The Hanover Collection, Part 2: 20th Century and Back of Book Issues continued...

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. ONLY A FEW SOUND AND CENTERED EXAMPLES OF THE 1923 ONE-CENT ROTARY PERF 11 ISSUE EXIST. THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE. A PHENOMENAL CONDITION RARITY.

Like the 2c, Scott 595, this issue was perforated in both directions on the flat plate perforating machine. This machine was not designed to perforate rotary press stamps, which are slightly different in size due to the curvature of the printing plate. This caused notoriously poor perforations. The existence of Scott 594 was not reported until four months after the final sheets were delivered, and the 1c Rotary Perf 11 was soon recognized as one of the rarest United States stamps.

Our exhaustive census of Scott 594, available at our website at: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/594/594.pdf , contains 92 used singles, four used pairs and five covers (including one with a pair) for a total of 106 used stamps. Many have perforations either in on one or more side, or have faults.

Census No. 594-CAN-89. With 2012 P.F. certificate (XF 90). By way of comparison, the highest grade awarded in the P.S.E. Population Report is 85. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS MAY WELL BE THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF THE 1923 2-CENT CARMINE PERF 11 ROTARY WASTE ISSUE IN EXISTENCE. THIS STAMP IS GRADED SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E., WHICH IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.

With 2002 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $7,250.00). This is the highest grade awarded and only one other shares it. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A RARE SOUND AND CENTERED JOINT LINE PAIR OF THE 2-CENT ROTARY PRESS COIL COMBINING TYPES I AND II.

According to the Armstrong book, the Type I, Scott 599, was produced starting in 1923. In 1929 the Bureau experimented with a new method of making plates. It became necessary to retouch the die, most notably in the hair, creating Type II (Scott 599A and 634A). Combination joint line pairs exist because two plates of 170 subjects were used at one time and for a short period one plate of each type was used.

The existence of the new die wasn't discovered until 1932, almost three years after it was produced. On July 6, 1932, the postage rate for first class mail was changed from 2c to 3c, and demand dropped sharply for 2c stamps. The existence of combination joint line pairs was not discovered until the early 1940's, making them especially scarce.

Ex "Golden Oak". With 2005 P.S.E. certificate (XF 90; SMQ $2,500.00). The P.S.E. Population Report does not list the combination joint line pair so we do not know the population figures; it is unpriced in SMQ as 95, so it is likely none exist at that higher grade. (Image)

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FRESH AND VERY FINE. A RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT HARDING ROTARY PERF 11. ONE OF ONLY A FEW SOUND EXAMPLES WHERE THE PERFORATIONS DO NOT TOUCH THE DESIGN.

Warren G. Harding, the 29th President, died in San Francisco on August 2, 1923, during a cross-country "Voyage of Understanding". Several people suggested a Harding memorial stamp, printed in black, and it was rushed into production. The first flat plate printing (Scott 610) was issued on September 1, 1923, in his home town of Marion, Ohio, followed less than two weeks later by the normal Perf 10 rotary press printing (Scott 612) on September 12.

The 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11 stamp was discovered in 1938 by Leslie Lewis of the New York firm, Stanley Gibbons Inc. Gary Griffith presents his hypothesis in United States Stamps 1922-26 that rotary-printed sheets of 400 were first reduced to panes of 100 and then fed through the 11-gauge perforating machine normally used for flat plate sheets. This method explains the existence of a straight-edge on Scott 613. Production quality and quantity was very low, due to the rotary press stamps' natural tendency to curl, and the use of the flat plate perforator for the slightly different-sized rotary printing.

Our census of the 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11, available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/613/613.pdf , records 45 used singles (one faintly cancelled, if at all), one used pair and the used strip of three. Of the singles, 26 are sound, but of these only six rate a grade of Very Fine or Extremely Fine.

Census No. 613-CAN-07. Ex Bettin, Stollnitz, "Connoisseur" and "Scarsdale". With 1976 S.P.A. certificate. With 1977, 1992 and 2004 P.F. certificates. Scott Catalogue value is based on grade of Fine. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 1928 2-CENT CARMINE TYPE II. THIS STAMP IS GRADED GEM 100 BY P.S.E., WHICH IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.

With 2010 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100; SMQ $8,500.00). This is the highest grade awarded and only one other shares it. We have never offered an example in this grade in one of our auctions. (Image)

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