2004 Rarities of the World continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1867 3-CENT C GRILL.

Ex "Chappaqua". With 1986 P.F. certificate. (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 2-CENT D GRILL.

As a thorough search of past auction catalogues shows, the 2c D Grill in original-gum condition is conspicuously absent from most important collections. The finest examples are contained in the intact block of four, ex Caspary, Lilly and Klein. To underscore its rarity in original-gum condition, we have only offered seven different singles since December 1995 with original gum. Most have centering similar to the example offered here.

With 1996 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 3-CENT D GRILL.

Ex Puliafito. With 1997 P.F. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE BEST-CENTERED EXAMPLES AMONG THE FEW KNOWN ORIGINAL-GUM COPIES OF THE 1868 2-CENT Z GRILL.

To form our assessment of this 2c Z Grill, we conducted a survey of approximately 100 auction catalogues for major United States collections sold over the past 60 years. The majority of these collections contained only used or very poor unused examples of 85B. We noted the following: our 1975 Grunin sale had a well-centered 85B with nearly full original gum and small faults, remarkably, Caspary and Lilly had a few singles and multiples with original gum, but all of these had perfs cutting far into the design, the ex-Connoisseur and ex-Vernon Morris 85B is similarly well centered with original gum, Clifford C. Cole had a well-centered single with slightly disturbed original gum, our 1970 Rarities sale had an original gum block with the top pair creased, but the bottom pair was well-centered (probably still intact as a block), our 1971 Rarities sale had an off-center original gum pair, our 1981 Rarities sale had a right sheet-margin copy with original gum and choice centering, the Rorke specialized Black Jack collection had a superb 85B, but without gum, and, finally, our recent sale of the Golin collection had another superb no-gum copy. In general, many accomplished collectors, such as Sheriff, Klein and Seymour, evidently were unable to acquire a well-centered, original-gum 2c Z Grill.

In our September 1999 auction (Sale 814), a sound, Extremely Fine 2c Z Grill with full original gum realized $24,000 hammer. This stamp is very nearly its equal in terms of centering.

With 1998 P.F. certificate

FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 2-CENT Z GRILL.

With 1970 and 1998 P.F. certificates. Scott Retail with gum (Image)

VERY FINE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 3-CENT Z GRILL.

Excluding the supremely rare grills -- 5c and 30c A Grill, 3c B Grill, 1c, 10c and 15c Z Grills -- the 3c Z Grill is the rarest of the regularly-produced grilled issues. Examples of the 3c Z Grill are usually far off-center and faulty. This stamp is one of the few sound original-gum examples of the 3c Z Grill with Very Fine centering.

With 1983 and 1996 P.F. certificates. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE USED EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 12-CENT Z GRILL.

With 1996 P.F. certificate. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1868 10-CENT E GRILL.

While blocks of the 10c F Grill have been broken in recent years, yielding some choice single stamps, the 10c E Grill blocks are extremely rare and always have been. Caspary's block of 18 was broken years ago, but many of the stamps had faults or disturbed gum. Few other blocks have become available to furnish singles. This stamp is certainly among the finest extant.

With 1989 P.F. certificate. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. THE 1868 10-CENT E GRILL IS RARELY OBTAINABLE IN THIS SUPERB ORIGINAL-GUM CONDITION.

With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)