The Barry K. Schwartz Collection of The U.S. 1909 Bluish Paper Issue continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE 1909 8-CENT BLUISH PAPER ISSUE EXANT. AN IMPORTANT 20TH CENTURY RARITY IN OUTSTANDING CONDITION.

The June 1910 Third Assistant Postmaster General's report states that 4,000 (ten sheets) of the 8c were printed on Bluish Paper. It is believed that none of the 4c and 8c Bluish Paper stamps were distributed to post offices, and that all of the examples in collectors' hands reached the market through the Travers-Steinmetz exchange and the 1914 National Museum trades to H. F. Colman (12 copies) and Nassau Stamp Company (65 copies).

Although this stamp has not been numerically graded, it appears to qualify for at least a grade of VF-XF 85 (possibly XF 90). The P.S.E. Population gives some indication of the rarity of the 8c Bluish Paper in higher grades: one 80, two 85, one 90 and one 95. The Philatelic Foundation online records list the following graded examples (we do not know if any are duplicates of P.S.E.'s entries): four 80, one 85, and one 90. In our sale of the Odeneal collection (Sale 941, lot 1252), we offered the superb example graded XF-Superb 95 by P.S.E., which realized $135,000 hammer.

With 1971 and 1989 P.F. certificates (Image)

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FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED INTACT IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER MULTIPLE OF THE 1909 8-CENT ON BLUISH PAPER IN PRIVATE HANDS. ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING ITEMS OF 20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES PHILATELY.

The June 1910 Third Assistant Postmaster General’s report states that 4,000 (ten sheets) of the 8c were printed on Bluish Paper. It is believed that none of the 4c and 8c Bluish Paper stamps were distributed to post offices, and that all of the examples in collectors’ hands reached the market through the Travers-Steinmetz exchange and the 1914 National Museum trades to H. F. Colman (12 copies) and Nassau Stamp Company (65 copies).

Four different plates were used to print the 8c Bluish Paper on the Hoe & Company four-plate press: 4919, 4922, 4923 and 4924, but only number 4922 has been recorded from surviving examples. This strip comes from the top of the upper left pane. The left imprint and plate number multiple from the same pane has been divided into singles and rejoined (offered in lot 137 of this sale), and no others are believed to exist in private hands. A pane of 100 from the upper right position of the same plate was reported by Boggs to be in the Post Office Department files.

In the absence of a plate block of the 8c Bluish Paper, this imprint and plate number strip assumes far greater significance.

Ex Colonel Edward H. R. Green (Part 17, Harmer Rooke, Nov. 13-18, 1944, lot 149), Amos Eno and B. D. Phillips. With 2017 P.F. certificate.

The Scott Catalogue values this imprint and plate number strip at $150,000.00, but since this item has not been sold since the 1978 Rarities of the World sale (where it realized $18,000 hammer versus its then-current $24,000 Scott value), the Scott value is conjectural. (Image)

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FINE. THIS REJOINED STRIP IS ONE OF TWO RECORDED IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER MULTIPLES OF THE 8-CENT 1909 BLUISH PAPER ISSUE IN PRIVATE HANDS. A MAJOR 20TH CENTURY RARITY.

The June 1910 Third Assistant Postmaster General’s report states that 4,000 (ten sheets) of the 8c were printed on Bluish Paper. It is believed that none of the 4c and 8c Bluish Paper stamps were distributed to post offices, and that all of the examples in collectors’ hands reached the market through the Travers-Steinmetz exchange and the 1914 National Museum trades to H. F. Colman (12 copies) and Nassau Stamp Company (65 copies).

Four different plates were used to print the 8c Bluish Paper on the Hoe & Company four-plate press: 4919, 4922, 4923 and 4924, but only number 4922 has been recorded from surviving examples. This strip comes from the left of the upper left pane. The top imprint and plate number multiple from the same pane is offered in lot 136 of this sale, and no others are believed to exist in private hands. A pane of 100 from the upper right position of the same plate was reported by Boggs to be in the Post Office Department files.

In the absence of a plate block of the 8c Bluish Paper, this imprint and plate number strip assumes far greater significance. The top imprint and plate number strip offered in lot 136 is the only intact plate number multiple of the 8c Bluish Paper in private hands. The rejoined strip offered here, from the left side of the same pane, was offered in three different auctions in the series of sales of the Colonel Edward H. R. Green collection. The top 4922” stamp was in Part 21, lot 336 (Heiman, Mar. 19-23, 1945). The middle aving & Printing” stamp was in Part 20, lot 408 (Laurence & Stryker, Mar. 5-6, 1945). The bottom Bureau, Engr” stamp was offered a year earlier in Part 15, lot 62 (H. C. Barr, Mar. 23-Apr. 1, 1944). As recently as 2009, when the bottom stamp was sold by our firm in the Alan B. Whitman auction (Sale 968, lot 469), the three stamps remained apart. Finally, after more than six decades, they were reunited and expertly rejoined along the horizontal perforations.

All three ex Colonel Edward H. R. Green. Each stamp accompanied by at least one P.F. certificate, as follows: top (1973), middle (1950, ex Jack R. Hughes), and bottom (1983, 1997, ex Whitman).

Scott value for the intact strip is $150,000.00. Scott value as three singles without premium for the plate number and imprint (Image)

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