Classic Bureau Issues featuring the Dr. Irvin Heimburger and Roger Brody Collections continued...

FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 4-CENT 1908 IMPERFORATE.

With the rising popularity of vending and affixing machines, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing received numerous requests from manufacturers for supplies of imperforate stamps, which could then be privately perforated to conform to each firm's machine. In May 1908, a supply of 25 sheets (400 stamps per sheet) of the 4c 1902 Issue, without perforations, was delivered to the Schermack Mailing Machine Co. in Detroit. The entire supply was cut into coils with Schermack Type III perforations, designed for the firm's patented affixing machine and delivered to the Winfield Printing Co. for use on mass mailings of advertising material. Approximately 6,000 were used on a mailing for Hamilton Carhartt Manufacturer, and almost all of the 4,000 balance were used on a mailing for Burroughs Adding Machine Co.

Our census of Scott 314A incorporates the records of the Philatelic Foundation, the Levi records (which represents over 40 years of auction sales) and our own computerized sales history, and is available at our website at http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/314A/314A.pdf . The census reveals a startling fact -- there are only 32 used singles (two on piece), a used strip of three, a used pair and three covers (one of which bears a strip of three), for a total of 42 used stamps.

Census No. 314A-CAN-24. Ex Hoffman and Merlin. With 1985 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. AN INCALCULABLY RARE USED BLOCK OF THE 1908 5-CENT IMPERFORATE.

According to Johl, only 29 sheets of 400 of the 5c imperforate were issued. Most were sent to Indianapolis and the majority was used by manufacturers of private coils. Some unused were no doubt kept by collectors -- 825 copies were distributed to members of the Detroit Philatelic Society. It is possible that most of the used copies originate from this supply.

The Boston cancel on this block, while only partly struck, matches the cancel on cover from the William Ainsworth collection (Shreves sale). Ainsworth also had a plate block with Washington D.C. oval cancels and an old P.F. certificate, but current scholarship confirms that the Washington D.C. examples are fakes (Image)

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FINE APPEARING PAIR OF THE RARE 5-CENT VERTICAL COIL, SCOTT 317.

According to Johl, these first government coils were an experiment, and collectors and dealers were generally unaware of their existence. Regular sheets of 400 were printed and then perforated in only one direction. They were then cut into strips of 20. The strips were then hand pasted together to form rolls. As such, they are almost always strongly centered to one side.

Dealer backstamp. With 1963 P.F. certificate (Image)

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FINE APPEARING PAIR OF THE RARE ONE-CENT 1908 HORIZONTAL COIL.

With clear 1995 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE PAIR OF THE 1903 2-CENT SHIELD ISSUE IMPERFORATE HORIZONTALLY. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF THE 1902 ISSUE.

There are three distinct imperforate errors in the 1903 2c Shield Issue, listed in Scott as Nos. 319d, 319e (vertical pair, imperforate between) and 319r (the San Francisco Roulette). The imperforate-horizontally multiples (Scott 319d) come from a block of 25 purchased from the Washington D.C. post office. All known examples of Scott 319d are printed in a deeper shade of Carmine than 319e or 319r. The two multiples in the first Brody sale (Shreve lots 105 and 106) show that the original Scott 319d multiple came from the upper half of the lower right pane

This error differs from the so-called "San Francisco Roulette", where a small quantity of sheets was found imperforate between the top two rows only and was rouletted locally (see lot 156 for an example).

With 1957 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF THIS FAMOUS AND FASCINATING BUREAU ISSUE PERFORATION VARIETY.

There are three distinct imperforate errors for the 1903 2c Shield Issue, listed in Scott as Nos. 319d, 319e and 319r, offered here.

The imperforate-horizontally multiples (Scott 319d) come from a block of 25 purchased from the Washington D.C. post office. All known examples of Scott 319d are printed in a deeper shade of Carmine than 319e or the San Francisco Roulette. The imperforate-between multiples (Scott 319e and the San Francisco Roulette 319r) come from two sources, according to research by Roger Brody. All multiples listed as Scott as 319e (without roulette) have very faint blind perf holes between the stamps; the shade and centering of all Scott 319e's are identical, but as a group they differ from the rouletted examples. The imperforate-between with roulettes come from a small number of sheets received by the San Francisco postmaster that were missing a line of perforations between the first and second rows at top (unlike No. 319e without roulette, which comes from the bottom two rows). Rather than destroy or return the problem sheets, the postmaster applied his own roulette for separation. The existence of top position blocks confirms the position of the error stamps in the sheet.

Scott Retail as a pair (Image)

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FINE. A RARE AND DESIRABLE PLATE NUMBER BOOKLET PANE OF THE 2-CENT SHIELD ISSUE WITH HORIZONTAL WATERMARK.

As described in U.S. Booklets and Booklet Panes (p. 52), during late December 1906 to January 1907, sheets from eight plates were printed using horizontally watermarked paper, delivered in error by the manufacturer, rather than the normal vertically watermarked paper. Other than the early 360-subject plates for No. 279Bj-k, this is the only U.S. booklet pane known on horizontally watermarked paper (Image)

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