2005 Rarities of the World, Part One continued...

FINE. A RARE STRIP OF THREE ON COVER CONTAINING THE DESIRABLE TYPE I IMPERFORATE ISSUE -- POSITION 7 FROM THE RIGHT PANE OF PLATE ONE EARLY. ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES ON COVER IN A VERTICAL STRIP OF THREE.

The published census compiled by Jerome S. Wagshal contains 90 unduplicated records of Scott 5. There are probably no more than ten examples existing outside of the Wagshal census population. Therefore, the 1c 1851 Type I is the rarest of all United States stamps issued regularly prior to the 1868 Grills.

Only 22 covers bearing Scott No. 5 are recorded in the Wagshal census. Of these, some may have been soaked off of their covers to satisfy collector demand for singles.

Wagshal Census No. 5-COV-089. Ex Waud and last offered to the market in our Sale 637 in 1984. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THE ONE-CENT 1851 ISSUE FROM PLATE 3 IS RARE IN ANY CONDITION -- THIS SUPERB SINGLE IS PROBABLY THE FINEST IN EXISTENCE.

According to Ashbrook and Neinken, Plate 3 is believed to have been made in March or April 1856, possibly to replace the defective Plate 2 and/or to meet the increased demand for stamps concurrent with the April 1855 change in postal regulations requiring prepayment of postage. For an unknown reason -- possibly a severe defect that arose in the plate -- very few stamps were printed from the new Plate 3 before it was retired, and surviving examples are rare.

Plate 3 comprised Type II stamps exclusively. Early impressions are found with a distinctive mottling or ink film caused by ink remaining on the plate after it had been wiped. The absence of mottling on this stamp indicates it is a later impression.

With respect to Plate 3 stamps such as this, which can be plated with certainty, Neinken wrote (p. 220): "The fact is that in this day and age, if a stamp has been plated as a Plate 3 position, and this plating is substantiated by a knowledgeable student or a Philatelic Foundation certificate, the Plate 3 stamp realizes far more in auction sales, or when purchased from a dealer, even though it has no definite Plate 3 characteristics. There is only one certain way to identify a stamp as being printed from Plate 3, and that is to definitely plate the position."

Plate 3 stamps have always been highly respected and enthusiastically collected, especially examples that show one or more of the distinctive features (surface cracks, mottling or Prussian Blue color). However, searching thru past sales of major 1c 1851 collections -- Chase, Emerson, Fleckenstein, Newbury, Ishikawa and Cipolla -- it is obvious that very few Plate 3 stamps rival the condition of this stamp.

With 2000 P.F. certificate as strip of three. Unused stamps from Plate 3 are not priced in Scott. The more common Plate 4 Type II stamp is priced at $4,500.00 in unused condition. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT IMPERFORATE TYPE III.

With 2004 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE. A DESIRABLE ON-COVER EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1851 ONE-CENT IMPERFORATE TYPE III FROM POSITION 99R2. THIS POSITION IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE III, WITH THE WIDEST BREAKS AT TOP AND BOTTOM.

Type III is defined by breaks in the outer lines at both top and bottom. Many Type III stamps have breaks that were created or enlarged by plate wear. Since the wear occurred over a period of time, a majority of stamps of this type (both unused and used) have small breaks in at least one line. The most notable exception is Position 99R2. According to the Neinken book, "The 99R2 stamp is a fresh entry, that was short transferred both at top and bottom, over an original entry that had been erased... The reason that 99R2 is the finest example of Type III is because of its very short transfer at top and at bottom, giving us the wide breaks in these lines." (p. 184).

Signed Ashbrook. Last offered to the market in our 1975 Rarities of the World auction, this is the first cover with a 99R2 Imperforate we have offered since the Zoellner sale in 1998. (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE. THIS IS THE ONLY ESSAY DESIGN SHOWING THE CORNER ROSETTES. AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION PIECE.

Some students consider this to be one of the proof impressions of the die used for the Roosevelt and Panama-Pacific small die proofs. Others, including the late Clarence Brazer, consider this to be one of the die essays produced in 1851.

We have sold one in Black and one in the other listed color, Dusky Blue. However, those examples differed from the one offered here. This example shows clear die layout lines, which the others did not.

Ex Piller (where illustrated on the front cover of the catalogue) (Image)

VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE SOUND EXAMPLE OF THE 3-CENT CHICAGO PERFORATION ON A COVER SENT BY THE HADLEY PERFORATING MACHINE'S EARLY PROMOTER.

This cover was sent to the postmaster in Portsmouth N.H. by R. K. Swift, the banker and businessman who promoted the perforating machine invented by Dr. Hadley in Chicago. (Image)