2017 Rarities of the World continued...

VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE BLOCK OF THE 20-CENT 1922 ISSUE IMPERFORATE VERTICALLY.

According to Gary Griffith, a complete pane of 100 was found in Pasadena Cal. in 1929, which was divided between two collectors. This would make 50 pairs total. At least one of the panes was broken into pairs and blocks. We have offered fewer than ten unduplicated pairs since keeping computerized records, but only two were Mint N.H. This is the only block located with Power Search and is especially desirable with a Mint N.H. pair.

With 2017 P.S.E. certificate stating "Mint N.H." Scott Retail as Mint N.H. and hinged pairs (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE BEST CENTERED EXAMPLES OF THE ONE-CENT ROTARY PERF 11 ISSUE, SCOTT 594. ONE OF THE RAREST 20TH CENTURY STAMPS.

The 1c Green, Scott 594, is waste from a horizontal rotary printing used to make coils. At the beginning or end of a coil-stamp print run from the 170-subject rotary plates, some leading or trailing paper was produced that was too short for rolling into 500-stamp rolls. In 1919 the Bureau devised a plan to salvage this waste by perforating and cutting the sheets into panes. They were put through the 11-gauge flat-plate perforator in use at the time, giving the sheets full perforations on all sides. 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 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 sides, or have faults.

Census No. 594-CAN-07. Ex Seymour. With 1947 A.P.S. certificate issued to Robert A. Siegel. With 1967 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

FRESH AND FINE. A RARE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT HARDING ROTARY PERF 11.

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 updated census of the 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11, available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/613/613.pdf , records 43 used singles (one faintly cancelled, if at all), one used pair and the used strip of three. Of the singles, 25 are sound, but of these only six rate a grade of Very Fine or Extremely Fine.

Census No. 613-CAN-04. Ex McKinney and "Golden Oak." With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

A RARE COMPLETE SET OF PANES OF 100 OF THE KANSAS OVERPRINT ISSUE.

Scott Retail as plate blocks and singles approximately (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

EXTREMELY FINE AND RARE BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE 2-CENT VON STEUBEN IMPERFORATE ERROR.

Three panes of 100 were originally discovered. One, partially perforated, was returned to Washington by a postal clerk in Midland, Texas, and was destroyed. A second pane, also found in Midland, was purchased by a hotel. Some were used on covers sent from the hotel, and the remainder of the sheet was exchanged at the post office for perforated sheets. None are known from this pane. The third pane of 100, yielding all known examples of this error, was discovered in Washington state and was purchased intact at the post office.

Scott Retail as two pairs. (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

VERY FINE. A DRAMATIC COLOR SHIFT OF THE $2.00 PRESIDENTIAL ISSUE AND ESPECIALLY RARE AS A TOP PLATE BLOCK.

We have encountered a small number of $1.00 Presidentials with dramatic vignette shifts, including a side arrow block. This is the first $2.00 we have offered and it is remarkable as a top plate block (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

VERY FINE. A PRISTINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THIS POPULAR MODERN ERROR -- THE C.I.A. INVERT.

Popularly called the "C.I.A. Invert", a single pane of 100 stamps was purchased at the McLean Va. Post Office by employees of the C.I.A., for use on mail from the agency. They noticed the error, pooled together funds to buy a replacement sheet and kept the pane for themselves. When it was discovered who had purchased the stamps, a scandal ensued over who actually owned the stamps. Of the pane of 100, only 93 sound examples reached collectors.

With 1992 P.F. certificate (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com

EXTREMELY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE PERF 12 JOHN PAUL JONES ISSUE.

This issue was printed by the American Bank Note Company and perforated in three different formats: Perf 11 x 12, Perf 11 All Around and Perf 12 All Around. It is believed that the USPS was unaware that there were different perforations. The Perf 12 All Around is by far the rarest.

With copy of 1989 P.F. certificate for a sheet of 50 (this stamp Position 3) (Image)

Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com