The Scarsdale Collection, Part Five: Used United States 1847-69 Issues continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1857 ONE-CENT PERFORATED TYPE IA.

Type Ia was produced by only 18 of the 20 bottom-row positions on Plate 4. Although Plate 4 was designed with sufficient space to accommodate perforations, the height of the top row and bottom row positions resulted in the perforations often cutting into the design at either top or bottom. For this reason, stamps from the bottom row of Plate 4 with the lower part of the design intact or nearly intact are especially desirable. The superbly-centered example offered here is highly desirable, because the bottom perfs barely touch the key elements of the Type Ia design.

With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE PERFORATED ONE-CENT TYPE II FROM PLATE 11. A DIFFICULT STAMP TO FIND IN SUCH CHOICE CONDITION.

When Toppan, Carpenter & Co. decided to make new 1c plates in 1861 (Plates 11 and 12), they used a new transfer roll and chose to enter the nearly complete design, rather than trim the transfers as they had for Plates 5 thru 10. The spacing on the plate left little room for perforations between stamps. Therefore, a wide-margined Plate 11 stamp such as this should be considered a condition rarity.

With 2003 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 PERFORATED ONE-CENT TYPE IIIA.

With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. THE 1857 ONE-CENT TYPE IV IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TYPES TO FIND IN SUCH CHOICE CONDITION. THIS STAMP IS A TRUE CONDITION RARITY.

Most examples of this issue have perforations either touching or into the recut lines. The example offered here, with intact recut lines at top and bottom, is exceedingly rare.

With 1985 and 2002 P.F. certificates. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT BRICK RED. EASILY ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES IN EXISTENCE.

Many collectors know this issue by type and shade, but fewer are aware of the order of production (or release). This state of confusion is partly due to the Scott Catalogue. The distinctive Brick Red shade of the 5c 1857 Issue comes first in the series of Scott-listed perforated 5c issues, but its true release date comes later in the sequence.

Based on dated covers, the 5c Type I shades were released in the following order: 1) Red Brown, Scott 28, EDU 8/23/1857, 2) Indian Red, Scott 28A, EDU 3/31/1858, 3) Brick Red, Scott 27, EDU 10/6/1858, 4) Brown, Scott 29, EDU 3/21/1859, almost certainly the last printing from the first 5c plate. The second 5c plate was made from a new six-relief transfer roll with the design projections cut away at top and bottom, to varying degrees. The Type II Brown was issued first (Scott 30A, EDU 5/4/1860), and the Orange Brown printing from the same plate followed about one year later (Scott 30, EDU 5/8/1861).

The first 5c sheets to be perforated in mid-1857 undoubtedly came from the unissued supply of 5c imperforate sheets in the "1856" Red Brown shade. These are akin to 1c perforated stamps from Plate 1 Late (Type IV, Scott 23) and Plate 2, and 3c perforated stamps from the Type I plate (Scott 25). Covers dated during the second half of 1857 and first quarter of 1858 have 5c stamps in the "1856" shade of Red Brown, which look like Scott 12 with perforations. By March 31, 1858, the EDU of the Indian Red shade, a second printing must have been made. We suspect that the entire family of Red Brown, Bright Red Brown and Indian Red shades -- all of which differ from the "1856" Red Brown -- were printed at the same time during the first quarter of 1858. No one has established a separate EDU for an "1858" Red Brown (Scott 28) -- separated from the earlier perforated "1856" Red Brown, which has the same Scott number -- thus our hypothesis cannot yet be supported by an EDU. If we are correct, the "1858" Red Brown and Indian Red should have similar EDU dates.

The Brick Red EDU of October 6, 1858, and its predominant use in early 1859 indicate either a separate printing (3rd Quarter 1858) or a later release date for stamps printed earlier. The Brick Red color is so far removed from any of the other 5c shades, we strongly suspect it was made inadvertently while the printers tried to match the earlier 1856 Red Brown. The Brick Red shade is actually closer to some of the 3c 1851 shades than it is to the 5c 1856. Sheets of the irregular 5c shades (Brick Red) would have been added to the stacks along with the subsequent Red Brown, Bright Red Brown and Indian Red sheets. However, when stamps were issued to post offices, the "color corrected" sheets would be released before the "irregular" Brick Red sheets were distributed.

Looking at the EDU's, there is a largely consistent pattern of new 5c printings at the beginning of each year in 1858 (Red Brown), 1859 (Brown), 1860 (Type II Brown) and 1861 (Type II Orange Brown). The only exceptions to this pattern are the "1856" Red Brown perforated sheets released in mid-1857, which make sense in the context of the first perforated issue, and the October 1858 Brick Red. The Brick Red stamps are much too scarce and limited in their distribution (New Orleans and a few other scattered post offices) to constitute a separate printing in 1858. In our opinion, it makes more sense if they were printed as part of the 1st Quarter 1858 printing, but released later in the year when needed.

Ex Mayer. With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM EXAMPLE OF THE INDIAN RED AT THE MOST EXTREME END OF THE SPECTRUM. A GREAT RARITY IN THIS SUPERB CONDITION AND ONE OF THE FINEST COPIES AVAILABLE.

Ex Dr. Morris. With 1996 and 2002 P.F. certificates. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A STUNNING USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1857 5-CENT RED BROWN.

With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1860 5-CENT TYPE II, WITH TREMENDOUS EYE APPEAL.

Ex Mayer. With 1994 and 2003 P.F. certificates (Image)