2009 Rarities of the World continued...

FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1922 PERF 10 AT TOP OR BOTTOM VARIETY. ONLY TWELVE SINGLES AND TWO PAIRS ARE KNOWN TO US.

Of the examples contained in our records, only five singles and one pair are sound.

With 2009 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF SCOTT 594. ONE OF THE RAREST 20TH CENTURY STAMPS IN SOUND AND CENTERED CONDITION.

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 recently completed exhaustive census of Scott 594, available at our website at: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/594/594.pdf , contains 88 used singles, four used pairs and five covers (including one with a pair) for a total of 102 used stamps. Many have perforations either in on one or more side, or have faults.

Census No. 594-CAN-06. With 1974 and 2009 P.F. certificates (Image)

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VERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF SCOTT 594. ONE OF THE RAREST 20TH CENTURY STAMPS IN SOUND AND CENTERED CONDITION.

Our recently completed exhaustive census of Scott 594, available at our website at: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/594/594.pdf , contains 88 used singles, four used pairs and five covers (including one with a pair) for a total of 102 used stamps. Many have perforations either in on one or more side, or have faults.

Census No. 594-CAN-12. With 1990 and 2000 P.F. certificates (Image)

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VERY FINE FOR THIS ROTARY WASTE ISSUE. ONLY THIRTEEN EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED, AND EIGHT OF THESE HAVE THE KANSAS CITY PRECANCEL. ONE OF THE GREATEST RARITIES OF 20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES PHILATELY.

The Rotary Perf 11 rarities (Scott 544, 594, 596 and 613) were created during an attempt by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to salvage waste from the end of the paper during rotary press printings. The rotary press, first used for printing coil stamps in 1915, was a new printing method designed for rapid production. Rather than print stamps on a flat plate one sheet at a time, the rotary press was fitted with a cylindrical plate that continuously applied impressions to long rolls of paper.

Rotary press stamps have dimensions that differ slightly from their flat plate counterparts, due to the curvature of the cylinder. If the plate is wrapped around the cylinder from top to bottom (endwise) then the design is slightly longer, if wrapped around from side to side (sidewise) then the design is slightly wider.

At the beginning or end of rotary press printings, there was some leading or trailing paper that was too short for either rolling into coil rolls, or for perforating for 400-subject sheets. In 1919, the Bureau devised a plan to salvage this waste by perforating and cutting the sheets into panes. These were put through the flat-plate perforating machine in use at the time, giving the stamps full perforations on all sides.

Our updated census of Scott 596 (http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/596/596.pdf) records thirteen used stamps. There are no known unused examples. Eight are precancelled at Kansas City Mo.

Census No. 596-CAN-10. With 1994 and 2002 P.F. certificates and 2009 P.S.E. certificate (F 70, SMQ $170,000.00) (Image)

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VERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE 2-CENT HARDING ROTARY PERF 11 ISSUE. ONLY 44 SINGLES ARE RECORDED IN OUR CENSUS.

Our census of the 2c Harding Rotary Perf 11 at our website at www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/613/613.pdf records 43 used singles (one faintly cancelled, if at all), one used pair and a newly-discovered used strip of three. Of the singles, approximately 30 are sound, but of these only six rate a grading of Very Fine or Extremely Fine.

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 distinguishes sheet-waste stamps -- Scott 544, 596 and 613 -- from the coil-waste stamps and explains the existence of a straight-edge on Scott 613.

Census No. 613-CAN-41. With 2007 ans 2009 P.S.E. certificates (VF 80, SMQ $109,000.00) (Image)

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VERY FINE AND CHOICE. ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED SETS OF THE HUGUENOT-WALLOON TERCENTENARY SMALL DIE PROOFS ON WOVE.

The other set was owned by President Roosevelt. (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE EVERY LISTED (AND ONE UNLISTED) ESSAY AND PROOF FOR THE POPULAR LEXINGTON-CONCORD ISSUE.

Most of these are unique. For the P2 set, only two are recorded. Most ex Livingston. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS FANTASTIC STAMP HAS BEEN GRADED GEM 100 BY P.S.E. -- THIS IS THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED TO DATE AND ONLY ONE OTHER SHARES THIS GRADE.

Collectors who have tried to assemble a set of the Kans.-Nebr. overprints are often frustrated at the lack of superior centering and at the small margin size of this issue. They rarely come in higher grades. For the 22 different stamps of the issue, only four denominations of the Kans. overprints and only six denominations of the Nebr. overprints have stamps graded 100.

With 2009 P.S.E. certificate (Gem 100, unpriced in SMQ above the grade of 98, SMQ $2,800.00 as 98). This is the highest grade awarded to date and only one other has achieved this grade. (Image)

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VERY FINE TO EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE UNIQUE BOTTOM DOUBLE PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF TEN OF THE 2-CENT YORKTOWN ISSUE, IMPERFORATE VERTICALLY. ONE OF THE GREATEST 20TH CENTURY COMMEMORATIVE RARITIES.

The 2c Yorktown was issued on October 19, 1931, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the surrender of General Cornwallis to General Washington at Yorktown. Because previous Revolutionary War stamps had honored our allies from Germany and Poland, it was suggested that the French should be honored with the new issue. Rochambeau and DeGrasse were selected in recognition of their contribution to Washington's victory at Yorktown.

There were two distinct printings of this issue, using different plate layouts. The first employed 100-subject plates for both the frame and vignette. However, due to problems with paper shrinkage the vignettes were difficult to align to the frame, resulting in excessive waste. The second printing was made from a 100-subject plate for the frame, but a 50-subject plate was used for printing the vignette. This allowed for greater control, thereby significantly reducing waste.

The imperforate-vertically error occurred during production from the second plate configuration. We know this because different plate numbers were used for the first and second layouts. We also know that only one pane of 50, rather than a sheet of 100, was produced with vertical rows of perforations missing, because the perforations were applied after the sheets of 100 with the frame impression were divided into panes of 50 for the second press run. Therefore, we can be reasonably certain that this bottom plate number multiple is unique.

Purple Weill backstamp in selvage. Scott Retail as four Mint N.H. pairs, without premium for the plate block or two additional stamps. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. THE UNIQUE LARGE DIE TRIAL COLOR PROOF FOR THE 1932 3-CENT OLYMPICS ISSUE. A WONDERFUL THEMATIC TRIAL COLOR PROOF.

This originated from the collection of John Eissler, who was the engraver of the vignette. Ex Eissler, Rosen and Livingston. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE AND EXCEPTIONALLY RARE SET OF PROGRESSIVE DIE ESSAYS FOR THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD ISSUE. WE HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER SET.

These essays trace the production of the die, with the first two lacking the sky as well as shading in the background figures. The following two add the sky and progressively add more shading to the figures. The final one appears to have the design complete.

These essays, missing from the Livingston Collection, come from an old-time railroad collection and offer a wonderful opportunity for further study. They are unlisted in Scott (Image)

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