2018 Rarities of the World continued...

**Air Post, Back-of-Book Issues**
Lot	Sym.	Lot Description
93		65c-$2.60 Graf Zeppelin (C13-C15). Mint N.H. bottom plate no. blocks of six, choice centering, deep rich colors, 65c few small gum skips as usually seen, $1.30 expertly sealed tear in selvage at right, $2.60 natural short gum at bottom and few natural gum skips and bends as often found on this issue VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE APPEARING SET OF BOTTOM PLATE NUMBER BLOCKS OF SIX OF THE GRAF ZEPPELIN ISSUE. This set is particularly desirable as Mint N.H. matched bottom positions. Most sets offered are not matched. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 16,050.00 SOLD for $8,500.00 Will close during Public Auction
94°		65c-$2.60 Graf Zeppelin (C13-C15). Mint N.H. panes of 50, 65c with plate no. 20077 at bottom and right, $1.30 with plate no. 20086 at top and right, $2.60 with plate no. 20090 at top and left, 65c with 5mm tear in bottom plate number selvage and few slightly telescoped perfs, $1.30 few natural gum skips and bends as often seen and few stamps at left natural inclusions, also top left stamp small thin spot, $2.60 some natural gum skips (or possibly slight disturbance) mostly confined to sixth and ninth rows, choice centering throughout all three panes VERY FINE-EXTREMELY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE SET OF INTACT PANES OF 50 OF THE 1930 GRAF ZEPPELIN ISSUE. THIS IS THE FIRST WE HAVE OFFERED SINCE KEEPING COMPUTERIZED RECORDS. A review using Power Search did not find any other intact panes. The largest multiples we have offered over the last 23 years of our auctions, which includes over 270,000 auction lots, are blocks of six. One has to go back to our 1974 Rarities sale in Power Search to find blocks of ten. Intact panes of 50 were offered in the 1990 Weill sales and in the 1967 Lilly sale Part 5, but we do not know if they remain intact. Scott Retail as 38 Mint N.H. singles and two Mint N.H. plate blocks. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 98,600.00 SOLD for $105,000.00 Will close during Public Auction
95°		1911, 25c Black, Rodgers "Vin Fiz", Unofficial Air Post (CL2). Uncancelled on piece of official flight post card with other side showing Calbraith Rogers portrait and portion of his plane, clear margins to just in as are almost all of the known examples, small corner crease ending in a tiny tear at top right VERY FINE APPEARANCE AND EXTREMELY RARE. ONLY TWELVE EXAMPLES OF THE 25-CENT RODGERS "VIN FIZ" STAMP ARE RECORDED. A GREAT AIR POST RARITY. The Vin Fiz stamp was issued by Pilot Calbraith Rodgers' wife for his attempted transcontinental flight in October 1911. Rodgers was competing for a $50,000 prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst to the first person to complete the trip within 30 days. Vin Fiz refers to the popular soft drink maker who was a sponsor of Rodgers' flight. Our census of the Vin Fiz can be viewed at our website at https://siegelauctions.com/census/us/scott/CL2 . Census No. CL2-PCE-01. Ex "Aurea" (Golden). With 1991 P.F. and 2013 Diena certificates (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 55,000.00 CLOSED Will close during Public Auction
96		2c Vermilion (J30). Wide top imprint and plate no. 34 block of six, lightly hinged at upper right, vivid color, Fine, a fresh and very rare wide top plate block of this issue, a review using Power Search found only one other wide top plate block offered in our auctions since 1993 (a Mint N.H. example from our 2009 "Whitpain" sale, which realized $17,500 hammer), with 1996 P.S.E. certificate (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 6,500.00 CLOSED Will close during Public Auction
97°		$10.00 State (O70). With bottom left corner selvage, original gum, bright colors, wide corner margins FINE EXAMPLE OF THE $10.00 STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUE WITH CORNER SELVAGE. With 2010 P.F. certificate for a block of four (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 4,500.00 SOLD for $3,250.00 Will close during Public Auction
98	S	$2.00 State, Specimen Ovpt. (O68S). Without gum as issued, bright color, tiny thin speck at bottom left FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE $2.00 STATE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL PRINTING. ONLY 32 WERE SOLD. In March 1875 the Post Office Department initiated a program to make reproductions, reprints, re-issues and special printings of all past and present issues available for purchase at face value through the office of the Third Assistant Postmaster General in Washington, D.C. The official announcement stated in part "The official stamps cannot be used except for the official business of the particular Department for which provided... All of the specimens will be ungummed; and the official stamps will have printed across the face the word 'Specimen,' in small type." Of the 32 sold, Markovits estimated that approximately 20 are known (Bennett sale). Ex Sheriff, Lietzow, Lewenthal and Price. Illustrated in Combs. (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 19,000.00 SOLD for $7,500.00 Will close during Public Auction
99		72c Pale Rose, 1875 Special Printing (PR45). Without gum as issued, brilliant color, choice centering for this difficult issue with unusually wide margins EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 72-CENT 1875 CONTINENTAL SPECIAL PRINTING. RARE IN SUCH CHOICE CONDITION. Only 174 were sold. Most tend to be significantly off center on two sides. The example offered here, with wide margins, is a condition rarity. With 2008 P.F. certificate (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 4,500.00 SOLD for $3,750.00 Will close during Public Auction
100		84c Pale Rose, 1875 Special Printing (PR46). Without gum as issued, radiant color and crisp impression, choice centering for this difficult issue EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 84-CENT 1875 CONTINENTAL NEWSPAPER SPECIAL PRINTING. RARELY FOUND IN SOUND AND WELL-CENTERED CONDITION. Only 164 were sold. With 1974 and 1999 P.F. certificates (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 5,250.00 SOLD for $4,000.00 Will close during Public Auction
101		25c Parcel Post (Q9). Left plate no. 6173 and "TWENTY-FIVE" at bottom block of eight with wide selvage, six stamps Mint N.H., top two hinged, deep rich color, light erased pencil notations in selvage, top right stamp small natural inclusion, Very Fine and scarce plate block from the top left of the pane, we have offered only two other imprint and plate no. blocks of eight since keeping computerized records, ex Wampler (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 3,500.00 SOLD for $1,700.00 Will close during Public Auction
102°		50c Parcel Post (Q10). Mint N.H. right plate no. 6427 and "FIFTY" at bottom block of eight with wide selvage, radiant color and crisp impression, choice centering, small and light pencil notation on back of selvage at bottom VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE MINT NEVER-HINGED PLATE NUMBER AND "FIFTY" BLOCK OF EIGHT OF THE 50-CENT PARCEL POST ISSUE. A BEAUTIFUL PLATE BLOCK. The Parcel Post issues were printed from plates of 180 which consisted of four panes of 45. According to Johl, the uniform color of the twelve denominations led to confusion on the part of postal clerks, who complained that they were forced to examine the stamps in detail to ensure they had the correct values. In response, on January 27, 1913, large capital letters were added to the margins near each plate number. At top and bottom the imprint is in the selvage next to the plate number on all denominations; on the sides it is separated by a stamp with blank selvage for some (depending on the length of the imprint). The plate block offered here comes from the top right pane. A block of six is sufficient to qualify as a plate block for the 50c value, in contrast to the 25c offered in the previous lot, which requires a plate block of eight from the side in order to capture the full imprint. The two extra stamps at the top of this plate block beautifully balance out the appearance by placing the plate number in the more traditional middle position. Ex Wampler, where this was described as one of the great plate block rarities of the 20th Century. Scott Retail as plate block of six plus two singles (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com	$ 29,000.00 SOLD for $10,000.00 Will close during Public Auction

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