The William H. Gross Collection: United States Multiples continued...

DESCRIPTION

3¢ Red, F. Grill (94), block of nine with "ENGRAVED BY THE NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY CITY (OF NEW YORK)" part imprint and "No. 32 Plate." plate number at bottom, original gum, beautiful brilliant shade, exceptionally well-centered

PROVENANCE

Arthur Hind, Phillips-Kennett sale, 11/20-24/1933, lot 339

Walter C. Klein, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/27/1988, lot 248, to Zoellner

Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 21, to William H. Gross

CENSUS

Chapin census no. 306

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine appearance; slight gum disturbance, bottom row creased (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 94]

DESCRIPTION

5¢ Brown, F. Grill (95), block of six with "ENGRAVED BY THE NATIONAL BANK (NOTE COMPANY CITY OF NEW YORK)" part imprint and "No. 17 (Plate.)" plate number at bottom, original gum, centered to upper left, rich color

PROVENANCE

Col. Edward H. R. Green, Part 24, Irwin Heiman sale, 1/8-10/1946, lot 163

Bought privately from Larry Bustillo (Suburban Stamp Co.)

CENSUS

Chapin census no. 308

CONDITION NOTES

Very Good appearance; top right and bottom row stamps creased, short perfs at right mostly in selvage, tiny hinge reinforcements

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

Unused blocks of the 5¢ 1861-68 Jefferson stamps, in any shade, grilled or ungrilled, are rare. The only ungrilled plate number multiples are a plate block of eight of Scott 76 with "Specimen" overprint, a Scott 76 plate strip of four (Siegel Sale 422, lot 204), and the strip offered in lot 71. This is the only recorded plate number multiple of the 5¢ F Grill (Scott 95). (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 95]

DESCRIPTION

5¢ Brown, F. Grill (95), block of four, original gum, warm rich color, centered to top but nicely balanced at sides

PROVENANCE

Walter C. Klein, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/27/1988, lot 249, to Zoellner

Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 252, to Mr. Gross

CONDITION NOTES

Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$17,000.00 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 95]

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, F. Grill (96), horizontal strip of four with "ENGRAVED BY THE NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY CITY OF NEW YORK" imprint and "No. 15 Plate." plate number at bottom, original gum, deep shade and intense impression, choice centering

PROVENANCE

Benjamin D. Phillips (bought from Warren H. Colson, 1955; Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

Order of U.S. Trust Company, H. R. Harmer sale, 2/17-19/1970, lot 430, to Irwin Weinberg

Siegel Auction Galleries, 8/27/1977, Sale 516, lot 730

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to William H. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

John C. Chapin, A Census of United States Classic Plate Blocks 1851-1882, census no. 309 (illustrated on page 30)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1970)

CONDITION NOTES

Extremely Fine; a few negligible gum soaks in grill points

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$29,000.00 for this strip, which is the only one recorded, but it has not sold publicly for 42 years

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Unique 10¢ Grilled Issue Plate Number Multiple

When the National Bank Note Company won the contract to print stamps, they had already designed the 1861 Issue, engraved the dies and made eight plates for each denomination, and printed sheets of "sample labels" to submit as part of the competitive bidding process.

The First Designs (1¢, 3¢, 5¢, 10¢, 12¢ and 90¢) and First Colors (24¢ and 30¢) were followed by a second set of stamps made from modified dies and plates. The differences between the first and second designs are very noticeable on the 3¢ and 12¢, but more subtle for the other four denominations. The 24¢ Dark Violet and 30¢ Red Orange colors are unlike any of the issued stamps. All were printed on a thin semitransparent stamp paper--some were gummed with a dark brownish gum and perforated. Only the 10¢ First Design (also known as Type I) was issued through post offices. The others from the trial printing were distributed through other channels.

Four plates were made to print 10¢ stamps, each with a plate number. The first, Plate 4, was entered from the First Design die (Type I, Scott 62B)--only one block with a Plate 4 number is recorded (sold in the Gross U.S. Treasures sale). The 1861-68 10¢ Type II stamps, both ungrilled and grilled, were printed from two plates--Plates 15 and 26--but only Plate 15 is represented by stamp multiples with the number. There is the unique plate block of Scott 68 offered in this sale (lot 63) and one plate block with "Specimen" overprint. Plate 59 was made for the 1875 Re-Issue (Scott 106).

Beginning in January 1868, the 10¢ stamps were grilled, using the machines patented by Charles F. Steel and starting with the Z Grill (Scott 85D), followed by the E and F Grills (Scott 89 and 96). The only known plate number multiple among the three grilled issues is this original-gum strip of four with the full Plate 15 imprint and number.

The earliest report of this strip's existence we can find is an entry in the Benjamin D. Phillips inventory indicating it was purchased from Warren H. Colson in February 1955. After the Weills purchased the entire Phillips collection for $4.07 million in 1968, the strip appeared in auctions before selling to John C. Chapin. In 2002 the entire Chapin collection was acquired by the Shreves in a sealed bidding process and then sold privately to Mr. Gross. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 96]

DESCRIPTION

12¢ Black, F. Grill (97), unused horizontal strip of four (no gum) with "ENGRAVED BY THE NATIONAL BANK NOTE COMPANY CITY OF NEW YORK" imprint and "No. 16 Plate." plate number at bottom, crisp shade and impression, nearly perfect centering

PROVENANCE

"Country Gentleman," Siegel Auction Galleries, 11/29-30/1972, Sale 422, lot 239

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to William H. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

John C. Chapin, A Census of United States Classic Plate Blocks 1851-1882, census no. 310

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1983)

CONDITION NOTES

Extremely Fine; a few negligible perf separations noted on certificate

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$50,000.00 for this strip, which is the only one recorded, but it has not sold publicly for decades

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Unique 12¢ 1861-68 Full Imprint and Plate Number

When the National Bank Note Co. won the contract to print stamps, they had already designed the 1861 Issue, engraved the dies and made eight plates for each denomination, and printed sheets of "sample labels" to submit as part of the competitive bidding process. The differences between the 12¢ First and Second Designs are significant. The First Design die was used to make Plate 5, and that plate was only used for the trial printing. The Second Design stamps issued from 1861 through 1868 were printed from one plate, Plate 16. Another plate, Plate 60, was made for the 1875 Re-Issue (Scott 107). Beginning in January 1868, the 12¢ stamps were grilled, using the machines patented by Charles F. Steel and starting with the Z Grill (Scott 85E), followed by the E and F Grills (Scott 90 and 97).

12¢ stamp multiples with the plate number are extremely rare, and the Chapin census is probably inaccurate. Our records show three examples (all bottom positions):

1) Scott 69, Chapin no. 249, pair, o.g., part imprint and number, ex dos Passos (Robbins 9/22/1981, lot 751)

2) Scott 69, Chapin no. 250, pair, o.g., part imprint and number, ex Lilly, Frelinghuysen (Sale 1021, lot 216; we wrongly said it was an addition to the record)

3) Scott 97, Chapin no. 310, strip of 4, no gum, full imprint and plate number, offered in this sale

The Chapin no. 251 entry lists a Scott 69 strip of four in the Hind sale (Phillips-Kennett, 11/20/1933, lot 266), but the description for that strip reads "part imprint and plate No., perfs close at bottom." In our opinion, that strip was reduced to the pair listed in Chapin as no. 250 (#2 in the list above). A plate block of eight with "Specimen" overprint was altered prior to 1940 by removing the overprint. According to Ashbrook's indexed notes, it was offered by Klemann to Moody, but Colson determined it had the overprint removed--its current whereabouts is not known.

Therefore, based on the above careful analysis, this strip of four is the only known 12¢ 1861-68 stamp multiple with the full imprint and plate number. It was part of the Chapin collection, which Mr. Gross acquired in 2002 in a private transaction. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 97]

DESCRIPTION

12¢ Black, F. Grill (97), block of four, original gum, double transfers of framelines at top or bottom, spaces between stamps show plate bruises, deep shade and fresh

PROVENANCE

T. Charlton Henry, Harmer, Rooke sale, 12/14-16/1960, lot 310

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 578, to William H. Gross

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1976 and 1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine-Very Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$50,000.00 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 97]

DESCRIPTION

15¢ Black, F. Grill (98), block of four, original gum, crisp shade and well-centered

PROVENANCE

Barrett G. Hindes, H. R. Harmer sale, 1/23/1968, lot 217

Walter C. Klein, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/27/1988, lot 253, to Zoellner

Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 259, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

ANPHILEX 1996 Invited Exhibits (Zoellner)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine appearance; faint crease in top left stamp, tiny grill thin in bottom left stamp, faint brown spots on gum

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$35,000.00 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 98]

DESCRIPTION

24¢ Gray Lilac, F. Grill (99), block of fifteen, original gum, three stamps appear to be Mint N.H. (row 2--stamps 2-3-4), no trace of hinging on four others (row 1--stamp 2, and row 3--stamps 1, 2 and 4), magnificent centering, rich color and sharp impression

PROVENANCE

As part of complete right pane of 100: Frederick de Coppet, J. W. Scott Co. sale, 4/24/1893, lot 1944

As block of 15: Joseph T. Lozier (sold privately by Ward)

Philip H. Ward, Jr. (bought from Lozier, estate sold to Weills in 1963)

Benjamin D. Phillips (bought from Weills out of Ward estate, 1964; Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

Order of U.S. Trust Company, H. R. Harmer sale, 5/27-28/1969, lot 376

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1984 Rarities of the World, 4/14/1984, Sale 632, lot 270

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1989 Rarities of the World, 4/15/1989, Sale 708, lot 180, to Stanley J. Richmond

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1992 Rarities of the World, 10/3/1992, Sale 745, lot 507, to Christopher Rupp (sold privately to Mr. Gross)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1989)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine-Extremely Fine; a flawless block which we believe contains Mint N.H. stamps (as noted above), but certificate states "previously hinged"

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$152,500.00 as two blocks of four, three pairs and one single

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Finest Block in Existence

The 24¢ 1861-68 was printed from one plate, Plate 6, which was used for the trial printing in Dark Violet (First Color) and for all subsequent printings. In 1868 a supply of sheets was grilled with the F Grill roller (Scott 99), using the machine patented by Charles F. Steel.

This block of 15 and the plate number block of eight sold in the Gross U.S. Treasures sale originated from the same pane of 100, which was sold in one of the early major "name" stamp auctions--the Frederick de Coppet collection--held by J. W. Scott Co. in New York City in April 1893. This auction featured a British Guiana 2¢ Cotton Reel, which sold for $1,000, a record price at the time. Lot 1944 was described as "24¢ VIOLET, entire sheet with perfect margins, original gum, fine in every way, probably unique, 100 (stamps)." The pane was sold for $300.

Following the 1893 de Coppet sale, the 24¢ F Grill pane was divided into smaller units. The plate block and a few other blocks were acquired by the Cleveland tycoon George H. Worthington, and the block of 15 became part of automobile magnate Joseph T. Lozier's collection. A large block of 18 from the upper right corner eventually found a place in Colonel Edward H. R. Green's collection. When it was sold in Part 23 of the Green sales (Barr 10/15-18/1945), it was immediately divided into smaller blocks, as documented in a note from Philip H. Ward, Jr., who wrote "[the block] was broken... in New York yesterday so that my Lozier block of 15, which is well centered, is the largest block now known to me" (Ashbrook index files).

Ward's block passed to the Weills in 1963, when they bought his estate, and one year later to their principal client, Benjamin D. Phillips. After a few appearances in auctions, it was bought in the 1992 Rarities of the World sale by Christopher Rupp, who sold it privately to Mr. Gross. (Image)

Digital reconstruction of the de Coppet pane of 100, sold in 1893 and divided into smaller blocks. The block of 15 is shown in its approximate position. The block of 18 at upper right was divided after the Green sale.

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 99]

DESCRIPTION

30¢ Orange, F. Grill (100), block of twelve--two blocks of six rejoined along center row--with left sheet selvage showing extra grill impressions from roller, original gum, beautiful bright color on fresh white paper, centered slightly to left but overall well-centered for the issue

PROVENANCE

As block of 12: George H. Worthington, J. C. Morgenthau sale, 8/21-23/1917, lot 393, to Lozier

Joseph T. Lozier (sold privately by Ward)

Wharton Sinkler, Eugene Klein sale, 5/17/1940, Sale 117, lots 129-132

Philip H. Ward, Jr. (estate sold to Weills in 1963)

Benjamin D. Phillips (bought from Weills out of Ward estate, 1964; Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

Left margin block: Stephen D. Bechtel, Sr. (collection sold privately in 1993; block sold privately to Zoellner)

Right block: Siegel Auction Galleries, 1981 Rarities of the World, 4/29/1981, Sale 579, lot 145, to Ishikawa

Right block: Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 590, to Zoellner

Block of 12 (rejoined): Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 262, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Philip H. Ward, Jr., "United States Early Unused Blocks 1847-1869," 1960 Congress Book

New York International Philatelic Exhibition 1913 (Worthington)

ANPHILEX 1996 Invited Exhibits (Zoellner)

CERTIFICATION

Left margin block: The Philatelic Foundation (1970)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine overall; top row creased and small thins in two stamps at top

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$138,000.00 as two blocks and two pairs

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

Reunited as the Largest Known Multiple

The 30¢ 1861-68 was printed from one plate, Plate 6, which was used for the trial printing in Red Orange (First Color) and for all subsequent printings. In 1868 a supply of sheets was grilled with the F Grill roller (Scott 100), using the machine patented by Charles F. Steel.

Unused blocks of the 30¢ F Grill are extremely rare. In fact, no other intact unused block was found by us after a careful search of auction and certification records. The Philatelic Foundation has certified the left margin block offered here and only one other, the ex-Lilly block of four that was certified as "severed and rejoined."

For the first 100 years of their existence, the two blocks in this multiple were joined together. As a block of twelve, it passed from Worthington to Lozier to Sinkler and then to Ward after the 1940 Klein auction of the Sinkler collection. The Weills bought the Ward estate in 1963 and kept the block intact for their principal client, Benjamin D. Phillips, who acquired it in 1964 along with large parts of the Ward collection.

The Weills bought the entire Phillips collection for $4.07 million in 1968, and divided the block of twelve into two blocks of six. The left sheet-margin block was sold to Stephen D. Bechtel, who had it certified in 1970. At the 1981 Rarities of the World sale, the right block was purchased by Ryohei Ishikawa for his Grand Prix award-winning 1847-69 exhibit. The right block was bought by Robert Zoellner in the 1993 Ishikawa sale--one month before that sale, he had acquired the left sheet-margin block from the Bechtel collection in a private transaction. After 23 years, the two blocks were reunited in his collection and sold as one unit to Mr. Gross in the 1998 Zoellner sale held by our firm. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 100]

DESCRIPTION

90¢ Blue, F. Grill (101), block of four, original gum, hinge marks, beautiful deep shade

PROVENANCE

Probably George H. Worthington, J. C. Morgenthau sale, 8/21-23/1917, lot 396 (no photo)

Alfred H. Caspary, H. R. Harmer sale, 11/19-21/1956, lot 297, to Cole (for Lilly)

Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., Siegel Auction Galleries, 2/7-8/1968, Sale 327, lot 94, to Sam Pinchot

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 594, to William H. Gross

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine-Very Fine appearance; faint horizontal crease in bottom pair (noted on certificate), minor reinforced perf separations (not noted)

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$75,000.00

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Only Two Unused 90¢ F Grill Blocks for a Century

The design of the 90¢ 1861 adopted the previous issue's Trumbull portrait of a youthful General Washington in uniform, but added "90" numerals to make the denomination more obvious. The same deep blue color was chosen for the top value, but the perforation gauge was changed from 15 to 12, and the holes were enlarged. Two 90¢ plates were made: Plate 8 from the First Design die, and Plate 18 from the modified die. In 1868 a supply of sheets from Plate 18 was grilled with the F Grill roller (Scott 101), using the machine patented by Charles F. Steel.

There are approximately ten original-gum blocks of the 90¢ 1861 without grill, but only two unused F Grill blocks have been documented. Both have original gum, identical centering and shade, and undoubtedly originated from the same area of the same sheet. The ownership history of the two blocks has been confused by the absence of photographs in the 1917 Worthington and 1933 Hind auction catalogues, and by the similar appearance and condition of the blocks. We have concluded that the block offered in this sale, which was definitely Caspary's, probably came from the Worthington collection.

The other block, sold most recently in our sale of the Richard Drews collection (Sale 1195, lot 406), is definitely the Sinkler block (Klein sale, 5/17/1940, lot 133), and it was described in that sale as ex Ackerman. In our opinion, the Sinkler block passed from Ackerman to Hind to Lozier and then Sinkler. One compelling piece of evidence supporting this conclusion is a copy of the 1933 Hind catalogue in our library that was Warren H. Colson's personal marked copy. He represented Caspary in that sale and did not buy the block for him, probably because Caspary already owned the Worthington block at that point.

The block offered here passed from Caspary to Lilly and eventually to Ishikawa. In the 1993 Ishikawa sale, Mr. Gross acquired it for his collection. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 101]