The Robert R. Hall Collection of Outstanding United States Stamps continued...

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE CENTERED ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1858 5-CENT BRICK RED SHADE.

Many collectors know this issue by type and shade, but fewer are aware of the order of production (or release). This state of confusion is partly due to the Scott Catalogue. The distinctive Brick Red shade of the 5c 1857 Issue comes first in the series of Scott-listed perforated 5c issues, but its true release date comes later in the sequence.

Based on dated covers, the 5c Type I shades were released in the following order: 1) Red Brown, Scott 28, EDU 8/23/1857; 2) Indian Red, Scott 28A, EDU 3/31/1858; 3) Brick Red, Scott 27, EDU 10/6/1858; 4) Brown, Scott 29, EDU 3/21/1859, almost certainly the last printing from the first 5c plate. The second 5c plate was made from a new six-relief transfer roll with the design projections cut away at top and bottom, to varying degrees. The Type II Brown was issued first (Scott 30A, EDU 5/4/1860), and the Orange Brown printing from the same plate followed about one year later (Scott 30, EDU 5/8/1861).

After surveying dozens of classic United States sale catalogues, we found approximately twenty stamps with original gum, allowing for duplicate offerings and excluding the one known original-gum block. Of the stamps we counted, about half had perfs touching on two sides or were deeply cut into on one side. Almost two-thirds had stains or small faults.

With 1994 P.S.E. ("genuine unused, o.g.") and 1995 P.F. certificates (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND DESIRABLE SOUND UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 1858 5-CENT INDIAN RED.

Our search of old auction catalogues and the records of The Philatelic Foundation and P.S.E. yielded only eleven unused examples of Scott 28A. Of these, only five have been described as having any gum whatsoever. These are: 1) the stamp offered in the Whitman sale (Siegel Sale 968, lot 37, realized $130,000 hammer), previously in the 1941 C. A. Brown sale by Harmer, Rooke & Co. where described as "full original gum", also ex 1968 Rarities sale and A. T. Seymour Collection (Siegel Sale 373, Apr. 23, 1970, lot 35) where described as "large part original gum" and 2005 Rarities sale (lot 102, realized $75,000 hammer); 2) the "Ambassador" copy (Siegel Sale 300, Apr. 27, 1966, lot 45A), described as part original gum, also ex "Argentum" (Siegel Sale 807, Feb. 23, 1999, lot 76) where described as "unused (traces of gum)", the stamp offered here; 3) the Caspary/Lilly copy, described in both catalogues as full original gum and with light horizontal crease, offered in our auction of the Hoffman Collection (Siegel Sale 956, lot 35, realized $180,000 hammer); 4) part original gum, light diagonal crease and two small corner creases, ex Geisler and "Laila" (Siegel Sale 972, lot 3039, realized $110,000 hammer); and 5) large part original gum, small corner creases, a new discovery (Siegel Sale 976, lot 1224, realized $95,000 hammer).

Ex Ambassador and Argentum. With 1992 P.F. certificate ("genuine with traces of gum"). Scott Retail $40,000.00 as no gum. Scott Retail as original gum (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1858 5-CENT INDIAN RED WITH STUNNING COLOR.

The deepest shade of Red Brown from the 1858 printing is known as Indian Red. It is found in a short spectrum of color, ranging from a dark purplish shade to a vivid "glowing" orange shade. To be classified as Indian Red, the stamp's impression must be strong throughout, especially in the area of the oval surrounding Jefferson's head. If a stamp possesses anything less than a very deep impression with the characteristic intense red shade, it will fall short of Indian Red, Scott 28A (and that is why Scott 28b was created as "second place").

With 1985 P.F. certificate for L-shaped strip of three and 2002 P.F. certificate for single (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

FRESH AND FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1859 5-CENT BROWN TYPE I.

This is most definitely the 1859 printing in Brown, but the shade of this stamp is distinctly darker than most examples of Scott 29 we have encountered.

With 1977 and 1990 P.F. certificates (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

FINE-VERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1859 5-CENT BROWN TYPE I. ONLY THREE BLOCKS OF FOUR ARE RECORDED, WHICH IS THE LARGEST RECORDED MULTIPLE. THIS BLOCK AND ONE OTHER CONTAIN THE DEFECTIVE TRANSFER VARIETY, POSITION 23R1.

There are only three blocks of four of the 5c Brown, Type I, which was printed in 1859. Amazingly, all were owned by Walter C. Klein, and two of the blocks contain the defective transfer variety, Position 23R1. Details of the three recorded blocks are as follows: 1) Positions unknown, sound, each stamp well-centered, ex Worthington, Sinkler, Ward, Klein and Whitman (Siegel Sale 968, lot 39, realized $125,000 hammer); 2) Positions 12-13/22-23R1, block of four with bottom right stamp showing the transfer flaw, slight reinforcement, tiny nick in perf hole at top left, ex Caspary, Klein and Zoellner; and 3) Positions 13-14/23-24R1, the block offered here, ex Caspary, Lehman and Klein.

Ex Caspary, Lehman and Klein. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

FINE-VERY FINE. A SCARCE AND PRISTINE ORIGINAL-GUM BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 1861 5-CENT TYPE II ORANGE BROWN.

Although a relatively large number of 5c Orange Browns reached collectors from unused supplies left over after the issue was demonetized due to the Civil War, multiples are scarce, and most have been broken to feed the market's desire for singles. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE 1861 5-CENT TYPE II ORANGE BROWN, WHICH IS RARELY SEEN IN SUCH CHOICE USED CONDITION.

The Orange Brown was issued just before the 1857-61 Issue was demonetized, and thus is very scarce in used condition.

With 1997 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com