The Grant Inman Collection, Part 5: Match and Other Private Die Stamps continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS REGARDED TO BE THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THE EXCEEDINGLY RARE ONE-CENT E. K. SMITH ROULETTED PRIVATE DIE MATCH STAMP.

Ten copies of the E. K. Smith Roulette are recorded in the Aldrich census, of which eight are faulty. He notes "the condition is usually very, very poor." and states he would not be surprised if half were actually fakes. The huge margins on this stamp preclude fakery, the possibility of which casts a shadow over several other examples of this issue.

Ex Tolman and "Scarsdale". With 2003 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT WILMINGTON PARLOR MATCH CO. ISSUE ON SILK PAPER. THIS MAY WELL BE THE FINEST EXAMPLE IN EXISTENCE.

For many years only one copy of this rarity was recorded. There are now 8 examples recorded in the Aldrich book, of which 6 are faulty. The Joyce sale contained only one with similar centering and with a thin spot and perfs scissors-trimmed at bottom left (it was described as the finest recorded example). The Fleischmann sale contained an example with perfs trimmed at bottom and with perfs into the design at left. The "Scarsdale" sale contained one with faults and perfs into the design at bottom.

Ex Tolman. With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE AND CHOICE. CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE ONE-CENT GREEN ZISEMANN, GRIESHEIM & CO. MATCH ISSUE IN EXISTENCE.

The Aldrich book records only 19 examples of this rarity from this St. Louis matchmaker. Of these no more than six are sound. He notes that many examples are stained and faded and that fresh examples (such as the one offered here) are truly rare. The single Joyce copy had a very noticeable short perf at left. The three others located with in Power Search are defective and off-center, including one torn in half and repaired.

Ex Tolman and "Scarsdale". With 2012 P.F. certificate (F-VF 75) (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE ONE-CENT ZISEMANN, GRIESHEIM & CO. PRIVATE DIE MATCH STAMP IN THE ULTRAMARINE COLOR. ONLY TWELVE ARE RECORDED IN THE ALDRICH BOOK.

The last example we offered was in our 2006 Tolman sale; that stamp has a tiny pinhole, short perf and perfs into the design on two sides. The example previously thought to be the finest in existence, ex Joyce, received a 2012 P.F. certificate stating it is RO186a in a shade of Blue and is not the true Ultramarine color (the census count needs to be reduced by one, to eleven). The stamp offered here is the only other in the P.F.'s online database.

Ex Cunliffe and Himpsl. With 2011 P.F. certificate (Image)

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