2020 Rarities of the World continued...

FINE AND WONDERFULLY FRESH BLOCK OF SIX WITH ORIGINAL GUM.

Ex Caspary, Bechtel, Zoellner and Curtis. With 1998 P.F. certificate. Scott value $22,500.00 for block and pair (Image)

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ONE OF THE LARGEST 15-CENT TYPE II 1869 PICTORIAL BLOCKS IN EXISTENCE. THIS BLOCK ORIGINALLY COMES FROM THE UNUSED BLOCK OF FIFTY, WHICH WAS LAST SEEN INTACT IN THE 1920s AND WAS BROKEN INTO SMALLER UNITS SOME TIME AGO.

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 15c 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 (Sale 1054, lot 441)

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), ex Gross (Sale 1200, lot 102)

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

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).

Scott value as four blocks of four and two pairs is $78,000.00 (Image)

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VERY FINE. AN EXCEPTIONALLY CHOICE AND RARE SOUND USED EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL INVERT. THE COLORS ARE RICH AND DEEP, AND THE TARGET CANCEL LEAVES THE VIGNETTE CLEARLY VISIBLE. ONLY 14 USED COPIES ARE CONFIRMED AS SOUND, AND THIS ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.

Our census of Scott 119b, available at our website at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/119b , records three unused and 101 used copies (there are an additional three used examples of Scott 119c). Two of the used copies are in institutions -- the Tapling Collection at The British Library and the Miller Collection at The New York Public Library. Only 14 are confirmed as sound (an additional nine have not been seen in many years and their condition is unknown). Of the 14 sound copies, almost all have perfs touching the design on at least one side. The 15c is at least as difficult to find in sound condition as the more expensive 24c and 30c inverts.

Ex De Verymont, Seymour, Ishikawa and Dauer. census no. 119b-CAN-29. With 2012 P.S.E. certificate (F 70; SMQ $80,000.00). This is the highest grade awarded. (Image)

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VERY FINE CENTERING AND A COLLECTABLE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL INVERT.

Our census of Scott 119b, available at our website at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/119b , records three unused and 101 used copies (there are an additional three used examples of Scott 119c). Two of the used copies are in institutions -- the Tapling Collection at the British Library and the Miller Collection at The New York Public Library.

Census no. 119b-CAN-68. With 1993 P.F. certificate. Scott value $22,500.00 (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A BEAUTIFUL USED EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE, GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 BY P.S.E.

Surviving used examples of high value 1869s often show the tendency of postal clerks to zealously cancel stamps that were typically used on mail to foreign countries or on heavy registered letters. Not so for the example offered here.

Ex Kirke. With 1996 P.F. and 2005 P.S.E. certificates (XF-Superb 95; SMQ $4,250.00). Only seven grade higher (four at 95J, two at 98 and one at 98J). (Image)

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VERY FINE AND BEAUTIFUL BLOCK. ONLY SIX USED BLOCKS OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ARE RECORDED AND WE BELIEVE THIS IS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE IN TERMS OF CANCELLATION, COLOR AND CENTERING. NO COMPLETELY SOUND BLOCKS ARE KNOWN.

The six recorded used blocks of the 24c 1869, excluding the unique Invert block, are listed here (identified by last known pedigree): 1) ex Rose, VF centering, fancy circle of V's cancel neatly struck on each stamp, minor wrinkling causing light creasing, top right stamp small margin tear, the block offered here; 2) ex Bechtel and Dr. Heimburger (Siegel Sale 1054, lot 444), EF centering, circular cork cancels over each vignette, strengthened perf seps, trivial edge crease; 3) ex Ishikawa, Eubanks and Curtis (Siegel Sale 1084, lot 3339), VF centering, circle of wedges cancel, left stamps few small tears; 4) ex Anderson, Fine centering to top right, circle of wedges cancel; 5) ex Klein, Fine centering to left, quartered cork cancels, light corner crease at bottom right and several rejoined perfs; and 6) ex Lopez and Price and from our 1965, 1992 and 2001 Rarities sales, perfs cutting in at right, cork cancels (Sale 1209, lot 1146).

All of the blocks have minor creases or small tears. The Rose, Ishikawa and Bechtel blocks are the best centered and freshest of the group; the attractive geometric cancels on this ex-Rose block are, in our opinion, slightly more desirable than the cork cancels on the ex-Bechtel block.

Ex Hessel and Rose. Scott value $20,000.00 (Image)

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FINE APPEARING USED EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE INVERT.

Our census of 24c 1869 Inverts, available at our website at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/120b , contains four unused, 83 used singles, one used pair, one on cover and the unique block of four, for a total of 94 copies of the perforated 24c Invert.

Census no. 120b-CAN-77. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL USED EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE, WITH A RED CANCEL.

With 2011 P.F. certificate (XF-Superb 95). By way of comparison, only three grade higher in the P.S.E. Population Report (all 95J) (Image)

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FINE. A RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE WITHOUT GRILL.

This comes from the Double Paper, Without Grill multiple. Ex "Lake Shore". With 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott value $45,000.00 (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A PHENOMENAL USED EXAMPLE OF THE 90-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL ISSUE, GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 BY P.S.E.

The 90c 1869 Pictorial is widely admired for its beautiful engraving and dignified portrait of Abraham Lincoln. However, collectors have been frustrated in their efforts to acquire choice examples of this issue. Used 90c stamps are typically heavily cancelled, because the high denomination was cause for postal clerks to thoroughly obliterate any chance for re-use.

With 2018 P.F. certificate (XF-Superb 95) (Image)

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ONE OF ONLY FIVE RECORDED USED BLOCKS OF FOUR IN PRIVATE HANDS. A GREAT RARITY.

Seven used blocks are recorded. The largest recorded used multiple is a block of six, which, along with a used block of four, are part of the Hirzel collection in the Swiss Postal Museum. None were offered in the Kuphal, Mack, Coulter, Eubanks, Heimburger or other important sales of the 1869 Pictorial Issue.

Ex Hessel, Ishikawa and Walske. Scott value $55,000.00 (Image)

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