Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. Sale

2004 Rarities of the World continued...

**Foreign**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description	Est/Cat	Realized
639		Fournier Forgery Album. No. 250, containing approximately 3,000 items comprising unused and used singles, multiples and many surcharges and cancels, complete except for only five empty spaces, exceptionally fresh pages in blue binder with "Album De Fac-Similes Edite Par L'Union Philatelique de Geneve" embossed in gold on front cover, some wear where inside of front cover attaches to pages EXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THE FOURNIER FORGERY ALBUM. ONLY 480 ALBUMS WERE MADE. According to Varro Tyler's Philatelic Forgers, Their Lives and Works, Fournier, unlike many of his contemporary forgers, did not seek to defraud the public. He described his material as facsimiles and promoted it to collectors who could not afford to purchase genuine items and to uneducated collectors as a preventive measure against being deceived by dishonest stamp dealers. When Fournier died in 1917, one of his employees, Charles Hirschburger, unsuccessfully tried to continue the business. When Hirschburger died in 1927, l'Union Philatelique de Geneve purchased the Fournier stock, which weighed over 800 pounds, from Hirschburger widow. The Union then marked the forgeries with "FAUX" handstamps on the front and/or "Facsimile" on the reverse, and employed students from the Geneva School of Arts and Crafts to mount representative selections of the forgeries in 480 albums. Whatever was not placed into one of the books was burned to ashes. Because Fournier made forgeries from such a wide variety of countries, many of the 480 books have been either been divided into country references or have had many items removed. Very few remain intact and have the degree of completeness as does this book. We believe that because of its condition and completeness, this is one of the better examples of the few remaining Fournier Forgery books (Image)	E. 5,000-7,500	3,250.00
640		1851, 6p Grayish Purple, Laid (2, SG 2). Clear to large margins showing sheet margin at left, cancelled by target on 1852 folded letter to New York, red "Montreal L.C. Oc. 7, 1852" datestamp, matching "Canada" in arc and "Paid", faint file folds not affecting stamp VERY FINE. A CHOICE COVER BEARING A SHEET-MARGIN SINGLE OF THE 6-PENCE SLATE VIOLET ON LAID PAPER From the Kennedy correspondence (Image)	E. 2,000-3,000	0.00
641		U.S. Sanitary Commission, Cincinnati Branch. Large colorless embossed circle over U.S. Sanitary Commission Shield Emblem in black on yellow cover used in England, G.B. 1p Red (33) tied by "London-N JY 19 65" circular datestamp and numeral grid, addressed to Liverpool and redirected to Leicester with "Liverpool JY 21 65" circular datestamp and "1d" ms. rate, magenta ms. "Not called for" and corresponding Leicester backstamp, Very Fine, a remarkable usage of Sanitary Commission stationery in England where support for the organization was very strong, ex Kantor (Image)	E. 1,500-2,000	0.00
642		GREAT BRITAIN, 1847, 1sh Pale Green, Die I (5, Gibbons Specialized H1). Block of four, 14mm horizontal band at center without gum, otherwise original gum, h.r., huge sheet margin at right, just touching to full other sides, horizontal crease between stamps and thru bottom pair, top right stamp tiny pinhole, staining noted on certificate but we do not agree FINE APPEARING AND RARE UNUSED MULTIPLE OF THE 1847 ONE-SHILLING PALE GREEN VICTORIA HEAD FROM PLATE ONE. With 2004 R.P.S.L. certificate. Gibbons Retail (Image)	15,000.00	5,750.00
643		NEWFOUNDLAND, 1930, 50c on 36c Olive Green, Columbia Air Post (C5, SG 191). Position 3, rich color, barest faint trace of hinge FRESH AND VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THIS AIR POST RARITY. With 1990 B.P.A. certificate. SG Ł5,000 (Image)	7,000.00	3,250.00
644		NEW BRITAIN, 1914, 5p on 50pf Yacht, First Setting, Inverted Overprint (10 var). Original gum, lightly hinged, choice centering, rich colors, clear overprint, couple tiny faults do not detract at all not noted on certificate EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5 PENCE ON 50 PFENNIG WITH G.R.I. SURCHARGE. POSSIBLY UNIQUE. Despite a 1959 certificate signed by Robson Lowe and Bill Lea, this item is not listed in either Scott, Gibbons or Michel. Robert Gibbs in his work "G.R.I." notes that an example was part of the Marquess of Bute collection, but it has yet to be authenticated (p. 68). Whether this is the Marquess' copy is unknown. With 1959 B.P.A. certificate (Image)	E. 4,000-5,000	0.00
645		ZURICH, 1843, 6r Black, Vertical Red Lines (1L2, Zumstein 2S). Type III, large margins incl. part of adjoining stamp at right, tied by perfect strike of red Cross cancel, matching "Zurich 6/5 1845" double-circle datestamp on folded part-printed form, fresh and Very Fine, a beautiful cover, with 2002 Rellstab certificate (Image)	E. 2,000-3,000	1,800.00

Foreign

Lot

Sym.

Lot Description

Est/Cat

Realized

639

Fournier Forgery Album. No. 250, containing approximately 3,000 items comprising unused and used singles, multiples and many surcharges and cancels, complete except for only five empty spaces, exceptionally fresh pages in blue binder with "Album De Fac-Similes Edite Par L'Union Philatelique de Geneve" embossed in gold on front cover, some wear where inside of front cover attaches to pages

EXTREMELY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THE FOURNIER FORGERY ALBUM. ONLY 480 ALBUMS WERE MADE.

According to Varro Tyler's Philatelic Forgers, Their Lives and Works, Fournier, unlike many of his contemporary forgers, did not seek to defraud the public. He described his material as facsimiles and promoted it to collectors who could not afford to purchase genuine items and to uneducated collectors as a preventive measure against being deceived by dishonest stamp dealers.

When Fournier died in 1917, one of his employees, Charles Hirschburger, unsuccessfully tried to continue the business. When Hirschburger died in 1927, l'Union Philatelique de Geneve purchased the Fournier stock, which weighed over 800 pounds, from Hirschburger widow. The Union then marked the forgeries with "FAUX" handstamps on the front and/or "Facsimile" on the reverse, and employed students from the Geneva School of Arts and Crafts to mount representative selections of the forgeries in 480 albums. Whatever was not placed into one of the books was burned to ashes.

Because Fournier made forgeries from such a wide variety of countries, many of the 480 books have been either been divided into country references or have had many items removed. Very few remain intact and have the degree of completeness as does this book. We believe that because of its condition and completeness, this is one of the better examples of the few remaining Fournier Forgery books (Image)

E. 5,000-7,500

3,250.00

640

1851, 6p Grayish Purple, Laid (2, SG 2). Clear to large margins showing sheet margin at left, cancelled by target on 1852 folded letter to New York, red "Montreal L.C. Oc. 7, 1852" datestamp, matching "Canada" in arc and "Paid", faint file folds not affecting stamp

VERY FINE. A CHOICE COVER BEARING A SHEET-MARGIN SINGLE OF THE 6-PENCE SLATE VIOLET ON LAID PAPER

From the Kennedy correspondence (Image)

E. 2,000-3,000

0.00

641

U.S. Sanitary Commission, Cincinnati Branch. Large colorless embossed circle over U.S. Sanitary Commission Shield Emblem in black on yellow cover used in England, G.B. 1p Red (33) tied by "London-N JY 19 65" circular datestamp and numeral grid, addressed to Liverpool and redirected to Leicester with "Liverpool JY 21 65" circular datestamp and "1d" ms. rate, magenta ms. "Not called for" and corresponding Leicester backstamp, Very Fine, a remarkable usage of Sanitary Commission stationery in England where support for the organization was very strong, ex Kantor (Image)

E. 1,500-2,000

0.00

642

GREAT BRITAIN, 1847, 1sh Pale Green, Die I (5, Gibbons Specialized H1). Block of four, 14mm horizontal band at center without gum, otherwise original gum, h.r., huge sheet margin at right, just touching to full other sides, horizontal crease between stamps and thru bottom pair, top right stamp tiny pinhole, staining noted on certificate but we do not agree

FINE APPEARING AND RARE UNUSED MULTIPLE OF THE 1847 ONE-SHILLING PALE GREEN VICTORIA HEAD FROM PLATE ONE.

With 2004 R.P.S.L. certificate. Gibbons Retail (Image)

15,000.00

5,750.00

643

NEWFOUNDLAND, 1930, 50c on 36c Olive Green, Columbia Air Post (C5, SG 191). Position 3, rich color, barest faint trace of hinge

FRESH AND VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THIS AIR POST RARITY.

With 1990 B.P.A. certificate. SG Ł5,000 (Image)

7,000.00

3,250.00

644

NEW BRITAIN, 1914, 5p on 50pf Yacht, First Setting, Inverted Overprint (10 var). Original gum, lightly hinged, choice centering, rich colors, clear overprint, couple tiny faults do not detract at all not noted on certificate

EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5 PENCE ON 50 PFENNIG WITH G.R.I. SURCHARGE. POSSIBLY UNIQUE.

Despite a 1959 certificate signed by Robson Lowe and Bill Lea, this item is not listed in either Scott, Gibbons or Michel. Robert Gibbs in his work "G.R.I." notes that an example was part of the Marquess of Bute collection, but it has yet to be authenticated (p. 68). Whether this is the Marquess' copy is unknown.

With 1959 B.P.A. certificate (Image)

E. 4,000-5,000

0.00

645

ZURICH, 1843, 6r Black, Vertical Red Lines (1L2, Zumstein 2S). Type III, large margins incl. part of adjoining stamp at right, tied by perfect strike of red Cross cancel, matching "Zurich 6/5 1845" double-circle datestamp on folded part-printed form, fresh and Very Fine, a beautiful cover, with 2002 Rellstab certificate (Image)

E. 2,000-3,000

1,800.00