The Natalee Grace Collection of Used Stamps of the United States, Part Two continued...

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS STUNNING USED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE HAS BEEN GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE.

Ex Twigg-Smith. With 2009 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98, SMQ $1,800.00). This is the highest grade awarded to date and only one other example has achieved this grade. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS STUNNING USED EXAMPLE OF THE $1.00 TRANS-MISSISSIPPI IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE. A REMARKABLE STAMP IN EVERY RESPECT -- CENTERING, IMPRESSION, PAPER, PERFORATIONS AND OVERALL APPEARANCE.

The $1.00 Trans-Mississippi is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful designs in U.S. philately. According to Brookman, the picture is supposed to portray cattle in the American West and is labelled "Western Cattle In Storm" at bottom. However, the subject of the original painting by J.A. MacWhirter, who specialized in romantic landscapes and first exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy at the age of 14, was of Scottish cattle in the West Highlands of Scotland.

With 2000 and 2009 P.F. certificates (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE $2.00 TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN IN SUCH SUPERB CONDITION. THIS REMARKABLE STAMP, WITH GORGEOUS COLOR, CHOICE CENTERING, UNOBTRUSIVE CANCEL AND OVERALL FRESHNESS, IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.

The design of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi depicts the Eads bridge, which spans the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The original engraving was used on the admission ticket to the Republican Convention of 1896, which nominated McKinley as candidate for president. The stamp, issued during the McKinley Administration, illustrates the natural boundary between East and West and so was appropriate for the Trans-Mississippi issue.

All of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi stamps were printed in a single day's run on June 3, 1898. The $2.00 was printed in sheets that have narrower spacing between the horizontal rows than between the vertical columns. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to obtain stamps with top and bottom margins that equal the sides. This stamp essentially achieves that unnatural effect, which could only occur when the horizontal perforations were applied in such a way that the holes impinged on the space allocated to the rows above and below.

Brookman notes "the $2.00 is not easy to obtain well-centered as many of these stamps seem to be perforated close to the top and its color is such that it cancels rather badly. This combination makes fine used copies difficult to obtain. I consider it more difficult to obtain in choice used condition than any of the high values of the Columbian issue."

Ex Rubin. With 1997 and 2009 P.F. certificates. With 2009 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95, SMQ $8,500.00). This is the highest grade awarded to date and only one other shares this grade. (Image)

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