United States Stamps and Postal History continued...

FINE-VERY FINE. A RARE COMPLETE PANE OF THIS CLASSIC AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY ISSUE.

Scott Retail as two plate no. and imprint blocks of 14 and 72 singles (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. AN UNUSUALLY CHOICE AND WIDE-MARGINED EXAMPLE OF THE 6-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE ISSUE WITH ORIGINAL GUM.

With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE ISSUE WITHOUT SECRET MARK, WHICH IS RARELY SEEN IN THIS SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION.

With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS PRISTINE STAMP IS PROBABLY THE FINEST MINT NEVER-HINGED 10-CENT 1879 AMERICAN ISSUE WITH SECRET MARK IN EXISTENCE.

Unlike other values of the 1879 Issue, there are virtually no 10c stamps in Mint Never-Hinged condition. A thorough review of auction catalogues, including sales of the Caspary, Close, Sinkler, Col. Green, Lilly, Braus, Wunderlich and Klein collections, among others, produced no Mint N.H. singles and no blocks containing Mint N.H. stamps. At a future date, when exhaustive census work has located every high-grade example of Scott 188, we believe that this stamp will be proven to be the finest Mint N.H. example extant, and we doubt that more than four or five Mint N.H. copies exist in total.

With 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott Retail for hinged (Image)

VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. THE 30-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE PRINTING IS UNLISTED AS A PLATE PROOF.

The Scott Catalogue lists the 30c Black in proof form only as the 1870 National (Scott 154) or 1873 Continental (Scott 165) printings. It is known as an American Bank Note Co. large die trial color proof on India, but is unlisted as a plate proof with American's imprint. In our Finkelburg sale, we offered a 30c plate block with the same American imprint and plate number, but identified it as 165P4. We feel compelled to offer this sheet with correct identification as 190P4 and hope that future editions of the Scott Catalogue will follow our cue and list 190P4, even if the listing is restricted to examples that show the identifying imprint. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN EXTRAORDINARY 30-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE STAMP. THIS ISSUE IS RARELY OBTAINABLE IN CHOICE MINT NEVER-HINGED CONDITION.

The 30c 1879 American Bank Note Company issue is surprisingly difficult to obtain in choice Mint N.H. condition. It is surprising because the 15c (Scott 189) is readily available. However, a survey of our photo records and auction library revealed the scarcity of well-centered 30c blocks from which singles could be harvested. The blocks in the Green sales were off center. Caspary had a well-centered hinged block of four, and Lilly had a block of nine with problems. The Moody block of six was well-centered, but appears to have had hinge remnants on all stamps. The Todd collection had two blocks, including one with a Mint N.H. pair at bottom (this has probably been broken, furnishing at least two Mint N.H. stamps). The Close collection had a well-centered block of four (with reinforcing) and a large plate block. The Siegel firm's three major Bank Note Issue sales (Braus, Hirschfield, Wunderlich) contained blocks, but all were either off center or had hinge remnants. A well-centered block of four appeared in our 1982 Rarities sale, but it was hinged.

For the collector who desires only Mint Never-Hinged stamps, this offering is significant. As a guide to relative value, we recently sold a Mint N.H. example of Scott 190 from the Fox collection (Sale 829) for $11,000 hammer, and another example in our Sale 833 also realized $11,000 hammer. Neither of those had a sheet margin.

Acquired by the Halls in the H. R. Harmer sale of March 12, 1951. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL PAIR OF THE IMPERFORATE 90-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE ISSUE.

With copy of 1997 P.F. certificate for block, this being the top pair. (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE PAIR OF THE IMPERFORATE 90-CENT 1879 AMERICAN BANK NOTE ISSUE.

Acquired by the Halls in the Edson J. Fifield sale of the Col. Green collection (Part XXVII, Apr. 23, 1946) and accompanied by original lot card. (Image)