The William H. Gross Collection: United States Multiples continued...

DESCRIPTION

3¢ Orange Red, Type I (11), Positions 39-40/49-50/59-60/69-70R4, unused block of eight (no gum) from right pane of Plate 4 with "Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. ANK NOTE ENGRAVERS. Phila. New York, Boston & Cincinnati" imprint and "No. 4" plate number at right, full to ample margins, light shade

PROVENANCE

As block of 16: John N. Luff

As block of 8: Siegel Auction Galleries, 8/9/1966, Sale 304, lot 146

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1975 Rarities of the World, 3/25/1975, Sale 468, lot 28

Stanley M. Piller, Siegel Auction Galleries, 3/25/1993, Sale 748, lot 71, to Chapin

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to Mr. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Chapin census no. 27

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine appearance; two horizontal creases ending in closed tears in margin, which has been slightly reduced

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$4,500.00 (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 11]

DESCRIPTION

3¢ Dull Red, Type II (11A), Positions 37-40/47-50/57-60/67-70R3, block of 16 from right pane of Plate 3 with "Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. ANK NOTE ENGRAVERS. Phila. New York, Boston & Cincinnati" imprint and "No. 3." plate number at right, original gum, large margins to just clear

PROVENANCE

Siegel Auction Galleries, 4/28/1965, Sale 286, lot 16, to Chapin

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to Mr. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Chapin census no. 21 (illustrated on page 23)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1965)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine appearance; mostly minor faults including tears

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$8,500.00 for plate block of eight and two blocks of four (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 11A]

DESCRIPTION

3¢ Rose Red, Type II (11A), Positions 31-32/41-42/51-52/61-62L2L, block of eight (no gum) from left pane of Plate 2 Late with "Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. ANK NOTE ENGRAVERS. Phila. New York, Boston & Cincinnati" imprint and "No. 2" plate number at left, mostly full to large margins except slightly in at top right

PROVENANCE

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1974 Rarities of the World, 3/27/1974, Sale 448, lot 33

Stanley M. Piller, Siegel Auction Galleries, 3/25/1993, Sale 748, lot 80, to Chapin

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to Mr. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Chapin census no. 17

CONDITION NOTES

Fine-Very Fine appearance; one stamp slightly creased, thins in bottom pair and one with small tear

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$4,500.00 (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 11A]

The largest recorded multiple of the 10¢ Type I Imperforate

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, Type I (13), Positions 96-100R1, unused horizontal strip of five (no gum) from the bottom right corner of the sheet with full to large margins at top and bottom, which show the full shells at bottom (the distinguishing characteristic of Type I), Position 100R with double transfer variety, slightly in at ends, rich color and sharp impression

PROVENANCE

Discovered as part of a group of six strips of five 10¢ 1855 stamps adhering to an 1857 letter, found by Alexander Drysdale Gage and first reported in Stamps 8/30/1941

Probably sold to Philip G. Rust soon after discovery

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1987 Rarities, 5/2/1987, Sale 679, lot 108

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1989 Rarities, 4/15/1989, Sale 708, lot 85

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1992 Rarities, 10/3/1992, Sale 745, lot 364

Traded by Michael Perlman to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Stamps 8/30/1941 article reporting discovery

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1989)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine-Extremely Fine; right stamp has small tear at bottom

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$42,500.00 as five singles without gum (a pair valued at $42,500.00)

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

Stuck Together in 1857

The 10¢ Type I strip offered here--the largest multiple of Scott 13--was found in 1941 in a group of six strips of five, $3 face value, cut from the same sheet and included in a letter mailed on May 30, 1857, from Sacramento to an eastern publisher to pay for a subscription. When the publisher received them, the stamps had become stuck down, so he wrote a note on the letter and returned it with the unusable stamps, asking the sender to replace them with currency. About 84 years after these events, the letter with the stamps still attached was found by Alexander D. Gage (1905-1986), of Pasadena, a stamp dealer and partner in Higgins & Gage. The stamps were plated by Stanley B. Ashbrook, and the discovery was reported in the 8/30/1941 Stamps magazine.

Following their discovery, at least three were eventually acquired by Philip G. Rust, a chemical engineer by training and the husband of Eleanor Francis du Pont, a fifth generation heiress to the family fortune. On his farm in Georgia, Rust quietly formed a spectacular collection of classic U.S. stamps and covers, buying in sales throughout the 1940s, 50s and 60s. It is believed that he consigned three strips (61-65R, 76-80R and 96-100R) to the 1987 Rarities of the World sale. The Type I strip remained intact and was eventually sold again in the 1992 Rarities of the World sale, where it was acquired by Michael Perlman. Prior to the Washington 2006 exhibition, Mr. Gross traded a cover for the strip, so it could be shown among other largest known multiples. (Image)

1857 letter as discovered with six 10¢ strips stuck together<#><#> Digital reconstruction of six strips in their positions in sheet

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Get Market Data for [United States 13 var.]

The 10¢ 1855 Type II Imperforate in a dazzling interpane sheet-margin pair

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, Type II (14), Positions 9-10L1, horizontal pair from the top right of the left pane of Plate 1, huge sheet margin at top and interpane margin at right showing the full centerline, large margins all around, original gum with slight disturbance, beautiful rich color and sharp impression

PROVENANCE

Louis Grunin, H. R. Harmer sale, 12/14-15/1976, lot 2320

Michael Lea, Sotheby Parke Bernet sale, 1/11/1978, Sale 10, lot 42

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1985 Rarities of the World, 4/20/1985, Sale 645, lot 77

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to William H. Gross, 2002)

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1983)

CONDITION NOTES

Extremely Fine; horizontal crease in top margin

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$11,000.00 as an ordinary pair (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 14]

This original-gum strip of eight is the largest recorded unused multiple of the 10¢ 1855 Imperforate and the most outstanding unused multiple containing Type IV

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, Types II and IV (14, 16), Positions 71-78L1, horizontal strip of eight from the left pane of Plate 1, comprising six Type II and two Type IV--Positions 74L recut at top and 76L recut at bottom--large part original gum, three large margins including parts of adjoining stamps at top and an enormous 19mm left sheet margin, rich color, fresh and bright

PROVENANCE

Alfred H. Caspary, H. R. Harmer sale, 1/16-18/1956, lot 508, to Weill

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1969 Rarities of the World, 3/25/1969, Sale 350, lot 36

Louis Grunin, H. R. Harmer sale, 12/14-15/1976, lot 2353

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 171, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Lester G. Brookman, United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century, Vol. I, fig. 235, page 157

ANPHILEX 1971 "Aristocrats of Philately"

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1977)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine-Extremely Fine appearance; two vertical scissors-cuts between the sheet margin and left stamp and between Positions 73 and 74 (third and fourth stamps from left), light vertical bend/crease between Positions 76 and 77 (sixth and seventh stamps from left)

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$107,000.00 as two Type II-IV combination pairs and two Type II pairs

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The Rare 10¢ 1855 Type IV Recuts

The 10¢ Green Imperforate was issued in mid-1855, the second denomination of its kind after the 1847 Issue. The need for 10¢ stamps was revived in 1855 when Congress created a new prepaid "over 3,000 miles" rate for letters to and from the West Coast. They also gave the postmaster general discretionary power to require prepayment by stamps.

The 10¢ stamps were printed by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. from steel plates of 200 subjects, divided into panes of 100. 10¢ Type IV stamps are defined by recut outer curved lines at the top or bottom of the design, or both in one position (64L). Recutting was done on only seven scattered positions in the left pane and one position in the right pane. Therefore, only 4% of the stamps from Plate 1 are Type IV. The strip of eight offered here, containing two Type IV positions with a recut line at top (74L) and at bottom (76L), is the largest unused multiple of the 10¢ 1855 Issue and the largest unused multiple with Type IV stamps.

This strip was one of the featured items in the 1956 sale of the Alfred H. Caspary collection, where it sold to the Weills for $3,100. While many outstanding items bought by the Weills in the Caspary sales went directly to Bejamin D. Phillips, their closely guarded client, this strip is not listed in the Phillips inventory. However, after the Weills acquired the entire Phillips collection in 1968 for $4.07 million, they began consigning items to auctions. This strip appeared in the 1969 Rarities of the World sale, along with several other pieces from the Phillips collection, so perhaps it was part of the collection at one point, but not listed in the inventory.

After the Rarities sale, the strip next appeared in Louis Grunin's 1847-1869 exhibit, which won the Grand Prix National at INTERPHIL in 1976. Following the sale of Grunin's 1847-1869 off-cover material in 1976, the strip was acquired by Ryohei Ishikawa for his own 1847-1869 exhibit, which earned him three Grand Prix awards in exhibitions from 1981 to 1987. At the 1993 sale of Ishikawa's collection, Mr. Gross captured the 10¢ 1855 strip for his own collection. (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States ?14,16]

DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, Types IV/I (16/13), Positions 86/96L1, vertical pair from the only two positions on the plate of 200 subjects with Types IV and I adjoining one another, Position 86 top line recut and recut curved lines over both "X" ovals, Position 96 from bottom row with full shells at bottom, full margins, rich color, clear strike of St. Louis circular datestamp

PROVENANCE

Saul Newbury, Siegel Auction Galleries, Part 1, 5/17-18/1961, Sale 240, lot 233

Louis Grunin, H. R. Harmer sale, 12/14-15/1976, lot 2364

John C. Chapin (collection sold privately to Shreves and then to Mr. Gross, 2002)

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Lester G. Brookman, United States Postage Stamps of the 19th Century, Vol. I, fig. 242, p. 161

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1977)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine-Extremely Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$5,000.00 (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 16,13]

DESCRIPTION

12¢ Black, Part India Paper (17 variety), Positions 64-65/74-75L1, block of four, large part original gum with slight disturbance, full margins all around, proof-like impression on bright paper with fibrous surface

PROVENANCE

Siegel Auction Galleries, 1992 Rarities of the World, 10/3/1992, Sale 745, lot 385

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (2019)

CONDITION NOTES

Very Fine

SCOTT CATALOGUE VALUE (2019)

$45,000.00 for block on normal paper

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

The 3¢ and 12¢ 1851 Issue are both found on Part India paper, which is a handmade silky paper that varies in thickness within the same sheet. The Neinken 12¢ 1851-57 book (pp. 61-64) quotes from earlier publications by Ashbrook, Chase and Jaeger, which describe the look and feel of Part India stamps as "undoubtedly from the very first impressions from the Twelve Cent plate. The engravings are very sharp and resemble die proofs or plate proofs on India. The shades of both these items are of the earliest known, the distinctive grayish." This block from Positions 64-65/74-75L1 was joined with the block of nine on Part India paper from Positions 61-63/71-73/81-83L1, which was cut up after it was last sold (Siegel Sale 989, lot 61, 2005 P.F. certificate). (Image)

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Get Market Data for [United States 17 var.]