Rare United States Stamps and Covers continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL PASTE-UP STRIP OF FOUR OF THE RARE SCOTT 388.

The third stamp is a Mint Never-Hinged Extremely Fine Gem with Jumbo margins.

With 1963 and 2003 P.F. certificates. Scott Retail as hinged pairs with 2mm and 3mm spacing (Image)

A FINE-APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 3-CENT ORANGEBURG COIL.

With 1994 P.F. certificate (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF 20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES PHILATELY.

With 1987 P.F. and 2000 P.S.E. certificates (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 3-CENT ORANGEBURG COIL ON A FRESH COVER. ONLY THIRTEEN ORANGEBURG COIL COVERS HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED AS GENUINE BY THE PHILATELIC FOUNDATION. OFFERED TO THE MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME.

The Orangeburg coil was made by the Post Office Department in 1911, specifically for use by the Bell Pharmaceutical Company. The 3c coil stamps were used to send samples of their products to physicians. Due to the quantity of mail, they were put through the first-class cancelling machine at Orangeburg, New York. The Orangeburg coil stamps' use on third-class mail, and the fact that philatelists were generally unaware of their production accounts for their rarity.

With 2003 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. AN INCREDIBLE MINT NEVER-HINGED 10-CENT ORANGE-YELLOW PANAMA PACIFIC IN THE FINEST ATTAINABLE CONDITION. AN AMAZING STAMP.

With 2003 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. ONE OF THE FINEST MINT NEVER-HINGED GUIDE LINE PAIRS OF SCOTT 445 IN EXISTENCE.

According to Johl (Vol. 1, page 143), the 3c stamps were mainly used for special mailings such as samples and pamphlets and were therefore not widely available to collectors of the day. This accounts for their rarity in such superb and pristine condition.

With 2000 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. THE 1915 2-CENT TYPE I ROTARY VERTICAL COIL IS RARE IN USED MULTIPLES.

With the basic letter rate at 2c, used coil multiples are extremely rare.

With 2003 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE. AN EXTRAORDINARILY RARE COVER BEARING A PAIR OF THE 1915 2-CENT ROTARY TYPE I VERTICAL COIL. AN OUTSTANDING 20TH CENTURY COVER.

Type I rotary press stamps were produced using the same master dies as had been used for flat plate printings. However, due to the curve of the plate to fit the rotary press, the impressions lacked some of the details of the flat plate printings. New dies were made with strengthened lines, resulting in the Type II stamps. After plate wear was noticed, further strengthening was necessary, resulting in the Type III stamps. Scott 449 was not produced until almost a year and a half after the Type I horizontal coil, Scott 453. Due to the unpopularity of vertical coils, this Type I stamp was in production for only a short period of time before being discontinued. Because 2c was the prevailing rate at the time, very few used multiples have survived, and covers almost invariably bear a single. This pair on cover was sent by registered mail to W. T. Wilson, a British stamp dealer, and is one of the rarest of all United States 20th Century covers.

Ex Faulstich. (Image)