 2002 P.F. certificate. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
42,500.00
SOLD for $80,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
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 10c Black (2). Original gum, large to huge margins all around, intense shade and proof-like impression clearly showing every detail of the engravingEXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS EASILY ONE OF THE
FINEST ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLES OF THE 10-CENT 1847 ISSUE. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT STAMPS TO OBTAIN IN SOUND, ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION WITH FOUR LARGE MARGINS. A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST UNITED STATES GENERAL ISSUE. The Act of March 3,
1847, signed by President Polk, specified that Postmaster General Cave Johnson "be authorized to prepare postage stamps, which when attached to any letter or packet, shall be evidence of the payment of the postage..." The law’s effective date was
July 1, and the Post Office acted immediately to secure a contract with Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and (the new partner) Edson, so that stamps could be distributed by that date. The Washington vignette is based on the iconic image painted by Gilbert
Stuart. The early imperforate issues are often found with margins close or cutting into the design, because of the difficulty in manually cutting along the narrow gap between stamps. This stamp, with its original gum, large margins and beautiful
impression, surely ranks among the finest known original-gum examples of the first United States postage issue. With 1982 P.F. certificate (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
35,000.00
SOLD for $60,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
