| 314° |
 |
 ARGENTINA, 1862, 15c Blue, Tete-Beche (7b; Kneitschel
9a). Vertical pair from the top left corner of the sheet, comprising Position 1 and the inverted cliche Position 8, original gum, large margins on three sides and large to clear at right, bright color and fresh paperVERY FINE. THIS IS THE
FINEST OF THE THREE RECORDED TETE-BECHE MULTIPLES OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA 1862 15-CENTAVOS FIRST ISSUE. ONE OF THE ARISTOCRATS OF WORLDWIDE PHILATELY. The Republic of Argentina issued its first stamps on January 11, 1862, in three
denominations--5, 10, and 15 centavos--each similarly designed with the seal of the Republic, from which they derive their philatelic name Escuditos. The 15-centavos lithographic plate contained one inverted cliche, the first stamp in the
second row (Position 8). The inverted cliche error produced tete-beche multiples, in which the design of one stamp is inverted in relation to the others. Only three tete-beche 15-centavos multiples are recorded, as follows: 1) Vertical pair,
Positions 1/8, original gum, sound, the pair offered in this sale, ex Duke of Polignac, Schatzkes, Hubbard, Craveri, Alemany Indarte, "Patagonia" and Giamporcaro 2) Unused block of five (no gum), Positions 2/8-9/15-16, formerly a block of
eight with defects and stains, which was reduced to a block of five and repaired after the 1970 Dale-Lichtenstein sale, ex Mautalen, Sabbatini, Craveri, Alemany Indarte, Galvalisi and "Patagonia" 3) Block of four, Positions 8-9/15-16 with
rejoined vertical pair Positions 22/29, pen-cancelled, faults, ex Schatzkes and Alemany Indarte This pair was acquired shortly after it was issued at the post office by the Duke of Polignac, a member of the French aristocracy. His collection
remained virtually unknown until it reached the Paris philatelic market in the late 1950s. After a number of transactions, the tete-beche pair was acquired by Joseph Schatzkes, whose Argentina collection was purchased by Stanley Gibbons in 1971 and
broken up for sale. The pair eventually was acquired by Dr. Norman S. Hubbard and later passed through various hands before it was acquired by "Islander." The condition of this pair is far superior to the two other tete-beche multiples, since it
was essentially purchased as a new issue and kept hidden for nearly a century. This fact is confirmed in the footnote in the Scott Catalogue, which states: "Only one used example of No. 7b is known. It has faults. Two unused examples are known. One
is sound with original gum [the pair offered in this sale], the other is in a block, without gum, and has tiny faults." The unused tete-beche variety is valued at $150,000.00. Exhibited in the Aristocrats of Philately display at the 1976
INTERPHIL exhibition and among the Invited Exhibits at ANPHILEX 1996. Ex Duke of Polignac, Joseph Schatzkes, Dr. Norman S. Hubbard, Guido Craveri, Luis Alemany Indarte, "Patagonia" and Tito Giamporcaro. Offered in this sale from the "Islander"
collection. (Image) Search for
comparables at SiegelAuctions.com
Get Market Data for [Argentina 7b] |
E. $ 75,000-100,000
SOLD for $75,000.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 315 |
|
 ARGENTINA, CORRIENTES, 1856, 1r Black on Blue, Tete
Beche (1 variety). Vertical pair, Positions 6/7 in tete-beche configuration with interpane gutter between impressions, unused (no gum as issued), large margins, characteristic coarse impression on rough sugar paper, creases as present in all
known examples of this varietyEXTREMELY FINE DESPITE CREASING PRESENT IN ALL EXAMPLES FROM THE DISCOVERY TETE-BECHE BLOCK OF THE CORRIENTES ONE-REAL 1856 FIRST ISSUE, FROM WHICH THIS PAIR WAS REMOVED. A MAJOR SOUTH AMERICAN PHILATELIC RARITY,
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE LATER ISSUES, WHICH EXIST IN NUMEROUS MULTIPLES. ONLY THIS PAIR AND SIX OTHERS STILL CONTAINED IN THE INTACT "STICH" BLOCK ARE RECORDED. This pair was cut from the block of 28 formerly in the collection formed by
Louis Stich, who authored Corrientes: The Issues from 1856-1880. The original block is pictured on page 22 of the Stich pamphlet. This pair is from Positions 6/7, at the left of the block (the two outer stamps were defective and cut off). The
remaining block of 24 was acquired by Dr. Arthur K. M. Woo and is illustrated in his privately published exhibition book on page 8, where it is described as "The undisputed 'crown jewel' of Corrientes philately." To avoid confusion, we should note
that the block is pictured in the Dr. Woo book rotated 180 degrees from the photograph in the Stich pamphlet. No other tete-beche multiples have been discovered. Therefore, this is the only available example of this printing variety, and in
total there are no more than seven pairs known, including the six contained in the intact block. Ex Stich and Dr. Hubbard. Offered from the "Islander" collection. Unlisted in the Scott Catalogue. (Image) Search for comparables
at SiegelAuctions.com
Get Market Data for [Argentina Corrientes 1] |
E. $ 3,000-4,000
SOLD for $4,250.00
Will close during Public Auction |
