The Saddleback Collection of U.S. Errors and Plate Blocks

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 4-CENT COLUMBIAN ISSUE.

With 1996 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 4-CENT COLUMBIAN ERROR OF COLOR.

The 4c Columbian color error was caused by the use of a wrong batch of ink, and spectrographic analysis has shown that the blue inks of the 4c error and 1c Columbian have the same components.

Stamps from at least two panes reached collectors, and the few cancelled examples indicate that stamps used by the public came from other panes. It is likely that a number of full sheets were printed using the wrong ink, and most of the stamps have simply been lost to philately.

With 1987 P.F. certificate (Image)

FINE-VERY FINE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 5-CENT COLUMBIAN ISSUE.

Scarce in such fresh condition. (Image)

FINE. A SCARCE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 10-CENT COLUMBIAN ISSUE

A review of our computerized records indicates that we have only offered one other Mint N.H. plate block of eight (as well as one plate block of six and one plate block of ten) since keeping computerized records. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A MAGNIFICENT MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 15-CENT COLUMBIAN ISSUE. EASILY ONE OF THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT PLATE BLOCK TO OBTAIN IN SUCH WONDERFUL MINT NEVER-HINGED CONDITION.

This plate block is surprisingly scarce. Since we started keeping computerized records almost 13 years ago, we have only offered one Mint N.H. multiple larger than a plate block of six (except for in a pane of 100), which was a bottom plate block of eight. It realized $28,000 hammer in our Sale 920. We have also only offered one hinged plate block of six and two hinged plate blocks of eight in that time. (Image)