2011 Rarities of the World continued...

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE SOUND GUIDE LINE STRIP OF FOUR OF THE 10-CENT HORIZONTAL COIL, SCOTT 356.

According to Johl (Volume 1, page 181), only 10,000 of the 10c Washington coil stamp were issued. They were made especially for a New York firm to send out advertising samples, similar to the 3c Orangeburg coil. Only a few rolls were sold to the firm, and the remaining rolls were distributed to some of the large post offices across the country. Dealers acquired several rolls, but because most contemporary collectors did not collect coils, many were used and destroyed. Most guide line strips have been broken into pairs and singles.

With 1970 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail as guide line pair and two singles. (Image)

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FINE. A SCARCE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 8-CENT WASHINGTON ON BLUISH PAPER WITH WIDE SHEET SELVAGE AT LEFT.

According to Johl (Vol. 1, page 175), the only source of the 4c and 8c Bluish stamps was the archives of the Post Office Department. Approximately 80 of each were traded for rare stamps missing from the archives.

With 2000 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 6-CENT ON BLUISH PAPER.

We record only thirteen used examples of Scott 362 in our unpublished census, including eleven singles and one pair (plus one stamp with a non-contemporary cancel). Of these, only three have margins and centering that compare to or exceed this example. Seven of the thirteen have flaws to some degree, though a few have older certificates so current condition is uncertain. This stamp represents a rare opportunity to acquire a genuinely used example with Very Fine centering.

Unpublished Census No. 362-CAN-05. With 2011 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. A SCARCE MINT NEVER-HINGED BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 15-CENT ON BLUISH.

Accompanied by 1968 invoice where purchased by the consignor. Scott Retail as singles (Image)

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FINE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 3-CENT ORANGEBURG COIL. A DIFFICULT ISSUE TO FIND IN SOUND CONDITION.

The Orangeburg coil was made by the Post Office Department in 1911, specifically for use by the Bell Pharmaceutical Company. The 3c coil stamps were used to send samples of their products to physicians. Due to the quantity of mail, they were put through the first-class cancelling machine at Orangeburg, New York. The Orangeburg coil stamps' use on third-class mail, and the fact that philatelists were generally unaware of their production accounts for their rarity. Many have small faults such as corner creases or small tears.

With 2001 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. A STUNNING INTACT PANE OF 70 OF THE 1913 10-CENT ORANGE PERF 12 PANAMA-PACIFIC ISSUE.

This is only the second pane we have offered since keeping computerized records. Scott Retail as plate blocks and singles. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS MAGNIFICENT MINT NEVER-HINGED GUIDE LINE PAIR OF THE 3-CENT COIL, SCOTT 445, IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE. THIS GUIDE LINE PAIR HAS BEEN GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE TO ACHIEVE THIS GRADE.

With 2010 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98, SMQ $14,700.00). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. (Image)

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FINE-VERY FINE. A REMARKABLY FRESH ORIGINAL-GUM JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 2-CENT VERTICAL COIL, SCOTT 449.

The 2c Type I rotary plate was used very briefly to make vertical coils issued in late 1915. It was briefly used because the Type I plate was not very deeply engraved and the curvature of the rotary press yielded impressions lacking in some of the details. The Bureau noticed this immediately, and quickly replaced it with the Type III plate (according to Scott, the EDU for No. 449 is Oct. 29, 1915 and the EDU for Type III is Dec. 21, 1915).

With 1965 and 2009 P.F. certificates (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS STUNNING MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1916 10-CENT PERF 10 UNWATERMARKED ISSUE HAS BEEN GRADED GEM 100 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE AND THE ONLY EXAMPLE TO ACHIEVE THIS GRADE.

With 2011 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100, unpriced in SMQ above the grade of 98, SMQ $5,500.00 as 98). This is the highest grade awarded to date and the only example to achieve this grade. For some reason, the 1916-17 Perf 10 Unwatermarked Issue (Scott 462-480) is difficult to obtain in the higher grades. For the 20 Scott numbers in the series only four Mint N.H. stamps have graded at Gem 100 (one each for 2c, 4c, 10c and 11c). (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. AN INCREDIBLY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF THE $1.00 PERF 10 UNWATERMARKED FRANKLIN ISSUE WITH WIDE TOP SELVAGE.

Plate blocks of Scott 478 are extremely rare, especially in Mint N.H. condition. A review of important plate block collections turned up very few. The only other Mint N.H. plate block we were able to locate was sold in our sale of the Silver Lake collection, but it is not centered as well as the Mint N.H. plate block offered here.

With 2008 P.S.E. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY 41 RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THIS MAJOR 20TH CENTURY RARITY. ESPECIALLY RARE AND DESIRABLE WITH SUCH CHOICE CENTERING.

Scott 482A, like its more famous predecessor, Scott 314A, was issued imperforate by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and sold to the Schermack Company for use in its patented stamp-affixing machines. The Schermack "Sealer and Stamper" machine typically applied stamps one at a time, and, in most cases, the hyphen-hole perfs on one side would be cut off. Unlike Scott 314A, the release of imperforate sheets printed from the experimental Type Ia plates escaped the notice of contemporary collectors, and, therefore, this stamp has a very small survival rate.

Our updated census of Scott 482A published in the Zoellner catalogue and available at our website at: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/482A/482A.pdf records three covers, one unused single, a used pair and 35 used singles for a total of 41 stamps. Most examples are either cut well into the design or have the Schermack perfs trimmed away on one side.

Schermack Type III stamps are often cut into the design by the oblong perforations or miscut with one side of the perforated margin missing. This problem for collectors, which meant very little to contemporary users of the stamps, resulted from two consecutive events. First, the sheets were perforated with the Schermack holes, creating an opportunity for misalignment between the stamps. Second, when the strip of stamps was fed through the Schermack affixing machine, the cutting blade did not always align with the space between stamps.

Census No. 482A-CAN-41. From a new discovery and offered to the market for the first time. With 2010 A.P.S. certificate. (Image)

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