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VERY FINE. AN UNPRECENDENTED LARGE OFFERING OF 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE SAFETY PAPER ESSAYS. AN OUTSTANDING AND EXTREMELY RARE GROUP.
The 1869 Safety Paper essays are among the most beautiful and sought after essays or proofs in United States philately. They are also rare, with only approximately 100 different designs known. Nearly all are believed to be unique, with a few exceptions. Little is known about their production, but they were most likely one of the various experiments in stamp reuse prevention concurrent with grilled stamp production from 1867 to 1871. Clarence Brazer, the foremost student of essays and proofs in the 20th Century, noted they were probably essayed after George T. Jones’ proposal of July 20, 1868 (Jon W. Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869).
Four face-different designs were used to produce the Safety Paper essays -- the unadopted 5c Washington, 10c Lincoln and 30c Burgoyne essays, as well as the 15c Ty. III design later used for the 1875 Re-Issue. The distinguishing characteristics of the essays and the basis for their Scott numbers are the lathe-turned security underprints, many with designs used in banknote production. 25 different underprint types are recorded. Four are unique to the 15c essays and 21 are found with a mix of the other three vignette designs, some in more than one color. The offering here represents the largest single lot of these rare essays we have seen at public auction in over 50 years.
The complete list of the Scott numbers contained in this group follows: 115-E3a; 115-E4a; 115-E4c; 115-E5a; 115-E5a; 115-E5c; 115-E6a; 115-E7a; 115-E7b; 115-E7b; 115-E7c; 115-E7c; 115-E8c; 115-E9a; 115-E9c; 115-E10b; 129-E3; 129-E9; 115-E11a; 115-E12a; 115-E12b; 115-E14a; 115-E14b; 115-E19a. (Image)
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