Discoveries

THE DREAM OF EVERY COLLECTOR—AND AUCTIONEER—IS TO DISCOVER a rarity or long-lost item and bring it into the limelight. This year’s Rarities of the World sale offers several remarkable “finds” that have never been available on the auction market. For an auctioneer who is at heart a collector, the thrill of being entrusted with such items for sale is almost as satisfying as being the discoverer.

First up is a cover with a clear red impression of an unusually elaborate handstamp used at the United States Naval Depot in Hong Kong, circa 1859 (lot 2004). No one, including Hong Kong specialists we consulted, has ever seen this marking. While it is logical that the Naval Depot should have used a handstamp, it is remarkable that 143 years passed before any example came to light.

In the 1851-56 Issue section of the sale, we have three covers from a family correspondence that is being made available to the philatelic market for the first time (lot 2069-2071). The covers are addressed to Midshipman R. W. Meade Graham on board the U.S.S. Constellation, in care of the U.S. Consul at Spezzia, Sardinia. Featured in this trio of covers is a newly-recorded block of the 12c 1851. With only six blocks on cover reported, this is a significant postal artifact.

We spend a lot of time maintaining census data for rare stamps and covers. Just when one thinks the last stamp has been counted, along comes another. The superb 2c Carmine Vermilion 1875 Special Printing in lot 2219 is one of those new “additions”(discovery is not quite the right term). It becomes 180-UNC-24 in our census, the 24th recorded example of Scott 180. Likewise, an old-time collection yielded a Scott 596 that we never encountered in our survey of auction and expertizing records, although it was reported in a publication years ago. As lot 2338 in this sale, it becomes census number 596-CAN-13.

20th Century philately is ripe for discovery, and we have two new examples of rare perforation varieties in the 1922 Issue: Scott 554d (lot 2331) and Scott 557c on cover (lot 2332).

Perhaps the most fascinating philatelic artifact to come to light is the Inverted Jenny “Locket Copy” (lot 2341), which was given by Colonel Green to his wife, Mabel. It has never been offered to the public until now.

Among the Back-of-Book Issues is a superb Mint N.H. plate block of the scarce 10c 1894 Postage Due (Scott J35, lot 2365) and two Mint N.H. plate blocks of the 10c and 25c Parcel Post Postage Dues (Scott JQ4-JQ5, lots 2395-2396). These have never been available to collectors as plate blocks in such condition.

Finally, among the Carriers and Locals, a favorite field of mine, we offer rare St. Louis covers from the S. M. Arnold collection (lots 2403-2404, 2415), a newly-discovered Blood’s entire (lot 2408), Moody’s Penny Dispatch cover (lot 2414), and Third Avenue Post Office 2c on Pink (lot 2416).

These discoveries should inspire everyone to keep looking.

            — SCOTT R. TREPEL

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