US Stamps Value Scott Catalogue #1: 5c 1847 Benjamin Franklin. Page 125

o U.S. General Issues, 1847, 5¢ red brown, #1. Used, 3 margin copy, thin, repaired, creased, Average. Scott $600. Estimate price $100.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Apr 2009, Sale 81, Lot 520

UNITED STATES Scott 1847 Issue 1847 5c red brown, blue town cancel, margins all around including part of adjoining stamp at left, v.f.

Cherrystone Auctions, Apr 2009, Sale 200904, Lot 1

UNITED STATES Scott 1847 ISSUE 1847 5c red brown, horizontal strip of four, red square grid cancels, full to clear margins all around, right stamp with small tear and pinholes, otherwise fine and presentable multiple

Cherrystone Auctions, Mar 2009, Sale 200903, Lot 5

UNITED STATES Scott 1847 ISSUE 1847 5c red brown, margins all around including part of adjoining stamp at lower left, small blue pen mark at bottom, tied by neat red grids on FL from Boston to Lowell, Mass., with matching Boston cds alongside, fine

Cherrystone Auctions, Mar 2009, Sale 200903, Lot 6

UNITED STATES 1847 ISSUE 1847 5c red brown, large die proof on india, with full cross-hatchings, v.f.

Cherrystone Auctions, Mar 2009, Sale 200903, Lot 3

UNITED STATES Scott 1847 ISSUE 1847 5c red brown, large margins all around, tied by red grid cancel, with matching Boston (29 Sept) departure pmk on FL sent in 1848 to New York, filing fold away from the stamp, v.f.

Cherrystone Auctions, Mar 2009, Sale 200903, Lot 7

o U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, #1. Red grid cancel, 3 large margins, Fine. Scott $600. Estimate $150-200.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1076

U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, Dot in “S” Variety, #1. Tied to small piece by bold red grill cancel, close to large margins, Fine to Very Fine. Scott $650. Estimate price $200-250.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1071

o U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, #1. Blue town cancel, vertical and corner creases, 4 huge margins, Extremely Fine appearance. Scott $725. Estimate $200-250.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1072

o U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, #1. Red grid cancel, 4 close margins, light horiz. crease at top, otherwise Fine to Very Fine. Scott $600. Estimate price $200-220.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1073

o U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, #1. Red grid cancel, clear to nice margins all around, Very Fine. Scott $600. Estimate value $200-250.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1074

o U.S.; General Issues, 1847, 5¢ Red Brown, #1. Red grid cancel, close to large margins, tiny thin at left edge, Very Fine appearance. Scott $600. Estimate value $150-180.

Harmer-Schau Auction Galleries, Feb 2009, Sale 80, Lot 1075

5c Dark Brown (1a). Mint N.H., huge margins all around including enormous left sheet margin, gorgeous Dark Brown shade and razor-sharp impression from a very early printing, the paper and gum are fresh and pristine EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS CERTAINLY THE FINEST MINT NEVER-HINGED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE IN EXISTENCE. A MAGNIFICENT POST-OFFICE FRESH STAMP FROM THE UNITED STATES FIRST GENERAL ISSUE — GRADED XF-SUPERB 95 JUMBO BY P.S.E. The Act of March 3, 1847, signed by President Polk, specified that Postmaster General Cave Johnson “be authorized to prepare postage stamps, which when attached to any letter or packet, shall be evidence of the payment of the postage…” The law’s effective date was July 1, and the Post Office acted immediately to secure a contract with Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and (the new partner) Edson, so that stamps could be distributed by that date. The Franklin vignette is reported to have been based on a portrait by John B. Longacre, and it also closely resembles a painting by Joseph S. Duplessis. A careful review of auction records, including a Power Search of our auction database, produced only one other 5c 1847 described as Mint Never-Hinged. It is the top stamp in a vertical pair, which is ex Caspary and Drucker (Siegel Sale 851, lot 2), but the margins are not comparable to the margins of this stamp. There are two previously hinged examples (both Scott 1a) graded 98J in the P.S.E. Population Report, one of which is the corner-margin copy from our 2002 Rarities sale. With 2008 P.S.E. certificate (XF-Superb 95 Jumbo). Scott Retail value for hinged has little relevance to the value of the Mint N.H. stamp.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jan 2009, Sale 968, Lot 1

5c Red Brown (Scott 1). Original gum, small h.r., radiant color, large margins all around EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE. A STUNNING STAMP IN TERMS OF MARGINS, COLOR AND FRESHNESS OF GUM. With 1969 and 1997 P.F. certificates

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jan 2009, Sale 968, Lot 2

5c Red Brown (1). Block of four, original gum, full to large margins all around, gorgeous bright shade with very strong hue, exceptionally fresh, accompanying certificate notes light vertical creases, these are caused by the naturally crackly gum that is typical of Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson’s work EXTREMELY FINE FOR AN ORIGINAL-GUM MULTIPLE OF THE 1847 ISSUE. IN FACT, THIS BEAUTIFUL BLOCK OF FOUR, WITH ITS RICH COLOR AND SOUNDNESS, IS ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE RECORDED 5-CENT 1847 ISSUE MULTIPLES. It is surprising that so little reliable information has been published about the precise number of 5c 1847 Issue blocks in existence. Philip H. Ward, Jr., in his article on classic unused blocks (“Early Unused Blocks 1847-1869”, 1960 Congress Book), simply said that the 5c was “not difficult to obtain in block form for some few exist in blocks of four and larger.” Lester G. Brookman estimated “about a dozen blocks are known” in unused condition. To bring the record further along and to give better perspective to the block offered here, we conducted our own review of auction records. We identified 17 unused blocks of the 5c 1847 Issue. Excluded from this tally is what might be an unused block in the Webster Knight collection at Brown University and a block of 30 which has been rumored to exist for years (if it does exist, then it becomes the largest recorded multiple). The list of 17 confirmed unused 5c 1847 multiples follows (some ownership information is provided). 1) block of 16 (4 x 4, Pos. 21-24/51-54R), OG, ex Earl of Crawford, Ackerman, Ward, Ishikawa, currently in the W. H. Gross collection, 2) block of 10 (5 x 2, Pos. 1-5/11-15L with sheet margin at top), POG, crease, small repairs, ex Kapiloff, Siegel 2002 Rarities sale, 3) block of 8 (4 x 2), 3rd and 7th stamp with dot in “S”, OG, slight creases, ex Caspary, Lilly, Grunin, 4) block of 8 (3 x 3 less TR stamp), Dark Brown shade, OG, ex Slater, Caspary, Lehman, Klein, 5) block of 6 (3 x 2), OG, BL stamp NH, light creasing from gum shrinkage, Siegel 2001 Rarities sale, 6) block of 4, OG, light vertical creases, ex Sevenoaks as a block of six, since reduced to a block of four and offered here, 7) block of 6 (3 x 2), traces of gum, toned, repaired tear, Siegel 1993 Rarities sale, 8) block of 6 (2 x 3 with sheet margin at top), no gum, creased, Siegel 1992 Rarities sale, 9) block of 4, OG, offset on back, ex Hind and Hansen, realized $42,500 hammer in Siegel Sale 963, 10) block of 4, OG, described as “pale reddish-brown, 1849 impression” in Crocker sale and “Orange Brown” in E. B. Martin and later sales, possibly the same shade as block #9, 11) block of 4, bottom sheet margin, Dark Brown shade, OG, creases, Siegel Sale 902, lot 1002, 12) block of 4, no gum, right stamps vertical creases, lightened stains, 13) block of 4, OG, creases, small tear BR, Siegel 1992 Rarities sale, 14) block of 4, OG, creased and defective, Siegel 1988 Rarities sale, 15) block of 4, OG, creases, minor faults, ex Hessel, possibly ex Worthington, 16) block of 4, OG, Dark Brown shade, faults and small repair TL, ex Picher, Siegel 1993 Rarities sale, and 17) block of 4 (Pos. 89-90/99-100R incl. DT Pos. 90R), OG, vertical crease, ex West. Among the larger blocks, only Scott #1, 4 and 5 are essentially sound. Of the ten blocks of four, only two are free of faults: #9 offered recently in our Hansen sale and #10, which has not been examined in years (its present location is unknown). The example offered here (#6 on list), with light vertical creases but with four large margins, is a rare opportunity for the collector who wishes to own one of the finest multiples of the United States First Issue. Ex Sevenoaks as a block of six. With 2002 P.F. certificate.

Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Jan 2009, Sale 968, Lot 3