Most “Australia” collectors imagine the priciest basic face different
stamps they will need to secure to be “complete”, are the £1 and £2
Bi-Colour Kangaroos. Not even remotely close, I am here to tell you!
As I constantly type here: ”The LAST word in philately is NEVER
written.” We must never, ever, assume that all rare and scarce
and valuable stamps are known and recorded in the market. New major
discoveries occur each year.
A classic case in point is the 1909 20/- Postage Due illustrated nearby.
Until a month back, only 2 used copies were recorded. Now there are
THREE, and this one nearby is offered for auction in a few weeks from
when you read this piece.
As recently as 1990, very experienced dealer Rodney Perry says he would
have made a very large bet that not even a single used copy
existed of this stamp. Things change - never assume we know it all.
New discovery - cat £50,000.
It was sitting quietly in a fairly mainstream and generally unremarkable
stamp collection, formed over several generations by a NSW family. It
was consigned to Melbourne Auctioneer mossgreen recently. This stamp had
never been on the market before.
Australia’s Rarest Stamp
The rare stamp is the “Twenty Shillings With Stroke” Postage Due
first issued in 1909. It is Stanley Gibbons number D62, cat £50,000
used, and ACSC D65, cat $A75,000 for genuine used copies. Mint
examples, although rare, are rated about one sixth as much in both
catalogues.
The earlier 1902 green monocolour issue of exact same general design,
had the figure of value up HUGE in centre of the stamps, so that the
Pence and Shilling values were very easily mixed up by PO staff, as you
can see nearby. 2d was very heavily used, as double the 1d deficient
rate. Licking on a 2/- and charging 2d was a costly mess.
The dopes issued a 1d and 1/-, a 5d and 5/-, a 2d and 2/-, and 10d and
10/- etc in the set, that all looked pretty much identical to each other
on a glance, as can readily be seen from the photo nearby. Ten PENCE and
Ten SHILLINGS was a vast difference in revenue, if mixed up etc. Near a
week’s wages for a working man.
VERY similar design types.
Remember we are talking 1902 here. There was generally no widespread
electric light in all cities here until about WWI, so the small dark
post offices were generally poorly lit, and try sorting these stamps
apart when in a hurry in late afternoon half light - it would have been
very easy to mix them up, as you can imagine.
We must also remember that the Definitive stamps of the era all were in
totally different designs, and all in different colours, and were a
cinch to sort apart by clerks. But a set of a dozen different Dues, but
all in the exact same green, and with the same big single numeral values
in the centre, were a nightmare to sort.
Very readily confused.
All just had a large “2” and “10” in centre etc, and nothing else except
tiny letters saying PENCE or SHILLINGS underneath. So in 1908/1909 they
needed to re-issue the 1/- to 20/- values "With Diagonal Stroke"
to save confusion, and the obvious revenue loss.
That early Australia 1902 original green design in turn was of course
using the same plates of the NSW 1891 Postage Due series. And what is
little known is, that NSW totally stole that design from the USA Postage
Dues of the same era, as you can see on the photo nearby of a USA
stamp.
So from 1891 to the 1909 Bi-Colours, all these Postage Dues we sold,
were stolen slavishly from the USA claret design for those 18 years.
Very few realise that - the Statute of Limitation for Design Theft have
now expired I hope.
We STOLE design from USA!
The set was quietly issued with no announcement. ACSC “Postage Dues”
volume outlines that this late 1909 issue had just “a few months”
limited use before the 1909 Bi-Colours were released latter year, when
all the monocolour values were withdrawn, the ACSC also confirms.
ACSC also makes the interesting point that the 10/- and 20/- values were
ONLY sold in NSW, where they were printed, and few were
sold or used. They are regarded as Australia’s rarest face different
stamps. One assumes the other states had adequate stock of the 1902
series high values on hand at the time.
Of the other values of the “with stroke” series, only some values went
to SA and WA. No values at all went to the other states, including
Victoria. MINT copies of this series are scarce, but many times more
plentiful than genuinely used. These often get bad gum toning.
One very well-known Melbourne dealer used to wash the toned gum off mint
stamps of this series, and neatly cancel the corners with his dodgy
in-house “VIC-AUST” cancel, to make them appear to be the USED versions,
of vastly higher catalogue value.
NONE ever went to Victoria.
The new research showing that NO copies of this
series ever went to Victoria, nor did any CTO copies of any kind ever
exist, must have created a number of returns, for large refunds over the
years. One certainly hopes so. “Knowledge Is
Power”.
Of these “With Stroke” high values, the 2/-, 10/- + 20/-, despite
being an official Australian issue, ZERO copies were CTO’d for
UPU or VIP distribution, nor overprinted “Specimen”, as they were
replaced in months by the 1909 Bi-Colour issue.
So the only way to obtain a GENUINE example in postally used condition,
to complete an Australia used collection, is to secure one of the now
THREE known examples.
The once-unique example was in the Prestige Auction Rarities auction of
April 2005, and as a “T” lot, was invoiced for about $A75,000 - at a
time when Cat values for it were literally 10% of today’s levels! That
was the stamp featured on the cover of the previous edition of the ACSC
“Postage Dues” volume.
$A75,000, when unique.
Rodney Perry first offered that stamp in 1991 with the
following comment: "This stamp was acquired by the late Paul Simonsen
in the 1910s, and made its first appearance on the open market in 1990.
Prior to that time collectors doubted the existence of a used example -
I for one would have bet handsomely that such a stamp did not exist
..."
Not only is this “20/- with Stroke” stamp the absolute
key to a complete used collection of Australian stamps, it is also
believed to be the rarest Postage Due stamp from anywhere in the world.
I can’t think of anything else that comes close - can anyone else?
The second example of this “20/- with Stroke” stamp to surface had a
crease, and a small pen mark on face, but had superb deep colour. It
turned up in the United States a few years ago, also in a general
collection, and was auctioned by Siegels of New York November 2013, for
$A36,000 invoice, despite the defects.
This new discovery, which is a little toned, and slightly faded it
appears, has good perfs and centering, and will be offered by mossgreen
Auctions in Melbourne on February 27-28 February 2017, with estimate of
$A20,000. Mossgreen have sent the stamp to the Royal Philatelic Society
of Victoria for a Certificate.
Mossgreen example has a part strike of the distinctive
“[PAR]CELS B[RANCH/GPO SYDNEY]” cds in violet, that the other 2
recorded examples both exhibit, so it seems likely that any other copies
that may exist, should have the same cds. Whether it paid for bulk
postage etc, we will never know.
Gary Watson, a senior Philatelic manager from mossgreen told me with a
smile – “Imagine what this would be worth, if it was the third
recorded example of the US 1c Blue 1868 with Z Grill!” (Editor’s
note - only 2 of those exist, and the last transaction was made by Bill
Gross for many millions for his copy.)
“Kangaroos” ACSC now out.
I have typed this before, but it is true. Australia has THE best
and most detailed stamp catalogues of any country on earth in my view.
No-one else comes even remotely close - absolutely no-one.
Dr. Geoffrey Kellow
is an editor without par for this series of catalogues. Meticulous and
scholarly original research is evident in all volumes. The resultant 9
volume ACSC set is something all parties involved should be enormously
proud of.
A no-brainer at $A120.
The “Australian Commonwealth Specialists' Catalogue” (ACSC)
series edited by Dr. Kellow leads the world. Germany, the UK and the USA
produce nothing even remotely close. That would surprise many readers I
am sure, but it is very true.
The “Stanley Gibbons GB Specialised” multi volume set is a very
sick joke in comparison. They lack any kind of notes whatever as to
numbers extant of errors and varieties, or numbers sold or produced of
the basic stamp in most cases.
Much other essential detail and constant varieties are also totally
lacking, and that is a terrible shame. Even worse is the Scott “Specialised”
USA which is a pretty pathetic single volume that purports to cover
all USA issues from 1847 in specialised form.
Like the SG Great Britain “Specialised” virtually no detail
whatever is given by Scott as to numbers known of key pieces, and
details about them. And even the Michel German “Specialised” is
nowhere remotely near as detailed as the ACSC. And what detailed info
there is written in technical German.
I once asked fellow Sydney dealer Manfred Junge to translate a footnote
in Michel for me. Manfred was born and raised in Germany until an
adult, and obviously speaks fluent German.
Manfred simply did not have a clue what much of it said, as it was using
technical language and terminology that he simply could not translate.
So for the rest of us non German speakers, reading and comprehending the
Michel Specialised terms is a non-starter.
Now in Glorious Colour!
“Kangaroos” as a
stand-alone volume seemed to make excellent sense - the earlier listings that
included the Australian Colonies from 1901 made it far too unwieldy, and it fell
apart. The last Roo Edition was in 2013 for the huge “Australia 2013”, and was
mostly sold in black and white.
Kangaroos look best in colour!
I say “mostly”, as to my great surprise, at their booth at that
show, I saw copies with HARD covers, and in full colour for sale.
This was apparently another weird genius decision by previous owner Paul
Fletcher. Only 100 numbered copies were made, and not the full run. WACKO.
Anyway, life moves on, and fortunately this new Edition is in
colour, (and should have been hard cover) as the cost of printing anything in
colour in this century is about that same as mono, as most will realise who have
an even passing experience in this area.
Many clients told me they were not happy to spend $95 on the last
volume as it was dreary mono, and now is their chance to catch up with all the
new info, and all in one new book. The best of both world’s really, and if you
buy or collect Roos you MUST own this one.
I hope lots of collectors and dealers support this new edition
and undertaking, and secure a copy from their favourite dealer today - retail is
$A120, and I pre-sold quite a few. Buy this new edition, as the old one is out
of date now, and looks pretty sad and tired in mono!
The front cover image is spectacularly dreary for some
reason, as you can clearly see. A glummer, blander, choice would be truly hard
to make. The new Brusden White published “Kangaroos” includes super
specialised listings of this now 104 year old series. Also listed and priced,
are many essays and proofs and trials, and the like.
The value is there - finding just ONE half decent stamp - a
scarcer type “Specimen” overprint, the quite newly listed CTO issues, watermark
variations, double perfs, printing errors or monogram or imprint pieces etc,
will readily repay that outlay many times.
Major dealers have stock.
All leading dealers should have stock of this new catalogue as
you read this. Go and peruse one - you’ll be glad you did. This actually is the
SIXTH separate Edition of the “Kangaroos” catalogue since 1993.
A $100 stamp these days.
A great deal of work has been done in this and the last volume,
listing the MANY different “CTO” cancels found on early Kangaroo stamps, but Dr.
Kellow needs to update it up a little more still. Did you know the very
CHEAPEST 1d red Kangaroo CTO stamp listed is $A80? Well you do now!
Stampboards has had very detailed discussion on these popular
issues, 4,500 messages - and all of that info is found here -
tinyurl.com/ozCTOs
and
www.stampboards.com duly receives a credit in these catalogue prefaces.
The rather exceptional appearance 1d Red Kangaroo CTO example
shown nearby, with full gum, I sold to a very experienced collector, and he was
absolutely delighted to pay $A100 for it.
Ten or so years ago, I’d have got $5 maximum for such a stamp as
“fine used” retail - tops. It has no error, or variety or scarce die or shade -
just a nice looking CTO example of the very “commonest” type. (These also come
with a different “Flat Top 3” cds, that ACSC annoyingly still has not listed.)
That $A100 is near the cost of getting this new book, so do NOT
overlook updating! This kind of stamp turns up in club books at a couple of $s
to this day. Or from overseas online sellers, who have no idea what they are
offering. It is only £1.75 used in SG, and I saw one offered for £1 last week
in UK!
The new version has some new info and many price updates. Sadly
it was frantically rushed out, that much is clear, with many areas needing
attention. Dr. Kellow needs to do a LOT of work in addressing the issues raised
on stampboards etc, re typos and silly errors - areas where a day’s work will
bring things right up to speed.
“Jenny” lost for 99 Years!
The 1918 24¢
Inverted Jenny airmail stamp is by no means the world’s most valuable
stamp, as a full sheet of 100 were found and sold, but it certainly is
the best known of all the Twentieth Century stamp issues, no doubt about
that.
"Jennies"
have an allure, and they of course fetch FAR higher prices than
anything should, of which 100 copies exist. I have handled a number of
literally UNIQUE Australasian issues, that sell for a few $1000 apiece,
so 6 or 7 figures for Jennies is quite loopy, but that has always been
the market.
It is a "sexy"
stamp issue, and they have often been purchased by wealthy Americans who
have little interest in stamps generally. Bought BECAUSE it is a
well-known and "sexy" issue, that their friends at the golf club will
have heard about most likely, when doing the brag stories at the 19th
Hole!
An entire 250
page book has been written on this one stamp sheet - "Jenny!"
by George Amick - first published in 1986. That book pre-dates the
Barnum and Bailey $US4 million "Swap" of the Jenny Plate Block of 4, and
1c “Z” Grill by Bill Gross and Mystic Stamp Company of course.
All “Jenny’s” are
plated accurately
The stamp was
printed in carmine and blue, with the central image of the Curtiss Jenny
biplane incorrectly printed upside down. One sheet of 100 error stamps
was purchased at $US24 face value, from a Washington, DC Post Office in
1918, by collector William T. Robey.
Robey’s
historically lucky purchase was on 14 May 1918, the very first day the
stamps went on sale, in all three principal airmail route cities -
Washington DC, New York City, and Philadelphia PA.
“Hand Back The Sheet!”
The US Post
Office security officials later tracked Robey down, and demanded he hand
back the error stamps and he refused - as was his perfect legal right to
do. Robey sold his windfall sheet soon after to Eugene Klein, a
well-known Philadelphia stamp dealer.
Klein
subsequently sold the intact sheet of 100 stamps to the eccentric
millionaire collector Colonel Edward “Ned” Green for $US20,000, who had
Klein break up the sheet into singles and blocks of 4. Green had just
inherited $US50 MILLION from his mother Hetty’s passing, so $20K
was mere chicken feed.
Green kept
some of the stamps (damaging many due to appalling storage - 8 sticking
together in a blob, all now “no gum”) and later sold some others.
Efforts have been made to track the history of each stamp from the sheet
of 100, ever since the story of this fabled stamp began, nearly a
century ago.
Leading USA
stamp auctioneer Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York last
year launched a detailed website devoted to the “Inverted Jenny”.
That Jenny site pictures 98 of the 100 error stamps, along with
description and images and past sales and owners of each example.
An excellent
site - invertedjenny.com and a fascinating read for all those with some
time to spare, even if you do not collect USA. Wonderful rundown on the
history of this issue, and the finders, and all later owners of every
stamp etc are fully documented. There is a Hollywood script in there
for sure!
First time seen for
99 years.
As you can see
from the photo nearby where they have assembled images of 99 of the 100
stamps, several of the copies on top row have had the natural straight
edges re-perforated over the past ~100 years. And oddly LH margins have
been removed/reduced from several stamps on the left row.
The only two
of the 100 original stamps with zero information recorded on them (other
than being owned by Robey, Klein and Green in 1918) were stamp sheet
positions number 49 and 79. See screen capture nearby - ZIPPO data on
stamp #79 as this article was typed.
Never been on market
before.
Stamp position 79 has now
turned up, near 100 years from when last being sold. It has never been
on the stamp market before, never exhibited, and the whereabouts of it
was totally unknown to many generations of collectors and dealers.
Jenny "#79" will be offered for sale February 15 by an unknown to me art
and antique and household goods auctioneer in Chicago, called Leslie
Hindman Auctioneers, who seem well known in those other fields, but not
for stamps.
The stamp is part of a collection that has been in the same family for
generations, Ms Hindman told "Linn’s Stamp News". The family has
asked to remain anonymous. The collection was preserved as a family
heirloom, Hindman said, and added that the current owners are not stamp
collectors.
Zero info known re position 79.
The stamp is
listed with a pre-sale estimate of $US200,000 to $US300,000. It is part
of a larger collection from same estate, that includes a number of other
important rarities that will be offered during the February 15 auction.
Among them, is
a block of four USA 1901 4¢ Pan American Inverted Centres (Scott 296a)
described as "unknown," and a single 2¢ inverted centre stamp from the
same Pan-American set (Scott 295a). All rare pieces.
This “Jenny”
looks facially nice - many of the 100 have straight edges, and/or are
off centred, however this one has gum thins, disturbed gum, and brown
gum marks associated with a clear impression of a paper clip when seen
from back. Green probably affixed it thus to a letter or something
equally mindless - he was careless with his stamps.
Ms Hindman
told “Linn's” that the consigning family does not have historical
information about how their “Jenny” Invert stamp was acquired.
Philatelic Foundation curator Lewis Kaufman and executive director Larry
Lyons led the process of expertising the “Jenny” Invert that will be
auctioned.
“Based on
its extensive electronic and photographic records of this rarity, the PF
was able to certify that the Jenny Invert was genuine, and came from
position 79 in the sheet of 100, one of only two positions which have
not been seen in the marketplace, since the stamp was issued almost 100
years ago.”
Just nine
months ago, the Philatelic Foundation also authenticated another
long-lost 1918 “Jenny” Invert, the Position 76 stamp that had
been stolen in 1955 when it was part of the McCoy block of four.
The block was
purloined from an American Philatelic Society stamp show exhibit in
Norfolk, Virginia, and turned up 60 years later in Northern Ireland,
where it was found among non-stamp items allegedly purchased in a flea
market setting years ago.
The stamp was
returned to the rightful owner, the American Philatelic Research
Library, by the Irish finder, Keelin O’Neill, during a public event at
World Stamp Show in New York 2016 - see photo nearby of the handover.
$US50,000 reward for stolen stamp.
That rather
curious “Inverted Jenny” story unfolded one day I was at the NY
Expo, related to me by George Eveleth and Richard Debney of Spink USA.
As reported in my column in May 2016, an example of this stamp was
consigned to Spink NY for auction, by a young man from Ireland, who
claimed he inherited it from dead Grandpa, who owned no other stamps.
Hmmm.
Investigation
showed this stamp was stolen from the USA Exhibition in 1955 and had
been missing since. The then legal owner willed it to the APS Library
should it ever surface. The stamp was later re-perforated, and some
idiot also removed most of the gum, in order to hide the light pencil
sheet number on reverse, rather than simply erase it.
Truth
is stranger than Fiction!
It appears the
young "owner" had essentially been given a “choice” of accepting the
$US50,000 Mystic Stamps "reward", or possibly getting charged with
handling stolen goods! He wisely took the money. The FBI had opened a
Criminal case on the matter, and obtained a Federal Court order over
movement of the stamp.
So here in the
photo nearby we have the cheque handover during the NY Expo 2016. The
Irish “finder” Keelin O'Neill is at microphone, flanked by a $50,000
poorer Mystic Stamps, an FBI Agent, a NYPD cop, the New York District
Attorney, and the rather pleased APS officials etc who finally
got their stamp!
It was all
like some Barnum and Bailey movie script, but it all happened one day
when I was at the New York show, with many onlookers, and mainstream
press and TV cameras, and all done in front of the real Curtiss Jenny
bi-plane at the entrance to the hall, as can be seen in photo.
Colonel Green and his “Exotic Dancer”
One single in
particular, stamp 9 from top row, Green set aside for special treatment.
He had it placed in a pendant made of two convex pieces of glass with a
gold rim, and ring for a chain, back to back with a normal 24¢
Jenny airmail stamp. 100 years on, miraculously, the stamps had not
“stuck” to each other.
“Locket Copy” re-opened.
This so-called
“Locket Copy” example was opened for the first time in recent
years to examine, and despite bent corners etc from being placed in a
locket a little too small, it had totally unhinged gum. It “apparently”
sold for $US164,500 to a coin collector mid 2015, despite 3
un-successful attempts to find it a new home at other auctions.
Not
surprisingly, considering the auction was run by a coin firm, Stack’s
Bowers Galleries, the buyer was a coin collector. The Virginia retiree
who apparently bought the stamp for $US164,500 thought it was
“cheap” despite being straight edged at top, poorly centred, with a
missing NW corner perf, and totally bent lower corners, with a crease
and gum bend.
The Inverted Jenny “Locket Copy”
Green had
presented the bauble to Mabel Harlow, a woman he had wed in 1917, just a
few months after the passing of his mega-millionaire mother, Hetty Green
(“The Witch Of Wall Street”) who had very deeply disapproved of
Mabel, whom she called “Miss Harlot”. Green was single into his
40s, as Hetty had approved of no match.
What
ex-prostitute and “Exotic Dancer” Mabel thought of the curious gift is
unrecorded, but there's no evidence that she ever wore it. It was
unknown to the stamp world until 1956 when a dealer casually mentioned
it in a magazine. 30 years would then pass until anyone else saw it.
More detail here - tinyurl.com/24cLocke
This locket
had not even been seen until 1950s when Mabel died, and then only
briefly by a dealer who appraised it for her Estate. George Amick
tracked it down to a female companion of Mabels, and when she passed in
2002, it was offered at auction for the first time, where it did not
sell.
It continued
to be offered in subsequent years via corny American razzmatazz. Some
spiv in California in 2012 had it listed on ebay of all places. And it
still could never get a buyer.
Green
inherited about $US50 Million in 1917 (Bill Gates league today) when his
frugal mother passed - having amassed a larger fortune than J.P.Morgan.
It was Hetty's unwillingness to spend money on proper medical treatment,
that led to the amputation of her teenage son Edward's left leg.
He spent the
rest of his life hobbling on a cork prosthetic leg. His visits to New
York City's Nassau Street stamp district were legendary. Green would sit
in his limousine, with his artificial leg propped up on an outside
stool. Dealers would bring him their offerings, and he would pay in
cash for the pieces he liked.
When died in
1936 Green left his estate to his sister, not to his wife. It totalled
about HALF what he inherited from his frugal mother 20 years earlier.
His stamp collection was dispersed in a series of 28 auctions over four
years, comprising some 50,000 lots.
Jenny’s start to rise
again.
Dealers reported to me of record high
prices being obtained for top end material, during the 8 day New York Expo, for
a wide range of stamps. I saw a 1924 USA 24¢ “Inverted Jenny” on display at the
Robert Siegel auction super-booth. It had just been invoiced for an amazing
$US1,351,250, at their Expo sale. My photo is nearby.
HINGED Jenny fetches $US1,351,250
This was for a HINGED
example, and blew away by miles in price, what any other “Jenny” has ever
sold for - even the unhinged mint examples! I spoke in New York to VP’s John
Zuckerman and Charles Shreve from Siegels, and they were over the moon with this
record price.
“Jennies”
have been rather soft in recent years in price, so this is an amazing “about
face”, and is a great sign that the market for better material is strongly on
the rise from all areas. Global low interest rates always do this. What the
new discovery will fetch, you will know a week or two after reading this column!
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