The World's Fair Collection of The 1893 Columbian Issue continued...

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE $1.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE.

Perhaps a dozen plate blocks of eight exist for the $1.00 Columbian. A Power Search review shows that many from the bottom position have very narrow selvage.

With 1975 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCKS OF THE $2.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE ISSUE.

Only two plate blocks of six and one plate block of eight are recorded for the $2.00 Columbian. They are: 1) the unique imprint and plate no. 105 block of eight offered in our sale of the MLG Collection (Siegel Sale 971, lot 1163, realized $205,000 hammer); 2) bottom imprint and plate no. 105 block of six, lightly hinged, tiny sealed tear in selvage, ex Lilly and Kobacker; and 3) bottom imprint and plate no. 105 block of six, disturbed original gum, ex Colonel Green (Sale 27) and Eno, the block offered here.

Ex Colonel Green and Eno. With 1991 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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FINE-VERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF SIX OF THE $3.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE. THIS EXAMPLE FROM THE TOP POSITION COULD BE UNIQUE.

We have only been able to locate three $3.00 Columbian plate blocks: 1) top position, the example offered here, ex Crocker as a plate block of ten (sold November 1938), then offered in a Eugene Klein auction in August 1940 as a plate block of six and block of four, with the option to keep it together (photo shows the intact block of ten), and Siegel 1988 Rarities sale in its present form; 2) bottom plate no. 106, plate no. at right, ex Lilly and Kobacker; and 3) bottom plate no. 106, plate no. at right, narrow selvage, no gum, top left stamp slight thin, well-centered, ex Franklin J. Willock (Harmer, Rooke sale, Jan. 13, 1953, lot 429) and 1980 Manning sale.

Ex Crocker as a plate block of ten. With 1988 P.F. certificate. The Scott Catalogue value, at $95,000.00, is far too low, probably because none have come on the market since the 1991 Kobacker sale. We have estimated this based on realizations for other dollar-value plate blocks. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCKS OF THE $4.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE. ONE OF THE GREATEST COMMEMORATIVE RARITIES IN UNITED STATES PHILATELY.

Our records contain three plate blocks of the $4.00: 1) bottom imprint and plate no. 107 block of ten with left selvage, plate no. at right, ex Crocker; 2) bottom plate no. 107 block of six, plate no. at left, ex Lilly, the block offered here; and 3) bottom plate no. 107 block of six, plate no. at right, ex Kobacker, currently in the William H. Gross Collection. None are known from the top positions.

Ex Lilly. Illustrated in Chronicle 150 (page 116). With 1992 P.F. certificate which states "Genuine, previously hinged in the top stamps only, top left with small surface scrape, bottom right with tiny thin." This is the first plate block we have offered in all of our Rarities sales and auctions since 1994. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF THE $5.00 COLUMBIAN ISSUE, OF WHICH ONLY FOUR ARE RECORDED.

Our records contain only three plate blocks of six and the plate block of eight, as follows: 1) unique bottom plate no. 108 block of eight, large part disturbed original gum, few perf separations expertly and sensibly reinforced, minor light gum soaks, few shortish perfs at top right, trivial diagonal crease in selvage at bottom right, ex Colonel Green and our sale of the MLG Collection (Siegel Sale 971, lot 1164, realized $190,000 hammer); 2) top plate no. 108 and imprint block of six, negligible gum wrinkle, ex Crocker as a plate block of ten and ex Lilly as a plate block of six; 3) bottom imprint and plate no. 108 block of six, top left stamp small tear, small tear in bottom left selvage, ex Moody, Dr. Guillermo Guinle (of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, H.R. Harmer sale of June 15, 1953), Ambassador, Kobacker and Siegel Sale 836 (lot 1617, realized $150,000 hammer); and 4) bottom imprint and plate no. 108 block of six, narrow selvage, ex T. Charlton Henry (Harmer, Rooke Dec. 14, 1960, lot 606, realized $4,000 hammer versus $2,750 catalogue value at the time), the block offered here.

Ex T. Charlton Henry. With 1975 P.F. certificate. (Image)

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