The Grant Inman Collection, Part 2: Officials continued...

THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING WITH "SEPCIMEN" ERROR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF SPECIAL PRINTINGS.

Only 91 copies of the 3c Post Office Special Printing were sold. Assuming that one sheet was divided and sold before starting on the next sequential sheet (we do not know if that, in fact, was the practice), then no more than one 3c Post Office "Sepcimen" error (Position 21) was sold. According to Combs, the existence of a 3c Post Office "Sepcimen" was reported by Konwiser in 1925 (see page 40 of Combs book), but it was not listed in the Scott Catalogue until 1971, two years after it was certified by Herbert Bloch of the Friedl Expert Committee.

Ex Golden. With 1969 Friedl certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE "SEPCIMEN" SPELLING ERROR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE ISSUE.

Only 82 copies of the 15c Post Office Special Printing were sold, but it is not known how the stamps were taken from the sheets or if full sheets were exhausted before breaking a subsequent sheet. If full sheets were used, then only one can possibly exist. The Combs book notes an example sold for $310 in a 1934 Sanabria sale, which must have been the stamp offered here. At the time, it was the second-highest price paid for any "Sepcimen" error -- the highest was for a 30c Agriculture at $330.

Ex Stone, Sheriff and Markovits. With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

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FINE. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 24-CENT POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE "SEPCIMEN" SPELLING ERROR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE ISSUE, THIS IS THE FIRST TO COME TO MARKET SINCE OUR 1992 SHERIFF SALE.

Only 84 copies of the 24c Post Office Special Printing were sold, but it is not known how the stamps were taken from the sheets or if full sheets were exhausted before breaking a subsequent sheet. Two examples are known, lending credence to the theory that in some instances sheets were cut apart in advance and were sold before each sheet was exhausted. The scissors separations on the example offered here also indicates this method was used, at least for this issue.

The other recorded example of this error, ex Lewenthal and Sheriff and illustrated in the Combs book, has remained in a private collection since our 1992 auction of the Sheriff collection.

With 2016 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE "SEPCIMEN" SPELLING ERROR. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE ISSUE.

Only 82 copies of the 90c Post Office Special Printing were sold, but it is not known how the stamps were taken from the sheets or if full sheets were exhausted before breaking a subsequent sheet. If full sheets were used, then only one can exist. The Combs book notes a copy was sold in a 1949 Laurence & Stryker sale, which must be the example offered here.

Signed Sloane in pencil. With 2016 P.F. certificate (Image)

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