2003 Rarities of the World continued...

FRESH AND FINE. A MOST UNUSUAL GROUP OF 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUES, EACH WITH A HOLE PUNCH.

Unlisted in Scott. We have been unable to find any reference to these in philatelic literature. See lot 383A for the 90c 1861 Re-Issue with identical punch hole (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A RARE STAMP IN ANY CONDITION -- THIS 3-CENT 1869 RE-ISSUE RANKS HIGHLY IN TERMS OF COLOR, CENTERING, AND FRESHNESS.

Original sales figures show that among the 1869 Pictorial Re-Issues, the 3c and 90c stamps accounted for the smallest number of units sold (1,406 and 1,356, respectively). Overall, the 1869's were popular with stamp collectors, far outselling the 1851-60 and 1861-66 Re-Issue sets. However, the 90c stamp's high denomination and the availability of ordinary 3c stamps limited demand. Today, both are rare, and handling over the years has not been kind to most of the surviving examples. This 3c is remarkable not only for its centering (an unusual example of near-perfect centering), but its overall freshness.

With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 6-CENT 1869 RE-ISSUE,

With 1986 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE.

With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING 12-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE WITH ORIGINAL-GUM.

With 1995 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A SUPERB 12-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE WITH ORIGINAL-GUM.

With 2002 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A RARE SOUND AND SUPERB USED EXAMPLE OF THE 12-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE.

The 12c is one of the rarest values of the 1869 Re-issue set in such choice used condition. In fact, it was the only 1869 re-issue Robert Zoellner accepted with a small fault. In our opinion, this stamp ranks among the two or three finest extant.

With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 15-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE.

With 1994 P.F. certificate. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN INCREDIBLY FRESH ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 15-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE IMPERFORATE HORIZONTALLY. A TRUE CONDITION RARITY AND PROBABLY THE FINEST EXTANT.

In United States Postage Stamps of 1869, author Jonathan Rose states that only one sheet of 100 was issued. A much smaller group are still known to exist. Given the considerably smaller number of horizontally imperforate copies, the premium of $2,000 that Scott Catalogue applies seems rather low.

With 1982 and 2002 P.F. certificates (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 24-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE.

With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BRILLIANT ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 30-CENT 1869 PICTORIAL RE-ISSUE.

With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)