2007 Rarities of the World continued...

AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND BEAUTIFUL STRIP OF THE ONE-CENT 1851 ISSUE, CONTAINING BOTH OF THE BETTER TYPE IB POSITIONS AND A COMPLETELY SOUND EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF POSITION 7R1E -- THE SEVENTH STAMP IN THE RIGHT PANE OF PLATE 1 EARLY -- WHICH IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE 1,000 POSITIONS USED TO PRINT IMPERFORATE ONE-CENT STAMPS THAT SHOWS THE COMPLETE DESIGN (TYPE I). PARTICULARLY DESIRABLE WITH THE RED CANCELLATION, WHICH COMPLEMENTS THE BRIGHT BLUE SHADE AND LEAVES THE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS COMPLETELY VISIBLE.

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

Because of the significance attached to the outer portions of the 1c 1851 design, examples that have been carefully cut apart so as not to impinge on any part of the design are extremely desirable. The narrow spacing between stamps in the sheet and the users' indifference to the outlying ornamentation during separation are factors that contribute to the great rarity of four-margin examples.

The Wagshal Census (this is No. 5-MUL-066) notes that A. R. Brigham wrote to Stanley B. Ashbrook on March 25, 1939, regarding this strip, to state that "I purchased the stamp a little over three years prior from a Boston dealer who informed me it came from a find somewhere near Berlin N.H." The strip comes from the Pasadena Collection and has not been on the market for more than 60 years. It has also been kept in the dark, which accounts for its remarkable color and freshness.

With 2007 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF POSITION 6R1E, ONE OF THE TWO POSITIONS THAT FURNISHED THE BEST TYPE IB EXAMPLES, SHOWING THE COMPLETE DESIGN AT TOP AND NEARLY COMPLETE DESIGN AT BOTTOM.

Type Ib was produced only as an imperforate stamp. Six positions on Plate 1 Early furnished stamps qualifying as Type Ib--Positions 3-6R and 8-9R--distinguished by the complete design at top and nearly complete design at bottom. When first entered on the plate, these six positions (as well as 7R1E) had the complete design at top and bottom. However, unlike 7R, small portions of the bottoms were burnished away. Positions 6R and 8R have more of the bottom design than the other Type Ib positions.

With 1999 and 2006 P.F. certificates (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF POSITION 8R1E, ONE OF THE TWO POSITIONS THAT FURNISHED THE BEST TYPE IB EXAMPLES, SHOWING THE COMPLETE DESIGN AT TOP AND NEARLY COMPLETE DESIGN AT BOTTOM.

With 2005 P.S.E. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 1851 ONE-CENT IMPERFORATE TYPE 1B.

Type Ib comes from only six positions on Plate 1E: Positions 3-6, 8 and 9R1E. (Image)

VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE IA IMPERFORATE.

The extremely rare Type Ia, showing the full design at bottom, was furnished only by 18 of the 200 subjects on Plate 4 (the remaining two bottom-row positions were sub-type Ic).

Scott Retail with non-pen cancel $12,500.00. Considering the fact that a light pen cancel leaves the design characteristics unmasked, the reduced Scott value for a pen-cancelled No. 6 seems unjustified. (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A RARE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE II ONE-CENT 1851 IMPERFORATE FROM PLATE 3.

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.

With 1992 P.F. certificate (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 ONE-CENT TYPE IIIA IMPERFORATE.

Sound, unused, four-margin examples of the scarcer 1c 1851 types are extremely desirable. (Image)

VERY FINE AND CHOICE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 1851 IMPERFORATE 3-CENT ORANGE BROWN.

With 1976 P.F. certificate for block of four (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE CALENDAR ASSEMBLED FROM THE 3-CENT 1851 ISSUE. A DAUNTING UNDERTAKING AND A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION PIECE.

Scott Retail of $5,124.00 does not reflect colored cancels or the difficulty of assembling all of the different dates. (Image)