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

DESCRIPTION

1¢ Buff (112), unused block of four (no gum) with "No. 1" plate number in top selvage, bright shade, centered to left

PROVENANCE

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

CENSUS

Not listed in Chapin book or supplements; no. 313 is a plate block of four with "No. 2" (ex Wunderlich), and no. 313A is a block of 25 with "No. 2" in the Hirzel collection, currently in the Swiss Museum of Communications--therefore, this is the only block from Plate 1 and one of two Scott 112 plate blocks in private hands (both blocks of four)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine appearance; thin spot in bottom left stamp and slight crease in selvage (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 112]

DESCRIPTION

2¢ Brown (113), block of 24 from bottom right with "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK" imprint, "No. 28" plate number and guide arrow at bottom, original gum, sixteen stamps are Mint N.H., including entire second and third rows and pairs at each end of bottom row, bright shade, choice centering

PROVENANCE

William L. Moody III, H. R. Harmer sale, 11/6-8/1950, lot 26

H. R. Harmer sale, 11/26/1956, lot 21

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

CENSUS

Chapin census no. 321 (illustrated on page 24)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1957)

CONDITION NOTES

Extremely Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$72,350.00 as plate block, three blocks and one pair without well-deserved premium for Mint N.H. stamps (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 113]

DESCRIPTION

3¢ Ultramarine (114), block of twelve from bottom right with "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK" imprint, "No. 26" plate number and guide arrow at bottom, original gum, several Mint N.H., couple small hinge remnants, brilliant color and fresh

PROVENANCE

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

CONDITION NOTES

Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$8,750.00 without premium for quadruple split grill variety (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 114]

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Yellow (116), Positions 124-128/134-138/144-148L16, block of fifteen from bottom left with "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK" imprint in bottom sheet selvage, original gum, beautiful bright color on fresh white paper, centered to bottom

PROVENANCE

As block of 25: Rep. Ernest R. Ackerman (according to Ward article)

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

Benjamin D. Phillips (bought from Weills out of Ward estate, 1965; Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

As block of 15: Michael Laurence (sold privately to William H. Gross)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Philip H. Ward, Jr., "United States Early Unused Blocks 1847-1869," 1960 Congress Book, page 56 (identifying block as ex Ackerman)

Michael Laurence, "10c 1869 Multiples," Chronicle 81, February 1974

Jonathan W. Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869, fig. 98, page 77

1869 Times, No. 27 (August 1982) front cover photo

New York International Philatelic Exhibition 1913 (Ackerman)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine; slight gum crease, reinforced perf separations, slight oxidation on stamps around the perimeter

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$41,850.00 as two blocks, three pairs and single

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Reigning Block for More than a Century

When this block was exhibited by Ernest R. Ackerman, a New Jersey state senator and U.S. Congress representative, in 1913 at the New York International Philatelic Exhibition, it was ten stamps larger, with two more rows at the top. When the Ackerman collection was dispersed through private and auction sales before and after his death in 1931, the block of 25 was acquired by Philip H. Ward, Jr., who described it in his 1960 Congress Book article on classic unused multiples as the largest known. It passed to the Weills when they bought the Ward estate in 1963, and two years later, the block joined other stellar classic multiples in the Benjamin D. Phillips collection. After the Weills bought the entire Phillips collection for $4.07 million in 1968, the brothers carefully separated the top two rows and subdivided those stamps into blocks of six and four (the block of six is offered in the next lot, and a reconstruction of the block of 25 is shown opposite).

The census of 10¢ 1869 multiples maintained by Michael Laurence since he published it 45 years ago (Chronicle 81, February 1974) still lists this block as the largest recorded multiple. It was followed by a block of nine, but that block has been reduced to a block of six. As other blocks have been reduced, today the second largest unused blocks are two blocks of six.

Michael Laurence owned this block of 15 for many years. He was unable to identify the plate and pane from which it was printed, but we think we have answered that question. By comparing the relative positions of the imprint below Position 146 ("OTE CO. NEW YORK") and the plate guide dot of that position (lower left corner of design, bottom center stamp in this block), we have concluded that this block comes from the left pane of Plate 16.

Laurence's 10¢ 1869 collection is one of the most outstanding single-stamp studies ever formed, and the block of 15 was a large yellow diamond in the king's crown, but prior to Washington 2006, Laurence was persuaded to part with the block so that Mr. Gross could display the largest recorded 10¢ 1869 block in his Grand Prix exhibit. (Image)

Digital reconstruction of the original block of 25, comprising block of 15 at bottom (lot 99), block of 6 (lot 100) and the block of 4 at upper left

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 116]

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Yellow (116), Positions 106-108/116-118L16, block of six, original gum, beautiful bright color on fresh white paper, centered to bottom

PROVENANCE

As block of 25: Rep. Ernest R. Ackerman (according to Ward article)

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

Benjamin D. Phillips (bought from Weills out of Ward estate, 1965; Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

As block of 6: Siegel Auction Galleries, 1970 Rarities of the World, 3/24/1970, Sale 371, lot 77

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 648

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Philip H. Ward, Jr., "United States Early Unused Blocks 1847-1869," 1960 Congress Book, page 56 (identifying block as ex Ackerman)

Michael Laurence, "10c 1869 Multiples," Chronicle 81, February 1974

New York International Philatelic Exhibition 1913 (Ackerman)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine; slight vertical crease in two center stamps, reinforced perf separations

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$18,000.00 as block and pair

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

This block of six was joined with the block of 15 offered in lot 99--a digital reconstruction of the original block of 25 is shown below. The full-size block was owned by Ackerman, Ward and Phillips. After the Weills bought the Phillips collection in 1968, the brothers carefully separated the top two rows and subdivided those stamps into blocks of six and four.

The census of 10¢ 1869 multiples maintained by Michael Laurence since publication 45 years ago (Chronicle 81, Feb. 1974) still lists the block of 15 as the largest recorded multiple (lot 99 in this sale). It was followed by a block of nine, but that block has been reduced to a vertical block of six. As other blocks have been reduced, today the second largest unused blocks are two blocks of six, vertical and horizontal. (Image)

Digital reconstruction of the original block of 25, comprising block of 15 at bottom (lot 99), block of 6 (lot 100) and the block of 4 at upper left

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 116]

DESCRIPTION

12¢ Green (117), block of four, original gum, hinge marks, beautiful deep shade, centered to bottom

PROVENANCE

Alfred H. Caspary, H. R. Harmer sale, 11/19-21/1956, lot 382

Siegel Auction Galleries, 2005 Rarities of the World, 6/3/2005, Sale 895, lot 207, to William H. Gross

CONDITION NOTES

Fine appearance; thin in grill of bottom right stamp, slight crease, short perf at lower right

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$14,000.00 (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 117]

DESCRIPTION

15¢ Brown & Blue, Type II (119), Positions 66-70/76-80/86-90/96-100, block of 20 from bottom right side of sheet of 100 with "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK" imprint and "No. 23" plate number in Blue (vignette plate), alignment markers in Brown and Blue at bottom left, original gum, lightly hinged, beautiful rich colors and sharp impressions, centered to bottom right but the extra wide selvage nicely balances the overall appearance

PROVENANCE

As block of 33: Rep. Ernest R. Ackerman (according to Chapin)

Francis E. Stern, Siegel Auction Galleries, 12/7-8/1966, Sale 309, lot 144

As block of 20: "Mid-Western Collector," Siegel Auction Galleries, 4/6-7/1972, Sale 410, lot 690

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

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Chapin census no. 346 (illustrated on page 25)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1972)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Good-Fine; intact and sound (remarkable for a block of this size)

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$90,000.00 for plate block of 8, two blocks and two pairs

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Bicolored 1869 Pictorial Stamps

The 1869 Pictorial Issue was a transformative set of stamps created during a period of historic transition. With their novel shapes and imagery, they reflected the choice of President Johnson's postmaster general, Alexander Randall, but they were inherited by Grant's new postmaster general, John A. J. Creswell. In the midst of Reconstruction's political controversies, the 1869s were spurned by the public and quickly replaced with the 1870 Issue, bearing traditional portraits of statesmen, war heroes and Founding Fathers.

The four 1869 high values were printed in two colors. The 15¢ vignette is an engraving by Smillie, based on Balch's engraving from an 1839 oil painting entitled Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn.

We record four intact unused blocks of 20, as follows:

1) With left selvage, ex Wingate (Sale 1180, lot 174)

2) Bottom right corner selvage with blue imprint and plate no. 23, ex previous Rarities sales (including 1977), Walske and Dr. Heimburger

3) Bottom right corner selvage with blue imprint and plate no. 23, originally a block of 33, reduced to the block of 20 sometime after our 1966 Stern sale (Sale 309, lot 144), offered in this sale

4) Right selvage with plate marker, centered to bottom right, from the block of 50 shown in Rose book (fig. 159, p. 122), 1999 Rarities sale (Sale 811, lot 120)

The block of 20, ex Worthington and Caspary, has been broken. Apart from the two plate blocks above, there is only one other plate number block (of six, ex Wunderlich). (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 119]

DESCRIPTION

30¢ Ultramarine & Carmine, Double Paper, Without Grill (121 variety), Positions 76-80/86-90/96-100, block of fifteen from the bottom right of the sheet of 100 with "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO. NEW YORK" imprint and "No. 21" plate number in Carmine (Eagle and Shield plate), alignment markers in Ultramarine and Carmine at bottom left, deep rich colors characteristic of this printing without grill on double paper, natural pre-printing paper creases found throughout the entire sheet, centering shifts toward the left in each column from left to right, due to an increase in the width between vertical rows of perforations (we checked the measurements)

PROVENANCE

As block of 25: C. E. Chapman (exhibited at 1913 New York International Philatelic Exhibition--catalogue states "30c without grill, mint block of twenty-five with corner margins, imprints and plate numbers")

As block of 15: Arthur Hind, Phillips-Kennett sale, 11/20-24/1933, lot 401, to Klein

H. R. Harmer sale (described by Dr. Carroll Chase), 10/30-11/1/1944, lot 594

William L. Moody III, H. R. Harmer sale, 11/6-8/1950, lot 202, to Phillips

Benjamin D. Phillips (Phillips collection sold privately to Weills, 1968)

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1973 Rarities of the World, 3/22/1973, Sale 428, lot 79

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 725, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

John C. Chapin, A Census of United States Classic Plate Blocks 1851-1882, census no. 349 (illustrated on page 30)

Jonathan W. Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869, fig. 197, p. 152

Scott R. Trepel, "The 30¢ 1869 Without Grill/Double Paper Variety," Chronicle 270, February 2008

New York International Philatelic Exhibition 1913 (Chapman)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine-Very Fine; minor hinge reinforcements, bottom right vertical pair slightly stained (not integral to the plate block of eight)

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Miraculous 30¢ 1869 Block of Fifteen

The bicolored 30¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue was printed from separate plates of 100--the Eagle and Shield plate with imprint at bottom (in Carmine) and the Draped Flags plate with imprint at top (in Ultramarine). Regardless of the printing, paper type or presence of a grill, the block offered here is the largest recorded 30¢ 1869 multiple. The second largest is a used block of twelve (Scott 121). The second largest unused multiple is a block of eight of the Without Grill/Double Paper variety (Sale 1185, lot 58). The largest unused multiple of Scott 121 is a block of six, and the largest of Scott 121a (without grill, normal paper) is a block of four.

Equally, if not more important, the block offered here is one of two 30¢ 1869 blocks with the plate number. The other is the block of six shown in the digital reconstruction on the page opposite. The only other examples of 30¢ 1869 stamps with plate numbers are Scott 121 in an L-shaped strip of four with bottom Carmine "No. 21" and part imprint (Sale 1118, lot 98), and a used Scott 121 single with Carmine "No. 21" (Sale 1118, lot 99). Apart from stamps, there are plate proof multiples with numbers.

We will briefly summarize information about the 30¢ 1869 Double Paper/Without Grill variety, which was presented in an article in Chronicle 217, available online to U.S. Classics Society members at https://www.uspcs.org

This block of fifteen, three other sheet-margin blocks and a number of singles and interior blocks originate from a large multiple spanning the right and left sides of one sheet of 100 printed on experimental double paper without grill (a variety of Scott 121). The 30¢ 1869 Without Grill/Double Paper block was described by John N. Luff in his book, but over the years, stamps from this multiple have been offered and certified as Scott 121a, without grill on ordinary single-layer paper.

The 30¢ 1869 Double Paper/Without Grill variety exists in top and bottom imprint multiples, which show that the Flags plate did not have a plate number at one point. However, plate proofs exist with the "No. 21" present, so it is possible that issued stamps exist with the plate number at top in Ultramarine. No top-margin examples of the normal 30¢ 1869 are known, with or without imprint or plate number. Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty that the regular 30¢ stamps were printed from a Flags plate with plate numbers or without them. Since the Double Paper/Without Grill sheet does not have a Flags plate number, it probably comes from an early printing.

When this block was exhibited by C. E. Chapman at the New York International Philatelic Exhibition in 1913, it was a larger size (25 stamps), but by the time it was offered in the 1933 Hind sale, it had been reduced to its present form. (Image)

Digital reconstruction of the two blocks in their original positions in sheet (the block of six at left is not part of this sale)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 121]

DESCRIPTION

90¢ Carmine & Black (122), unused vertical block of six with traces of original gum, well-centered for this issue, intense vignette impression, the shade and impression of Carmine frame ranges from deeper at left to lighter at right, which, taken together with the vignette shift, indicates this probably came from the right edge of the sheet

PROVENANCE

As block of 16: E. B. Hains (according to Ward article)

Hiram E. Deats (according to Ward article)

As block of 6: Rep. Ernest R. Ackerman (according to Ward article)

Wharton Sinkler, Eugene Klein sale, 5/17/1940, Sale 117, lots 154-155, to Ward

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)--Phillips also owned the block of six from the Caspary sale

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1970 Rarities of the World, 3/24/1970, Sale 371, lot 89, to Bechtel

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

Robert Zoellner, Siegel Auction Galleries, 10/8-10/1998, Sale 804, lot 297

Siegel Auction Galleries, 2000 Rarities of the World, 5/13/2000, Sale 824, lot 204, to Ainsworth

William J. Ainsworth, Spink Shreves Galleries, 4/17/2009, lot 133, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Lester G. Brookman, United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century, Vol. II, page 188, described as ex Ackerman, Sinkler and Ward

Philip H. Ward, Jr., "United States Early Unused Blocks 1847-1869," 1960 Congress Book, pages 55 (photo) and 56, described as ex Hains, Deats, Ackerman and Sinkler

Jonathan W. Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869, fig. 215, p. 164, where attributed to Hind collection (incorrectly)

ANPHILEX 1996 Invited Exhibits (Zoellner)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1999)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine; small thin spot in right middle stamp and some rejoined and reinforced perfs noted on certificate

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$175,000.00 as the listed block of six

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

One of the Rarest of Classic United States Multiples

The bicolored 90¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue was printed from separate plates of 100--the frame plate in Carmine and the Lincoln portrait plate in Black. The stamp was designed by a National Bank Note Co. employee named E. Pitcher. The vignette, adapted from photographic portraits taken by C. S. German in 1861 and Matthew Brady in 1862, is the same engraving by Joseph P. Ourdan that appeared on the 1866 15¢ Lincoln stamp. The frame was engraved by D. S. Ronaldson, and the lettering by J. C. Kenworthy.

We record just five intact unused blocks, two of which are blocks of four in the Hirzel collection at the Swiss Museum of Communications:

1) Vertical block of 6, original gum, ex Duveen, Hind, Caspary, Phillips, Dr. Kapiloff, Joseph, Eubanks, and currently in a private collection

2) Vertical block of 6, traces original gum, vignette shift and centering similar to no. 4, ex Hains and Deats (as block of 16), Ackerman, Sinkler, Ward, Phillips, Bechtel, Zoellner, Ainsworth, the block offered here

3) Block of 4, slightly disturbed original gum, ex Caspary, Lilly, Seymour, Wunderlich, Ishikawa, offered in this sale (lot 105)

4) Block of 4, part original gum, vignette shift and centering similar to no. 2, part original gum, ex Worthington, Lozier, Sinkler, Gibson, Picher, Hirzel, currently in the Swiss Museum of Communications, unavailable to collectors

5) Block of 4, original gum, gum crease left vertical pair, ex Col. Green (Costales 4/18/1946, lot 270), Hirzel, currently in the Swiss Museum of Communications, unavailable to collectors

In addition to the five intact blocks, there is an unused reconstructed block of eight assembled from the four original contiguous vertical pairs (PFC 249455, ex "Lafayette").

Regarding the origin of this block of six, Ward stated that, "[this block is] ex Ackerman and Sinkler. This came from an irregular block of sixteen in the Hiram E. Deats collection which was sold some time back. This block was broken at the time. Mr. Deats wrote us that this had been acquired from E. B. Hains at $150 many years ago and it was then considered an 'awful price.'" (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 122]

DESCRIPTION

90¢ Carmine & Black (122), block of four, original gum with slight hinge mark and small hinge remnants, well-centered for this issue, rich frame color and intense vignette impression, exceptionally fresh

PROVENANCE

Alfred H. Caspary, H. R. Harmer sale, 11/19-21/1956, lot 422, to Cole (for Lilly)

Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., Siegel Auction Galleries, 2/7-8/1968, Sale 327, lot 119, to Weill (for Seymour)

A. T. Seymour (name on 1968 P.F. certificate, but not included in two Siegel auctions of Seymour collection, Sales 362 and 373)

Rudolph G. Wunderlich (not in 1980 Sotheby Parke Bernet sale)

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 738, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Jonathan W. Rose, United States Postage Stamps of 1869, fig. 216, p. 164, where attributed to Green collection (incorrectly)

-- "Handbook of the 1869 Issue and the 1875 & 1880 Re-Issues," 1869 Times, No. 50 (August 1990)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1968 and 1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine; 1993 certificate describes gum as "slightly disturbed," but we think it is simply previously hinged, and also mentions a "tiny gum stain on one perforation between the right stamps," which is, with all due respect, the apotheosis of picking nits

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$115,000.00

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Only Available 90¢ 1869 Unused Block of Four

The bicolored 90¢ 1869 Pictorial Issue was printed from separate plates of 100--the frame plate in Carmine and the Lincoln portrait plate in Black. The stamp was designed by a National Bank Note Co. employee named E. Pitcher. The vignette, adapted from photographic portraits taken by C. S. German in 1861 and Matthew Brady in 1862, is the same engraving by Joseph P. Ourdan that appeared on the 1866 15¢ Lincoln stamp. The frame was engraved by D. S. Ronaldson, and the lettering by J. C. Kenworthy.

We record just five intact unused blocks, two of which are blocks of four in the Hirzel collection at the Swiss Museum of Communications:

1) Vertical block of 6, original gum, ex Duveen, Hind, Caspary, Phillips, Dr. Kapiloff, Joseph, Eubanks, and currently in a private collection

2) Vertical block of 6, traces original gum, vignette shift and centering similar to no. 4, ex Hains and Deats (as block of 16), Ackerman, Sinkler, Ward, Phillips, Bechtel, Zoellner, Ainsworth, offered in this sale (lot 104)

3) Block of 4, slightly disturbed original gum, ex Caspary, Lilly, Seymour, Wunderlich, Ishikawa, the block offered here

4) Block of 4, part original gum, vignette shift and centering similar to no. 2, part original gum, ex Worthington, Lozier, Sinkler, Gibson, Picher, Hirzel, currently in the Swiss Museum of Communications, unavailable to collectors

5) Block of 4, original gum, gum crease left vertical pair, ex Col. Green (Costales 4/18/1946, lot 270), Hirzel, currently in the Swiss Museum of Communications, unavailable to collectors

In addition to the five intact blocks, there is an unused reconstructed block of eight assembled from the four original contiguous vertical pairs (PFC 249455, ex "Lafayette").

This is the only intact unused block of four in private hands. Its centering and rich color, as well as the full original gum, are outstanding qualities which are shared only by the ex-Caspary block of six (he owned two 90¢ 1869 blocks). (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Get Market Data for [United States 122]